James J. Altieri - The Spearheaders: A Personal History of Darbys Rangers

This book has been brought to publication with the generous assistance of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest.

Naval Institute Press

291 Wood Road

Annapolis, MD 21402

1960 by James Altieri

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First Naval Institute Press paperback edition published in 2014.

ISBN: 978-0-87021-089-1 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data for the hard cover edition is available.

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First printing

This book is respectfully dedicated to:

The volunteers who fought with the First, Third and Fourth RangersDarbys Rangers; to their spirt of daring and initiative and to their strong belief in American ideals; and to every American and Allied soldier, sailor, airman, Commando and paratrooper who gave his fullest measure on the field of battle.

So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night. And he commanded them, saying... ye shall rise up from the ambush and seize upon the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

Joshua 8:3-4, 7

Contents

These illustrations may be found following page 64:

These illustrations may be found following page 128:

These illustrations may be found following page 192:

I selected Rangers because few words have a more glamorous connotation in American military history.... On every frontier, the name has been one of hope for those who have required protection, of fear for those who have lived outside the law. It was therefore fit that the organization destined to be the first American ground forces to battle the Germans on the European continent in World War II should have been called Rangers, in compliment to those in American history who have exemplified such high standards of individual courage, initiative, determination, ruggedness, fighting ability, and achievement.Lucian K. Truscott, Command Missions, .

It is an honor and privilege to introduce this time-worn tale of one of our Armys most distinguished combat formations. James J. Alteris classic, The Spearheaders, recounts the formation and employment of the Ranger battalions from their inception early in World War II to their engagements in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Conceived to fight alongside the British Commandos and as the spearhead for American units involved in the liberation of Europe, the World War II Ranger battalions established a reputation for daring and boldness early in the war.

James Alteri was among those many soldiers selected from several U.S. units in England who were willing to take the challenge posed by this new and mysterious unit. He details the rigorous selection process and the realistic commando training. He recounts their participation in amphibious operations, weapons familiarization, and grueling foot-marchesall of which honed them into a fighting force that would spearhead the invasion of North Africa. Through these pages, the reader is introduced to the many men who brought this new style of fighting to lifethe British commandos who administered the training and the RangersWalter Wojcik, Chuck Shunstrom, Randall Harris, and Roy Murray. Throughout the account looms the personality of William Orlando Darby. An artilleryman, Major Darby, or El Darbo as he was affectionately known, put his stamp on the Rangers through his personal involvement with all facets of their training. Always at the front of the most grueling movements, Darby pioneered the night raids that bought the Rangers their early and dramatic successes. Darby was fiercely loyal to his men. In these pages Alteri recounts with pride the number of offers for promotion that Darby spurned to stay with his Rangers. Their success in North Africa was rewarded with expansion, and soon many of the plank holders in the original Ranger battalion were holding key leadership positions in one of the three Ranger battalions composing the Ranger Force that would fight in both Sicily and Italy. Alteri himself eventually rose to command Fox Company of the 4th Battalion before the disaster at Cisterna led to the dissolution of the Ranger Force. In many ways, this book is a tribute to William O. Darby, who perhaps alone among the distinguished combat leaders of our Army will forever be associated with the American Ranger.

Ranger Mir Bahmanyar is to be commended for his perseverance in bringing this classic back into publication. I was fortunate to serve alongside Mir in Company B, 2nd Battalion, back in the late 1980s, and he, like James Alteri and the men recounted in this book, knows the cost of being a member of an elite unit. This reissue, I hope, will allow another generation of Rangers, returning from campaigns in the Hindu Kush and the Euphrates River Valley, to contemplate those who went before them and the challenges they may next face.

Colonel (Ret.) Mike Kershaw

Commander, 1st Ranger Battalion, 20022004

San Antonio, Texas

I wish to express my deep gratitude to the many Rangers and other friends who encouraged me to write this book, and to those, also, who refreshed my memory by their invaluable contributions to the reconstruction of the numerous battle sequences not covered by my notes and diary or the official battle reports.

For the use of official photographs, my grateful appreciation goes to the Army Signal Corps, the Office of Chief of Information, and to Phil Stern, the Ranger Combat Photographer, who assisted me in collecting the photographs and allowed me to consult his diary of the North African campaign.

Every Ranger company in each of the three battalionsthe First, Third and Fourthcould equal in spirit and action the story I tell here, which is mainly about the Rangers of Fox Company. To those Rangers, both living and dead, I offer my sincerest hopes that this book will measure up to their excellent spirit and superb achievements, which made the Rangers what they became.

James Altieri

Santa Barbara, California

I met James J. Altieri many times, and the one thing that always stood out was his willingness to help anyone interested in the history of Darbys Rangers, Americas first commando unit of World War II. Jim dedicated his civilian life to the preservation of the history of the fabled unit, and in The Spearheaders