Welcome back to part Two of my articles regarding the US Rangers.
While part One showed how the Rangers were forged, let’s look at their historical campaigns through North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. For *Chain of Command* players, this theater offers some of the most intense, asymmetrical scenario ideas imaginable.
The Opening Gambit: Operation Torch
The Rangers received their baptism by fire on November 8, 1942, during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa.
The 1st Ranger Battalion conducted a night landing at the Algerian port of Arzew to neutralize coastal batteries threatening the main invasion fleet.
- "Dammer Force" stormed Fort de la Pointe, capturing the commandant in his pajamas.
- "Darby Force"** infiltrated four miles inland to strike the Batterie du Nord from the rear.
The mission was a total success, executed with minimal casualties.
In the following months in Tunisia, the Rangers conducted classic "hit-and-run" raids, most notably at Sened Station on February 11, 1943, where they decimated elite Italian Bersaglieri units in close-quarters night combat.
However, their most brilliant tactical feat was the seizure of the Djebel el Ank Pass in March 1943.
By executing a grueling ten-mile night march over terrain the enemy considered impassable, the Rangers swooped down on the Italian positions from the rear, capturing over 1,000 prisoners and earning the battalion its first Presidential Unit Citation.
Operational Focus: The Bloody Beaches of Gela (Operation Husky)
Following North Africa, the Ranger force was expanded to three battalions (the 1st, 3rd, and 4th) to spearhead the invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky.
On July 10, 1943, the 1st and 4th Battalions, designated as "Force X", landed directly at the coastal town of Gela.
Landing Under Fire
Heavy fighting at Gela not only at land but at sea too - Liberty Ship SS Robert Rowan explodes after hit by an attack of some JU 88 bombers.
The tactical situation was precarious from the start:
A fierce storm the day before had churned the sea, causing widespread seasickness. Furthermore, the guide boats failed to materialize at the rendezvous point, throwing the landing schedule into chaos.
The Rangers finally hit the "Red" and "Green" beaches around 0255 hours under searchlights and heavy fire. Many landing craft grounded on offshore sandbars, forcing the men to wade through chest-deep water with fixed bayonets while the Italians detonated the Gela pier in a massive explosion.
The Urban Fight for Gela
Once ashore, the Rangers engaged in intense house-to-house fighting. They utilized grenades and submachine guns to clear fortified basements and rooftops.
By dawn, the Rangers had seized control of the city center and captured hundreds of Italian soldiers, though the most dangerous phase was yet to come.
Repelling the Armored Counterattacks
The Rangers faced a critical defensive problem: they were light infantry lacking heavy anti-tank assets against approaching armor.
When Italian Renault R35 light tanks penetrated the town, the Rangers resorted to desperate measures, dropping explosive satchel charges and grenades from rooftops onto the vehicles.
Colonel Darby personally operated a borrowed 37mm anti-tank gun in the town square, destroying one of the lead tanks.
The situation escalated when 18 German Tiger tanks from the Fallschirmpanzerdivision "Hermann Göring" launched a massive counterattack from the northeast.
The Rangers held Gela against this eight-fold numerical superiority only through the precise coordination of naval gunfire—specifically from the USS Savannah and the heavy barrages of the 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion (4.2-inch mortars).
The 4.2-inch Chemical Mortar (Four-Deuce) fired high explosive and white phosphorus rounds.
Moving North: Salerno and Anzio
Rangers in combat not in Normandy but near Santa Maria, Italy, November 1943.
In September 1943, the Rangers landed at Maiori during Operation Avalanche.
They rapidly seized the strategic Chiunzi Pass, providing the Allies with a bird's-eye view of the Naples plain and German supply routes.
For three weeks, they held these heights against repeated German counterattacks and constant artillery fire, proving that well-entrenched light infantry could anchor a sector if properly supported by naval and mortar fire.
The Tragedy of Cisterna
The original Ranger Force met its end in January 1944 during the Anzio landings.
While the initial landing was unopposed, an attempted night infiltration toward the town of Cisterna on January 30 turned into a tactical nightmare.
The 1st and 3rd Battalions successfully infiltrated enemy lines but were caught at dawn in open terrain, surrounded by heavy German Panzer and Parachute units.
In a desperate last stand, both battalions were almost entirely annihilated. Of the 767 Rangers who began the assault, only six(!) returned to friendly lines; the rest were killed or captured.
This disaster marked the end of the original "Darby’s Rangers," though their legacy as the "Spearhead" continues to define elite light infantry operations today.
The next part will cover the detailed organisation at the Platoon level and how I translate this into the Army List for Chain of Command.
Wargaming Insight
The Rangers' success often hinged on their ability to neutralize heavy assets (coastal guns, tanks) using stealth or extreme aggression before the enemy could react.
At Gela, the combination of light infantry, heavy mortars, and naval "off-table" support is a perfect scenario for tactical simulations
Used Sources
- The Battalion: The Dramatic Story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in World War II; Robert W. Black; 2006
- Darby's Rangers 1942–45; Mir Bahmanyar & Michael Welply; Osprey Warrior Series
- The Ranger Force: Darby’s Rangers in World War II; Robert W. Black; 2009
- Rangers: Selected Combat Operations in World War II; Dr. Michael J. King; 1985
- Rangers in World War II: Part I—The Formation and Early Days; Kenneth Finlayson & Robert W. Jones Jr.
- Small Unit Actions (American Forces in Action Series); Historical Division, War Department; 1946
- The Operations of Companies "A" and "B" First Ranger Battalion, at Gela, Sicily, 10–11 July 1943; Major James B. Lyle; 1948–1949
- US Army Rangers & LRRP Units 1942–87; Gordon L. Rottman & Ron Volstad; 1987
- US Rangers: 'Leading the Way'; Ian Westwell; 2003
- We Led the Way: Darby's Rangers; William Orlando Darby & William Henry Baumer; 1980
- When Engineers Fight as Infantry: The amphibious assault on Gela by a Ranger-Engineer force; Col. Stanley W. Dziuban; 1962
Rangers Lead the Way! <- Part 1 and Part 3 ->
