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4th Ranger Battalion

Field	Value
unit_name	4th Ranger Battalion
image	WWII Ranger Patch.svg
caption	WWII Ranger Battalions' shoulder sleeve insignia
type	Special operations forces
role	Anti-tank warfare
Artillery observer
Close-quarters battle
Direct action
HUMINT
Irregular warfare
Long-range penetration
Mountain warfare
Patrolling
Raiding
Reconnaissance
Special operations
Special reconnaissance
Tracking
branch		dates= 1943–1945
country	United States of America
size	battalion
battles	World War II
notable_commanders	Roy Murray

Artillery observer Close-quarters battle Direct action HUMINT Irregular warfare Long-range penetration Mountain warfare Patrolling Raiding Reconnaissance Special operations Special reconnaissance Tracking

Italian campaign

The 4th Ranger Battalion was a one-off Ranger unit in the United States Army during World War II. Activated on 29 May 1943 in Tunisia, it was disbanded following the Battle of Cisterna in February 1944. Its lineage was integrated into the 75th Ranger Regiment in 1986 when it was consolidated with the Regiment's active battalions.

Formation

After the success of 1st Ranger Battalion in the North Africa campaign, the Army saw the merit in small special operations forces units. Portions of 1st Ranger Battalion was split into 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions. The battalion was formed from American volunteers in North Africa.

Training

Much like their predecessor, 4th Ranger Battalion had a strict training regimen, directed by William Orlando Darby. 3rd and 4th Battalions trained alongside each other, with members of 1st Battalion acting as training cadre. Passing along the lessons taught by the British 3 Commando Brigade, the Rangers engaged in rough training, including live-fire exercises (an uncommon practice at the time). Major Roy Murray took command of the Rangers as they prepared for their first mission.

History

Combat

On 10 July 1943, 4th Battalion, along with 1st and 3rd spearheaded Seventh Army's Amphibious Battle of Gela and Licata, beginning the Allied invasion of Sicily. Arriving ahead of the 1st Infantry Division, the Rangers quickly encountered the Italian 4th "Livorno" Division and the Hermann Goering Division.

Facing an overwhelming surprise attack, the Livorno Division surrendered. The Hermann Goering Division was pushed back into the city of Messina where it held off the Allied forces for the remaining German forces to escape.

The Battalion suffered heavy casualties during the Battle of Cisterna. The 4th, along with the 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalion which had been virtually destroyed, were subsequently disbanded.

Lineage

Its lineage was integrated into the 75th Ranger Regiment in 1986 when it was consolidated with the Regiment's active battalions.

References

Lock, John D. and Moore, Harold G. To Fight With Intrepidity: The Complete History of the U.S. Army Rangers 1622 to Present Fenestra Books, 2001
ArmyRanger.com's history of the WWII Ranger Battalions
Ranger.org's history of the WWII Ranger Battalions

References

Cawthorne, Nigel. (2008). "The Mammoth Book of Inside the Elite Forces". Robinson Publishing.
(27 April 2017). "Lineage and Honors 75th RANGER REGIMENT".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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