Orlando Darby

Col. William Orlando Darby

Noi vi indicheremo la strada
Darby's Rangers
We Lead the Way o Rangers, lead the way*

Darby era nato l’8 febbraio 1911 a Fort Smith, Arkansas. Uscito ufficiale dalla Accademia Militare (177° su 346 cadetti) nel 1933, ebbe un incarico come sottotenente di cavalleria (2nd Lieutenant) nei reggimenti 82° (Fort Bliss-1st Mounted Battalion), 3° and 80° (Field Artillery Divisions) e col 1° Cavalleria (montato). Promosso capitano nel 1940 prese parte a diversi corsi per incursori a PortoRico e in North Carolina, dove si sviluppavano le tecniche anfibie in vista di operazioni navali con sbarchi. All’inizio del 42 Darby, come aiutante del Gen. Russel Hartle, raggiunse l’Irlanda con la 34a divisione di fanteria. Offertosi più volte per un incarico operativo, non venne accontentato se non quando gli Americani si resero conto che senza l’aiuto degli inglesi non avrebbero mai sviluppato unità di sabotatori degne di questo nome (anche se i risultati di questi lasciavano a desiderare). Il colonnello Truscott, che conosceva bene Darby, non ebbe dubbi ad indicarlo.
In the spring of 1942, Gen. George Marshall, Chief of Staff of the US Army, sent Col. Lucian K. Truscott Jr. to England to liaise with the British General Staff and coordinate training between the inexperienced US troops and the battle-proven British Commandos. On May 26, 1942, Colonel Truscott submitted proposals to Gen. Marshall for the creation of an American unit along the lines of the British Commandos. The War Department authorized Truscott and Maj. Gen. Russell P. Hartle, commander of all Army forces in Northern Ireland, to activate the US Army’s 1st Ranger Battalion.
Il nome Ranger venne scelto sulla base della vecchia tradizione della “Frontiera” (west) che faceva di questi uomini le punte della penetrazione fra gli Indiani (il nome scout era già usato per il noto movimento giovanile). Il 7 giugno 1942 nasceva il primo battaglione a Carrickfergus in Irlanda con uomini della 34a e 1a div. corazzata. Al comando naturalmente il nuovo maggiore Darby. Di 1500 uomini presentatisi solo 600 furono ritenuti abili. Lontano da occhi indiscreti la nuova unità andava ad allenarsi in Scozia (Achnacarry) riducendosi ulteriormente per incidenti e per perdite nelle esercitazioni a fuoco …. one Ranger was killed, while several others were wounded in training so realistic, it was actually executed under live fire. Many others could not endure the exercises. Five hundred of the 600 volunteers that Darby brought with him to survived the commando training.
Per scelta o per ordine diversi Rangers raggiunsero al termine del ciclo estivo di addestramento, similari reparti del Commonwealth che si stavano preparando all’infausto sbarco di Dieppe. Gli americani che caddero a Dieppe possono definirsi i primi nella guerra contro i tedeschi in Europa. Il resto della formazione dovrà aspettare quasi 2 anni per l’operazione Shingle (Anzio) e Overlord (Normandia) del 1944. http://users.pandora.be/dave.depickere/Text/dieppe.html
A Ranger, Lieutenant E.V. Loustalot, during this raid, took command after the British Captain leading the assault was killed. Loustalot scaled a steep cliff with his men, was wounded three times, but was eventually cut down by enemy crossfire in his attempts to reach the machine-gun nest at the top of the cliff.
I tempi per un vero sbarco, anche se di serie B, erano però vicini. I ranger vennero impiegati in Algeria nel novembre del 42 per assicurare le vie di comunicazione, i porti e gli aeroporti alle truppe che sbarcavano. Da quel momento partiva la creazione del 3 e 4° battaglione destinati alle spiagge della Sicilia, mentre il 1° operava in Tunisia contro le deboli forze dell’Asse. Anche i ranger di Darby si contrapposero a El Guettar ai bersaglieri del 5° reggimento. This was accomplished by executing a surprise night landing, silencing two gun batteries, and opening the way for the capture of Orano, Sened e Djbel Ank (che apriva la strada di Tunisi a Patton). Rangers played a crucial role in the battle of El Guettar which immediately followed, for which the First Ranger Battalion won its first Citation. The 1-3-4 Battalions were trained under Darby in Nemours, North Africa and prepared for the invasion of Sicily and Italy.
Rangers saranno quindi presenti sulle spiagge siciliane e di Salerno l'8 settembre 1943, dove assicureranno nottetempo la disponibilità del bagnasciuga e dell’immediato entroterra (L'uso dei marines era prevalente nel pacifico dove operava sia come avanguardia, che come forza da sbarco). A Salerno, al ritorno dell’offensiva tedesca, l’unità venne però lasciata a terra, per carenza di combattenti (o di baionette come dicevano gli inglesi), in condizioni di impiego che non erano certamente le sue, manuali alla mano, visto lo scarso armamento anticarro e d’artiglieria di cui disponeva il corpo. Passati in autunno sulla linea Gustav (quella di Montecassino), i rangers continuarono a svolgere compiti d’ordinaria fanteria di linea. Clark used the Rangers to fill gaps in Fifth Army's line from early November to mid-December. Attached to divisions, the battalions engaged in bitter mountain fighting at close quarters. Although reinforced by a cannon company of four 75-mm. guns on half-tracks, they still lacked the firepower and manpower for protracted combat. By mid-December the continuous fighting and the cold, wet weather had taken a heavy toll ( the 1st Ranger Battalion lost 350 men, including nearly 200 casualties from exposure). Moreover, the quality of the battalions declined as veterans were replaced by enthusiastic, but inadequately trained, replacements. A botched infiltration mission on the Anzio beachhead in early 1944 completed the destruction of Darby's Rangers.

Una scheda del film n. 47 è visibile al link http://digilander.libero.it/freetime1836/cinema/indicecinema.htm

GRADI AMERICANI


Gradi	da	sottufficiali

ANZIO-OPERAZIONE SHINGLE–CISTERNA

Nel frattempo Darby veniva promosso Colonnello e messo a capo della Forza che di li a un mese (22 gennaio 1944) sarebbe stata impiegata ad Anzio, non si sa con quali risultati visto il livello di addestramento. Il 28 Gennaio 1944 una forza selezionata dei 3 battaglioni, 700 uomini circa, venne lanciata, dalla zona in cui stazionavano tra Le Ferriere e la pineta di Nettuno, contro il crocicchio di Cisterna Latina raggiunta il 29 sera. La dotazione deficitaria del reparto era estremamente pericolosa, specie contro unità meccanizzate e corazzate tedesche. All’alba infatti gli uomini di Darby, ma lui era rimasto a Nettuno, incontrarono una forte unità tedesca corazzata. La 3a divisione di Truscott che doveva raggiungerli non si vide e solo 30 uomini fecero ritorno (ma la fonte sottostante dice meno).
Truscott, now a major general and commander of the 3d Infantry Division, ordered the 1st and 3d Ranger Battalions to infiltrate four miles behind enemy lines to the crossroads town of Cisterna. One hour after their departure, the 4th Ranger Battalion and the rest of the division would launch a frontal assault and use the confusion created by the infiltrating Rangers to drive a deep wedge into the German defenses. American intelligence, however, had failed to notice a large German buildup opposite the American lines, and Ranger reconnaissance of the target area was poor. When the two battalions began their infiltration on the night of 29-30 January, the enemy quickly detected them and by dawn had surrounded them with infantry and armor just outside Cisterna. In a desperate attempt to rescue the isolated units, the 4th Ranger Battalion repeatedly attacked the German lines throughout the morning but succeeded in losing half of its combat strength in the futile effort. About noon, the remnants of the 1st and 3d surrendered. Only six men escaped to American lines.
I sopravvissuti di Anzio e il 2 e 5 ° battaglione (mai impiegati) si prepareranno d’ora in poi per lo sbarco in Normandia. Darby era intanto tornato in patria dove era stato nominato aiutante nell’ufficio “Operazioni del War Department General Staff”. Ritroviamo Darby in Europa nella primavera del 1945 quale aiutante maggiore della 10° divisione da montagna schierata sulla linea Gotica. La 10 divisione da montagna, il 27 aprile 1945, aveva raggiunto il lago di Garda per tagliare la ritirata alle truppe tedesche. Il 30 aprile 1945 nei pressi di Torbole (non si sa in quale circostanza, forse una mina o un colpo da 88 come dicono alcuni), il Colonnello Darby, già in lista per la promozione a Brigadiere Generale, venne ucciso. E’ sepolto a Fort Smith, città che gli ha dato i natali, gemellata con Cisterna. Il presidente americano Truman gli concederà in via straordinaria la promozione postuma a Generale.
On 2 May 1945, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson recommended to the President that, in view of Darby's outstanding combat record, his name remain on the list and that he be promoted posthumously. Truman agreed and on 15 May 1945, slightly more than three months after his thirty-fourth birthday, Darby was promoted to brigadier general. He was the only Army officer to be posthumously promoted to star rank (general) during the war.

1st RANGER INFANTRY BATTALION
Consituted May 27, 1942. Activated on June 19, 1942 at Carrickfergus, Sunnyland Camp, Northern Ireland . August 1, 1943 transported to North Africa where it arrived November 8, 1942, being assigned to II Corps . It further participated in the Sicily campaign, where it landed on July 9, 1943 . The 1st Rangers then fought in Italy, landed at Salerno, 9 September 1943, and also fought the battle for Anzio January 31, 1944, where it was annihilated ! The few surviving elements were returned to the ZI course of April 1944 . The unit was disbanded August 15, 1944 .
3d RANGER INFANTRY BATTALION
The 3d Ranger Battalion (Provisional) was activated on May 21, 1943 at Nemours, French Morocco . Redesignated 3d Rngr Inf Bn August 1, 1943 . It arrived in North Africa, May 21, 1943 and was later transferred to Sicily August 1, 1943. In Italy, all three active Ranger Battalions, i.e. the 1st, 3d and 4th were grouped under a temporary unit known as the 6615th Ranger Force (Provisional) which came into being January 16, 1944 under command of Colonel William O. DARBY (XO > Captain Herman W. DAMMER) . It also fought in Italy where it debarked September 9, 1943 . In 1944, it was almost destroyed as a fighting unit in Italy, during the heavy fighting for the Anzio Beachhead, January 31, 1944 . The rest of the unit was returned to the ZI, where it arrived on April 15, 1944 . The 3d Rangers was subsequently disbanded August 15, 1944 .
4th RANGER INFANTRY BATTALION
The 4th Ranger Battalion (Provisional) was activated on May 29, 1943 at Nemours, French Morocco . Redesignated 4th Rngr Inf Bn August 1, 1943 . It arrived in North Africa, May 29, 1943, transported into Sicily July 9, 1943, and later landed in Italy September 9, 1943. Being almost decimated after the battle for Anzio, the 4th was returned to the ZI

*il motto nacque però sulle spiagge di Normandia. Il reparto mandato a salvare "Il soldato Ryan" è del 2° Ranger.

The 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions participated in the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings at Omaha Beach, Normandy. It was during the bitter fighting along the beaches that the Rangers gained their official motto. As the situation became critical on Omaha Beach, Brigadier General Norman D. Cota, Assistant Division Commander of the 29th Infantry Division, stated that the entire assault force must clear the beaches and advance inland. He then turned to Lieutenant Colonel Max F. Schneider, commanding the 5th Ranger Battalion, and said, "Rangers, lead the way!" The 5th Battalion spearheaded the breakthrough that enabled the Allies to drive inland from the invasion beaches. http://www.soc.mil/75thrr/75thrrww2.shtml
http://search.eb.com/dday/article-236191 Ranger prendete Pointe du Hoc