Customer Reviews

Darby's Rangers: We Led the Way

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This book is based primarily on the memoirs of William O. Darby, the founder and commanding officer of "Darby's Rangers," who dictated the original draft shortly before he was killed in action on April 30, 1945. Perhaps, if he hadn't been killed his story and that of Darby's Rangers would be better known today.

To summarize the book: The 1st Ranger Battalion was activated on June 19, 1942. It consisted of 600 men who had been selected from a group of 1500 volunteers. These "Rangers" were sent to Achnacarry, Scotland where they were subjected to intensive training by British commando instructors. Fifty of the 500 men who survived this training then went on to see action in the ill-fated Dieppe Raid, where three of the participating rangers were killed. The 1st Battalion then went on to spearhead the invasion at the Port of Arzew in Algeria, during the invasion of North Africa, by executing a surprise night landing. Later, in 1943, they executed behind-the-lines night-raids in Tunisia, in one of which they surprised the Germans from the rear, took two hundred prisoners, and opened the way for General Patton's advance through North Africa. The Battalion then went on to fight at El Guettar where the Battalion won the Presidential Unit Citation.

The success of the 1st Ranger Battalion prompted the creation of the 3rd and 4th Battalions, which were formed in part from elements of the 1st. Taken together, these three Battalions were to become known as Darby's Rangers.

Following some additional training in North Africa, the Rangers participated in the invasion of Sicily. There, near the town of Cisterna, Italy, the 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions were virtually annihilated while on a night infiltration mission. Surrounded by an overwhelming German force of which they had no prior knowledge, they fought until their ammunition ran out. Then, the survivors were forced to surrender. The 4th Battalion also suffered severe casualties in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue them.

Although this book starts out rather slowly, probably because it was for the most part dictated by a soldier, when it picks up steam it is hard to put down. And the culmination of the book, the action at Cisterna, is an unsurpassed study of courage and bravery.

This book in a indepth lok at the struggles of the Darby Rangers and their missions during WWII. Should be required reading for every basic trainee in the armed forces today.

Five-star book, one-star edition.

Darby's story is incredible and truly heroic. Darby was rare, natural leader: inspiringly charismatic while at the same time being selfless, humble, and ALWAYS concerned for his men. He would have been a great postwar leader if he hadn't have been tragically cut down just nine days before the war in Europe ended. It's amazing that so many people have never heard of him. Hollywood has only attempted a telling once, with mediocre results. Rick Atkinson's sequential books An Army At Dawn and Day Of Battle finally give him due justice, but Hollywood does need to try again. This is an essential read.

That said, THIS edition is shoddy. I remember being stunned by the excellent quality and detail of the photos when I first read my beat-up older edition. It was like being taken back in time. THESE reproductions are new but they look like they were copied on an old 90s dot matrix! For shame. William O. Darby deserves better.

William O. Darby was plucked from the regular infantry to form, train and lead an experimental unit along the lines of the British Commandos. Eschewing the copycat title American Commandos, he sought a name more uniquely American and decided upon Rangers, a name descendant from Roger's Rangers from the French and Indian War. Major (at the time) Darby formed the 1st Ranger Battalion and so began the legend of the famed U.S. Army Rangers in World War II.

Darby didn't survive the War but his exploits as commanding officer of the Rangers were dictated to a friend and West Point classmate, William H. Baumer, in May of 1944. Within these words Darby described the formation of the Ranger Force (the 1st, 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions) and its contribution in North Africa, Sicily and Italy where it was virtually wiped out by a German Panzer Division near the town of Cisterna.

What Darby proved was that if highly motivated and physically fit men were trained to a razor's edge, there is nothing they could not accomplish. His experiment led to the formation of the 2nd, 5th and 6th Ranger Battalions, the first two being instrumental in the Normandy Invasion.

After many years, Baumer was successful in editing the manuscript and getting this book published. This book is an important piece of history as it was fortuitous to capture Darby's recollections before the War claimed his life. The additional comments of the men he commanded add much to commentary Darby left behind.

For an inspirational look at the origin of one of the best elite fighting forces in history, We Led The Way is a must read.

John E. Nevola
Author of The Last Jump - A Novel of World War II
Some proceeds donated to assist families of fallen soldiers