Rangers at Dieppe: The First Combat Action of U.S. Army Rangers in World War II [Hardcover]

Jim Defelice (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2008

The day the U.S. Army Rangers first went into combat-and the battle that won't be forgotten.

Just months after Pearl Harbor, with America still struggling to bring itself up to fighting strength for World War II, it was decided that a specially-trained force based upon the British commando squads should be formed. They would become known as the Rangers.

Before their training was even complete, they would be thrust into the crucible of battle, taking part in a combined Canadian-British assault on the Germanheld French port of Dieppe. The raid was a disaster, and the fight for Dieppe became a slaughter, with horrific Allied losses. Several Rangers were killed or wounded-the first American blood spilled on European soil in the Second World War.

Here, drawn from historical records and personal recollections by those who were there, and illustrated with photographs and maps, is the story of those fifty Rangers who found themselves fighting nobly on the front lines in a battle they could not win-and would be lucky to survive.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

DeFelice (Leopards Kill) takes a fresh look at the disastrous 1942 Allied landing at German-occupied Dieppe, France, from the perspective of the 50 U.S. Army Rangers scattered among the British Commando units and the Canadian 2nd Division, which spearheaded the assault. With an eye on gaining experience in amphibious operations, the 50 Rangers were selected from the 1st Ranger Battalion, formed just months before Operation Jubilee, the code name for the raid at Dieppe. Beset by poor planning, insufficient training, and inadequate support, the assault—among a series of raids intended to harass the Germans and boost Allied morale—was a sanguinary disaster. The Canadians suffered 67% casualties and the Rangers 22%. Noting Dieppe's lack of military importance, DeFelice rejects the notion that it was a brutal but necessary rehearsal for D-Day, concluding that it was an unnecessary and foreseeable fiasco. DeFelice honors the courage of the men on the ground, however, including Lt. Edwin Loustalot, Pvt. Owen Sweazey, Cpl. Franklin Zip Koons and Sgt. Alex Szima. Carefully researched and vividly told, this popular account of the blooding of the now iconic Rangers will appeal to fans of military history.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A remarkable saga of heroism under fire...this is military history at its best."
-Colonel Cole C. Kingseed, co-author of Beyond Band Of Brothers

"An up-to-date, clearly written, comprehensively researched account of the formation and training of the American Rangers."
-Booklist

"Carefully researched and vividly told."
-Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; 1 edition (January 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425219216
• ISBN-13: 978-0425219218
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #564,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb, moving narrative of a crucial battle, January 14, 2008

By 

Carlbarry (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rangers at Dieppe: The First Combat Action of U.S. Army Rangers in World War II (Hardcover)

I pick up about ten history books a year, and this is the best I've read in a long, long while. Whether you're casually interested in WWII or a serious student the conflict, this casts the bloodletting of U.S Rangers at Dieppe in a new light, turning an apparent military disaster into a what it truly was in a broader sense: a story of perserverance and courage that ultimately becomes uplifting. Through Defelice's exhaustive research, Rangers at Dieppe dispels longstanding myths about the battle and explains how the U.S. Rangers who were the first Allied casualties in Europe were transformed into the elite fighting force that would later be pivotal in deciding the outcome of the war.

The author's impressions of his modern-day trip to the battle's scene and staging grounds, intercut with the events that occurred there over sixty years in the past, add a special poignancy to the story. Defelice's final passage resonates with me days after I finished the book.

This is history with intelligence and a huge amount of heart--I can't recommend it enough. For me it ranks with Cornelius Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far" and "The Longest Day" as being among the most gripping narrative histories of WWII ever written.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Minor error, January 24, 2010

By 

J. Kindred (MS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rangers at Dieppe: The First Combat Action of U.S. Army Rangers in World War II (Kindle Edition)

Yes, the writer or editor slips up in the description of the M1 and carbine but other than that a very good book. As for the July 25, 2008 review, since the reviewer is nitpicking the details he may want to pick up a book on Carbines himself, Overland never made carbines.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, April 4, 2008

By 

A reader (Danbury, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rangers at Dieppe: The First Combat Action of U.S. Army Rangers in World War II (Hardcover)

Although I don't consider myself a fan of military history, I am a fan of Jim DeFelice. When I picked up a copy of RANGERS AT DIEPPE, I was more than a little bit pleased with my choice. The book reads like much of Mr. DeFelice's fiction: it's engrossing, entertaining, and spellbinding. This moving tribute to an all-too-easily forgotten group of brave men stands among the best accounts of gallantry I have ever read.