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First engagement w/ U.S. Army Rangers in 1942...
First engagement w/ U.S. Army Rangers in 1942...
Item # 721768
August 20, 1942
THE NEW YORK TIMES, Aug. 20, 1942
* William Darby's U.S. Army Rangers
* First ground combat with German forces
* Dieppe Raid - Invasion of France
* Allied amphibious attack - tanks
* World War II - WWII
The front page has a nice banner headline: "U. S. ALLIED TROOPS, TANKS RAID DIEPPE 9 HOURS; MORE THAN 1,000 PLANES AID IN LAND ACTION; 182 NAZI CRAFT, 95 BRITISH HIT; KRASNODAR LOST" with various subheads and related photo. Nice for display. More on page 3.
Complete with all 40 pages, rag edition in very nice condition.
AI notes: Major William Orlando Darby established and led the U.S. Army Rangers in 1942, creating an elite light-infantry force modeled on British Commandos and designed for rapid, high-risk assault operations during World War II. After arriving in Northern Ireland early that year, Darby—then a 31-year-old West Point–trained artillery officer—impressed commanders with his energy, organizational ability, and belief in specialized raiding units, leading to his selection to form the 1st Ranger Battalion. Under his rigorous leadership, volunteers underwent intense commando training with the British, mastering amphibious assault techniques, night operations, demolition, reconnaissance, and close-quarters combat. The battalion first saw action during the August 1942 Dieppe Raid, where a small Ranger detachment fought alongside British and Canadian troops, marking the first U.S. ground combat against German forces in the European theater. Later that year, Darby led the Rangers in Operation Torch in North Africa, where they executed a surprise nighttime landing at Arzew, Algeria, silenced coastal defenses, and opened the port for Allied forces—successes that cemented the Rangers’ reputation and Darby’s status as one of the most dynamic young combat leaders of the war.
Category: World War II
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