5th Ranger Battalion
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Shoulder sleeve patch of the 5th Ranger Battalion. |
The Fifth Ranger Infantry Battalion activated September 1, 1943 at
Camp Forrest, TN commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
Max Schneider, former executive officer of the
4th Ranger Battalion, was part of the provisional
Ranger Assault Force commanded by
Colonel Rudder. It landed on
Omaha Beach with three companies of the
2nd Ranger Battalion, A, B and C, where elements of the
116th Regiment of the
29th Infantry Division were pinned down by murderous cross fire and mortars from the heights above. It was there that the situation was so critical that
General Omar Bradley was seriously considering redirecting reinforcements to other areas of the beachhead. And it was then and there that
General Norman Cota, Assistant Division Commander of the
29th Infantry Division, gave the now famous order that has become the
motto of the 75th Ranger Regiment: "Rangers, Lead The Way!"
The Fifth Battalion Rangers broke across the sea wall and
barbed wire entanglements, and up the
pillbox-rimmed heights under intense enemy
machine-gun and
mortar fire and with A and B Companies of the 2nd Battalion and some elements of the 116th Infantry Regiment, advanced four miles to the key town of
Vierville, thus opening the breach for supporting troops to follow-up and expand the beachhead. Meanwhile C Company of the 2nd Battalion, due to rough seas, landed west of the Vierville draw and suffered 50 percent casualties during the landing, but still scaled a 90-foot cliff using ropes and bayonets to knock out a formidable enemy position that was sweeping the beach with deadly fire.
The Fifth Battalion with elements of the 116th Regiment finally linked up with the beleaguered 2nd Battalion on D+3, although Lieutenant
Charles Parker of A Company, 5th Battalion, had penetrated deep behind enemy lines on D Day and reached the 2nd Battalion with 20 prisoners. Later, with the 2nd Battalion the unit distinguished itself in the hard-fought battle of
Brest. Under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel
Richard Sullivan the 5th Ranger Battalion took part in the
Battle of the Bulge,
Huertgen Forest and other tough battles throughout central Europe, winning two Distinguished Unit Citations and the
French Croix de Guerre. The outfit was deactivated October 2 at
Camp Miles Standish, Mass.
