Battle of Cisterna
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The Battle of Cisterna took place during World War II, on January 29, 1944, near Cisterna , Italy, as part of the battle of Anzio that followed Operation Shingle.
During this battle, the 1st, 3rd, and 4th US Army Ranger battalions, the 83rd Chemical Mortar Battlion, and the 2nd Battalion of the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which had been brigaded as the 6615th Ranger Force (Provisional), attempted to capture the town of Cisterna, an objective which the US 3rd Infantry Division had failed to take.
The Rangers attempted a night infiltration behind German lines into the town of Cisterna. They moved in the darkness along a drainage ditch in column formation. Although they were able to bypass numerous German positions, at first light they were still short of their objective and needed to cross open ground for the final portion of the approach. At this point the Rangers were attacked by strong German forces including at least seventeen German Panzer IV tanks. The 1st Battalion commander, Major Dobson, personally knocked out one tank by shooting the commander with his pistol, climbing atop the tank, and dropping a white phosphorus grenade down the hatch. Two other tanks were captured by Rangers, but then knocked out by other Rangers who did not know they had been captured. Despite fierce fighting, there was little chance of success once the Rangers were attacked on the open ground. German units put Ranger prisoners in front of their tanks and commanded other Rangers to surrender. Eventually 761 of 767 Rangers were lost. The exact number of killed, wounded and POW is unknown, although historian Carlo D'Este estimated well over 400 Rangers were captured. German casualties reached a similar level. The town remained in German hands until May 1944, and the Ranger forces within Italy were subsequently disbanded. Ranger units continued to serve in northern Europe (spearheading D-Day) and in the Pacific theatre of operations.
William O. Darby served as the American Ranger Force commander during this engagement; subsequently, he was assigned to command of the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division, and then to the 10th Mountain Division. He was killed in action on April 30th, 1945, and was the only US officer of WW2 honored with a posthumous promotion.
