The Battle of Cisterna took place during World War II, on January 30 to February 2, 1944, near Cisterna, Italy, as part of the battle of Anzio that followed Operation Shingle. Artillery being landed during the invasion of mainland Italy at Salerno, September 1943. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Nazi Germany Fascist Italy Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Harold Alexander Bernard Montgomery George S. Patton, Jr. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Armistice with Italy is an armistice that occurred on September 8, 1943, during World War II. It was signed by Italy and the Allied armed forces, who were occupying the southern half of the country at the time. ... The Volturno Line was a German defensive position in Italy during World War II. The line ran from Termoli in the east, along the Biferno River through the Apennine Mountains to the Volturno River in the west. ... During World War II, the Barbara Line was a series of German military fortifications in Italy, some ten to twenty miles south of the Gustav Line, and a similar distance north of the Volturno Line. ... The Bernhardt Line (or Reinhard Line) was a German defensive line in Italy during World War II. Unlike most of the other defensive lines it did not run all the way across Italy, but was merely a bulge in the Gustav Line in the region of Monte Cassino, enclosing the... Combatants United Kingdom United States Poland New Zealand Canada Free France India and others Germany Commanders Harold Alexander Mark Clark Oliver Leese Albert Kesselring Heinrich von Vietinghoff Frido von Senger Strength 105,000 80,000 Casualties 54,000 20,000 The Battle of Monte Cassino (also known as the Battle... Combatants United States, United Kingdom Germany Commanders Harold Alexander Mark W. Clark John P. Lucas Lucian Truscott Albert Kesselring Eberhard von Mackensen Strength 22 Jan 1944: 36,000 soldiers and 2,300 vehicles End May:150,000 soldiers and 1,500 guns 22 Jan 1944: 20,000 soldiers End May... Allied advance to and beyond the Trasimene Line, 1944 The Trasimene Line was a German defensive line during the Italian Campaign of World War II. It was also sometimes known as the Albert Line. ... German defensive positions in Northern Italy 1944 370th Infantry Regiment walking toward the mountains at north of Prato - April 1945 The Gothic Line, also known as Linea Gotica, formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselrings last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits... Combatants  United Kingdom United States Poland New Zealand India South Africa Brazil and others Germany Commanders Mark Clark Richard McCreery Lucian Truscott Heinrich von Vietinghoff Traugott Herr Joachim Lemelsen Strength U.S. 5th Army British 8th Army German 10th Army German 14th Army The Spring 1945 offensive in Italy was... The Winter Line was a series of German military fortifications in Italy, constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt. ... The Bernhardt Line (or Reinhard Line) was a German defensive line in Italy during World War II. Unlike most of the other defensive lines it did not run all the way across Italy, but was merely a bulge in the Gustav Line in the region of Monte Cassino, enclosing the... (For the John Huston film about this battle, see The Battle of San Pietro. ... Combatants 1st Canadian Infantry Division 5th Canadian Armoured Division 3rd battalion, 3rd Regt, German 1st Parachute Division Commanders Major General Chris Vokes Generalleutnant Richard Heidrich Strength  ? 1 Battalion Casualties Canadian 1375 dead 964 wounded[2] German ? The Battle of Ortona (December 20, 1943 to December 28, 1943)[1] was a... Combatants United Kingdom United States Poland New Zealand Canada Free France India and others Germany Commanders Harold Alexander Mark Clark Oliver Leese Albert Kesselring Heinrich von Vietinghoff Frido von Senger Strength 105,000 80,000 Casualties 54,000 20,000 The Battle of Monte Cassino (also known as the Battle... Combatants United States, United Kingdom Germany Commanders Harold Alexander Mark W. Clark John P. Lucas Lucian Truscott Albert Kesselring Eberhard von Mackensen Strength 22 Jan 1944: 36,000 soldiers and 2,300 vehicles End May:150,000 soldiers and 1,500 guns 22 Jan 1944: 20,000 soldiers End May... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The town of Cisterna in Italy provided the theatre of the Battle of Cisterna in January 1944. ... Combatants United States, United Kingdom Germany Commanders Harold Alexander Mark W. Clark John P. Lucas Lucian Truscott Albert Kesselring Eberhard von Mackensen Strength 22 Jan 1944: 36,000 soldiers and 2,300 vehicles End May:150,000 soldiers and 1,500 guns 22 Jan 1944: 20,000 soldiers End May...

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), were assigned to support the renewal of an attack by the US 3rd Infantry Division, which had previously failed to take Cisterna on January 25 to 27. The 3rd Division attack was part of a large offensive by the U.S. VI Corps to break out of the Anzio beachhead before German reinforcements could arrive and concentrate for a counterattack. Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... 1/75 Ranger Regiment Shoulder Sleeve Insignia 1/75 Ranger Regiment Beret Flash The 1st Ranger Battalion was formed upon Americas entry into World War II. Major General Lucian Truscott, U.S. Army, in liaison with the British General Staff, submitted proposals to General George Marshall that we undertake... The 3d Ranger Battalion was organized October 3, 1943 in the Army of the United States in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations of World War II as an element of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional). ... Activated on May 29, 1943 in Tunisia, 4th Ranger Battalion was a Ranger unit in the United States Army during World War II. // After the success of 1st Ranger Battalion in the North Africa campaign, the Army saw the merit in small special operations units. ... Official force name 75th Ranger Regiment Rangers Other names Airborne Rangers Army Rangers Task Force Ranger U.S. Army Rangers Branch U.S. Army Chain of Command USASOC Description Special Operations Force, rapidly deployable light infantry force. ... Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols A battalion is a military unit usually consisting of between two and six companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. ... The United States chemical mortar battalions were army units attached to U.S. Infantry divisions, and it was their responsibility to service the 4. ... During World War II, the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion (509th PIB) was the first combat paratrooper unit of the United States Army. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized). ... For the VI Corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, see VI Corps (ACW) The VI Corps took part in some of the most high profile operations in World War II. Its first combat was during the Allied invasion of Italy when it landed at Salerno with...

The 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions, preceding the main attack by the 4th Ranger Battalion and the 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, attempted a night infiltration behind German lines into the town of Cisterna. Their objective was to seize the town in a surprise attack and hold it until the main attack came through. Reconnaissance had indicated that the main line of German resistance was behind Cisterna and the Rangers expected to encounter only a thinly held outpost line. However during the night the German 14th Army had moved in veteran units, anticipating a renewal of the 3rd Division's attack. Various countries have a 15th Infantry Regiment, including the United States. ...

The two battalions, totaling 767 men and supported by a platoon of 43 men of the 3rd Reconnaissance Troop , moved out at 0130 and 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 of the 715th Panzergrenadier Division and Herman Göring Panzer Division, including at least seventeen German Panzer IV tanks. According to the Army history of the operation, the infiltration movement had apparently been discovered and an ambush prepared. Polizeiabteilung z. ... Panzer IV is the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the late 1930s by Nazi Germany and used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen IV (abbreviated PzKpfw IV) and the tank also had the ordnance inventory designation SdKfz 161. ...

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. After the approximately seven-hour battle, only 6 of the 767 Rangers and one member of the 3rd Recon troop returned to Allied lines, resulting in an overall loss of 803 men. The exact number of killed, wounded and captured is unknown, although historian Carlo D'Este estimated well over 400 Rangers became POWs. German casualties reached a similar level.

The main assault also jumped off, now attempting to rescue the trapped battalions. Led by the 4th Ranger Battalion, it encountered serious opposition and failed to break through. However the overall attack, which also included an attack by the 7th Infantry Regiment and 504th Parachute Infantry Regiments, did push forward the Allied lines three miles on a seven-mile wide front on January 31 and February 1, although failing to achieve the desired breakthrough. Subsequent German counterattacks on February 1-2, conducted by the Herman Göring Panzer and 71st Infantry Divisions, failed to recapture any of the ground from the Allies and suffered severe casualties. It has been suggested that 504 PIR World War Two Campaign Details be merged into this article or section. ...

Cisterna, however, 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 take command of the 179th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division, when that unit was nearly overrun on February 18. Dartby later commanded a regiment of the 10th Mountain Division. He was killed in action on April 30, 1945, and was the only US officer of WW2 honored with a posthumous promotion. William Darby William Orlando Darby (9 February 1911 - 30 April 1945) was a brigadier general in the United States Army during World War II. Darby led the famous Darbys Rangers which evolved into the US Army Rangers. ... The 45th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War II. // Activated: In 1924 as a National Guard Division in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. ... The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division of the United States Army currently serving under the XVIII Airborne Corps. ...

See also

• Ivor Parry Evans

Ivor P. Evans (born 1923, Aliquippa, PA) was a bombardier on B-25 aircraft in the U.S. Army Air Corps in North Africa, Italy, and Corsica during World War II. Decorated for actions near Anzio beach. ...

External links

• Battle of Cisterna at Darby's Rangers website

References

• Anzio Beachhead (1948) US Army Official History of the Anzio Campaign Center for Military History website