1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment | |
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1st Ranger Battalion shoulder sleeve insignia
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Active | 1942–44, 1948–51, 1974–present |
Country | United States of America |
Branch | United States Army |
Type | Specialized Light infantry |
Role | Special operations |
Size | Battalion |
Part of | 75th Ranger Regiment |
Garrison/HQ | Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia |
Engagements |
Korean War |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
William Orlando Darby |
Insignia | |
Distinctive unit insignia | |
Unit beret flash |
Korean War
Vietnam War
Operation Eagle Claw
Operation Urgent Fury
Operation Just Cause
Gulf War
War on terror
The 1st Ranger Battalion, currently based at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is the first of three ranger battalions belonging to the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment.
It was originally formed shortly after the United States' entry into World War II and was modeled after the British Commandos during the war. Members from the unit were the first American soldiers to see combat in the European theater when they participated in the failed raid on Dieppe in France in 1942, during which three Rangers were killed and several more were captured. Later, the 1st Ranger Battalion was sent to North Africa where they participated in the landings in Algeria and the fighting in Tunisia in 1943. Also in 1943 the unit provided cadre for two more Ranger battalions created between the campaigns in Sicily and Italy. After World War II, the 1st Ranger Battalion has gone through a number of changes of name and composition as it has been activated, deactivated and reorganized on a number of occasions. However, the unit has lived on in one form or another since then, serving in the Korean and Vietnam Wars before being consolidated into the 75th Ranger Regiment of which it is a part today. Recent deployments have included operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the wider global war on terrorism.