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More than half of the World War II 1st Ranger Battalion came from one National Guard division

1st ranger battalion british commandos army
United States soldiers of the 1st Ranger Battalion training with British Commandos, somewhere in the United Kingdom. (National Archives)
Profile PhotoTommy Alien ·

Automatically curated summary from We Are The Mighty.

An article by We Are The Mighty reports that historical accession records show 281 of the original 520 soldiers in the World War II 1st Ranger Battalion came from the 34th Infantry Division, a Midwest National Guard unit. This corrects decades-old unit histories claiming an 80% contribution. The excerpt details the 34th Infantry Division's WWII service, highlighting its status as the first American division sent to Europe, its heavy combat across North Africa and Italy, including at Monte Cassino, and its total of 16,401 battle casualties over 517 frontline combat days.

Context and limitations

The article cites historical accession records contradicting official division histories, but does not provide primary source citations or full documentation for the revised personnel figures.

34th Infantry Division Louisiana maneuvers
Wearing World War I-vintage helmets, soldiers of the 34th Infantry Division parade during Louisiana Maneuvers in 1941.
soldiers-of-the-american-expeditionary-force-march-through-v0-3jjnb3i4oud71
Soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force march through Northern Ireland carrying .30 caliber Browning machine guns in January 1942.
Rangers-at-Arzew
Rangers set up a Browning M1919 .30-caliber light machine gun to secure one of the French gun positions they captured at Arzew. (U.S. Army)

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