1st Ranger Battalion
The original 1st Ranger Battalion trained at Achnacarry in Scotland, where British Commando instructors put American volunteers through demanding marches, weapons training, night operations, and amphibious exercises. Those skills soon carried the Rangers into North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. The modern battalion would build its own combat record through airfield seizures, rescue operations, and repeated deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Darby’s Rangers: Formation and First Combat
The WWII 1st Ranger Battalion was activated on June 19, 1942, at Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, under MAJ William Darby. Volunteers came from American formations already stationed in Northern Ireland, particularly the 34th Infantry Division and 1st Armored Division.
A small contingent accompanied British Commandos and Canadian forces during the Dieppe raid on August 19, 1942. The battalion’s first combat operation as a unit followed on November 8, 1942, during Operation Torch. Landing at Arzew, Algeria, the Rangers captured coastal defenses protecting the harbor and helped open the way for the advance on Oran.
In Tunisia, the battalion conducted raids and attacked key positions around Sened Station, Djebel el Ank, and El Guettar. Its night movement and surprise attack through the mountainous terrain near El Guettar helped secure ground needed by the larger American force. The battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions there.
Sicily, Salerno, and Anzio
The success of the 1st Rangers led to the expansion of Darby’s force. Veterans from the original battalion provided the core for the new 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions.
On July 10, 1943, the 1st and 4th Rangers landed at Gela, Sicily, during Operation Husky. They secured port facilities and fought against Axis counterattacks. The Ranger force subsequently supported the advance toward Palermo.
During the Salerno landings on September 9, 1943, the Rangers came ashore at Maiori. The 1st and 3rd Battalions moved inland to seize Chiunzi Pass, then defended the heights through repeated counterattacks. Later fighting along the German Winter Line placed the small Ranger formations in prolonged infantry combat, steadily reducing their strength.
The Rangers landed at Anzio on January 22, 1944. Eight days later, the 1st and 3rd Battalions attempted to infiltrate German lines and seize Cisterna. They encountered a heavily reinforced enemy, became surrounded, and were overwhelmed. Most of the trapped Rangers were captured. The losses ended Darby’s Ranger Force as an effective formation, and surviving personnel were reassigned, including to the First Special Service Force.
Korea, Vietnam, and the Battalion’s Lineage
The WWII 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion was formally disbanded on August 15, 1944. Its lineage was later reconstituted through Aco and carried into the 1st Ranger Infantry Company, activated at Fort Benning in October 1950. That company served in Korea before being inactivated on August 1, 1951.
The modern battalion also inherits a separate lineage through Merrill’s Marauders, Company C of the 475th Infantry, and Company C, 75th Infantry. Company C served in Vietnam from 1969 until its inactivation in October 1971.
These branches were formally joined in 1986. They connect the battalion to several generations of Ranger and reconnaissance Soldiers, while preserving the distinction between inherited lineage and an uninterrupted battalion history.
Rebuilding the Ranger Force
Under GEN Creighton Abrams, the Army established a battalion-sized Ranger force capable of responding quickly to demanding missions. The modern 1st Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry was activated on January 31, 1974.
Cadre and volunteers assembled and trained at Fort Benning before the battalion parachuted into Fort Stewart, Georgia, on July 1, 1974. That arrival marked a visible milestone in the battalion’s development, rather than its formal activation date. It moved to Hunter Army Airfield in September 1978.
On February 3, 1986, the battalion was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and its headquarters lineage was consolidated with the WWII Ranger branch.
Iran, Grenada, Panama, and Desert Storm
Elements of the battalion participated in the 1980 Iranian hostage rescue attempt, Operation Eagle Claw. The mission’s failure prompted substantial changes in the organization and coordination of American special operations forces.
On October 25, 1983, the 1st Rangers joined elements of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in the low-altitude combat parachute assault at Point Salines, Grenada, during Operation Urgent Fury. The airfield seizure opened an entry point for follow-on forces, and the Rangers took part in operations to rescue American citizens.
During Operation Just Cause on December 20, 1989, the battalion conducted the airfield seizure at Torrijos/Tocumen, Panama. This was a separate objective from the Rio Hato assault conducted by the 2nd and 3rd Ranger Battalions.
Elements of Bco and a platoon from Aco deployed to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, conducting raids and providing a quick reaction force in cooperation with allied forces.
Afghanistan and Iraq
In December 2001, elements of HHC and Aco deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The entire battalion deployed there in 2002.
The 1st Rangers participated in the invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Their operations included participation in the joint mission that rescued PFC Jessica Lynch from captivity. Subsequent deployments sent battalion elements to both Iraq and Afghanistan, establishing a sustained operational pattern across the two theaters.
A later action involved SFC Christopher Celiz of Dco. On July 12, 2018, Celiz led a force of Rangers and partnered personnel in Paktia Province, Afghanistan. Under intense enemy fire, he helped secure the evacuation of a wounded partner-force member, then positioned himself between the enemy and the evacuation helicopter.
Celiz was hit as the aircraft lifted off. He signaled for it to depart rather than remain to pick him up, protecting the casualty and aircrew at the cost of his own life. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
1st Rangers Today
Based at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, the 1st Battalion remains part of the 75th Ranger Regiment’s direct-action force. Its capabilities include raids, Airborne and air assault operations, and the seizure of critical objectives such as airfields.
The battalion’s readiness depends on the regiment’s emphasis on marksmanship, physical conditioning, medical training, small-unit tactics, and mobility. Those fundamentals support missions ranging from small-unit actions to larger joint operations.
Our collection honors the service of the 1st Rangers, from Darby’s original volunteers to the Soldiers who built and sustained the modern battalion, along with the veterans and families who carry that history forward.
Historical Sources
- 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment: Lineage and Honors. U.S. Army Special Operations Command History Office / U.S. Army Center of Military History. Documents the separate lineage branches, WWII disbandment, Korean War company, Vietnam connection, January 31, 1974 activation, and February 3, 1986 consolidation and redesignation.
- Rangers in WWII: Part I, The Formation and Early Days. Kenneth Finlayson and Robert W. Jones Jr., USASOC History Office, Veritas, 2006. Covers formation at Carrickfergus, Commando training, Dieppe, Arzew, and the Tunisian operations.
- Rangers in World War II: Part II, Sicily and Italy. Kenneth Finlayson and Robert W. Jones Jr., USASOC History Office, Veritas, 2007. Covers the expansion of Darby’s force, Gela, Chiunzi Pass, the Winter Line, Anzio, Cisterna, and reassignment of surviving Rangers.
- 75th Ranger Regiment: 1st Battalion History. U.S. Army, Fort Benning. Describes the modern battalion’s formation, July 1974 parachute arrival, move to Hunter Army Airfield, and operations through the early Afghanistan and Iraq deployments. The formal lineage record above supplies the exact 1986 redesignation date.
- 1st Special Operations Command: A Brief History. USASOC History Office. Explains the special operations restructuring that followed the failed Iranian hostage rescue mission.
- U.S. Army Rangers: Heritage. U.S. Army. Provides operational context for the Iranian hostage rescue attempt, Grenada, Panama, and Desert Storm. Exact organizational dates are drawn from the formal battalion lineage record.
- SFC Christopher Celiz: Official Medal of Honor Citation. U.S. Army. Establishes the July 12, 2018 action in Paktia Province and describes Celiz’s protection of the wounded partnered-force member, his team, and the evacuation helicopter.
- SFC Christopher Celiz: Medal of Honor Recipient. U.S. Army. Identifies his assignment to Dco, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and his posthumous award.
- U.S. Army Rangers: Mission and Organization. U.S. Army. Identifies the battalion’s home station and the regiment’s publicly described mission, capabilities, and training priorities.