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This eulogy for Northern Ireland, (not that Northern Island does not deserve recognition for its war contributions), unfortunately contains many historical inaccuracies as does the film it mentions, ‘Saving Private Ryan’.
The American Rangers were not modelled on the ‘British Marine Commandos’, but on the British Army Commandos. The Army formed the Commandos in the summer of 1940 and their immediate forefathers were the Independent Companies. About that time, Combined Operations was formed under who’s command the Commandos fell. The Royal Marines did not form a Commando until 1942, the same year as the US Rangers.
With America in the war and her forces building up in Britain, Major General Lucian K. Truscott (U. S. Army Liaison with the British General Staff), accepted British advice to form an American commando. Eisenhower advised a different title should be adopted for the force, and ‘Ranger’ was chosen after the formations raised by Robert Rogers in 1756 for the British Crown during the French and Indian Wars in North America. The new Rangers still carried a copy of "Rogers' Rules of Ranging". [Rogers fought against Washington in 1776 and later came to London where he died in the 1790’s. He is believed buried at either Dunbarton Cemetery in Bow or a former cemetery at Newington Butts/Elephant and Castle, now a small park. There is no identifiable marker.]
The WWII force was raised from volunteers among American units in Northern Ireland, (principally the 1st Armored Division and the 34th Infantry Division), and its first commander was Capt. Bill Darby, promoted to Major for the task. Darby selected 600 men from 1500 volunteers, subsequently reduced to 500 after a month’s training at the new British Commando Training Centre at Achnacarry, Scotland. The 1st US Army Ranger Battalion became affectionately know as ‘Darby’s Rangers’ and continued until its’ virtual annihilation during the Anzio campaign in 1943. Darby returned to Europe in 1945 serving as Colonel and assistant division commander in the 10th Mountain Division. On 30th April he was killed by an 88mm shell fragment while visiting the front at Torbole in Italy — not Germany.
The 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions (grouped together into six Companies — A to F), did take part in the Normandy landings in the American sector and several Companies were given key assignments there. In respect of the film ‘Saving Private Ryan’, theoretically depicted are Companies A and B, part of Headquarters and the remainder of the Rangers provisional group, which landed 30 minutes after the first wave of regular infantry. Thereafter the film becomes a story drawing lightly from real events.
The real ‘Private Ryan’ was Sgt. Frederick (Fritz Niland) who, with some other members of the 101st, was inadvertently dropped too far inland. They eventually made their own way back to their unit at Carentan where the Chaplain, Lt. Col. Father Francis Sampson, told Niland about the death of his three brothers. Two at Normandy and one in the Far East. Under the US War Department's Sole Survivor Policy, (brought about following the death of five Sullivan brothers serving on the same ship), Niland was located by Fr. Sampson and passage home arranged to his parents, Augusta and Michael Niland, in Tonawanda.
So, there was no behind the lines rescue mission, no ‘Tom Hanks’, ‘Ryan’ was not a simple private, his mother was not a widow nor is she believed to have received all three telegrams together, and, the bother believed killed in the Far East turned out to have been captured and later returned home.
Fr. Francis Sampson wrote about Niland and the story of the 101st, in his 1958 book, ‘Look Out Below!’, (ISBN 1877702005). This is now a sought after item and can sell for several hundred dollars!
COMMANDO VETERAN ASSOCIATION
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