Battle of Cisterna
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The Battle of Cisterna took place during World War II, on January 29, 1944, near Cisterna, Italy, as part of Operation Shingle.
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), attempted to capture the town of Cisterna, an objective which the US 3rd Infantry Division had failed to take.
After a counterattack by German Panzer IV tanks, 755 of 761 soldiers within the 1st and 3rd Battalions were lost. Well over 700 Rangers were captured, a handful had been killed. It was a complete disaster. The 4th Battalion suffered more wounded and killed than the 1st and 3rd Bns. The town remained in German hands and the Ranger forces within Italy were subsequently disbanded.
William O. Darby served as the American commander during this engagement.
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