The Battalion: The Dramatic Story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in World War II

by Robert W. Black

Goes into exceptional detail on the D-Day assault of the gun positions at Pointe du Hoc, including how it almost ended in total failure and lists the names of the Rangers who fought in the 2nd BattalionUnlike most books on the U.S. Army Rangers, this one also covers the many battles fought by the Rangers after D-DayBased on original documents and interviews with the surviving veterans by the authorWith a centuries' old warrior heritage, American Rangers endured the most difficult training that man could devise to overcome the most difficult challenges of the enemy and nature. For more than fourteen months, the volunteers that made up the 2nd Ranger Battalion had been finely honed for combat. Now, on June 6, 1944--D-Day--their battle would begin. The payoff was at hand. As the ramps of the landing craft went down, rockets on the sides of the ship fired ropes and grapnels skyward toward the cliff top. Some ropes fell short, men stepped into water that was over their heads and, loaded with equipment weighing over a hundred pounds, sank like stones. Sound and fury combined with fear and determination. Some men thought of the words they had heard each time they were tempted to complain: "You volunteered."

Genres: History, World War II

384 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2006

Reviews

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and detailed account taken from many personal experiences by the soldiers and interweaved with battle plans to give the history of the 2nd Ranger Battalion from it's forming, training and combat history during the Second World War. Lots of nice little anecdotes from the men who served in the battalion which really ads value to the book, well worth the read.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Read of WWII

This WWII read is so well written with every sentence so informative, a wealth of histiory, the research so great. After reading this, it makes the "greatest generation" even greater. My father served in WWII and I am so proud of all these men who showed overwhelming courage and comradery, knowing they were staring death in the face. I highly recommend this book and author.

[Mike Malony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew it was a war book. And it was, not a bedtime read for me. But a quiet day daylight only book. Training passages fascinating, high turnover, high standards unsurprising. Battles scenes, the climb of the cliff at Omaha especially gripping and horrifying. And major battles to follow. Good book. Will read something lighter before another like it.

[Ray Pierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

That's Colonel Robert W. Black to us.

The first rangers were Roger's Rangers who saw combat during the French and Indian War. (You can read about them in Northwest Passage.) During WWII, the name was chosen for American commandos, the word "commando" having been taken from the Dutch to describe British special forces following the Boer War.

This is a very scholarly and well researched book, but it certainly isn't dry. Of particular personal interest were the sections dealing with Pointe du Hoc and the Hurtgen Forest. The latter struggle was depicted in the film "When Bugles Fade". It's a shame that so little has been written about a place of such intense struggle.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Second Batt, having served in it, but I was hugely disappointed in this book. It is full of little vignettes and stories but barely passes as history. The narrative is very confused and doesn't seem to have the detail I expected to find. The coverage of Point de Hoc and Omaha beach was ok, but from then on the book gets sketchy. There is too much of the cute little stories about particular men and not enough coverage of what really happened and how men dealt with it. Band of Brothers it is not, and so my disappointment.