Battle of Cisterna

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 attempted to capture the town of Cisterna, an objective which the US 3rd Division[?] had been unable to take.

After a counterattack by German Mark IV tanks, 755 of 761 soldiers within the 1st and 3rd Battalions were lost. Additional casualties were suffered by the 4th Battalion. US tanks attempted to reinforce the Rangers, however they were stopped by mines. The town was not taken and the Ranger forces within Italy were subsequently disbanded. The American commander during this engagement was William Darby[?].

External Links

• Battle of Cisterna at Darby's Rangers website (http://darbysrangers.tripod.com/id6.htm)