Introducing the US Rangers

The Rangers are an elite unit within the US Army. During WWII, 6 Ranger battalions were created. The 1st through 5th operated in North Africa and Europe, and the 6th was deployed to the Pacific theater. The first of these battalions was raised in mid 1942, and their training and purpose was modeled after the British Commando units, so much so that about 50 of them were incorporated into the British Commando units that participated in the Dieppe Raid in August of 1942, only two months after they were established. In late 1942, the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions saw action in North Africa, and in 1943, they participated in the Italian campaign where unfortunately, the 1st and 3rd Battalions were practically destroyed - either killed or captured. The 2nd and 5th Battalions played prominent roles during the D-Day Normandy landings in June of '44. The 2nd Battalion was deployed to climb the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and capture the nearby artillery batteries, and the 5th Battalion landed in the Dog White sector of Omaha Beach. These are the guys popularly depicted by Tom Hanks and his men in Saving Private Ryan. It was during the D-Day landings that the Rangers developed their motto of 'Lead the way!" At some point, when the attack was stalled, a general asked one of the Rangers to identify his unit. When he replied that they were the 5th Rangers, the general replied "Well god damn it, if you are Rangers, then get up there and lead the way!" which inspired the men to punch through the German defenses and get off the beach. On the Pacific side, the 6th Battalion participated in the invasion of the Philippines, where approximately 130 Rangers supported by Filipino guerrillas conducted a raid to liberate allied POWs from the Cabanatuan camp. This mission, 30 miles behind enemy lines, was a race against time, as there was real concern that the Japanese would execute the 522 prisoners, which included 33 civilians as well as survivors from the Bataan death march. In a surprise night attack, the Rangers were able to liberate the prisoners with minimal casualties, neutralizing close to a thousand Japanese troops in the process, before trekking back to Allied lines. In terms of toy soldiers, the Rangers have not been addressed as a separate topic until recently. Let's take a look. 

Mars US Rangers

Another unique and interesting set by Mars. What sets these guys apart and the reason why you can tell them apart from regular US Infantry is that they are wearing the Ranger assault vest. Aside from that, a few of them are carrying weapons that would have come in handy at Omaha Beach on D-Day, like the Bangalore torpedo, or the mine detector. The guy firing the BAR upwards, could also be firing up the Pointe du Hoc cliffs. The other poses are useful combat poses. So good ratings on the subject matter. What continues to bother me about the Mars figures is the sculpting of the arms. They are always closely tucked into the bodies. I know it is done for ease of release from the molds, but it makes them look unnatural, and sometimes it affects the body proportions. In this set, the sculpting of the sniper's legs also makes it look a bit odd, as the the front leg is bent right against its own thigh. Anyhow, happy about the set in general, but a bit disappointed about some of its details. 

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Here's a post of the GI's breaking out of Normandy.

And here is another post with GIs defending an Italian farmhouse.

Click here to see the Company of GIs in action.