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A
patrol of Company F. 6th Ranger Battalion, investigating a
native hut on Dinagat Island in the Philippines
(US
Army Photo Public Domain)
In
a nation at war, teamwork by the whole people is necessary for
victory. But the issue is decided on the battlefield, toward
which all national effort leads. The country's fate lies in the
hands of its soldier citizens; in the clash of battle is found
the final test of plans, training, equipment, and-above all-the
fighting spirit of units and individuals.
Dwight
D. Eisenhower
Outside
links to Ranger recommended book lists:
Airborne
Ranger Reading List
Ranger.org
Reading List
An
excellent comprehensive account of all six Battalions:
Rangers
In World War II
by
Ranger Robert W. Black
More
on the 6th Battalion
Ghost
Soldiers
by
Hampton Sides
Ranger
Leo Strausbaugh 6th Ranger Battalion
(photo
Courtesy Ranger Strausbaugh author of the 6th Battalion summary)
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Strausbaugh
Remembers
The 98th Field
Artillery Battalion was a regular army mule pack artillery unit
stationed in Camp Carson, Colorado in 1942. The unit consisted
of three firing batteries plus headquarters and service battery.
The unit had the 75 millimeter howitzer for fire power and
nearly 1000 men and 800 mules. On 13 December, 1942 the unit was
sent to Camp Patrick Henry,
Virginia via rail to a staging area for overseas debarkation.
Soon thereafter, the mules were sent to a port in San Francisco
to be loaded on an animal ship for overseas destination.
The 98th arrived at Camp Patrick Henry on 31 Jan 1943 after a
two day stop going through the Panama Canal. A tent camp was set
up at the edge of Brisbane awaiting the arrival of the mules.
However, the Australian government refused to allow the mules to
enter the country due to a law forbidding the importation of
foreign animals. So, on the 9 February 1943, the unit was sent
to New Guinea via Liberty ship. They arrived on the 17th of
February and set up a tent camp about 20 miles from Port
Moresby. The mules arrived a few days later. For the next year
it was training, but no action and 6th Army decided the unit was
obsolete and sent the mules to the CBI theater. The battalion
commander LTC Callicut was transferred to the 1st Cavalry. A new
battalion commander arrived by the name of LTC Henry
"Hank" Mucci. Mucci was a short but well built 33 year
old West Point graduate who had come from Hawaii where he
operated a Ranger type training camp.
Army Rangers
Mucci
informed the battalion that it was being converted to Rangers
and a large turn over of personnel began. He was brilliant as a
leader, but demanded the best from all his men "or out you
went". The Rangers only needed 500 men, so half were sent
out very soon after training began. The new officers arriving
were primarily infantry and two were engineers.
Finchhaven, New
Guinea
By
1 July 1944, the battalion had pretty well completed the
necessary training, so they were sent to Finchhaven where the
unit was reorganized into the T O and E of a Ranger Battalion
which consisted of six rifle companies, headquarters and service
company combined.
Off
to the
Philippines
D-day
invasion of the Philippines was designated as 20 October 1944
with a large invasion on the beaches of Leyte Gulf. However,
the Rangers were given an assignment to land on D minus three to
take control of three islands at the entrance of Leyte Gulf, so
as to eliminate any interference with the main invasion. The
companies of A, C, E, F, and HQ personnel to land on Dinagat, B
company along with reinforcements from some HQ personnel to land
on Homonhon and D company to land on Suluan and destroy a
light house the Japanese were using for communications for ships
and aircraft. The battalion left Finchhaven on 10 October 1944
on three APD's for a seven day trip. Four days out a large
typhoon hit the convoy. It was so bad that the navy felt the
ships would not survive so they held back two of the three APD's,
but company D attempted to land on Suluan. It did not work out
and they were forced to withdraw. PFC Zufall was killed by the
Japanese and became the first 6th Battalion Ranger KIA. The next day, the
18th, the weather was great and the units landed and
accomplished their mission. The Rangers on Dinagat erected the
first American Flag in the return to the Philippines. B company
met no resistance on Homohon so they were ordered to go to this
small island of Suluan and destroy the lighthouse. Navy transportation
was not available, so they had the Filipinos take them across
the water some four miles in sail boats. The Rangers were able to
destroy the lighthouse and many of the Japanese troops in what
turned out to be a twelve-hour mission. It nearly became a
disaster when Cpt Bull Simons and DR Jim Fisher and several
other Rangers had to be rescued by Lt Leo Strausbaugh's platoon.
Soon, all the Ranger companies joined together near Tacloban on
the island of Leyte. They did primarily patrolling until the
order came through for their participation of the Lingayen Gulf
invasion of Luzon.
Luzon
On New Years Day, 1
January 1945, the 6th Rangers loaded on a ship in the harbor of Tacloban
and joined a convoy heading north. The Rangers landed on
Lingayen Gulf beach on 10 January 1945. B company was soon sent
to Santiago Island to defend the entrance to the Gulf and deny
the enemy any foothold behind the American forces.
Cabanatuan Raid
Army Intelligence had
now determined that the Japanese were holding a large number of
POW's in a prison camp 30 miles northeast of Manila in Cabanatuan near
Cariboua, Neuva Ecija, Province. Most of the prisoners had
survived the Bataan Death March. The 6th Rangers were given the
assignment to "bring the prisoners out alive." LTC
Mucci selected Captain Robert Prince who commanded C company as
assault commander and also a platoon of F company commanded by
Lt. Murphy. Alamo Scouts were assigned the mission of forward
scouting and Filipino guerillas for flank protection. The
rescuers departed on their mission at dusk to walk 30 miles to
the prison camp, crawling the last mile on their stomachs. They
arrived at the camp about daylight 30 January. They hit the camp
and brought out 512 prisoners of war, killed about 200 enemy
troops, but lost only two Rangers, one being the Fisher,
Battalion surgeon, who was killed by a mortar shell. He is the
same Fisher who was rescued on Suluan. Some prisoners were able
to walk, others rode carabao carts provided by Filipinos, while
Rangers carried some like babies who were too emaciated to walk
or ride. They were eventually picked up by ambulances and taken
to 92nd Evacuation Hospital in Guimba. Much credit goes to the
P-61 Black Widow pilots who flew over the camp and created a
threat to the guards so they failed to spot the approaching
Rangers. General MacArthur said after the raid, "No
incident in this war has given me greater pleasure". Sixth
Army commander General Walter Krueger later decorated all the
Rangers with LTC Mucci and Captain Prince receiving the DSC, the
other officers were awarded the Silver Star and the enlisted men
the Bronze Star. A few of the Rangers and scouts were sent back
to the US to meet President Roosevelt, Chief of Staff Gen George
Marshall, and made numerous speeches throughout the United
States.
After
the Raid
The
battalion moved to the town of San Fernando, 40 miles north of
Manila, and occupied seven houses, as their base of operation.
Soon after the raid, LTC Mucci was transferred to the Sixth
Division and became a Regimental Commander and was promoted to
Colonel. Major Robert "Woody" Garrett became the new
battalion commander and promoted to Lt. Colonel, Captain Bill
Simons then became battalion exec and made Major and Lt. Leo
Strausbaugh replaced him as B Company commander and promoted to
Captain. The battalion did not operate as a unit, but as
individual companies. Missions included Ipo Dam, Cararuan
Hills, Dingalen Bay, running patrols for the 6th Division,
destroying a pillbox west of San Fernando, Baugio area, and so
many more.....
Aparri
Operation
In
late May 1945, Sixth Army formed a task force that would join
together on the northern tip of Luzon which would have a mission
of taking the town of Aparri which was on the east side of the
Cagayan River, then control the airfield to the south of Aparri
and continue south to meet up with the 37th Division which was
moving north up the valley. This would result in dividing the
Japanese forces, if the Americans controlled the road running
north and south. The Army requested a company of Rangers to join
the task force and spearhead the assault on Aparri. LTC Garrett
selected Captain Strausbaugh's B company for the mission. On 1
June, B company dug in on the west side of the river waiting to
attack after the artillery and PT boats blasted the town of
Aparri. They crossed the river on 21 June 1945, secured the town
of Aparri, moved south, and took the airfield just prior to a
paratroops jump by a battalion from the 11th Airborne Division.
The Rangers then drove south till they made contact with
elements of the 37th Division. B company was then relieved and
flew back to San Fernando. The mission lasted 30 days.
Atomic
Bomb
The
Aparri operation ended the combat days in the Philippines for
the 6th Rangers and they began to prepare for the invasion of
Japan. When the Atom bomb was dropped on Japan on 6 August 1945,
which led to the surrender, the Rangers were sent to Japan as
occupation forces. On 30 December 1945, the unit was deactivated
in Japan. The Rangers were either sent home or assigned to other
units.
-Contributed
by Leo V. Strausbaugh
Col
AUS Retired
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