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3rd Ranger Battalion

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3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
3rd Ranger Battalionshoulder sleeve insignia
Active1943–45, 1954–56, 1969–71, 1984–present
CountryUnited States
BranchUnited States Army
TypeSpecializedLight infantry
RoleSpecial operations
SizeBattalion
Part of75th Ranger Regiment
Garrison/HQFort Moore,Georgia
EngagementsWorld War II:

Vietnam
Panama
Operation Gothic Serpent:

War on Terror

Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
Unit beret flash
NATO Map Symbol
(1998)
NATO Map Symbol
(2017)

The3rd Ranger Battalionis the third of three Ranger Battalions belonging to theUnited States Army's75th Ranger Regiment.It is currently based atFort Moore(formerly Fort Benning),Georgia.

History[edit]

World War II[edit]

Ranger Organization by Major Herman Dammer[edit]

After the impressive performance of the1st Ranger Battalionin theNorth Africa Campaignthe 3rd Ranger Battalion was organized on 19 June 1943 inMorocco.The battalion was made up of American volunteers and led byMajorHerman Dammer.[1]

The Italian Campaign in Italy[edit]

The battalion participated in theinvasion of Sicilyand theinvasion of Italy;it was essentially destroyed at theBattle of Cisternain early 1944 and subsequently deactivated.[1]

Merrill’s Marauders[edit]

The other World War II unit that 3rd Ranger Battalion draws lineage from is the 5307 Provisional Unit, also calledMerrill's Marauders.This unit was consolidated 10 August 1944 with Company F, 475th Infantry Regiment (Long Range Penetration, Special) (constituted 25 May 1944 in the Army of the United States), and consolidated unit designated as Company F, 475th Infantry Regiment. This unit was deactivated 1 July 1945 in China.[2]

Post-WWII[edit]

Reactivated in Korea[edit]

The 2nd Ranger Battalion was reactivated during the Korean War and formed the3rd Ranger Infantry Company.They fought with distinction before being deactivated. While deactivated, they were redesignated as Company A, 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion and later consolidated with 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 2d Regiment,1st Special Service Forceredesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 13th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces before eventually being deactivated again.[2]

Inactivation[edit]

Company F, 475th Infantry was redesignated 21 June 1954 as Company F,75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger),in the Army of the United States, and was allotted on 26 October 1954 to the Regular Army. It was activated 20 November 1954 onOkinawa,and was inactivated there on 21 March 1956.[2]

Vietnam War[edit]

Company F, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) was again activated on 1 February 1969 inVietnamand was one of the Vietnam War era Ranger companies before it was again inactivated on 15 March 1971 in Vietnam.

Reformation[edit]

Company F, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) was redesignated on 3 October 1984 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Infantry, and activated atFort Benning, Georgia(organic elements concurrently constituted and activated).

Further Reformation[edit]

Headquarters and Headquarters Company consolidated 3 February 1986 with what the deactivated former Company A, 3rd Ranger Infantry Battalion, thus uniting with its World War II era 3rd Ranger Battalion heritage. The unit was then redesignated from 3rd Battalion, 75th Infantry Regiment to 3rd Battalion,75th Ranger Regiment.[2]

Reformation as the 75th Ranger Regiment[edit]

On 20 December 1989, the 75th Ranger Regiment was committed toOperation Just Cause,inPanama.Along with the2nd Ranger Battalion,Companies A and B of the 3rd Battalion conducted anairfieldseizure of the Rio Hato Airfield, and Company C participated along with the1st Ranger Battalionto seize the airfield at Torrijos/Tocumen Airport, and subsequent combat operations contributed significantly to the United States victory in Panama.

Deployment to Somalia[edit]

In August 1993, elements of Company B of the 3rd Ranger Battalion and the battalion headquarters deployed toSomaliaas part ofTask Force Ranger.On 3 October 1993, exactly nine years from the activation of the battalion, they performed adaring daylight assaultwhich became a protracted gunfight with hundreds of Somali militia. By the end of the battle, two Black Hawk helicopters had crashed within the city and the force was extracted under heavy fire with assistance from units of the American QRF,Malaysian Army,andPakistani Army.American forces suffered 19 KIA, 5 MIA (later confirmed KIA and included in the 19 KIA listed), and one 160th SOAR pilot captured as a POW (who was released several weeks later). Though the force achieved its objectives in capturing high value targets and inflicted enormous casualties on the enemy (estimates ranged from 500 to 1,000+ killed and thousands injured), the political backlash was too great and caused their withdrawal from Somalia.[3]

War on Terror[edit]

Rangers from 3rd Ranger Battalion with theirdogduring a nighttime combat mission in Afghanistan, 6 March 2012.

Spearhead and raid in Objective Rhino[edit]

After theterrorist attacks of 11 September 2001,the 3rd Ranger Battalion deployed toAfghanistanin support ofOperation Enduring Freedom.On 19 October 2001, during the2001 invasion of Afghanistan,200 Rangers of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment spearheaded ground forces by conducting an airborne assault to seizeObjective Rhino.The Rangers parachuted onto the airstrip from 4 Air Force Special Operations MC-130 Combat Talon Aircraft from 800 feet above ground level. Before the Rangers landed, American bombers andAC-130 Gunshipsbombarded the airstrip reportedly killing 11 Taliban fighters and 9 Taliban fighters escaped. After the Rangers landed, a single remaining Taliban guard appeared but was shot and killed by several Rangers. The Rangers established blocking positions. Other Rangers cleared a compound opening locked steel doors with shotguns or explosive charges. Two Rangers who were injured in the jump were evacuated by a U.S. Combat Talon. American Air Force Special Tactics Squadron airmen surveyed the DLS to determine it's capability to handle larger aircraft. Orbiting AC-130 Spectre gunships bombarded and destroyed a small convoy of enemy vehicles and troops approaching the area. American attack helicopters landed, refueled, rearmed, and flew off to conduct more operations against the Taliban. After staying at the airstrip for 5 hours and 24 minutes, all of the U.S. Rangers and American Combat control teams boarded theMC-130sand departed. The entire American raiding force withdrew from the airstrip after completing their objective.[4][5][6]

Objective Honda[edit]

Spc. Jonn J. Edmunds and Pfc. Kristofer T. Stonesifer were the first combat casualties in theWar on Terrorwhen theirMH-60L helicoptercrashed at Objective Honda inPakistan,a temporary staging site used by a company of Rangers from 3rd Battalion.[7][8]

Raid at desert landing strip (DLS) Bastogne[edit]

At November 13, 2001. One American MC-130 Combat Talon dropped 32 U.S. Army Rangers and an 8-man American Air Force Special Tactics Squadron element led by American captain David Watson onto DLS Bastogne southwest of Kandahar. The combat parachute jump was at 800 feet. After the Rangers landed, they punched in the coordinates of the assembly area. The U.S. Air-force STS team verified that the strip was suitable for C-130 four-engine turboprop before placing the infrared landing lights down its length. Two AmericanMC-130slanded unloading 4 American AH-6 Attack Helicopters. The 4 American attack helicopters conducted hit-and-run raids on the Taliban. The 4 helicopters flew to Objective Wolverine. The American pilots guided their attack helicopters by their night-vision goggles. At Objective Wolverine, there was a Taliban base of stored equipment, vehicles, and some radar pieces. The 4 American attack helicopters made several runs destroying the Taliban compound with rockets. With the Taliban base compound destroyed, the 4 attack helicopters flew back to the airstrip DLS Bastogne. At the strip, the 4 U.S. attack helicopters rearmed and refueled. The 4 helicopters flew off again this time to Objective Raptor which was a Taliban compound containing vehicles and equipment. The attack helicopters made several attack runs destroying the Taliban compound base. Then the 4 attack helicopters returned to DLS Bastogne and were loaded back into the MC-130 transport aircraft. The entire American raiding force including all aircraft, U.S. Army Rangers, and American Air Force STS operatives departed into the air and withdrew safely.[9][10]

First raid at (DLS) Bulge[edit]

On the nights of November 16–17, 2001. Six desert mobility vehicles were inserted into the Afghan desert driven by 48 U.S. Army Rangers and U.S. Air Force STS personnel led by an American captain Chuck Seims(pseudonym). The American force of Rangers and Air-force STS operatives in their desert vehicles patrolled their way to their objective DLS Bulge which was an airstrip. The Air Force operatives gathered core samples and observed the runway if it was suitable for aircraft landing. While this was going on, the Rangers set up a hidden security perimeter overlooking DLS Bulge with camouflage nets. The Rangers brushed away tire tracks and made radio contacts. Finally on November 18, 2001. The U.S. Ranger task force moved to the airstrip in their vehicles and set a perimeter. The Ranger task force set out infrared landing lights along the length of the runway allowing theMC-130 transportsto land and unload 4 AmericanAH-6 gunships.The 4 U.S. attack helicopters took off and bombarded Taliban targets. The 4 helicopters returned, landed, rearmed, refueled, and flew off again conducting more aerial attacks on the Taliban. The U.S. attack helicopters returned, landed on the airstrip, and were loaded on the MC-130 transports. The MC-130 transports with the attack helicopters loaded in the cargo section departed into the air. The Rangers helped the Air Force STS operatives retrieve the landing lights, swept the area of any evidence they were there, and all together boarded their desert vehicles. The Rangers and Air Force operatives withdrew from the air strip in their desert vehicles. The Ranger task force set up a hiddenhide siteperimeter at a secure location.[11]

Second raid at (DLS) Bulge[edit]

The same task force of Rangers and Air Force STS personnel who raided (DLS) Bulge were prepared to conduct another raid at the same airstrip. The Rangers set up anotherobservation post.Later, the Rangers and Air-force STS personnel boarded into their desert vehicles and drove to the (DLS) Bulge airstrip. The Rangers set up a perimeter and the Air Force STS laid out landing lights which helpedMC-130sland. The MC-130s unloadedAH-6 attack helicopters.The U.S. attack helicopters conducted ahit-and-runraid bombarding Taliban targets before returning to refuel and rearm. Then the attack helicopters flew off again and conducted another hit-and-run raid conducting more aerial attacks on the Taliban. Then the attack helicopters returned and were loaded onto the MC-130s. All the Rangers, Air Force STS personnel, desert vehicles, and equipment were loaded onto the MC-130s. The entire American raiding force on board the MC-130 transports departed into the air and safely withdrew after completing their objectives.[12]

Attempted Deployment at Tora Bora[edit]

During theBattle of Tora Borain December 2001, aCIAJawbreaker team (small group ofCIA SADground branch operators) requested that the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment be inserted into the mountains to establish blocking positions along potential escape routes out ofTora Borainto Pakistan. They would serve as the 'anvil' whileGreen Beretswith the AMF (Afghan Militia Forces) would be the 'Hammer,'. With attached Air Force Combat Controllers, the Rangers could direct airstrikes onto enemy concentrations or engage them in ambushes, but the Jawbreaker team's request was denied.[13]

Capturing an air base and a dam in the Iraq War[edit]

In 2003, the 3rd Battalion was called upon to participate in the2003 invasion of Iraq.On 24 March 2003, 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment conducted a combat drop ontoH-1 Air Base,securing the site as astaging areafor operations in western Iraq. On the night of 31 March/April 1, 2003, Delta Force and 3/75thcaptured the Haditha Dam complex and held it for a further 5 days.[14]

Further Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan[edit]

At the end of 2003, the battalion deployed again, this time sending elements of the battalion to both Afghanistan and Iraq. The battalion deployed multiple times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom until summer 2010. The battalion continues to deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Primary tasks include:direct action,national and international emergency crisis response, airfield seizure,airborneandair assaultoperations,special reconnaissance,intelligenceandcounter intelligence,combat search and rescue,personnel recoveryandhostage rescue,joint special operations, andcounter terrorism.

Rangers from Delta Company, 3rd Battalion assault a town during a live-fire exercise at Fort Irwin,CA, Feb. 24, 2015.

Raid on a terrorist safe house in Iraq[edit]

On 18 April 2010,ISOFtroops, supported by US troops, carried out a night-time raid on a terrorist safe house near Tikrit in Iraq. The ISOF killedAbu Ayyub al-MasriandAbu Omar al-Baghdadi,the two leaders ofISI;16 others were also arrested. A USUH-60 Blackhawkhelicopter supporting the mission was shot down, killing a Ranger NCO from 3/75th and wounding the aircrew.[15][16][17]

Ranger casualties in the War on Terror[edit]

By mid-2015 each Ranger battalion had completed its 20th deployment in support of both Afghanistan and Iraq operations.[18]Betweem 2001 and 2021 in Iraq and Afghanistan, 27 Rangers from the battalion have been killed.[19]

Ranger and Afghan Commando joint raid against ISIS[edit]

On 26 April 2017, 50 Rangers from 3/75th joined 40 Afghan commandos to conducta joint US-Afghan raid in Mohmand Valleytargeting the headquarters of Abdul Hasib, theEmirofISIS-K,in a village in Achin District, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. The force was flown into Mohmand Valley and within minutes was engaged in a heavy, close-quarter firefight. AC-130 gunships,Apachehelicopters,F-16fighters, and drones were called in to support the fierce firefight with ISIS-K militants. The firefight lasted three hours, resulting in two Rangers from C and D Companies dead (possibly caused byfriendly fire) after beingmedevacedand a third wounded. Thirty-five ISIS-K militants (including Abdul Hasib and an unspecified number of ISIS-K leaders) were also killed.[20][21][22]

Lineage[edit]

The 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment traces its lineage to two units; Company H, 475th Infantry Regiment (previously known as the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), or "Merrill's Marauders") and Company A, 3rd Ranger Battalion. The units originally had separate lineages, but were then consolidated in 1986.

  • Constituted 3 October 1943 in the Army of the United States in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as an element of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)
  • Consolidated 10 August 1944 with Company F, 475th Infantry (constituted 25 May 1944 in the Army of the United States), and consolidated unit designated as Company F, 475th Infantry
  • Inactivated 1 July 1945 in China
  • Redesignated 21 June 1954 as Company F, 75th Infantry
  • Allotted 26 October 1954 to the Regular Army
  • Activated 20 November 1954 on Okinawa
  • Inactivated 21 March 1956 on Okinawa
  • Activated 1 February 1969 in Vietnam
  • Inactivated 15 March 1971 in Vietnam
  • Redesignated 2 October 1984 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 75th Infantry, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated)
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company consolidated 3 February 1986 with former Company A, 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion (see ANNEX); 3d Battalion, 75th Infantry, concurrently redesignated as the 3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment

Annex[edit]

  • Constituted 21 July 1943 in the Army of the United States as Company A, 3rd Ranger Battalion; concurrently consolidated with Company A, 3rd Ranger Battalion (Provisional) (organized 21 May 1943 in North Africa), and consolidated unit designated as Company A, 3rd Ranger Battalion.
  • Redesignated 1 August 1943 as Company A, 3rd Ranger Infantry Battalion.
  • Disbanded 15 August 1944.
  • Reconstituted 25 October 1950 in the Regular Army as the 3rd Ranger Infantry Company.
  • Activated 28 October at Fort Benning, Georgia.
  • Inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea.
  • Redesignated 24 November 1952 as Company A, 3rd Ranger Infantry Battalion.
  • Consolidated 15 April 1960 with the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment, 1st Special Service Force (activated 9 July 1942), and consolidated unit redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 13th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces.
  • Withdrawn 14 December 1960 from the Regular Army and allotted to theUnited States Army Reserve(organic elements concurrently constituted).
  • Group activated 1 March 1961 with headquarters atJacksonville, Florida.
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company inactivated 15 April 1963 at Jacksonville, Florida (organic elements inactivated 21 January 1966).
  • Former Company A, 3rd Ranger Infantry Battalion, withdrawn 3 February 1986, consolidated with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Infantry, and consolidated unit redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment (remainder of 13th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces – hereafter separate lineage).

Honors[edit]

Campaign participation credit[edit]

  • World War II:
  1. Algeria-French Morocco(with arrowhead)
  2. Tunisia
  3. Sicily(with arrowhead)
  4. Naples-Foggia(with arrowhead)
  5. Anzio(with arrowhead)
  6. Rome-Arno
  7. Normandy(with arrowhead)
  8. Northern France
  9. Rhineland
  10. Ardennes-Alsace
  11. Central Europe
  12. New Guinea
  13. Leyte(with arrowhead)
  14. Luzon
  15. India-Burma
  16. Central Burma
  • Korean War:
  1. First UN Counteroffensive;
  2. CCF Spring Offensive;
  3. UN Summer-Fall Offensive
  • Vietnam:
  1. Counteroffensive, Phase VI;
  2. Tet 69/Counteroffensive;
  3. Summer-Fall 1969;
  4. Winter-Spring 1970;
  5. Sanctuary Counteroffensive;
  6. Counteroffensive, Phase VII
  • Armed Forces Expeditions:
  1. Panama (with arrowhead)
  2. Somalia (with arrowhead)
  3. Afghanistan (with arrowhead)
  4. Iraq (with arrowhead)

Decorations[edit]

  • Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for EL GUETTAR
  • Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for SALERNO
  • Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for POINTE DU HOC
  • Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for SAAR RIVER AREA
  • Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for MYITKYINA
  • Valorous Unit Award for BINH DUONG PROVINCE
  • Valorous Unit Award for MOGADISHU
  • Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for UIJONGBU CORRIDOR
  • Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for KOREA 1951
  • Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1969
  • Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1969–1970
  • Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class for VIETNAM 1969–1970

Notable 3rd Battalion alumni[edit]

See also[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to3rd Ranger Battalion (United States).

References[edit]

  1. ^abCawthorne 2008.
  2. ^abcd"Lineage and Honors 3D BATTALION, 75TH RANGER REGIMENT".United States Army Center of Military History.28 January 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 12 August 2022.Retrieved11 October2022.
  3. ^Bowden 1999,p. 333.
  4. ^Finkel, Gal Perl (21 March 2017)."Win the close fight".The Jerusalem Post.Archived fromthe originalon 27 June 2022.
  5. ^"Weapon of Choice: U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan" by Charles H. Briscoe pgs. 97-98.
  6. ^"Weapon of Choice: U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan" by Charles H. Briscoe pgs. 109-113.
  7. ^Neville 2015,p. 34-36.
  8. ^Janofsky, Michael (23 October 2001)."A Nation Challenged: The Early Casualties; 2 Soldiers Remembered for Their Focus and Patriotism".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon 27 March 2022.
  9. ^"Weapon of Choice: U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan" by Charles H. Briscoe pgs. 103-104.
  10. ^"Weapon of Choice: U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan" by Charles H. Briscoe pgs. 140-143.
  11. ^"Weapon of Choice: U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan" by Charles H. Briscoe pgs. 141-144.
  12. ^"Weapon of Choice: U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan" by Charles H. Briscoe pgs. 144.
  13. ^Neville 2015,p. 42, 46-47.
  14. ^Neville 2015,p. 93–96, 118, 128–129, 131, 133–134.
  15. ^Neville 2015,p. 226.
  16. ^"2 Most Wanted Al Qaeda Leaders in Iraq Killed by U.S., Iraqi Forces".Fox News.AP News.19 April 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 22 April 2010.
  17. ^Ibrahim, Waleed (19 April 2010)."Al Qaeda's top two leaders in Iraq have been killed".Reuters.Archived fromthe originalon 27 March 2022.
  18. ^"Rangers train for 20th deployment to Afghanistan at Fort Knox".WDRB.16 April 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 25 August 2021.Retrieved5 July2022.
  19. ^https://academic.oup /milmed/article/189/7-8/1728/7255888
  20. ^Cooper, Helene(28 April 2017)."'Friendly Fire' May Have Killed 2 U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Raid ".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon 27 March 2022.
  21. ^Rempfer, Kyle (28 April 2017)."Army Rangers killed in Afghanistan were possible victims of friendly fire".Military Times.Archived fromthe originalon 1 August 2021.
  22. ^"Afghanistan: IS head killed in raid - President Ghani".BBC.7 May 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 7 May 2017.

Works cited[edit]

External links[edit]

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