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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9'Operation Torch'
Sunday, November 8, 1942
Location
Algeria
37° 1' 13.7352" N, 2° 53' 11.9688" E
The Allied invasion of French North Africa. The Commando units involved were part of Eastern Task Force landing on beaches close to Algiers operating alongside commando trained units of the US 34th Infantry Division.
'US Rangers', Assault on Pointe du Hoc Battery
Transcript of a report by Lt Colonel Trevor.
Report details the landing of the US Rangers on DDay to assault the Battery. Source: David Cheverton, godson of Lt Col. Thomas Hoult Trevor (click on highlighted name for more.)
1. The Battery dominated the OMAHA and UTAH beaches and shipping. It was essential, therefore, that the guns be destroyed at the earliest possible moment.
Location
Pointe du Hoc
Normandy
France
49° 23' 51.6372" N, 0° 59' 21.4584" W
A breakdown of the Grohote raiding force
THE ATTACK ON THE GERMAN HELD VILLAGE OF GROHOTE IN THE ISLAND OF SOLTA, DALMATIA. SATURDAY 18TH MARCH 1944. SOMETIMES KNOWN AS "DETAINED 1".
A partial nominal roll for Dieppe
The following list contain the names, ranks and numbers of the officers and men of No4 Commando who participated. It also includes some from No 10 (IA) Commando Free French and 'X' troop, and others including some US Rangers, who were attached to the Commandos for the raid.
It does not contain those from No 3 Commando and 40RM Commando as no such full list of names has been found.
HOCTEL, Lamont Durward
Training Centres
Private Lamont Hoctel, 1st US Rangers, Company 'E', drowned whilst training at Achnacarry. The date of his death is during the period that the US 1st Ranger Bn., led by Colonel W. Darby attended the Commando Basic Training Centre for their training. His death is noted in their War Diary as "drowned during stream crossing exercise.".
The local Death Register records the following information
Former occupation: Petrol Attendant
Private, Ranger Batallion, United States Army
Single, Male, 25yrs.
KOONS, Franklin Marion
No 4 Commando
Corporal Franklin Koons, 1st US Ranger Bn., United States Army, aged 23 and from Swea City, Iowa, was attached to No.4 Commando for Operation Jubilee at Dieppe, France on 19 August 1942. He was awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous gallantry and admirable leadership during the operation.
Sources
National Archives file WO373/93/849.
Illustrated London News 17 October 1942.
LOUSTALOT, Edward Vincent
No 3 Commando
Second Lieutenant Edward Loustalot, 1st US Ranger Bn., died during operations at Dieppe. He was the first American soldier to die on European soil in WW2.
Posthumous Mention in Despatches
RUSCHKEWICZ, James R.
Ranger James Ruschkewicz, US Rangers 1st Bn. 'C' Company, died in an accidental explosion of a landmine at Barry Rifle Range, near Dundee, during a training exercise.
- 33068148 Ranger Aaron M. Salkin, 'C' Company, was severely injured.
- The Rangers had been training with No 1 Commando under Lieut. Col. T. Trevor.
YOUNG, Leilyn, Letter about his time as a US Ranger.
Leilyn Young, one of the first US Rangers to have Special Forces training by the new UK Commandos in WW2. Leilyn trained at the Special Training Centre, Lochailort, and then again at the Commando Depot, later renamed the Commando Basic Training Centre, Achnacarry. Both training centres were in Scotland, otherwise known as Commando Country.
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