Raiders or Elite Infantry?: The Changing Role of the U.S. Army Rangers from Dieppe to Grenada

How have the US Army Rangers acted as special operations forces in military operations since 1942? David Hogan’s study examines the nature and purpose of the Rangers over the past 50 years and shows how they have served as scouts, raiders, assault troops and elite infantry. They have spearheaded amphibious landings, raided enemy prison camps, patrolled behind enemy lines in Korea, served alongside Green Berets in Vietnam, and carried out special missions in Grenada. Professional officers, military historian, students, and general readers should find this an interesting and useful history. This analytical account opens with a short description of the origins of the Ranger legend in America and then moves to the discussion of their use in World War II, as commandos in 1942, then as spearheaders in 1943 and 1944, as line infantry in Europe and as special operations forces in the Pacific. This assessment also traces the development of Ranger raider units in Korea, the special training and use of Green Berets as Rangers in Vietnam, and the shifting of Ranger roles into more complex and varied types of operations in Vietnam and Grenada and in a world of increasing terrorism and changing combat situations. Illustrations, maps and a lenthy bibliography are also included in the study.