Describes the exploits and accomplishments of charismatic commander Colonel William Darby and his elite battalion of Army Rangers, from North Africa, to southern Italy, to Darby's tragic death eight days before V-E day and his posthumous honors. 25,000 first printing. Journalist-turned-military-historian Jeffers here offers a useful, up-to-date study of Colonel William O. Darby of World War II Ranger fame. Artilleryman Darby was inspired by the British Commandos to organize a select force of infantry that would specialize in razing and infiltration. Charismatic and courageous, Darby led from in front of his fighters in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Like many military mavericks, he was no stickler for the niceties of traditional military discipline. Hence, the brass didn't exactly love him. But by the time he was killed in action in Italy near the end of the war, the Rangers' record spoke for itself and argued powerfully for founding the Special Forces and other postwar elite units. May this admirably nontechnical book revive interest in an undeservedly forgotten soldier. Green, Roland H. Paul Jeffers is the author of 70 books, including biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland, and General Billy Mitchell. He has taught journalism at New York University, Syracuse University, and Boston University and has published 15 mystery novels.