William O. Darby

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William O. Darby

William Orlando Darby (born February 9, 1911 in Fort Smith , † April 30, 1945 in Torbole , Italy ) was an American officer in the US Army during the Second World War . He led the Darby's Rangers , from which the US Army Rangers later developed.

Life

Darby was born in Fort Smith , Arkansas on February 9, 1911. He graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1933. In 1940 he was promoted to the rank of captain . In the first years of the war he served in staff positions, but was instructed in 1942 by his superior officer, Major General Russell P. Hartle, to set up a new special unit modeled on the British Commandos .

Darby's new unit was called "Rangers" and was later nicknamed "Darby's Rangers". After he was promoted to colonel , he led his new unit in combat in North Africa, in Sicily ( Operation Husky ) and in Anzio ( Operation Shingle ). Darby returned to the United States after the defeat and dissolution of the 1st and 3rd Battalions at Cisterna di Latina , Latium .

On April 30, 1945, Darby was killed by an 88 mm artillery shell near Torbole on Lake Garda . At that time he was a member of the US 10th Mountain Division . He was posthumously promoted to Brigadier General and buried in Fort Smith National Cemetery .

The William O. Darby barracks in Fürth was named after Darby from 1946 to 1995 . The deputy commander of the 1st US Armored Division and the head of the Nuremberg Military Community and numerous supply units of this division were stationed here. The area was restructured after the US Army withdrew in 1995, the old barracks buildings were renovated and are now used as the Steubenkarree and Kalb-Siedlung residential areas as well as the Südstadtpark park . In 1995, in Torbole, on the north shore of Lake Garda, his memorial stone was unveiled next to the entrance to the Church of Santa Maria, donated by the Fort Smith Foundation . In addition, the troop transport ship USS Admiral WS Sims (AP-127) was given the new name USAT General William O. Darby in 1946 (renamed USNS General William O. Darby in 1950 ). It was used between 1956 and 1965 on the New York City / Bremerhaven line.

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personal data
SURNAME Darby, William O.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Darby, William Orlando (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Colonel
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH Fort Smith
DATE OF DEATH April 30, 1945
Place of death Torbole , Italy