Rangers at Dieppe: The First Combat Action of U.S. Army Rangers in World War II

By Jim DeFelice

Book Overview

From the coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestselling American Sniper comes a remarkable true story of heroism and sacrifice in World War II. In the darkest days of 1942, an Allied force set out to capture the Nazi-occupied French port of Dieppe. More than two years had passed since the British had been humiliated at Dunkirk, and nearly nine months since the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The Germans held the continent in a death grip. Now, some six thousand British and Canadian troops were attempting to gain a foothold on Hitler's domain. Joining the crusaders were fifty hand-selected, specially-trained soldiers from a new commando unit. These were to be the first Americans to fight in Europe, and they would become known as the U.S. Army Rangers. The mission was doomed, but the bravery the Rangers displayed proved that Americans were every bit as tough as their allies and enemies. Drawn from firsthand accounts and historical documents, this is an unforgettable story of the forging of an American legacy that still endures today. " A] carefully researched and brilliantly executed narrative of the modern Rangers' baptism in blood."-- America in WWII

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425225690
• ISBN13: 9780425225691
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Penguin Adult Hc/Tr
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Good review of a little known American action of WW II

While many books on Dieppe mention the fact that 50 American Rangers participated in this action, as DeFelice points out very little details on this has been published. This gap is what the author wants to fill and he does so very well. His research is solid and the writing good. The book's only flaw is the lack of a good technical editor. The M1 Garand subject with the M1 Carbine description has already been mentioned. But Lord Louis Mountbatten is referred to as a General, instead of an Admiral, and in the notes the 34th Division consisted of "the 133rd, 135th, and 168th Infantry Battalions" which were in fact Regiments. A good technical editor would have quickly spotted and corrected these minor mistakes.

Minor error

Yes, the writer or editor slips up in the description of the M1 and carbine but other than that a very good book. As for the July 25, 2008 review, since the reviewer is nitpicking the details he may want to pick up a book on Carbines himself, Overland never made carbines.

Great read!

Although I don't consider myself a fan of military history, I am a fan of Jim DeFelice. When I picked up a copy of RANGERS AT DIEPPE, I was more than a little bit pleased with my choice. The book reads like much of Mr. DeFelice's fiction: it's engrossing, entertaining, and spellbinding. This moving tribute to an all-too-easily forgotten group of brave men stands among the best accounts of gallantry I have ever read.

A superb, moving narrative of a crucial battle

I pick up about ten history books a year, and this is the best I've read in a long, long while. Whether you're casually interested in WWII or a serious student the conflict, this casts the bloodletting of U.S Rangers at Dieppe in a new light, turning an apparent military disaster into a what it truly was in a broader sense: a story of perserverance and courage that ultimately becomes uplifting. Through Defelice's exhaustive research, Rangers at Dieppe dispels longstanding myths about the battle and explains how the U.S. Rangers who were the first Allied casualties in Europe were transformed into the elite fighting force that would later be pivotal in deciding the outcome of the war. The author's impressions of his modern-day trip to the battle's scene and staging grounds, intercut with the events that occurred there over sixty years in the past, add a special poignancy to the story. Defelice's final passage resonates with me days after I finished the book. This is history with intelligence and a huge amount of heart--I can't recommend it enough. For me it ranks with Cornelius Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far" and "The Longest Day" as being among the most gripping narrative histories of WWII ever written.