There are those select military units which immediately spark familiarity with military history enthusiasts. These units have gained respect and praise for their gallantry, excellence, professionalism, and contributions on the battlefield. One unit which clearly possesses the above traits is World War II’s Darby’s Rangers. Author David Williams details their incredible service, particularly their combat experience in the Battle of Cisterna, in the outstanding volume, The Road to Cisterna: Darby’s Rangers and Their Most Consequential Battle in World War II.
Before delving into the book in earnest, it is valuable to address two important details regarding the author. First are the incredible dedication and passion of Williams in the development of the book. The author spent over twenty-five years in the planning, preparation, and ultimately the crafting of the volume. Readers will admire this commitment and enthusiasm which is displayed on each page of The Road to Cisterna.
The second aspect and tied directly to the above is the quality and quantity of research Williams conducted during the period. The author highlights this in his preface. He states, “I have spent twenty-five years compiling the material presented here. Some of it comes from official records and previously published sources, but the bulk of what follows comes from letters, personal interviews, and unpublished accounts gleaned from the Rangers themselves or preserved by their family members.”1 This exhaustive research provides Williams with the ability to tell the story of the Battle of Cisterna. More importantly, it affords the author the ability to portray the human dimension of war so critical in telling this story.
Williams organizes the volume into basically four sections. First, he provides a succinct discussion on how and why Darby’s Rangers were formed and their training regime prior to their deployment into theater. Second, Williams offers readers a “Road to Cisterna” where he addresses their operations prior to Cisterna. Third, the author details the specifics of the Battle of Cisterna. Finally, Williams addresses the aftermath of the battle and its impact on the Rangers.
Within the volumes first section, he perfectly sets the conditions for readers (especially those with little knowledge of Darby’s Rangers) to benefit the most from the rest of the volume. In a concise manner, he explains why the unit was created, how they were created, how they were organized, and how they were trained for combat operations. The author obviously highlights its leader, William Orlando Darby, but also personalizes many of the original members of the unit. Certainly, there are other sources available which provide more detail on the origins of Darby’s Rangers. However, I believe this discussion provides sufficient detail for readers.
To get to the Battle of Cisterna, you must understand how Darby’s Rangers got there. In doing this, Williams offers significant examination on the unit’s combat operations prior to Cisterna. These operations began with the original battalion’s (1st Ranger Battalion) success in North Africa which generated the formation of two more Ranger battalions (3rd and the 4th). These battalions were instrumental in the invasions of Sicily and the Italian Mainland.
Two significant strengths become apparent to readers (strengths which continue throughout the book) as they move through this section. First is the incredible quality of the maps utilized within the volume. These maps were originated by the book’s editor, Dr. Arthur White. Graphic designer Kimberly Morse then took White’s handwritten graphics and truly refined them. The result is a collection of maps which rival any book I’ve seen. They complement Williams’s verbiage perfectly and are inserted where readers can utilize them best.
The second strength is the ability of Williams to portray the human dimension of war. The author achieves this by his substantial use of firsthand accounts. The yield of the author’s twenty-five years of research is fully displayed in this section and beyond. The only way to provide readers with some understanding of the combat which the Rangers were involved in is through firsthand accounts. Fortunately, Williams was able to collect these accounts.
The third section, and the “main effort” of the volume is Darby’s Rangers role in the Battle of Anzio (for them specifically, the Battle of Cisterna). For Williams there is much to cover. This includes the mindset of the Rangers prior to the battle, the criticality of their mission and their overall role in the Battle of Anzio, the intelligence failure in Cisterna, the ambush of the Rangers, the attempted relief of the Rangers, the capture of much of the Ranger force, their transfer to German prisoner-of-war camps, and their life in those camps and the escape efforts..
In the book’s preface, Williams highlights the challenges of reexamining the battle and how his volume differs from previous author’s efforts: “The story of the Cisterna battle has many moving parts and complexities, with events happening at different places on the battlefield at the same time. This is the first time that the story of this battle, told by many different Rangers in bits and pieces as they witnessed it, has ever been tied to the calendar and clock, giving the story a coherent, understandable structure. Few of these experiences have previously been revealed, and no one has ever attempted to compile and organize these fragmented narratives into a coordinated view of the whole.”2
Williams has clearly met the challenge. Again, he relies on two familiar strengths: superb visuals and the words of the Rangers themselves. He also utilizes two other strengths I have not commented on before: superb organizational skills and a highly conversant writing style. This discussion has filled gaps, corrected errors, dismissed misconceptions, and turned fact into fiction and vice versa. In doing so, Williams has crafted the definitive story of Darby’s Rangers and the Battle of Cisterna.
Williams concludes the volume with a poignant epilogue section focused on the life of the Rangers following World War II. He keys in on the impact Cisterna had on the Rangers following the war. He states, “The war was over for those heroes who lost their lives on the field of battle. For the rest, the fight was just beginning. Posttraumatic stress disorder, called “combat fatigue” during World War II, was something many of Darby’s Rangers brought home. Many carried survivor guilt, thinking they had not done all they could. Most had been wounded, and almost all had been captured.”3 Additionally, the author provides a “what happened to” section of several dozen Rangers following the war. This personalization is fitting for a book so focused on the human dimension.
In summary, Williams’s twenty-five years of dedication has produced a book that readers will find remarkable. These pages pay tribute to an incredible unit and tell a story that needed to be told. Most importantly, Williams let those who were part of story; tell the story. As he states, “These men have earned the right to be heard, so I have let them speak.”4
Notes
- David Lyle Williams, The Road to Cisterna: Darby’s Rangers and Their Most Consequential Battle in World War II (Louisiana State University Press, 2025), xix.
- Williams, The Road to Cisterna, xix.
- Williams, The Road to Cisterna, 294.
- Williams, The Road to Cisterna, xix.