1. During the period 4 November to 24 December 1944, it was our pleasure and privilege to be associated together in the 6 Cavalry Group (Mecz) (Reinf), first for training, reorganization, and refitting, later in reserve for employment as a mobile force by the Third US Army, and on 30 November 1944 for employment in the general area KARLINGEN to the SAAR River under control of various commanders. 2. In the course of this period various problems were presented to the Ranger Bn. First, that of reorganization and refitting, second, of absorbing the principles and practicing those principles of preparing to function as a part of a highly mobile force, requiring an adaption of training already conducted, and third, when committed to find ourselves in a rigorous, bitter, stubborn battle which taxed the ingenuity, initiative, and intelligence, lightly armed as we were, to overcome and conquer. 3. We won a decisive battle, it is said. We won, however, largely because the 5 Ranger Infantry Bn provided the stiffening and the backbone without which our light mobile forces would have been unable to accomplish the task assigned. 4. The flexibility of mind and thought which was brought to the problem of the mobile force and its operations, the willingness on the part of each man of the organization to do his part, and the enthusiasm and will to fight which each man of |
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