4/8/2023 0 Comments Stick ranger priesstBasil, a Commando chaplain attached to the British Army’s Special Services Brigade, who had become familiar with the Ranger Battalion in Scotland and had accompanied it-unofficially-to the Mediterranean Sea for Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa on November 8, 1942.ĭevout, scholarly, and good natured, Father Basil endeared himself to Darby and his men and became a legendary figure in Ranger history. Patton, who had recently taken a firm grip of the demoralized II Corps and ordered its combat troops to be properly uniformed with helmets, leggings, and even neckties, exclaimed, “What in hell is that?” With a tremor in his voice, the handsome, boyish Colonel Darby replied, “That is our British chaplain, sir, and about the only man I know who can get away with not wearing a helmet.” Patton swallowed quickly and then laughed hilariously.ĭarby was referring to Captain Albert E. After chatting together about the tactical situation, Patton and Darby stepped out onto the balcony of the building and saw a wiry, bespectacled man clad in Ranger fatigues and a green beret walking along the street. ![]() Terry de la Mesa Allen’s 1st Infantry Division in advancing against German panzer forces and their Italian allies. Patton had set up his headquarters in a small public building in the dusty town of Gafsa after the furious encounter in which Darby’s Rangers had gallantly supported Maj. 1st Ranger Battalion, was summoned by Lt. One day shortly after the Battle of El Guettar in central Tunisia in March 1943, Colonel William O.
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