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William Orlando Darby was born in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas on 9 February 1911.

Darby graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1933. Darby reached the rank of Captain by the time the United States entered World War II. Early in the war Darby served in staff positions but in 1942Events January January 1 World War II: The word " United Nations" is first officially used to describe the Allied pact. January 2 World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces. January 5 Amy Johnson disappears in flight over River Thames estuary ass was assigned to form a new unit that was modeled after the British commandoCommando (military) is an individual, a military unit, or a style of military operation Commando (movie) is the title of a 1985 film Commando (game) is also a 1985 computer game, unrelated to the film Commando (verb) To not wear underwear''. units. Darby's unit bore the title "Rangers" and gained the nickname "Darby's Rangers". The unit was famous for its daring night raids and hit-and-run tactics.

Darby was promoted to the rank of colonelColonel ( Ger: Oberst is a military rank, usually the highest below general grades, and just above Lieutenant Colonel. The word is pronounced similarly to "kernel". In the US military, a colonel in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps is equivalent to a c and he led the new unit into combat in North AfricaNorth Africa is the region of the continent of Africa north of the Sahara desert, comprising the Maghreb, including Libya and Egypt, and also by some definitions the Sudan. North Africa is vastly more uniform ethnically than anywhere in Africa south of th, SicilySicily Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. 1 million inhabitants. Towns and Cities Sicily's principal cities include the regional capital Palermo, together with t, and Anzio . Darby returned to the US after the destruction of the 1st and 3rd battalions at CisternaThe Battle of Cisterna took place during World War II, on January 29, 1944, near Cisterna, Italy, as part of Operation Shingle. During this battle, the 1st, 3rd, and 4th US Army Ranger battalions attempted to capture the town of Cisterna, an objective whi.

Darby was killed by an 88mm artillery fragment on 30 April 1945 while attached to the US 10th Mountain Division near Torbole , Italy. Darby was posthumously awarded the rank of brigadier general and is buried at Fort Smith National Cemetery .

In 1958 Darby was the subject of the motion picture Darby's Rangers starring James Garner. Darby's records, medals, military records, and uniforms are on display at the Old Fort Museum in Fort Smith and his boyhood home is open for tours.

See also: Battle of Cisterna