75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger)
The 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) (officially 75th Infantry Regiment or 75th Infantry) was initially a parent regiment for all the US Army Ranger units during the Vietnam War and the early 1980s and then the headquarters for the Ranger battalions.
| 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1969–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | US Army |
| Type | Light infantry |
| Role | Vietnam War:
Post-Vietnam: |
| Size | 15 companies (1969–74) 3 battalions (1974–86) |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Benning, Georgia (1984–86) |
| Engagements | Vietnam War Operation Eagle Claw Invasion of Grenada |
History
On 1 February 1969, as part of the U.S. Army Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), all U.S. Army Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) units were reorganized as the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger).[1] Fifteen Ranger companies were formed from reconnaissance units in Europe and Vietnam with lineage to Merrill's Marauders (5307th Composite Unit). The firms were given the letters C through I and K through P. To avoid confusion with the similar "I" (or India) designation on typed documents, there was no "J" Ranger Company. Companies A and B were kept stateside as a strategic reserve in case they were needed overseas in Europe or the Americas.
The Ranger companies were composed of small, heavily armed long range reconnaissance teams that patrolled deep in enemy-held territory. Each independent company was attached to a separate division or brigade and acted as the eyes and ears of those units. Rangers collected intelligence, discovered enemy troop locations, surveilled trails and enemy hot spots, directed artillery and air strikes, performed bomb damage assessments, and conducted ambushes. Additionally, Rangers attempted to recover prisoners of war, capture enemy soldiers for interrogation, tap the wire communications of the North Vietnam Army and the National Liberation Front for South Vietnam (Vietcong) on the Ho Chi Minh trail, and mine enemy trails and roads.
Lineage
- Organized as 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) on 3 October 1943
- Consolidated with the 475th Infantry and unit designated as 475th Infantry on 10 August 1944
- Inactivated on 1 July 1945
- Redesignated as 75th Infantry on 21 June 1954
- Allotted to the Regular Army on 26 October 1954
- Activated on 20 November 1954
- Inactivated on 21 March 1956
- Reorganized as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System on 1 January 1969
- Reorganized with Headquarters on 1 July 1984
- On 3 February 1986, the 75th Infantry Regiment (then consisting of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Ranger Battalion, 2nd Ranger Battalion, and 3rd Ranger Battalion) was consolidated with the former A Company, 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion (then part of HHC 7th SFG), Company A, 2nd Infantry Battalion (then part of HHC 10th SFG), and the inactive units Company A, 3rd Ranger Infantry Battalion (last part of HHC 13th SFG, inactivated in 1966), 4th Ranger Battalion, 5th Ranger Battalion and 6th Ranger Battalion; it was concurrently designated as 75th Ranger Regiment and reorganized under the Regimental System.[2][3][4][5]
Organization
Vietnam War
When they were redesignated on 1 February 1969, the average TOE strength of a Ranger company was of 3 officers and 115 enlisted men, bringing the total to 118 men divided into a company headquarters, operations section, communications platoon, and two patrol platoons.
There were some exceptions though; Company C, 75th Infantry (Ranger) had a strength of 230 men divided into a company Headquarters, operations section, communications platoon, and four patrol platoons.
Companies D and H each had 198 men and Companies M, N, O, and P each had 61 men, since these four units were created from LRP detachments assigned to brigades.
Ranger Companies
| Infantry (Ranger) Company | Activated on | Inactivated on | Previous LRP company | Subordinate to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company A, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 19 December 1974 | Company D (LRP), 17th Infantry | V Corps (Germany) |
| Company B, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 1 November 1974 | Company C (LRP), 58th Infantry | VII Corps (Germany) |
| Company C, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 25 October 1971 | Company E (LRP), 20th Infantry | I Field Force (Vietnam) |
| Company D (Ranger), 151st Infantry Company D, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 20 November 1969 | 20 November 1969 10 April 1970 | Company F (LRP), 51st Infantry | II Field Force (Vietnam) |
| Company E, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 1 October 1969 | 23 August 1969 12 October 1970 | Company E (LRP), 50th Infantry | 9th Infantry Division (Vietnam) |
| Company F, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 15 March 1971 | Company F (LRP), 50th Infantry | 25th Infantry Division (Vietnam) |
| Company G, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 1 October 1971 | Company E (LRP), 51st Infantry | 23rd Infantry Division (Vietnam) |
| Company H, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 15 August 1972 | Company E (LRP), 52nd Infantry Regiment (drawn from the Cavalry Division LRRPs) | 1st Cavalry Division (Vietnam) |
| Company I, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 7 April 1970 | Company F (LRP), 52nd Infantry | 1st Infantry Division (Vietnam) |
| Company K, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 10 December 1970 | Company E (LRP), 58th Infantry | 4th Infantry Division (Vietnam) |
| Company L, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 25 December 1971 | Company F (LRP), 58th Infantry | 101st Airborne Division (Vietnam) |
| Company M, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 12 October 1970 | 71st Infantry Detachment (LRP) | 199th Infantry Brigade (Light) (Vietnam) |
| Company N, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 25 August 1971 | 74th Infantry Detachment (LRP) | 173rd Airborne Brigade (Vietnam) |
| Company O, 75th Infantry (Ranger) Company O (Arctic Ranger), 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 4 August 1970 | 20 November 1969 29 September 1972 | 78th Infantry Detachment (LRP) | 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Vietnam) US Army Alaska |
| Company P, 75th Infantry (Ranger) | 1 February 1969 | 31 August 1971 | 79th Infantry Detachment (LRP) | 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mech.) (Vietnam) |
See also
References
- "Vietnam Rangers page". SuaSponte.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
- "Lineage and Honors 75th RANGER REGIMENT". United States Army Center of Military History. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- "Lineage and Honors 1st BATTALION, 75th RANGER REGIMENT". United States Army Center of Military History. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- "Lineage and Honors 2d BATTALION, 75th RANGER REGIMENT". United States Army Center of Military History. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- "Lineage and Honors 3D BATTALION, 75TH RANGER REGIMENT". United States Army Center of Military History. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
External links
- 75th Ranger Regiment lineage Archived 7 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
