Herein you will be able to access text, images, and archives pertaining to the history of the actual 5th Ranger Battalion of WWII; along with the information regarding accurately reenacting the 5th Rangers. From their uniforms and gear to weapons, combat practices and more.

    You may know that the modern day Ranger's motto is "Rangers lead the way!". What you probably didn't know is that on D-Day, on the Dog White sector of Omaha Beach, General Norman Cota (assistant commander of the 29th Infantry Division) while under heavy machine gun fire, walked towards a group of A Company, 5th Rangers and asked "What outfit is this?", someone yelled out "Rangers!". To this, General Cota replied "take me to Schneider (the Battalion Commander)". Soon after he found a saluting Lt. Colonel Schneider and told him "Rangers, lead the way!" It was at this time and place that the Ranger motto was born.
 
    To date no major motion picture or television show has touched on the importance of the 5th Rangers on D-Day, even though the 5th Ranger Battalion was responsible for breaking out and securing the beachhead on Omaha. By reenacting the 5th Rangers we are able to maintain the history of the unit in WWII, the men and their missions, so that many generations can continue to know the sacrifices made by all services during the war.

    We try to perform in the field as they did. Authenticity is key with each company of our living history Battalion. We drill like they did and when in the field we eat the same boring K and C Rations that they lived. Whenever possible we camp just like they did, cold, hot, rain or snow , sleeping in a foxhole, on the ground, or in a G.I. pup-tent. We dress in the same uniforms they wore for the period we strive to represent and carry the broad array of weapons they used in WWII from M1 Rifles to M1919 Machine Guns and Browning Automatic Rifles to M1A1 Bazookas. We rely on all the same equipment they did, doing what we can with the same principle items they were provided, all backed by solid, published documentation and with the support of the real Ranger veterans. Our authenticity standards are rigorous, but that's what makes our unit tick! For our noted care and detail, we have been invited to such places as the premier of "The Great Raid", The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, and most importantly several World War II Ranger Reunions. We are historians rather than hobbyists, and thrive of the thrilling and meaningful activities we participate in.

   We stay in contact with surviving veterans from the 5th Ranger Battalion and have attended  reunions upon invitation and pride ourselves on our first-person authenticity that in some cases came straight from actual 5th Ranger Battalion veterans. Backed by their memories and thoroughly researched authenticity standards for every period we reenact; we aim for 110% authenticity. We would like to thank Mr. Jerry Styles (son of Ranger Clarence Styles) for his encouragement and historical insights on these matters.