In the darkest days of 1942, an Allied force set out to capture the Nazi-occupied French port of Dieppe. More than two years had passed since the British had been humiliated at Dunkirk, and nearly nine months since the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The Germans held the continent in a death grip. Now, some six thousand British and Canadian troops were attempting to gain a foothold on Hitler's domain. Joining the crusaders were fifty hand-selected, specially-trained soldiers from a new commando unit. These were to be the first Americans to fight in Europe, and they would become known as the U.S. Army Rangers.

The mission was doomed, but the bravery the Rangers displayed proved that Americans were every bit as tough as their allies and enemies. Drawn from firsthand accounts and historical documents, this is an unforgettable story of the forging of an American legacy that still endures today.

"[A] carefully researched and brilliantly executed narrative of the modern Rangers' baptism in blood."--America in WWII