Louisiana Native and WWII Ranger Edward V. Loustalot

Edward V. Loustalot was a native of Franklin, Louisiana. In 1939, before joining the Army, Loustalot would earn an engineering degree from Louisiana State University. The first Americans to engage in combat in Europe during WWII were forty-four enlisted men and five officers from the 1st Ranger Battalion; Edward V. Loustalot was one of those men.

In 1941, the United States Army did not have any special operations units. As the U.S. declared war on the AXIS powers, forming a special operations unit was a top priority. General Lucian K. Truscott Jr., the U.S. Army Liaison with the British Combined Operations Headquarters proposed to Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall that the U.S. Army needed a unit similar to the British Commandos.

William O. Darby was chosen to command the 1st Ranger Battalion. It was formed in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland on 19 June 1942. Darby and the newly formed Special Operations unit soon relocated to Scotland for the first phase of their rigorous training. For the first three months under instruction from the British Commandos, the Rangers underwent a grueling physical training program in the Scottish countryside. The training included hand-to-hand combat, weapons, street fighting, patrolling and small boat operations.

While the rest of the 1st Ranger Battalion continued to train, Edward V. Loustalot and 44 other Rangers were selected to take part in the Dieppe Raid, a joint operation with the Canadian Commandos in Northern France on 19 June 1942. The primary objective of the mission was to eliminate coastal guns the Germans had placed on the French coast. The landing craft Lt. Loustalot was aboard found themselves in a vicious firefight to exit the beach as soon as they landed. Ranger Loustalot displayed incredible intestinal fortitude during his relentless pursuit to eliminate a German machine gun nest. In his brave attempt to eliminate the enemy, Lt. Loustalot was cut down by machine gun fire making the Ranger from Franklin, La the first American killed on European soil during WWII. Arguments continue to be made that the tactical lessons learned from the Dieppe Raid taught Normandy invasion planners ways to save thousands of lives during the D-Day invasion amphibious assaults.

Why the Deippe Raid?

The Rangers and allied planners needed combat experience in conducting amphibious raids. Another reason the Dieppe Raid took place was pressure from the Russians to open up the Western Front. Opening up the Western Front would eliminate the Germans tactical and logistical success on the Eastern Front allowing the Russians to regroup from Operation Barbarossa, the brutal German invasion of the Soviet Union that took place from 22 June 1941- 7 January 1942.

RTLW!