The memorial road sign is located at the inspection of Via dei Rangers and Via Nettuno adjacent to a Nursery School; several road signs can be found along the 1-mile roadway.

A road named honoring the Rangers who fought and died in this location during the Battle of Cisterna.  There are several road signs on the 1-mile long road. There are two types of road signs: the modern version which is white that reads Via dei Rangers; the older Version which Reads Via dei Rangers and adds Gennaio 1944 (January 1944).

The Ranger Force, commanded by Colonel William O. Darby, fought in this area during he Battle of Cisterna from January 30 to February 2, 1944.  See also this website, Battle of Cisterna Marker for more on the battle.

From the Special Operations Command History:

Battle of Cisterna:  Soon the entire VI Corps was trapped within the Anzio perimeter. As British Prime Minister Winston Churchill later noted,” I had hoped that we were hurling a wildcat onto the shore, but all we had got was a stranded whale. A bold move was required to achieve a breakout of the beachhead. The VI Corps staff developed a plan for a general offensive to break out of the German encirclement. The Ranger mission was to infiltrate two battalions through the German lines and attack the small town of Cisterna di Littoria, a key VI Corps objective. On the night of 30 January 1944, the 1st and 3rd battalions were to infiltrate five miles behind the German Lines and seize the town. Simultaneously, the 4th Battalion would attack to clear the main road toward Cisterna…. The 4th Battalion began its attack up the Conca–Isola Bella–Cisterna road as scheduled but was stopped short of Isola Bella by fire from German tanks, self-propelled guns, automatic weapons, and small arms. Cisterna was more strongly held than anyone had anticipated. Darby, who was gravely concerned about the virtually nonexistent communications he had with the two lead battalions and the difficult time the 4th Rangers were having, saw the urgent need to break through the German roadblock. Indeed, the survival of the 1st and 3rd battalions depended on their doing so. The two battalions were coming under ever-increasing pressure.

Three German tanks that approached were destroyed by bazookas, but automatic and small arms fire continued to tear through the Rangers, most of whom had gathered in an area about three hundred yards in diameter. German attempts to overrun the 1st and 3rd battalions, and the Ranger attempts to break out of the encirclement, were each turned back with mutual ferocity. After two hours, the Rangers’ ammunition began to run out and the men started searching the wounded and dead for ammunition. By now, it was full daylight and the situation was becoming untenable.

Almost out of ammunition and facing German tanks and infantry closing in, surrender became the only option. 

Unfortunately for the Rangers, the Germans had been preparing for an attack of their own in the same sector and had reinforced their lines only the night before with elements of three divisions. This led to the 1st and 3rd Battalions being surrounded by superior forces. The Rangers fought bravely, until both ammunition and time ran out. The 4th Battalion, with armored reinforcements, tried desperately to break through to the 1st and 3rd Battalions as all along the Anzio perimeter VI Corps units attacked in their sectors to try to pierce the strong German positions. Only eight Rangers survived to return to American lines. The 1st and 3rd battalions suffered 12 killed, 36 wounded, and 743 captured.  The 4th Battalion sustained 30 killed and 58 wounded in their attempt to relieve the trapped battalions. Later intelligence revealed that the Ranger attack on Cisterna had thwarted the planned German counterattack, but at an extremely high cost. This was the end of the Ranger Force.

There are two types of road signs: the modern version which is white that reads Via dei Rangers; the older Version which Reads Via dei Rangers and adds Gennaio 1944 (January 1944).