When you think of daring escapes from enemy camps during World War II, you might picture Hollywood heroes like Steve McQueen in The Great Escape.
But the real-life adventures of the First American Ranger Battalion, famously known as Darby’s Rangers, make those movies look tame by comparison.
These men weren’t just fearless fighters—they became legends for their audacious escapes, earning the nickname The Houdini Club.
The Battle of Cisterna and the Beginning of Imprisonment
After fierce fighting in Algeria, Tunisia, and along Italy’s Amalfi Coast, the Rangers faced disaster at Cisterna, a vital transport hub in central Italy.
Hundreds were captured, marched through Rome past the Colosseum in a grim parade of Nazi triumph, and sent to prison camps in Germany.
But these Rangers were never the kind to give up or wait for freedom to come to them.
Captain Charles ‘Chuck’ Shunstrom’s Incredible Journey
Among the most daring was Captain Charles Shunstrom—a complex man described as both a hero and a ruthless warrior.
After being caught at Cisterna, Shunstrom ended up in an Italian POW camp under renovation.
Using his wits, he disguised himself as an Italian worker, slipped past barbed wire, and began an exhausting 215-mile trek across snowy mountains.
During his escape, he teamed up with local partisans, but didn’t just sit back—he led guerrilla raids against Nazi forces, capturing fascist officials and disrupting enemy operations.
When the partisan group became too risky, he made a dangerous solo journey disguised as a laborer, narrowly escaping German patrols and even knocking out an enemy soldier who came to his door.
After over two months on the run, Shunstrom finally crossed enemy lines and made it back to Allied forces.
Yet, life after the war was tough—haunted by trauma, struggling with addiction, and battling the scars of combat, he died alone at 52.
Sergeant Carl Lehmann’s Harrowing Escape March
Another brave Ranger, Sergeant Carl Lehmann, endured repeated capture and solitary confinement before a final desperate escape in January 1945.
Forced to march hundreds of miles through harsh winter conditions with 700 other prisoners, Lehmann and a few fellow Rangers slipped away during a formation turn.
They faced starvation, near-freezing temperatures, and the constant threat of German civilians and soldiers.
Help came in small doses—like a Russian laborer sharing food—and after months hiding in forests and dodging patrols, they finally reunited with advancing Allied troops in April 1945.
The Lingering Scars of War
For Lehmann, returning home didn’t erase the pain.
Memories of loss and violence bubbled over years later in a violent confrontation at a POW camp in France.
Despite his trauma, he went on to rebuild his life and became a lawyer, carrying with him the heavy weight of war’s long shadow.
Stories of Courage and Survival
These remarkable tales of courage, cunning, and sheer grit—along with many others from the First Army Rangers—are detailed in Mir Bahmanyar’s book, The Houdini Club: The Epic Journey and Daring Escapes of the First Army Rangers of WWII.
Their exploits remind us that sometimes truth is even more incredible than fiction.