By this time, while in maneuvers on the United States, they were commanded by the Major Owen Carter.

During the Battle of Normandy, the battalion landed on Omaha Beach along with companies A, B and C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, where elements of the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division were pinned down by murderous machine gun fire and mortars from the heights above.

It was there that the situation was so critical that General Omar Bradley was seriously considering abandoning the beachhead, instead of sending more men to die.

"[2] The 5th Battalion Rangers broke across the seawall and barbed wire entanglements, and up the pillbox-rimmed heights under intense enemy machine gun and mortar fire and with A, B and C Companies of the 2nd Ranger Battalion and elements of the 116th Infantry Regiment, advanced four miles (6 km) to the key town of Vierville-sur-Mer, thus opening the breach for supporting troops to follow up and expand the beachhead.

Meanwhile, D, E and F Company of the 2nd Ranger Battalion landed west of the Vierville draw and suffered 50 percent casualties during the landing, scaling a 90-foot (27 m) cliff using ropes and ladders to knock out a formidable enemy artillery position that was sweeping the beach with deadly fire.