{{Infobox Film
|DT = Von Panzern überrollt
|OT = Darby’s Rangers
|PL = USA
|PJ = 1957
|LEN = 104
|OS = Englisch
|AF = 18
|REG = William A. Wellman
|DRB = Guy Trosper
|PRO = Martin Rackin
|MUSIK = Max Steiner
|KAMERA = William H. Clothier
|SCHNITT = Owen Marks
|DS =
* James Garner: Major Darby
* Jack Warden: Sergeant Rosen
* Edd Byrnes: 2nd Lt. Dittman
* Etchika Choureau: Angelina
* Venetia Stevenson: Peggy McTavish
* Peter Brown: Burns
* Torin Thatcher: Sergeant McTavish
* Corey Allen: Sutherland
* Stuart Whitman: Sergeant Bishop
* Murray Hamilton: Delancey
}}

'''Von Panzern überrollt''' (Originaltitel: ''Darby’s Rangers'') ist ein US-amerikanischer Kriegsfilm des Regisseurs William A. Wellman aus dem Jahr 1957. Die Uraufführung in Deutschland fand am 23. Mai 1958 statt.

== Handlung ==
Major Darby ist der Kommandant des 1. Ranger Bataillons der US Army. Die Truppe wird von britischen Kommandoteilen in Schottland trainiert. Darby und sein Sergeant Rosen erklären ihren Leuten, dass die britischen Kommandoeinheiten die besten der Welt seien, doch nun von ihnen abgelöst werden sollen. Die Amerikaner werden in schottischen Familien untergebracht, wobei sich auch Liebschaften bilden. So tut sich Burns mit Peggy McTavish, der Tochter des schottischen Kommandanten zusammen. 

Nach der Invasion in Nord-Afrika werden zwei Ranger-Bataillone gebildet und Darby zum Colonel befördert. Der West-Point-Absolvent 2nd Lieutenant Dittman lernt Angelina kennen, die ihn aus seiner Militärschale befreit. Bei den Kämpfen in Italien  kommt es zur Bombardierung italienischer Dörfer. Die Männer werden dabei von Scharfschützen bedroht. Danach folgt ein Feuergefecht mit deutschen Truppen.

Darby vertraut sich seinem Sergeant an und verrät ihm, dass er einen Albtraum hat, in dem er von einem Zug überfahren wird. Bei der Schlacht von Anzio werden das 1. und das 2. Ranger-Bataillon in einen Hinterhalt gelockt und ausgelöscht. Darby selber versucht mit dem 4. Bataillon Entsatz zu leisten, doch er hat keinen Erfolg. Von den 767 Männern kommen nur sieben zurück, die meisten ihrer Kameraden geraten in deutsche bzw. italienische Gefangenschaft.

== Kritiken ==
*

{{Infobox Film
| name           = Darby's Rangers
| image          = 
| image_size     = 
| caption        = 
| director       = William Wellman
| producer       = Martin Rackin
| writer         = Guy Trosper
| starring       = James Garner<br>Jack Warden<br>Stuart Whitman
| music          = Max Steiner
| cinematography = William H. Clothier
| editing        = Owen Marks
| distributor    = Warner Bros. Pictures
| released       = February 12 1958
| runtime        = 121 min.
| country        = U.S.A.
| language       = English
| amg_id         = 1:12222
| imdb_id        = 0051519
}}
'''''Darby's Rangers''''' is a 1958 Warner Brothers black and white war film starring James Garner as William Orlando Darby, World War II commander of the 1st Ranger Battalion.
 
==Plot==
Major William Darby (Garner) is a staff officer who is placed in command of the volunteer US Army 1st Ranger Battalion based on and trained by the British Commandos.  Darby and Sergeant Major Saul Rosen (Jack Warden), who also narrates the film, select a variety of men for training in Scotland.  Darby tells his volunteers that the British Commandos are the best soldiers in the world, but in time they will be. The Americans are quartered in Scottish homes. Several of the Rangers pair off with local lassies, such as Rollo Burns (Peter Brown) and Peggy McTavish (Venetia Stevenson), the daughter of the fearsome but humorous Scottish Commando instructor, Sergeant McTavish (Torin Thatcher), and vagabond Hank Bishop (Stuart Whitman) and the proper  Wendy Hollister (Joan Elan).

After a very brief "invasion" of French North Africa (the Rangers throw a satchel charge in an apparently unoccupied pillbox), two more Ranger battalions are formed, with Darby promoted to colonel.  Joining the Rangers is 2nd Lieutenant Arnold Dittman (Edd Byrnes), a by-the-book West Pointer who is humanized by his encounter with Angelina De Lotta (Etchika Choureau).  There are several action scenes in a bombed out Italian village where the men face a sniper, and a running firefight with the Germans.  

Darby confides to his sergeant major a recurring dream of being run over by an oncoming train, foreshadowing the climax.  His 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions are ambushed and wiped out by the Germans at the Battle of Cisterna at Anzio. Darby leads his 4th Ranger Battalion in an unsuccessful rescue attempt. Of the 767 men who go in, only seven come back, the majority being captured.

==Production==
Battle Cry'' and wished to repeat the success after purchasing Major James Altieri's biographical account of Battleground''. He was hired to direct the film as a condition of Warner Brothers financing his dream project of ''Lafayette Escadrille'' concerning Wellman's own World War I Foreign Legion flying squadron. Warner Brothers had emphasised the romantic pairings of most of the leads as a feature of the film to emulate the success of ''Battle Cry''. However, a few problems arose.

Whilst the US Marine Corps were enthusiastic about providing Camp Pendleton, Marine film extras and equipment and color film of the Pacific Island campaigns to stimulate recruiting and the image of the Corps (see The United States Marine Corps on film), the US Army were not keen on the Rangers as they had taken excessively high casualties of excellent soldiers the US Army believed would be better employed leading standard infantry units. The US Army of the 1950's were more interested in training individual officers and NCO's at Ranger School to go back and train their own units in Ranger tactics rather than have separate Ranger companies or battalions.  The limit of the US Army's cooperation was training the actors and providing black and white stock footage.

Originally Maverick'', replaced Charlton Heston at the last minute. Garner's first lead role proved his range as an actor with an integrity and vulnerability that made him believable and likeable in the role. Garner's original role in the film was taken by Stuart Whitman.<ref>''Screen World'' 17 Mar 1961</ref>

In the original role of the Lieutenant was Warner's heart throb Tab Hunter who was unenthusiastic about the film and most of the roles Warner Brothers offered him.  Hunter also left the film before filming.<ref>Hunter, Tab and Muller, Eddie ''Tab Hunter Confidential'' Algonquin Books (1986)</ref> Warner searched his stock company and found Edd Byrnes who was soon to be the popular "Kookie" on ''77 Sunset Strip''. Warner also grabbed up and coming teen idol Peter Brown soon to co star in ''Lawman (TV series)''. The two contract stars have a nice scene together where the sensitive but experienced Brown has just killed his first man. The boorish and inexperienced Byrnes does not understand why Brown doesn't feel good about doing his job. 