Ranger carried a load of P-40s to Africa for use by the 58th Fighter Group before spending much of the summer of 1943 conducting pilot training off the New England coast. Crossing the Atlantic in late August, the carrier joined the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. Putting out on October 2 as part of Operation Leader, Ranger and a combined Anglo-American force moved towards Norway with the goal of attacking German shipping around Vestfjorden.
Avoiding detection, Ranger began launching aircraft on October 4. Striking a short time later, the aircraft sank two merchant vessels in Bodo roadstead and damaged several more. Though located by three German aircraft, the carrier’s combat air patrol downed two and chased off the third. A second strike succeeded in sinking a freighter and a smaller coastal vessel. Returning to Scapa Flow, Ranger commenced patrols to Iceland with the British Second Battle Squadron. These continued until late November when the carrier detached and sailed for Boston, MA.
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