World War II 501st Infantry Regiment (United States)

camp toccoa, ga, c. 1942

the famous test platoon, prime ancestor of american parachute units, provided nucleus of 1st parachute battalion, in turn provided part of cadre, unit number, genealogical lineage , heraldic background of 501st parachute regiment. initial group of officers hand picked first commander, colonel howard r. johnson.

colonel howard r. johnson. first commander of 501st pir

known peers skeets , in swashbuckling mold of of original parachute regimental commanders, of whom popular saying command parachute unit, don t have nuts, helps!

an annapolis graduate had boxed while midshipman, johnson had transferred army on graduation , had been @ tank destroyer center before volunteering parachute duty. took parachuting gross understatement: ate, slept, , breathed it, , jumped whenever possibly could, jumping many times in single day. nickname among men became jumping johnson. zealot on physical conditioning, himself , in regiment, , led calisthenics, running , other physical activities. set record running currahee mountain (which loomed on camp toccoa) , challenged in regiment beat time. heavy punching bag hung outside quarters, , when not punching that, johnson seen throwing huge knife @ hanging plywood replicas of hitler , hirohito.

all members of regiment parachute volunteers, minor fraction qualified jumpers during training @ camp toccoa, ga. so, when arduous training on in march 1943, unit marched atlanta, ga, distance of 105 miles (169 km). moved fort benning, ga, jump train members not qualified.

with jump training over, regiment assigned airborne command @ camp mackall, nc. home base during prolonged maneuvers in north carolina, tennessee, , louisiana, , until january 1944, when regiment deployed england, way of camp myles standish, ma. once in england 501st became permanent attachment of 101st airborne division , vital part of famous unit duration of world war ii.

in england, training hard, realistic , became increasingly oriented toward airborne assault german-held europe. although none of soldiers knew initially, regiment training operation overlord, secret allied plan combined air, naval, amphibious, , airborne operations breach hitler s atlantic wall. d-day drew closer, few key commanders , staff briefed on part 101st play in operation overlord. d-day days away, 501st rest of division sequestered in guarded marshaling camps every man learned own mission , overall mission of 501st , 101st airborne division. these extensive , intensive briefings later prove vital during actual operations.

the 501st (less 3rd battalion) took off merryfield airport @ 2245, 5 june 1944, while 3rd battalion departed @ same time welford. units flew across english channel , set drop normandy, 5 hours prior seaborne landing. 501st drop zones north , east of carentan. 2 battalions seize key canal locks @ la barquette , destroy bridges on douve river, while third battalion in division reserve.

the troop aircraft formations scattered due combination of low clouds, poor visibility , enemy anti-aircraft fire. caused highly scattered drops , units dispersed across battlefront. ensuing action bore little resemblance briefing, because soldiers prepared, regiment , division accomplished multiple missions, none of them rehearsed. success credited initiative, stamina, , daring of individual parachutists, decided how best accomplish part of overall mission. capture of key causeway utah beach @ pouppeville scratch force of 100 officers , men, formed around nucleus 3rd battalion (division reserve) of 501st, typical. members of ad hoc force included both general maxwell taylor , assistant division commander gerald higgins. general taylor later quipped that, never few led many.

shoulder sleeve insignia of 101st airborne division. 501st assigned 101st airborne during world war ii , vietnam.

fierce fighting in normandy no means ended d-day, continued important results in assisting amphibious landings , joining beach @ utah @ omaha. efforts of 501st came @ high cost: regiment lost 898 men killed, wounded, missing, or captured.

the 501st returned base in england in mid-july, regaining pre-d-day capabilities many replacements , round of intensive training. received presidential citation action in normandy. briefed on several planned air assaults france, each aborted when allies overran planned objectives. in fall of 1944 began preparing airborne assault occupied netherlands.

code-named market garden, combined deep airborne thrust through west of netherlands 1st allied airborne army, overland drive british 2nd army. plan visualized airborne forces seizing key bridges on rivers , canals 2nd army move deep , fast on distance of more 100 miles (160 km), past rhine river, last major water obstacle short of berlin. airborne assault made in daylight. 101st airborne division assigned southernmost bridges @ eindhoven, son, sint oedenrode , veghel, 501st assigned veghel bridges. airborne assault went scheduled on 17 september 1944, improved performance troop carrier units. drop zones hit drop patterns.

former headquarters of 501st parachute infantry regiment klondike in veghel. insignia of 101st airborne division can still seen on top of facade

1st battalion, 501st parachute infantry regiment, however, dropped 5 miles (8.0 km) east of planned drop zone. in spite of this, 4 bridges in veghel captured intact. began difficult part of operation, keeping open highway on 2nd army must pass reach british 1st airborne division, fighting life @ northern end of airborne corridor. fatal flaw in plan became more evident each day forces proved few both keep open key highway , fight on linkup british airborne across rhine. 1st airborne division paid full price flaw went down fighting against overwhelming odds; less 2 thousand men escaped death or capture.

the 501st, rest of division, moved initial objective areas positions on island between waal , rhine rivers; became clear not withdrawn netherlands after few days, had been told; combat skills needed british. prolonged fighting on island way use airborne unit. after initial hard fighting became static war of patrolling , attrition, principally artillery , mortars. 1 such mortar attack, near heteren, on 8 october 1944, fatally wounded colonel johnson.

col howard johnson

as being evacuated, last words ltc ewell were, take care of boys.

colonel johnson best-known loss, him lost 661 other fine soldiers. ltc julian ewell, taciturn west pointer, succeeded col johnson. less extrovert johnson, more made lack of flash , dash keen mind, tactical prescience , around professional competence.

after 72 days of combat in netherlands division returned new staging area in mourmelon, france, thought long, well-deserved rest. accordingly, many men on leave or pass, division commander in united states, assistant division commander in england (leaving artillery commander, general mcauliffe, in command), , there still major shortages of equipment , supplies had not been replaced after netherlands.

the division ill-prepared word received in late evening of 17 december. germans had launched major offensive @ dawn on 16 december through ardennes in lightly held sector of vii corps. @ time shaef s reserve consisted of 101st , 82nd. 101st ordered move truckborne bastogne, hub town of major radial road net, stem oncoming germans. general mcauliffe ordered move regimental combat teams without waiting absentees. 501st lead combat team in division move, , after grueling truck ride, reached bastogne @ 2230 hrs. thus, midnight, 501st regiment combat team ready action. ewell asked mcauliffe definite assignment , ordered move out on eastern road through longvilly , seize , hold key road junction beyond longvilly. 501st first fight @ bastogne when 1 of battalions ran enemy near neffe, few kilometers out of bastogne.

thus began defense of bastogne in 501st gave not 1 foot of ground, , in division, , comrades in arms, stopped cold germans throw @ them, ruined hitler s offensive time table , won 101st first presidential unit citation ever awarded full division.

once again, 501st paid dear price of 580 killed, wounded or captured. 1 casualty colonel ewell, badly wounded , relinquished command ltc robert ballard, had commanded 2nd battalion beginning. bob ballard quiet floridian not professional soldier johnson or ewell, fine officer had learned how command quietly , while winning admiration , respect of men. ballard continued in command of 501st until end of world war ii. operations after bastogne have been anticlimactic under circumstances, except light skirmishing in alsace, , drive germany s last redoubt, bavaria, seemed cakewalk. living in germany after v-day indeed, rudely interrupted orders move billets in joigny , auxerre, france. troops advised not take captured cars or loot them.

once in france 501st began training invasion of japan. on 20 august 1945, 501st disbanded, ahead of inactivation of 101st division in november 1945.