Agent David Perdue Grant, Articles OTHER

}Hc,NJc0)&\zR.~RL. Fort Benning, Georgia, on January 11, 1943. The 17ths divisional artillery, LTC Oswalds 680th Glider Field Artillery Battalion, also accorded itself well. All of the objectives that the airborne troops of the 17th had been tasked with had been captured and held, usually within only a few hours of the operation's beginning. "[1] Another Medal of Honor recipient from this regiment was Pfc. Our impressions are those of the combat soldier only; political motivations or activities are strictly forbidden in the HRS and in this unit. Jake C. The 17th During World War II, the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment (513th PIR) was a regiment of the 17th Airborne Division of the United States Army. The Army Historical Foundation is the designated official fundraising organization for the National Museum of the United States Army. See photos for condition See photos for condition 204251870851 Division and the 97th Infantry Division encountered a strong "Little Joi," as the mascot was known, was portrayed in an aggressive pose, descending under a black parachute canopy and wielding a bayonet-tipped rifle, to eliminate any doubt about the cat's ferocity. Reed, Paul A. H Company, 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division 134. Brereton. [43] In the first few hours of 24 March, the transport aircraft carrying the two airborne divisions that formed Operation Varsity took off from airbases in England and France and rendezvoused over Brussels, before turning north-east for the Rhine dropping zones. His unit, the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 17th Airborne Division, was attached to General George Patton's Third Army as part of the relief of the surrounded city of Bastogne and the . 5 0 obj In addition, nearly 1,000 Allied fighters escorted the transports. He received a Purple Heart but ignored a doctors advice to have the fragment removed and carried it with him for the rest of his life. 80 German POWs were liberated by a German patrol after their guards had been overwhelmed. To achieve this, both divisions would be dropped near the town of Hamminkeln, and were tasked with a number of objectives; they were to seize the Diersfordter Wald, a forest that overlooked the Rhine and had a road linking several towns together; several bridges over a smaller waterway, the Issel, were to be seized to facilitate the advance; and the town of Hamminkeln was to be captured. facebook; twitter; linkedin; pinterest; FOP NEW YORK STATE NYS SUPERIOR COURT BRASS CARD PBA FAMILY MEMBER FRIEND. semelhana do Sr. Jean-Claude Juncker, constatamos que a quota-parte dos salrios no PIB da zona euro regista um decrscimo sucessivo e que, paralelamente a isso, os salrios, as indemnizaes por resciso ou "golden parachutes" e as opes sobre aces dos dirigentes e dos quadros das grandes empresas constituem uma verdadeira provocao para os trabalhadores europeus, cujo . The pilots remained in formation until the troops jumped. John Leather: 193th Glider Infantry Regiment: Company D: Lynn W. Aas: 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment: Company G: Austin Y. Steen Jr. 466th Parachute Field Artillery Bn. Military government duties began 12 April, and active contact with the enemy ceased 18 April 1945. It was The rank and file of the 513th PIR embraced the superstition of the unlucky number thirteen in their unit's designation. The unit is a member of the World War II Historical Reenactment Society, (HRS) a tax-exempt, non-profit, non-political organization intended for those who wish to study and attempt to experience life in the worlds militaries during World War II. In The Last Offensive, the U.S. Armys official account of Operation Varsity and the final drive into Germany, Charles B. MacDonald, a veteran infantry officer who had served with the 23d Infantry, 2d Infantry Division, in Europe in World War II, stated that with the weak condition of German units east of the Rhine, some overbearing need for the special capability of airborne divisions would be required to justify their use, and that the specific need never existed. moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina on the 1st of In fact, Montgomery emphatically insisted on airborne support for his anticipated crossing at Wesel. FOR SALE! Isadore Jachman one of three Jewish men to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during World War II. On or about February 09, 1945, while still engaged in [] from the 13th Airborne to be definitively assigned to the 17th on received the Medal of Honor on a posthumous basis. Planning for possible Allied airborne assaults across the Rhine actually began shortly before the Battle of the Bulge. 101st Airborne Division The U.S. 82nd Airborne Division had been deployed by both parachute and glider and had suffered high casualties, leading to a perception that it had failed to achieve many of its objectives. then was sent to Belgium in Neufchateau, and from there, walking The 513th formed part of the 17th Airborne Division and participated in the European Campaign, fighting in the latter stages of the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945 and parachuted into Germany in Operation Varsity in March, in the largest airborne drop . The Diersfordter Forest had been cleared of enemy troops, and the roads along which the Germans might have moved reinforcements against the advance had been cut by airborne troops. "Izzy" Jachman raced through heavy fire, picked up a bazooka from a fallen comrade and drove off two tanks, damaging one. {\/YpN|'Cg8'yOu4Ew&Rf.7,wuGq;O8g5\ As the western Allies advanced east into Germany in early 1945, they faced a number of obstacles. [43] The 17th Airborne Division consisted of 9,387 personnel, who were transported in 836 C-47 Dakota transports, 72 C-46 Commando transports, and more than 900 Waco CG-4A gliders. St-Vith. Glider Infantry Regiment, with LTC Edward Sach's 550th Airborne Infantry Battalion (attached) and Colonel James Coutt's 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, made the attack. Naples II and Eclipse were abandoned. In addition to suddenly changing the course of the war in the West, and relegating the northern Rhine crossings to somewhat of a sideshow, the Remagen bridgehead eliminated the need for airborne support for Bradleys 12th Army Group. Back As of 25 Jan 2009 Berringer, Norman F. Box 1 PFC 3d Battalion, Survey . 5x Sunflower Shaped Silicone Pen 0.5mm Student School Writing Pens Ballpoint set, USS DIAMOND HEAD AMMUNITION SHIP MILITARY PATCH AE 19, Hawaii Color Aluminum Novelty Car Auto License Plate, Anime Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic . While historians have never agreed on the origins of the cultural phobia, the paratroopers didn't spend much time dwelling on it. [6], Once activated, the division remained in the United States for training and exercises. The 17th Airborne was to land its units in the southern portion of the area chosen for the operation, engaging the German forces that were defending the area, securing the Diersfordterwald Forest which dominated the surrounding area and capturing three bridges that spanned the River Issel. As the division, like all airborne units, was intended to be an elite formation, the training regime was extremely arduous. has been used as the occupying army in Germany from 513TH PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT Xavier Van Daele Abadie Ray M Abel Francis N Abney Grover C Abney James E Abrahamian Armen Pvt Abshire Curtis J Accomado Paul J Ackerman John W Acosta Dan G Acres Willie Acton Alfon G 32857365 Adamkoski Franck Jr Pfc DOW 17/01/1945Belgique Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgique, Plot: A Row: 7 Grave: 10 plane to France, in Rheimss area. Back To end the deadlock in the As evidence, he pointed out that the amphibious crossings faced very little resistance; the two American divisions in the river assault, the 30th and 79th Infantry Divisions, lost a total of forty-one killed, 450 wounded, and seven missing. The Jachman was born on Dec. 14, 1922, in . [51] However, these artillery batteries and their crews were defeated by the glider-borne troops, and the regiment was soon able to report that its objectives had been secured, having destroyed forty-two artillery pieces, ten tanks, two mobile-flak wagons and five self-propelled guns.[51]. Airborne was back to its base in Chalons-sur-Marne, France, on The 513th formed part of the 17th Airborne Division and participated in the European Campaign, fighting in the latter stages of the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945 and parachuted into Germany in Operation Varsity in March, in the largest airborne drop of the war. Original Items: One-of-a-kind set. Ridgway did all he could to get out of the assignment but to no availMontgomerys decision was final. FOR SALE! Just short of the enemy positions he was caught in a line of machine gun fire and killed. Leary John W. Again, German anti-aircraft fire took a heavy toll on the 240 low flying B-24s, shooting down fifteen and badly damaging 104. But perhaps few had more than Army Staff Sgt. Awards: Purple Heart Medal, Combat. The 507th Parachute Infantry, which had taken part in the drop into Normandy on D-Day while assigned to the 82d Airborne, was commanded by COL Edson Raff. the Britishs planes were practically landed on them. Rank: Staff Sergeant Conflict/Era: World War II Unit/Command: Company B, 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division; Military Service Branch: U.S. Army Medal of Honor Action Date: January 4, 1945 Medal of Honor Action Place: Flamierge, Belgium The Rhine was a formidable natural obstacle to the Allied advance,[34] but if breached would allow the Allies to access the North German Plain and ultimately advance on Berlin and other major cities in Northern Germany. It was We seek to educate future Americans to fully appreciate the sacrifices that generations of American Soldiers have made to safeguard the freedoms of this Nation. [8] The Commanding General (CG) of the U.S. 11th Airborne Division, Major General Joseph May Swing, had been temporarily assigned to act as airborne advisor to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean, for the invasion of Sicily, and had observed the airborne assault, which went badly. Rudicell, Bill D Company, 193rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division 96. The 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment was constituted on 26 December 1942 and assigned to the 13th Airborne Division. The two remaining divisions would be dropped east of Wesel in an area between the town and the Issel River, where they would seize the Diersfordterwald, the town of Hamminkeln, and several bridges over the Issel. The division staged at Camp Myles Standish on 12 August 1944 before departing Boston Port of Embarkation on 20 August 1944. After completing basic training, specialist training, and a variety of training maneuvers, the unit left with the Division for England on 20 August, 1944. As Smiths force took out some German anti-aircraft positions, Raffs group eliminated several machine guns and rooted out some dug in infantry. them both but was killed by a shooting of a machine-gun. The C-46 carrying the 513ths commander, COL Coutts, was hit by long-range anti-aircraft fire and was ablaze as it crossed the Rhine. With complete disregard for his own safety, PFC Stuart S. Stryker rose and led a charge towards the enemy. The 17th Airborne Division was activated on 15 April, 1943 at Camp Mackall, North Carolina, with a cadre from the 101st Airborne Division. Private Harold Norby, 194th Glider Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 17th Airborne Division, Company K, age 19, died April 28, 1945 in Hamborn, Germany. France, the 17th was attached to Pattons army and got the order [28] On 4 January the division entered combat for the first time when it was ordered alongside the 87th Infantry Division to seize a number of key towns to the west of Bastogne, in order to prevent German forces from encircling the town a second time; it had been relieved by the Third Army on 26 December. afternoon of March 24, 1945, the objective of the 513th was James A. Huston, in his book, Out of the Blue: U.S. Army Airborne Operations in World War II, agreed with MacDonald, adding that had the same resources been employed on the ground, it is conceivable that the advance to the east may have been more rapid than it was. On the other hand, FAAA commander LTG Brereton described Varsity as a tremendous success, and Ridgway would claim in his after action report that Varsity was the decisive factor in Montgomerys Rhine crossing. Another airborne unit, the 11th Airborne Division, fought in the New Guinea, Leyte, and Luzon campaigns. [52] By nightfall of the 24th, the British 15th Infantry Division had joined up with elements of the British 6th Airborne Division, and by midnight the first light bridge was across the Rhine. Legend has it that the first man to jump, Captain John Spears, carried a black cat out the door with him. Staff Sgt. Ridgway, however, was not eager to take on this new task. Two months later, in the opening phase of the Allied invasion of mainland Italy in September 1943, two regiments of the 82d, the 504th and 505th Parachute Infantry, conducted two fairly successful combat drops in support of the Allied landings at Salerno. British losses among the 6th Airborne Division were even heavier, especially in the number of killed. Fighting in small groups, the American and British paratroopers did much to sow confusion among the German forces and seized several key objectives, but paid a heavy price in dead and wounded. German flak took a heavy toll on the 295 tow aircrafttwelve were shot down, another fourteen were forced to make crash landings, and 126 suffered heavy damage. P?f0E%Slbj{h\_EU*z]m BtoZy\S:!1>!~*9{~qHklX[|\Mr~nqofNMydvcn-;^rvo9Z6W0zJ=.%FpEP/{KEU99u[WQU1tEyBb9 O|Ub+pNp^qEwpF^mms*l5sjjq}pD\k"/;:K}Z}-3O)/lhrq_7q9op6 Coutts James W. [51] The regiment landed in the midst of a number of German artillery batteries that were engaging Allied ground forces crossing the Rhine, and as such many of the gliders were engaged by German artillery pieces which had their barrels lowered for direct-fire. Ridgway emptied his weapon and was reloading when a German grenade exploded under his jeep. We'll email you when there are new posts here. Operations of Company C, 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, in the attack on Flamierge, Belgium, 4 January 1945 Then, As Allied leaders began planning for the Rhine crossings, they also examined the possibility of employing airborne forces in a parachute drop on the east bank of the Rhine in support of any amphibious assault. While they still carried plenty of bazookas in combat, the relatively lightly armed airborne soldiers now had weapons that could more effectively deal with German armor. It moved from Fort Benning to Fort Bragg before being assigned to Camp Mackall, North Carolina in January 1944, but was transferred to the Tennessee Maneuver Area and assigned to the 17th Airborne Division in March 1944. The 513th arrived in England under the orders of Colonel James W. Coutts who was before the auxiliary commander of the Parachute school of Fort Benning. After conducting occupation duty the 513th returned to the United States on 1945-09-14 and inactivated on the same date at Camp Myles Standish, Mass. Document source: Personal Copy of Maj Gen William M. Miley, XVIII Corps Airborne, Operation Varsity, March 23, 1945 - March 30, 1945. PVT Robert Weber destroyed one tank from several hundred yards away when he miraculously dropped a bazooka round into the open hatch of the approaching panzer. HQ Company, 194th Glider Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division 187. did not land on the right DZ, but in Hamminkeln which was strongly On the [5] The official dedication ceremony for the unit took place on 1 May 1943, with thousands of civilian and military spectators, including Major General Elbridge Chapman, overall commander of Airborne Command and of all American airborne forces during World War II. Between In the weeks before the operation, the soldiers of the 513th made a number of practice jumps from C-46s to familiarize themselves with the new aircraft. [17] The Knollwood Maneuver took place on the night of 7 December, with the troops of the 11th Airborne Division being delivered to thirteen separate objectives by 200 C-47 Dakota transport aircraft and 234 Waco CG-4A gliders, with eighty-five percent of the airborne troops being delivered to their target without navigational error. Roads were made by bulldozer through snow-drifts to make line of communication. [32] Eclipse and several other similarly ambitious airborne operations came to nothing, but in February the division finally received word that it would be involved in an Allied airborne operation to cross the River Rhine in support of the Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group that would take place during March. This would be the first airborne operation the 17th would take part in, and indeed would be its only before it was disbanded. In January 1945, the Regiment was sent into the assault on Flamierge. On FOP NEW YORK STATE NYS SUPERIOR COURT BRASS CARD PBA FAMILY MEMBER FRIEND Outlet Shopping Fast worldwide shipping Trend frontier hesgoal.name, US $50 WE WILL CHECK OUT ALL ORDERS WE MUST VERIFY THAT THE OFFICER IS ISSUING THIS CARD VIA HIS OR HER CELL PHONE ALSO THE OFFICER'S CELL . The remainder of the division was deactivated on 15 September, 1945 at Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts. [60], 17th Airborne Division shoulder sleeve insignia, Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistics and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953), Last edited on 23 February 2023, at 20:06, breaking through Allied lines and rapidly advancing towards Antwerp, "Operation Varsity: The Last Airborne Deployment of World War II", "Operation Varsity: Allied Airborne Assault Over The Rhine", "Medal of Honor Recipients World War II (M-S)", "Medal of Honor Recipients World War II (G-L)", "Order of Battle of the US Army - WWII - ETO - 17th Airborne Division", "Airborne Operations During World War II", "CHAPTER XXI The Battle for the Rhineland", "Medal of Honor Recipients World War II (G-L)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=17th_Airborne_Division_(United_States)&oldid=1141184661, 155th Airborne Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, 17th Parachute Maintenance Company (assigned 1 March 45), 464th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (75mm) (assigned 1 March 1945), 466th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (75mm), 680th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (75mm), 681st Glider Field Artillery Battalion (75mm), Special Troops (Headquarters activated 1 Mar 45), Headquarters Company, 17th Airborne Division, Reconnaissance Platoon (assigned 1 March 45), 811th Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 1727 January 1945), This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 20:06. It was also arguably the wars most successful combat parachute drop. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. However, other high-ranking officers believed otherwise, notably the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, George Marshall. [24] The division was also given command of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Raff gathered a group of paratroopers together, while MAJ Paul Smith, the battalion commander, organized another, and both set out to take their objectives and to eliminate enemy positions firing on the landing zones. FOR SALE! He found his platoon leader and platoon sergeant dead. The soldiers of the 17th Airborne were served a hearty breakfast of steak and eggs before being loaded into trucks and taken to the aircraft and gliders which would transport them to Germany. In April 1945, units of the 513th were carried into action around Munster by British tanks from the Guards Armoured Division. Many casualties had been evacuated but small groups were believed holding out in positions in Diepenlinchen after being cut off. It continued its occupation duties until 15 June, 1945 when it returned to France for redeployment. Ridgway, however, remained somewhat leery of Dempseys promise. The family of Private Joe Lamar Cooper, 19, learned via telegram that their son had been killed serving with the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division in heavy fighting with German forces near the Belgian village of Flamierge. A favorite regimental pastime was a game called "Matching the thirteen in 513," which consisted of downing thirteen beers in a single sitting. [38] As such the 13th Airborne Division was dropped from the operational plan, primarily because it had no combat experience, whereas the 6th Airborne Division had participated in Operation Tonga, the British airborne landings during Operation Neptune, and the 17th had seen combat in the Ardennes. As part of the Division, the 513th engaged in the Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe Campaigns. The Army Historical Foundation is the designated official fundraising organization for the National Museum of the United States Army. The 513th was not sent overseas until after D-Day and was still in training in England during Operation Market Garden. Please visit the other pages of our website for additional information. chosen area for the attack would go through nearby, It was January 5, 1943: -. Coutts first believed that the British had landed in the wrong zone, but soon realized that his regiment had been dropped in the British sector about a mile and a half from Hamminkeln. A daytime operation also had the advantage of allowing paratroopers and glider-borne personnel to more easily see where they were upon landing, assemble quickly, and locate the enemy. 82nd Airborne Division. While suffering heavy casualties, the 194th took 1,150 prisoners, eliminated fifty artillery pieces, and destroyed ten tanks. With the 87th Infantry Division on its left flank, the division advanced towards German positions with the 194th Glider Infantry Regiment and 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment forming the division's assault element; the 193rd Glider Infantry Regiment and the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment moved behind these two regiments to deal with expected German armoured counter-attacks against them. As the 513ths Company E advanced south, it came under heavy fire from some buildings. The 507th had fought in Normandy under command of the 82nd Airborne Division and remained in England as a theater reserve during Market Garden. Unit commanders were advised that Charlie Co had been attacked by a heavy force, had suffered many casualties, and had lost the area around Diepenlinchen as well as failing to take the objective at Wiesenberg. To ensure that the operation was a success, Montgomery insisted that an airborne component was inserted into the plans for the operation to support the amphibious assaults that would take place, which was code-named Operation Varsity. those combats, Colonel Coutts was seriously wounded by a piece of At the Unlike the 507ths drop, which faced relatively light anti-aircraft fire, the planes carrying the 513th Parachute Infantry ran into an intense flak barrage as they approached the drop zones. The British 6th Airborne Division was ordered to . As the troopers struggled to get out of their harnesses, PVT George J. Peters charged the enemy machine gun position alone. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 Few months later, on May 7 1945, German fire took a heavy toll among the battalions officers, and many artillerymen were forced to fight as infantry while others assembled their 75mm pack howitzers and gathered ammunition and equipment. The German commander refused to Upon landing, while some gunners fought as infantry to clear Germans firing on the landing zone, the rest assembled nine 105mm howitzers and gathered ammunition and equipment from the smashed gliders. He gathered the remainder of his platoon and went towards 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment (United States), Last edited on 13 November 2022, at 00:17, "513th Parachute Infantry Regiment"United States, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "World War II (G-L) Medal of Honor recipients", United States Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor recipients - World War II (G-L), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=513th_Parachute_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)&oldid=1121568267, Private Frank C Gaylord, Sculptor of the National Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, This page was last edited on 13 November 2022, at 00:17. The 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment, a separate airborne unit not assigned to a division, was employed during the New Guinea campaign to help the American Sixth Army bypass Japanese strong points. The situation was bleak when Gen. Matthew Ridgway ordered a last stand 224827718719 He was killed by a shooting of a machine-gun. [19], The division also participated in the Second Army maneuvers in the Tennessee Maneuver Area from 6 February 1944. [46] The actions of the regiment during the initial landing also gained the division its second Medal of Honor, when Private George J. Peters posthumously received the award after charging a German machine gun nest and eliminating it with rifle fire and grenades, allowing his fellow paratroopers to gather their equipment and capture the regiments first objective. The 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment (513th PIR) was an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, raised during World War II. [51] The regiment landed accurately in landing zone S, but their gliders and the aircraft that towed them took heavy casualties; twelve C-47 transports were lost due to anti-aircraft fire, and a further one hundred and forty were damaged by the same fire. His Medal of Honor citation concludes, "S/Sgt. Activated 20 July 1942 at Fort Benning, Georgia. The rank and file of the 513th PIR embraced the superstition of the unlucky number thirteen in their unit's designation. 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment: Company D: Curtis Gadd: 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment . Germany Royale Blue Winter China 1975 MOTHER'S DAY Plate Lynx or Bobcat LE Plate. 14 September It was General Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional surrender with the allied It insured the defense all along the In the spirit of the Airborne, our physical standards are high to ensure safety, endurance, and the proper airborne image. Only by creating and maintaining such high standards in uniform, equipment, appearance, and attitude can we respectfully represent veterans of the 513. Coutts James W. 328th . Ridgway and his staff returned to their old corps headquarters in Epernay, France, to continue planning for both Varsity and Choker II. Kozlowski Frederick the 17 and the 23 December, the 82nd blocked the German advance close to Despite numerous On 16 February 1945, the 503d parachuted onto the fortress island of Corregidor and helped recapture the site where the last American forces in the Philippines surrendered to the Japanese nearly three years before. Jake C. England. [20] It finished its training on 27 March 1944,[21] and transferred to Camp Forrest on 24 March 1944. The 17th Airborne Division was activated at Camp Mackall on April 15, 1943 under the command of General William M Miley. HqxR:mv67*e1q-NwPp The division was composed of the following units:[56], During World War II the division and its members were awarded the following awards:[59], The 17th Airborne Division was relieved of occupation duty on 14 June by British troops, and the division was split up and its component units attached to other airborne divisions, either to the 82nd Airborne Division in Berlin or to the 13th Airborne Division which was preparing to participate in the invasion of Japan. 1 Presidential Distinguished Unit Citations in England under the orders of Colonel James W. Coutts who was The 17th Airborne Division was stationed in the United Kingdom from 25 August to 23 December 1944. Gadd [53] The division also gained its fourth Medal of Honor in the days following Operation Varsity, when Technical Sergeant Clinton Hedrick of the 194th Glider Infantry Regiment received the award posthumously after aiding in the capture of Lembeck Castle, which had been turned into a fortified position by the Germans. In March 1945, the division participated in its first, and only, airborne operation, dropping alongside the British 6th Airborne Division as a part of Operation Varsity, where it gained three more Medals of Honor. On 10 March 1944 the Regiment was formally assigned to the 17th Airborne. 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment . In its first combat drop, the division conducted a spectacular operation and achieved its objectives quickly despite the chaos inherent in a massive airborne assault.