The Drop Zone Virtual Museum........What's New

Order of Battle: World War II U.S. Airborne & Ranger Units
European Theater
DIVISION Infantry Regiments/BNs DIVARTY AA BNs Eng BNs Sig Co Ord Co QM Co Med Co Prcht Maint Co
Parachute / Glider Parachute / Glider BNs
13th 513 PIR / 88 AB 458 / 676 153 129 513 713 409 222 13
13th Airborne Insignia 515 PIR / 189 GIR 460 / 677
517(1)PIR / 190GIR

/ 326 GIR

17th 507 PIR / 193 GIR 464 / 680 155 139 517 717 411 224 17
  17th Airborne Insignia 517(1)PCT,(513)PIR / 194 GIR

466 / 681

82d 504 PIR / 325 GIR 376 / 319 80 307 82 782 407 307 82
82d Airborne Insignia  505,508(2)PIRs  456 / 320
101st 502 PIR / 327 GIR 377 81 326 101 801 426 326 101
 101 Airborne Insignia 506 PIR / 401GIR (9) 463 (8)   / 321
501(3)PIR 907
1st Abn TF (created for invasion of southern France) 517 PRCT

550(4)IAB

 460 / 602 AT Co, 442 RCT  596 512 334 676  D Co., 83d Chem BN
1/551 PIR(5) 463 887
Independent 509 PIB
517 PCT
FSSF(6)
550 IAB
1/551 PIR(5)
Pacific Theater
DIVISION Infantry Regiments/BNs DIVARTY AA BNs Eng BNs Sig Co Ord Co QM Co Med Co Prcht Maint Co
Parachute Parachute / Glider BNs
11th 511 PIR

187 GIR/PIR

 457 / 472 152 127 511 711 408 221 11
 11th Airborne Insignia 188 GIR /PIR 674 / 674
/ 675
Independent 503 RCT 462 / 161
FSSF(6)
541 PIR(7)
The Rangers

ETO:
Darby's Ranger's

1st, 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions

Other Ranger Battalions:

2nd and 5th


PTO:

6th Ranger Battalion
 

Early Airborne Units
In The Beginning:

The Airborne Test Platoon

501, 550, 502, 503,504,88

Other Regiments/BNs

542 PIR/PIB

555 PIB

(1) The 517th PRCT was replaced by the 513th.
(2) The 508th was officially listed as an attached unit to the 82d Airborne.
(3) The 501st was officially listed as an attached unit to the 101st Airborne.
(4) The 550 Infantry Airborne Bat. was attached to the 1st ATF in southern France. The unit was the second airborne unit formed and trained initially in air-landing operation.  Prior to Southern France about 100 members were parachute qualified.  The unit fought with the 17th AB in Belgium and was nearly destroyed on January 4th. Inactivated in March '45 and used to form the 3/194 GIR.
(5) Officially designated 1/551 PIR, but never received 2 additional round-out Bns.
(6) The First Special Service Force was an airborne qualified unit that landed in the Aleutian Islands and was then transferred to the ETO.
(7) The 541 remained stateside for most of the war. Arrived in the Philippines in Jun '45. Inactivated 10 Aug '45, in Lipa, Luzon, PI. Assets used to form the 3d Bns of the 187 and 188 GIR which were subsequently redesignated "ParaGlider".

(8) The 463rd was originally the 456. The unit was practically independent and only officially became part of the 101st A/B at the end of the war.

(9) The 401 like the 327th was a two battalion regiment.  In March 1944 the 2nd Battalion of the 401 was sent to the 82nd A/B.  The 1st Bat while officially remaining the 1st Bat. of the 401 during the first months of combat actually functioned as the 3rd Bat. of the 327.  The unit was not officially the 3rd Bat 327th until the Spring of 1945.  Until the reorganization the 327 retained their A,B,C, D company designations, giving the 327th two sets of companies with these letters.

 

 

 

 

Created by P. Shawn Faherty