101st Info Page Two

	DIVISION CHRONICLE German victories in airborne assaults against Holland in 1940 and Crete in 1941 advanced the cause of airborne advocates in the U.S. Army. Enemy accomplishments provided evidence that well trained and organised airborne troops could succeed as an offensive weapon and overcome great odds. The U.S. Army had formed an airborne test platoon in June 1940 and was so pleased with its performance that in September the 501st Parachute Battalion was organised as a permanent infantry unit. Three other parachute battalions were subsequently organised and placed under the administrative control of the Provisional Parachute Group, commanded by Lt. Col. William C. Lee, an early proponent of the airborne cause. The development of glider infantry, another type of airborne unit, coincided with the growth of the parachute forces. Travelling in gliders, these soldiers landed on airfields previously secured by the paratroopers. Organised as "infantry airborne battalions," the glider units existed and trained separately from the parachute battalions.

As commitment to the airborne program grew and doctrine expanded to include large-scale implementation, a need for higher command levels arose. In February 1942 four parachute infantry regiments (PIRs) were created and consolidated with the existing parachute battalions. The following month the assets of the provisional parachute group were reorganised as the Airborne Command to oversee the training of the parachute regiments and the 88th Infantry Airborne Battalion. Lee, now a colonel, moved his new command to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The next logical step for airborne supporters was the formation of an airborne division. Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair, Chief of Army Ground Forces (AGF), however, had a reputation for disliking "speciality units". He believed that such training sometimes overlooked general skills that were necessary in a good soldier. In the end, however, the Airborne Command leadership was able to convince the AGF of the need to field two such divisions. McNair, interested in flexibility and economy, directed that the divisions would be formed using available assets. A triangular division, the 82nd, would be reorganised and the necessary parachute regiments added to form the two divisions which would total approximately 8,500 men each. Half of the men would remain in the 82nd, and the other half would fill the 101st Division, which at the time was basically a paper organisation. Originally organised in November 1918, the 101st was demobilised the following month, and later reconstituted in June 1921 as an Organised Reserve unit. The division was organised that September at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with reservists, most of whom were individually called into federal service after the outbreak of the war. The reserve division was disbanded 15 August 1942, and concurrently reconstituted in the Army of the United States as the 101st Airborne Division. The airborne division was activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, with recently promoted Maj. Gen. William C. Lee commanding. The airborne capability was to be provided by two glider infantry regiments (GIRs), the 327th and 401st, and one parachute infantry regiment, the 502nd, though the latter was still stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia. This mix of glider and parachute regiments was a matter of great debate, and these units were augmented in the coming months by the 506th and 501st Parachute Infantry. With the 101st designated as an airborne division, all that remained was to train its soldiers to qualify for their new mission. In October 1942 the division moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and joined by the 502nd PIR, began its training under the Airborne Command. Rivalry between the division's parachute and glider elements developed rapidly. The paratroopers were considered to be elite troops and received extra money or "parachute pay" for their hazardous missions. The glider troops, however, had duties just as dangerous but were authorised no extra pay. This situation continued through 1944, with unit commanders doing their best to keep the peace within their ranks. Throughout these difficulties the 101st continued to train and to reorganise, attempting to acquire airborne qualified personnel for the necessary positions. By the spring of 1943 the division was ready to face its first test in local manoeuvres. Immediately following these manoeuvres, the 101st left to take part in the Tennessee manoeuvres, a larger scale operation. Preceding the exercise, on 10 June 1943, the 506th Parachute Infantry was attached to the division. The SCREAMING EAGLES' performance throughout the manoeuvres was impressive as they demonstrated the capabilities of U.S. airborne forces. During these manoeuvres, however, General Lee was injured in a glider. He later remarked, "Next time I'll take a parachute," which provided the overlooked glider troops with some measure of satisfaction, if not extra pay. The division returned to Fort Bragg, continuing to train and perform various airborne demonstrations for visiting officials until mid-August, when it received orders for transfer overseas. Arriving in England, the 101st was quartered in Wiltshire and Berkshire, where it continued to train. The early months of 1944 were a time of change for the 101st Airborne Division. In January the 101st received its third parachute regiment, the 501st Parachute Infantry. On 5 February General Lee, who had championed the airborne cause from the beginning, suffered a heart attack. Although he had brought the division from its initial organisation through training for the fight in Europe, General Lee was not to be part of the 101st's baptism of fire. He was relieved of his command and returned to the United States. Brig. Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor, former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division Artillery, assumed command of the 101st on 14 March. The division underwent another organisational change that month, when the 2d Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry, was permanently transferred to the 82nd Airborne Division. The 1st Battalion was attached to the 327th Glider Infantry to operate under that regiment as a third battalion. The 1st Battalion, 401st GIR, was made an official element of the 327th GIR in April 1945. Training in England, the 101st participated in three formal exercises: BEAVER, TIGER, and EAGLE. During Operation BEAVER at Slapton Sands on the Devonshire coast, elements of the division jumped from trucks instead of planes with the mission of capturing the causeway bridges that crossed the estuary behind the beach. The division performed much the same mission during the second exercise, Operation TIGER. Operation EAGLE, held during the second week of May, was the division's dress rehearsal for its role in the coming Normandy invasion. The 101st, this time jumping from actual planes, was once again assigned to capture the causeways leading away from a simulated beach. Although a misunderstanding caused most of the division to jump at the wrong co-ordinates, the mission was accomplished and the exercise was considered a success. The division then returned to its stations to continue preparation for the coming battles on the continent.