82nd Airborne Division History
The 82nd Division was activated at Camp Gordon, Georgia, on 25 August 1917. It was one of the National Army divisions of conscript soldiers. As the Division filled, it was discovered there were soldiers from every state. Through a popular contest, the nickname "All American" was chosen to reflect the unique composition of the 82nd.
On 25 April 1918, the Division sailed for Europe. The 325th Infantry Regiment was chosen to parade before the King of England on 11 May to show America's commitment to the Allies. Early in June the 82nd sent small groups of officers and noncommissioned officers to the British held Somme sector of the front to gain experience in small unit operations. During one such action, Captain Jewett Wiliams of the 326th Infantry Regiment became the first 82nd soldier to give his life in combat.
On 16 June 1918, the 82nd Division moved by train from its location in Somme to Toul, France. Since the Division had moved into a French sector, the troops were issued French Chauchat automatic rifles and Hotchkiss 8mm machineguns, thus making resupply easier.
The Division's assignment was to relieve the 26th Division in the Lagney Sector, northeast of Toul. That section of the western front was known as the Woevre Front. The mission was conducted on 25 June. Although the area was considered a defensive sector, the 82nd actively patrolled and conducted raids. The first large scale raid by the Division occurred on 4 August when companies K and M of the 326th Infantry Regiment, supported by the 320th Machine Gun Battalion, attacked German positions at Flirey and penetrated over 600 meters. The raid was small compared to the operations the Division would soon conduct, but it provided valuable experience. On 18 July, the sector was reduced and redesignated Lucey at which time command was given to the 82nd. On 10 August, the 82nd was relieved by the 89th Division, and moved to the area west of Toul.
The 82nd was ordered to relieve the 2nd Division in the Marbache Sector on 15 August. The Division trained in this area until 11 September. On the 12th, the Division was committed to the St. Mihiel Offensive. After completing its mission the 82nd was once again stationed in the Marbache Sector from 17-20 September. On the 20th, the Division was relieved at the front and moved to Marbache to prepare for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, ending its participation in the Lorraine Campaign.
The Allies had planned two large offensive operations for the fall of 1918 that would reduce German pockets of resistance in France. One of these was the St. Mihiel salient, which penetrated nearly 25 kilometers into Allied lines, and severed the Verdun-Toul railroad. The French had been trying to dislodge the Germans from the salient since 1914, but had been unsuccessful. It was hoped that the arrival of the American divisions would turn the tide.
To reduce the St. Mihiel salient, the American First Army was formed with the I, IV, and V Corps - a total of 665,000 troops. The 82nd was assigned to the I Corps, and was placed on the far right flank on the south side of the salient. Its missions was to make contact and keep pressure on the enemy. On 12 September the First Army began its attack. The main thrust of the 82nd was on the west bank of the Moselle River heading north to Norroy. Throughout the 14th, the German artillery shelled the area with high explosives and mustard gas, but the 82nd held. On the 15th, the Division continued the attack, entering Vandieres and securing Hill 128 to the north. The 82nd was relieved on 21 September. Heavy casualties had been caused by enemy artillery. Overall casualties for the Division numbered more than 800 for the St. Mihiel offensive. Colonel Emory Pike, who died of wounds received during the operation, earned the Medal of Honor for his actions, making him the first member of the 82nd to be decorated with the nation's highest military award.
The second large-scale offensive planned by the Allies for the fall of 1918 was aimed at reducing German positions in the Meuse River Valley and the Argonne Forest. The key objective was the Carigan-Sedan-Mezieres railroad, which was a vital enemy supply line. On 6 October, the 82nd was ordered to clear the east edge of the Argonne to relive pressure on the 1st Division. The following day, the 164th Brigade seized its first two objectives -- Hill 180 and Hill 223. On the 10th, the 163rd Brigade joined the fight and by evening the Division held Cornay, high ground to the north, a portion of the Decauville Railroad, and had cleared the eastern half of the Argonne Forest.
The second phase of the 82nd's operation called for the Division to fight astride the Aire River. Moving north, the 82nd captured St. Juvin on the 14th and defended it against a heavy counter-attack the following day. For the next few days the 82nd was involved in fighting in the Agron River Valley and the Ravin aux Pierres. By the 21st the Division had both in its possession. For the next several days the Division patrolled and manned outposts. During its service in the Meuse-Argonne, the 82nd had suffered over 7,000 casualties and had another Medal of Honor recipient -- CPL Alvin York of G Company, 328th Infantry Regiment. The 82nd was relieved in the Argonne on 1 November, thus ending its combat participation in the Great War.
The 82nd Division was demobilized on 27 May 1919, but was reconstituted on 24 June 1921. The Division Headquarters was organized at Columbia, South Carolina, in January 1922. The 82nd formed part of the new Organized Reserves. Elements of the Division were located in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. On 30 January 1942, the 82nd Division was renamed the 82nd Infantry Division.
Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 brought the United States to war again. The 82nd Infantry Division was called to active duty on 25 March 1942 with Major General Omar Bradley as commander and Brigadier General Matthew Ridgway as assistant commander. At Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, the Division was organized as a triangular division, built around three infantry regiments. Alvin York was invited to visit the Division to build esprit-de-corps. A Division song was even written for the occasion. In June, Ridgway succeeded Bradley in command of the 82nd.
Due to its high level of training, the 82nd Infantry Division was designated the US Army's first airborne division. The 82nd was reorganized and redesignated the 82nd Airborne Division on 15 August 1942. The original organization called for one parachute infantry regiment and two glider infantry regiments. On 1 October the 82nd moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where training continued and final organizational changes were made. The final structure contained the 504th and 505th Parachute Infantry Regiments, the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 319th and 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalions, 376th and 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalions, 80th Airborne Anti-Aircraft Battalion, 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion, and various support units.
In April 1943, the 82nd departed Fort Bragg and eventually arrived at Casablanca, Morocco, on 10 May. Shortly, the Division moved to Oujda where intense training was conducted for the invasion of Sicily -- Operation HUSKY. The 505th, commanded by Colonel James Gavin, was chosen to spearhead the assault. The 505th was reinforced with the 3rd Battalion, 504th. On 9 July 1943, Gavin's 505th Combat Team conducted the first American regimental combat parachute assault in the vicinity of Gela, Sicily. The paratroopers were widely scattered, but were able to gather into small groups to harass the enemy. Colonel Gavin formed one group on Biazza Ridge where the Herman Goering Division was stopped before reaching the newly established American beachhead at Gela. On the evening of 11 July, the remainder of the 504th parachuted into Sicily. Passing over the American fleet, the transports were mistaken for enemy bombers and 23 were shot down. Eighty-one troopers were killed, including the assistant division commander, Brigadier General Charles Keerans. The 82nd continued its fighting in Sicily by leading Patton's westward drive to Trapani and Castellmare. In five days, the Division moved 150 miles and took 23,000 prisoners.
On 9 September 1943, General Clark's Fifth Army launched Operation AVALANCHE with an amphibious landing at Salerno, Italy. Several operations had been planned for the 82nd, including a drop on Rome, but were cancelled. Within four days the Allied beachhead was in trouble. General Clark sent an urgent request to General Ridgway who was in Sicily with the 82nd. On 13 September 1943, Colonel Reuben Tucker led his 504th combat team (minus 3rd battalion) on a parachute assault at Paestum, south of Salerno. On the 14th, the 505th jumped. The paratroopers were rushed to the front line where they engaged the enemy in the rugged hills and drove them back. On the 15th, the 25th and 3/504th conducted an amphibious landing near Salerno. Throughout September and October the 82nd conducted operations in the Salerno/Naples area. The 82nd was the first unit to enter Naples. The Division advanced north to the Volturno River, cleared the area of the enemy, and became the first unit to set sail for England, via Ireland, to prepare for the invasion of Normandy.
The 504th, meanwhile, continued fighting in the Venafro sector of Italy until being relieved on 27 December. By 22 January 1944, the 504th Combat Team was back in action as part of Fifth Army's amphibious assault at Anzio during Operation SHINGLE. The 504th took up positions on the right flank of the beachhead along the Mussolini Canal. The 3rd Battalion was committed to fighting in the northern sector where it earned a Presidential Unit Citation for actions in the town of Aprilia. While operating along the Mussolini Canal, a German officer noted in his diary, "American parachutists -- devils in baggy pants --- are less than 100 meters from my outpost line. Seems like the black-hearted devils are everywhere." The 504th encountered elements of the Herman Goering Division, the 16th SS Panzer Granadier Division, and the 3rd Panzer Grenadier Division. The 504th was finally withdrawn from Anzio on 25 March 1944 and set sail for England to join the Division once again.
While the 82nd was in England, a decision was made to add a parachute regiment to the airborne divisions for the upcoming invasion of Normandy. With the 504th still in Italy, two regiments were needed. The 2nd Airborne Brigade, containing the 507th and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments, was sent from Fort Bragg to join the Division. Early in the morning of 6 June 1944, the 505th, 507th, and 508th, along with artillery and engineers, parachuted into Normandy to being Operation NEPTUNE, the assault phase of OVERLORD. The mission of the Division was to seize the town of St. Mere Eglise and crossings over the Merderet River. By dawn, the 505th had secured St. Mere Eglise and a bridge over the Merderet at La Fiere. Gliders carrying the 325th and antitank guns began to arrive and join the fighting. Some of the heaviest fighting occurred on 9 June as the Division seized the causeway at La Fiere. During the action, PFC Charles DeGlopper of C Company, 325th GIR, earned the Medal of Honor. The 82nd continued fighting in Normandy for 33 days, leading the Allied advance west across the base of the Cotentin Peninsula. The Division earned the Presidential Unit Citation, two French Croix de Guerre, and the French Fourragere of the Croix de Guerre. The 82nd was relieved in Normany on 8 July and returned to England to prepare for future airborne operations.
On the afternoon of 17 September 1944, the 82nd conducted its fourth parachute assault, this time into Holland as part of Operation MARKET. The Division's objectives were to seize bridges over the Maas and Waal Rivers, and hold the high ground between Nijmegen and Groesbeek. The 504th was returned to the 82nd and the 507th left. The 508th remained with the 82nd. The majority of the drops were on target and assembly was rapid. The bridge over the Maas River at Grave was captured on the 17th. On 20 September, the 505th launched an attack through Nijmegen to capture the south end of the bridge over the Waal River. The 504th, with C Company, 307th Engineers, launched a simultaneous attack across the river to capture the north end of the bridge. The first wave suffered 50 percent casualties, but captured its objective. On the 21st, PVT John Towle of C Company, 504th, single handedly broke up an enemy counter attack consisting of 100 men and two tanks. For his actions, Towle received the Medal of Honor. After 56 days of combat in Holland, the 82nd was relieved on 11 November and sent to rest camps near Rheims, France.
On 16 December 1944, lead elements of a German offensive broke through the American line in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium. The only reserve forces available were the 82nd and 101st. The 82nd was alerted on the 17th and by the next evening was in Webermont, Belgium, on the northern shoulder of the bulge created by the enemy attack. On the morning of the 19th, the 82nd took up defensive positions along the Salm River. There, the 82nd stopped Von Runstedt's armored offensive. In the fierce fighting of the Battle of the Bulge, 1SG Leonard Funk of C Company, 508th, earned the Medal of Honor.
The 82nd was on the offensive by January 1945. The Division moved through Belgium and the Hurtgen Forest, penetrated the Seigfried Line, and arrived at the Roer River by February. On 30 April 1945, the 82nd conducted its last combat operation of World War II with an assault crossing of the Elbe River near Bleckede, Germany, On 2 May 1945, Major General Gavin accepted the surrender of 150,000 troops of the German 21st Army. On the same day, troopers of the Division liberated survivors of the Woebbelin Concentration Camp. After six campaigns spanning 442 days in combat, the war was over for the 82nd.
From August to December 1945, the 82nd conducted occupation duty in Berlin. There, while being reviewed by General George Patton, the 82nd received its title "America's Guard of Honor." In January 1946, the 82nd returned to the United State aboard the Queen Mary and led the victory parade in New York City on the 12th.
On 19 January 1946, the 82nd returned to Fort Bragg and began training for the uncertain Cold War years. The 82nd became a strategic deployment force as it trained for a variety of conditions and tested new airplanes with greater capacity and range. In 1948, the 82nd was allotted to the Regular Army, ensuring its active status.
In 1957, the 82nd underwent reorganization for the Pentomic structure. The Division consisted of five Airborne Battle Groups that were capable of independent operations on a nuclear battlefield. Fortunately, that concept did not have to be tested in a real war. In 1964, the 82nd was again reorganized under the ROAD concept, which called for three brigades of infantry, each with three battalions, and a brigade of artillery with three battalions, plus the usual division support elements.
In 1965 the 82nd was able to test the ROAD concept in combat. On 29 April the 3rd Brigade (1st and 2nd 505th and 1st 508th) was alerted for deployment to the Dominican Republic in Operation POWER PACK. The Brigade arrived on 30 April and secured the Duarte Bridge over the Ozama. A link up was conducted with Marines in Santo Domingo and a corridor was established to isolate the rebel forces. An attack was launched by rebel forces on 15 June, but was stopped by the 82nd after two days of heavy fighting. Most of the Division returned home by late summer 1965. The 1st Brigade remained to maintain order. By 21 September 1966, the last elements redeployed to Fort Bragg.
The 1960s were a turbulent decade. The 82nd sent small contingents to the Congo in 1964 and 1967. The Division also participated in several civil disturbance operations. The largest were in Detroit in 1967 and in Washington, DC, in 1968.
With the TET Offensive in Vietnam during February 1968, additional US troops were needed in a hurry. On 14 February, the 3rd Brigade deployed to Vietnam in Operation ALL AMERICAN. The Brigade arrived at Chu Lai and moved north to Phu Bai near Hue. In March, the 3rd Brigade troopers fought alongside the 101st in Operation CARENTAN I. The Brigade conducted combat operations for 22 months, fighting along Highway 1, the Song Bo River, Hue, and Saigon. In September 1969, the Brigade conducted its last combat operation in Vietnam -- YORKTOWN VICTOR -- in the iron triangle. The 3rd Brigade returned to Fort Bragg and the 82nd on 12 December 1969.
During the 1970s, the 82nd was alerted several times. An antitank task force armed with the new TOW missile deployed to Vietnam in the spring of 1972. Other alerts such as the Middle East crisis of 1973, the Zaire hostage crisis of 1978, and the Iran hostage situation of 1979, did not see the 82nd deploy. The 82nd was, however, the first US Army unit to participate in the Multinational Force and Observers peacekeeping mission in the Sinai in March 1982.
On 25 October 1983, the combat capabilities of the 82nd were put to the test again in Operation URGENT FURY to rescue American students and prevent revolution on the Caribbean Island of Grenada. The Division conducted airland operations at Point Salines Airfield on the south side of the island. Fighting lasted several days as the 82nd encountered the People's Revolutionary Army and Cuban forces. Using aviation assets, the 82nd rescued students on the Lance aux Epines peninsula and captured General Hudson Austin, commander of the People's Revolutionary Armed Forces. The last 82nd elements returned to Fort Bragg on 12 December 1983.
On 17 March 1988, the 1/504 airlanded in Honduras as part of GOLDEN PHEASANT, an exercise designed to ensure regional security. The 2/504 parachuted in the next day. The exercise provided a show of support for Honduras and tested the rapid deployment capabilities of the 82nd.
On 20 December 1989, the All American Division conducted its first combat parachute assault since World War II. The 82nd parachuted into Torrijos Airport, Panama, in Operation JUST CAUSE to oust a dictator and restore a duly elected government. Armored vehicles -- the M551 Sheridan -- were parachuted into combat for the first time. Airmobile operations were conducted against Fort Cimmarron, Tinajitas, and Panama Viejo. The Division moved to Panama City where it took part in the attack against Noriega's headquarters and his eventual surrender. The last elements of the 82nd returned home on 12 January 1990.
It was not long before the 82nd was back in combat again. On 2 August 1990, Iraqi armor and troops rolled into Kuwait. The 82nd deployed on 8 August in Operation DESERT SHIELD. Standing across the border from the Iraqi tanks, the 82nd drew a line in the sand with its light M551 Sheridans, TOW missiles, and AH-64 Apache helicopters. The United States assembled an allied coalition of forces and committed to the largest military deployment since Vietnam. Air strikes against Iraq began on 16 January 1991. On 24 February 1991, the ground phase of the war --- Operation DESERT STORM -- began. The 82nd conducted airmobile and mounted operations on the allied left flank, penetrating deep into Iraq. With its mission complete, the 82nd began to deploy home on 7 March. By April, the entire Division was back at Fort Bragg.
Early in the evening of 18 September 1994, nearly 3,000 paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division were enroute to Haiti to launch Operation RESTORE DEMOCRACY. Aviation elements were already deployed to the nearby island of Great Inauga. Elements of the 3/73 Armor were waiting aboard ships off the coast. When Haitian leaders heard the 82nd Airborne Division was on the way, a peace agreement was reached, and the 82nd was recalled. From 26 September to 25 October, elements of the 3/73d Armor supported peacekeeping operations in Haiti.
During FY01, the Division experienced 525 reportable airborne operations accidents and one (MIRPS) fatal accident. 421 of the reportable accidents were parachute landing fall-related injuries. Also, there were 21 static line injuries, 34 DZ hazard, 11 entanglement, and 6 tree-landing related injuries. Issues that need special attention: PLFs, continue to account for more than 80% of all airborne operations injuries. Static line injuries appear to be on the increase.
