History Of The 508th Parachute Infantry

The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment was an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, first formed in October 1942 during World War II at Camp Blanding, Florida by Lieutenant-Colonel Roy E. Lindquist, who would remain its commander throughout the war. The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment participated in Operation Overlord, jumping into Normandy at 2:15 a.m. on 6 June 1944, and was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for its gallantry and combat action during the first three days of fighting. The Regiment also saw active service in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, jumping on 17 September 1944, and continued fighting the Germans in the longest-running battle on German soil ever fought by the U.S. Army, before crossing the border into Belgium. They played a major part in the Battle of the Bulge in late December 1944, during which they screened the withdrawal of some 20,000 troops from St. Vith, defended their positions against the German Panzer divisions, and participated in the assault led by the 2nd Ranger Battalion to capture (successfully) Hill 400. U.S. D-Day paratrooper William G. Lord II’s History of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which was originally published in 1948, provides an extensive and fascinating chronicle for the period from October 20, 1942 to January 1, 1946, and will appeal to discerning World War II historians and scholars alike. Richly illustrated throughout with photographs and maps, this volume also includes in its appendix a list of combat awards, unit citations, and battle casualties.

Following the successof the 507th, here is the story of the airborne 508th PIR packed with color illustrations.This new work is outstanding, with numerous photos of veterans in action and eye-witness accounts covering such areas as training and also key events such as the death of General Falley. This publication follows the paras through Normandy [as far as La Haye du Puits], Holland [Nijmegen] and the Ardennes.

Søgeord: Normandiet ; Holland ; Ardennerne ; Besættelsesstyrke ; Fortjenester ; Æresliste ; Faldskærmssoldater, luftlandetropper.

Summary of The 508th Connection by Zig Boroughs When I arrived home after my army discharge in 1945, the challenges of adult civilian life excited me tremendously. I passionately anticipated living as a husband and father, no longer separated by the Atlantic Ocean and a dangerous war from my wife and child. I eagerly plunged into active civilian employment, impatient to establish a career of peaceful service to humanity. Although the experiences and feelings of World War II affected by attitudes and ideals, my energies were so devoted to other interests, the memories of the war years were pushed into an inactive part of my brain. For many years I thought very little about the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and I lost contact with all but one of my paratrooper buddies. Then at 11:00 PM, Christmas Eve 1983, a memory of Christmas Eve 1944 forced its way to the surface. My wife and I were visiting with our daughter, Gini, and her family. We were waiting for our grandchildren to go to bed so that Santa Claus could prepare for Christmas morning. Noticing that it was 11:00 PM, I announced, "Let me tell you what I was doing at this hour thirty-nine years ago!" I told the story "Burial and Birth," which you may read in this volume. When I finished the story, Gini told me, "Dad, you should write this story and send it to all our family members." Once I wrote one story, the dam burst and a floodgate of stories awoke in my memory, which resulted in the book, A Private's Eye View of World War II. Many details had faded with time, and I needed to check with my paratrooper buddies to get my stories straight. Senator Strom Thurman's staff helped me locate Jim Allardyce, secretary of the 508th Parachute Infantry Association. Allardyce provided a roster of the association membership with their addresses. This enabled me to verify or correct my stories, A Private's Eye View of World War II. Other veterans of the 508th began to tell me their stories. Some suggested that I write another book and tell their experiences, which resulted in The Devil's Tale. For over twenty years, I have collected information from others. The most important source of information has come from the 508th veterans. Since I have been associated with the 508th Parachute Infantry Association, I have met hundreds of fellow veterans of the regiment and have listened to their stories. Through the association, I have also met friends of the 508th from England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, and Israel. These friends have also given me valuable information. I have chosen the title The 508th Connection to give credit to all those who have so generously helped as friends and as sources of information. The "connections" are much more than sources for writing a book. They are friends whom I treasure. They are closer than friends. We are family. The 508th Connection tells the stories of the lives of men of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Eighty-second Airborne Division. As you read the stories in The 508th Connection, you will become connected with their lives in the barracks, in the pubs, and on the battlefield. The stories are both entertaining and educational. They will capture your heart, your imagination, and your understanding of what it was like for the paratroopers to live through the horrors of war while keeping their sanity and humor. There are humorous stories, romantic stories, and battle stories, stories about being captured by the enemy. There are stories of men who killed to survive, who lived in foxholes, who helped and were helped by local people. Throughout the book, we connect with the paratroopers who relied on each other for survival. This is their story.

Presents a comprehensive history of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, an elite regiment attached to the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II.

Through the words of its veterans, details the regimental history of the 82nd Airborne Division 'All Americans' from Operation Husky in July of 1943 through D-Day and Operation Market Garden to the Battle of the Bulge, and finally ending in Berlin as part of the occupying forces.