Home sweet home!

  503rd RCT in jungle training

During its more than three years service in the South West Pacific Theater of operations, the 503rd served in five major combat operations three of which involved combat jumps.

 5th September 1943     Markham Valley, New Guinea

 2nd July 1944                  Noemfoor Island, New Guinea

 15th December 1944     Mindoro, Philippines

 16th February 1945       Corregidor, Philippines

  February 1945                Negros, Philippines

 Operating with distinction throughout its assignments in the South West Pacific region, in November 1945 the 503rdParachute Regimental Combat Team as it had then become, ceased to be operational. All men with lengthy service in the Pacific had been rotated back to the United States, while those who had insufficient service were reassigned to the 11th Airborne Division and sent as occupation troops to Japan.  On the 24th December 1945 the 503rd was inactivated at Camp Anza, California.

THE HISTORY OF THE 503

With the 7th December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour and the subsequent declaration of war, early 1942 saw a great change and growth for the airborne organizations. Pre-war constraints had been removed, recruitment was buoyant and everywhere volunteers were making their way to the new airborne training centres. However, even before the activations of these new airborne divisions, airborne regiments and battalions had already been established and found a place in the U.S. military table of organization.

One such battalion was the 503rd Parachute Battalion, which was activated on 21st August 1941 at Fort Benning, Georgia. The 503rd was one of four parachute battalions formed prior to the beginning of World War II, the others being the 501st, 502nd and the 504th. On 2nd March 1942, the cadre of the 503rd Battalion, together with the 504thBattalion, formed the nucleus of the redesignated as the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the newly formed 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, under the command of the newly appointed, former 501st commander, Colonel William Miley. His new command was then transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina later that month.

On March 21st 1942 the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, together with the 501st, the 502nd, the 88th Airborne Infantry Battalion and the Command Headquarters Company became known as the Provisional Parachute Group and came under the overall command of Colonel William Lee. Initially based at Fort Benning, the Command Group later moved to Fort Bragg on 9th April 1942 and then to is new training area at Camp Mackall, North Carolina on 4th April 1943.  On the 4th June 1942, the 2nd Battalion 503rd was transferred to the European Theater of Operations and later redesignated as the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion.

By the summer of 1942, the Japanese had expanded their empire through Asia and the Pacific regions and controlled the Philippines, Hong Kong, French Indochina, Burma, Singapore and parts of New Guinea. By July 1942, they had succeeded in capturing the remainder of New Guinea and Guadalcanal and were threatening Australia. With the U.S. and Australian forces holding tight, in October 1942 the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, still minus its 2ndBattalion, was ordered to the Pacific Theater and under the command of the newly appointed Colonel Kenneth Kinsler, who was commanding the 501st Battalion, Col. Miley by this time being promoted to Brigadier General and deputy to the 82nd’s General Ridgway.  So, the 503rd headed for San Francisco by train and combat in the Pacific.

At dawn on the 20th October 1942 the Regiment left San Francisco on the MS Poelau Laut and headed towards the Panama Canal Zone, where, on 1st November 1942, they collected the 501st Parachute Battalion minus their C Company.  This battalion was to be redesignated as the 2nd Battalion 503rd PIR and on 2nd December 1942 after a voyage of 43 days, the 2000 strong regiment landed at Cairns, Australia, where they continued preparations. Later on 29th March 1944 with the addition of the 462nd Parachute Artillery Battalion and on the 13th September 1944 with the addition of the 161st Parachute Engineer Company, the 503rd PIR was expanded into a Combat Team.

AIRBORNE HISTORY

 1942

The Poelau Laut “cruise”

On the 7th August 1943 the 503rd PIR received orders to relocate to New Guinea in preparation for combat operations. Travelling by air and sea in the middle of August 1943, the 503rd PIR moved into a large bivouac area on New Guinea’s south eastern tip near Port Moresby where it continue to prepare for its first combat test.