507th Parachute Infantry Regiment (United States)

507th Parachute Infantry Regiment
507th Infantry Regiment
Active 1942–1945
1948–1949
1985–present
Country  United States
Branch  United States Army
Type Airborne forces
Role Parachute Infantry
Part of 17th Airborne Division
Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade
Garrison/HQ Fort Benning
Nickname(s) Raff's Ruffians
Motto "Down to Earth"
Engagements World War II
Commanders
Current
commander		 LTC Korey Brown (1st Bn, 507th PIR; July 2014 until Present)
Notable
commanders		 COL Edson Raff
U.S. Infantry Regiments
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506th Infantry Regiment 508th Infantry Regiment

The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment (507th PIR), now the 507th Infantry Regiment, was an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment was initially assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II before transferring to the 17th Airborne Division.

History

World War II

The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment was initially formed at Camp Toccoa, Georgia on 20 July 1942. It would participate in three operations during the war: D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Varsity.

As part of the 2nd Airborne Brigade alongside a sister regiment, the 508th Parachute Infantry, the 507th PIR was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division to replace the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which had suffered many casualties while serving, with great distinction, in the fighting in Italy. After arriving in the United Kingdom, their D-Day objective was to help secure the Merderet River crossings. Although their target was supposed to be in Drop Zone T, north of Amfreville, the confusion caused by clouds and flak resulted in a wide scattering of the unit. George V. Millett Jr., the initial commander of the regiment, was captured in Amfreville a few days after being deployed. Colonel Edson Raff, who had recently led the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion, then took command of the regiment. The 507th PIR later became known as Raff's Ruffians. After returning to England, the 507th was permanently assigned to the 17th Airborne Division, because another of the 82nd's regiments, the 504th, had returned by then from fighting at Anzio.

As part of the 17th Airborne, the 507th was not utilized in Operation Market Garden and was still in England training with the new division when the Battle of the Bulge began. The unit redeployed to France on 25 December 1944, and was used in the counter-attacks against the Germans in January and early February 1945.

Finally, the regiment dropped near Wesel, Germany on 24 March to spearhead the division's assault during Operation Varsity. During this action, Private George J. Peters earned the Medal of Honor for single-handedly attacking a German machine gun emplacement.

The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment was shipped home and inactivated in September 1945.

Recent history

The regiment was briefly re-activated in the late 1940s, then again in 1985. On 23 October 1985, it was reorganized and redesignated as the 507th Infantry, a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, and transferred to the U.S. Army Training and Doctine Command. The 1st Battalion serves as the training unit for the U.S. Army Airborne School. Its Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) conducts the Jumpmaster and Pathfinder Courses. Companies A, B, and C conduct the Basic Airborne Course. (Company D, currently inactive, also conducted the Basic Airborne Course.) Company E is a Parachute Rigger Company.

In 2004, two documentaries aired on the 507th. PBS aired the documentary, D-Day: Down to Earth — Return of the 507th. This film connects the regiment's contribution in the war with their journey back to Normandy for the unveiling of a monument in 2002. On 1 June 2004, Investigating History aired, D-Day: The Secret Massacre. The story focuses on the German massacre of French civilians, and wounded paratroopers of the 507th, in retaliation for battle at the village of Graignes.

References

See also

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