17th Airborne Division

....."If everyone is thinking alike,
..........then somebody isnt thinking."

....................................... ......General George S. Patton

 
 
Unit History
    507th PIR
    513th PIR
    193rd GIR
    194th GIR
    139th AEB
    680th GFAB
 
 
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    507th PIR
    513th PIR
    193rd GIR
    194th GIR
    139th AEB
    464th PFAB
    466th PFAB
    680th GFAB
    681st GFAB
    411th QM
    155th AAA
    224th Med Co
    HQ Company
 
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    17th Abn Div
    82nd Abn Div
    101st Abn Div
 
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General William M Miley General William M Miley


R E L A T E D
B I O S

Gen Matthew B Ridgway

Lt Gen Lewis H Brereton

Gen George S Patton

Gen Dwight D Eisenhower

FM Bernard L Montgomery















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17th Airborne WW II
Congressional Medal
of Honor Recipients

T/Sgt Clinton M Hedrick
S/Sgt Isadore S Jachman
Pvt George J Peters
Pfc Stuart S Stryker













R E L A T E D
S I T E S

USAAF Airborne Troop Carriers in World War II

Camp Claiborne, Louisiana

ETO Cross Channel Attack (Hyperwar)













articles


R E L A T E D
A R T I C L E S

The Drop Zone: Varsity - 513th PIR e-History

The Drop Zone: Operation Varsity - My Longest Day

The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge
The 17th Airborne during World War II
Order of Battle


17th Airborne Division
"Golden Talons"

The division insignia is a golden talon on a circular black background. The black background signifies surprise. The talon signifies the seizing of golden opportunity through surprise. (picture left) The motto of the 17th Airborne Divison is "Thunder From Heaven."



COMMAND AND STAFF    

Commanding General
25 August 1944 Maj. Gen. William M Miley

Assistant Division Commander
25 August 1944 Brig. Gen. John L Whitelaw

Artillery Commander
25 August 1944 Brig. Gen. Joseph V Phelps

Chief of Staff
25 August 1944 Col. Willard K Liebel

Assistant Chief of Staff G-1
25 August 1944 Lt. Col. Lewis R Good

Assistant Chief of Staff G-2
25 August 1944 Lt. Col. Lyle N McAlister

Assistant Chief of Staff G-3
25 August 1944 Lt. Col. Edwin J Messinger

Assistant Chief of Staff G-4
25 August 1944 Lt. Col. Charles W. Koester

Assistant Chief of Staff G-5
29 September 1944 Lt Col Richard A Norton

Adjutant General
25 August 1944 Lt. Col. Gabe W Lewis Jr

Commanding Officer, 507th Parachute Infantry
25 August 1944 Col Edson D Raff

Commanding Officer, 513th Parachute Infantry
25 August 1944 Col. James W Coutts
9 April 1945 Lt Col Ward Ryan

Commanding Officer, 193rd Glider Infantry
25 August 1944 Col. Maurice G Stubbs

Commanding Officer, 194th Glider Infantry
25 August 1944 Col. James R Pierce

Statistics

Chronology
15 April 1943 Activated
25 August 1944 Arrived ETO
24 December 1944 Arrived Continent (D+ 201)
25 December 1944 Entered Combat
45 Days in Combat

Casualties (Tentative)
Killed 564
Wounded 1,473
Missing 129
Captured not available
Battle Casualties 2.166
Non-Battle Casualties 854
Total Casualties 3,020
Percent of T/O Strength 23.2

Individual Awards
Medal of Honor 4
Distinguished Service Cross 4
Legion of Merit 8
Silver Star 177
Soldiers Medal 5
Bronze Star 695
Air Medal 16
Prisoners of War Taken 17,344

Campaigns
Rhineland
Ardennes
Central Europe

Attachments

Armored
15 Jan 45 - 27 Jan 45 761st Tank Bn
31 Jan 45 - 7 Feb 45 Co C 15th Tank Bn (6th Armored Div)
27 Mar 45 - 3 Apr 45 Brit 6th Guard Arm Brig (Non-Div)

Field Artillery
3 Jan 45 - 5 Jan 45 802nd FA Bn (105mm Howitzer)

Infantry
27 Aug 44 - 1 Mar 45
(when became organic part of division)
507th PIR (Non-Div)
15 Jan 45 - 16 Jan 45 345th CT (87th Div)

Tank Destroyer
17 Jan 45 - 27 Jan 45 811th TD Bn (SP)

Detachments

(Attached to)
Field Artillery

5 Apr 45 - 15 Apr 45 681st GFAB (95th Div)

Infantry
3 Jan 45 - 7 Jan 45 193rd GIR (101st Abn Div)
14 Jan 45 - 18 Jan 45 193rd GIR (101st Abn Div)
31 Mar 45 - 2 Apr 45 507th PIR (XIX Corps)
5 Apr 45 - 13 Apr 45 194th GIR (95th Div)

Assignmentand Attachment to Higher Units

DATE CORPS ARMY ATTACHED ARMY GROUP ATTACHED
30 Jul 44 ninth ETOUSA
12 Aug 44 XVIII Abn (-)
25 Dec 44 XVIII Abn 12th
1 Jan 45 VIII Third 12th
26 Jan 45 III Third 12th
6 Feb 45 III 1st Allied Abn Third (-)
10 Feb 45 (-) 1st Allied Abn
15 Feb 45 XVIII Abn 1st Allied Abn
24 Mar 45 (-) 1st Allied Abn 12th
30 Mar 45 XVIII Abn 1st Allied Abn Ninth 12th
31 Mar 45 XIII 1st Allied Abn Ninth 12th
4 Apr 45 XIII 1st Allied Abn Ninth 12th (-)
6 Apr 45 XVI 1st Allied Abn Ninth 12th
7 Apr 45 XVI Ninth (-) 12th
25 Apr 45 (-) Ninth Fifteenth 12th
27 Apr 45 XXI Ninth Fifteenth 12th

Command Posts

DATE TOWN REGION COUNTRY
30 Aug 44 Camp Chiseldon Wiltshire England
24 Dec 44 Camp Mourmellon Marne France
28 Dec 44 Charleville Ardennes France
3 Jan 45 Morhet Luxembourg Belgium
15 Jan 45 Celli Luxembourg Belgium
17 Jan 45 Bertogne Luxembourg Belgium
19 Jan 45 Compegne Luxembourg Belgium
22 Jan 45 Lavigny Luxembourg Belgium
24 Jan 45 Steinbach Luxembourg Belgium
27 Jan 45 Eschweiler Luxembourg
29 Jan 45 Enscherange Luxembourg
11 Feb 45 Chalon-sur-Marne Marne France
24 Mar 45 Wesel (2 km north) Rhineland Germany
28 Mar 45 Peddenburg Rhineland Germany
29 Mar 45 Vulffen Rhineland Germany
30 Mar 45 Haltern Rhineland Germany
1 Apr 45 Dulmen Westphalia Germany
3 Apr 45 Appelhulsen Westphalia Germany
4 Apr 45 Munster Westphalia Germany
6 Apr 45 Marxloh Rhineland Germany
8 Apr 45 Bottrop Rhineland Germany
10 Apr 45 Essen Rhineland Germany
21 Apr 45 Marxloh Rhineland Germany





books
R E L A T E D   B O O K S

Annussek, Greg Hitler's Raid to Save Mussolini: The Most Infamous Commando Operation of World War II. Sept 1, 2005, Da Capo Press, 353 pp. ISBN: 0306813963
Astor, Gerald  A Blood-Dimmed Tide: The Battle of the Bulge by the Men Who Fought It. Mass Market Paperback, 1994 ISBN: 0440215749
Breuer, William B Geronimo! American Paratroopers in WWII. New York: St. Martin Press, 1989 621 p. ISBN: 0-312-03350-8
Breuer, William B Unexplained Mysteries of World War II. John Wiley & Sons, Sept 1998 256 p. ISBN:0471291072
D'Este, Carlo  Decision in Normandy William S Konnecky Assc(P), 560 p. ISBN: 1568522606
D'Este, Carlo  Patton: A Genius for War 1024 pp ISBN: 0060927623
Devlin, Gerard S  Paratrooper! St Martin's Press, (P) c1976 ISBN: 0312596529
Francois, Dominique 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment: A Forgotten Regiment Heimdal (Aug 2002), 120 p. ISBN: 2840481642
Gabel, Kurt The Making of a Paratrooper: Airborne Training and Combat in World War II Univ Press of Kansas (Jan 1990), 282 p. ISBN: 070060409X
Gavin, James M.  On to Berlin : Battles of an Airborne Commander, 1943-1946 ISBN: 0670525170
Giard, Régis & Frédéric Blais Helmets of the ETO: A Historical & Technical Guide Histoire & Collections (Jan 2008), 216 p. ISBN: 2352500621
Hastings, Max Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy Simon and Shuster(JUV), 396 p. ISBN: 0671554352
Hicks, Anne The Last Fighting General: The Biography of Robert Tryon Frederick Schiffer Pub Ltd, 320pp, ISBN: 0764324306
Keegan, John The Second World War Penguin (P), 708 p. ISBN: 014011341X
Keegan, John Six Armies in Normandy: From D-Day to the Liberation of Paris Penguin USA(P), 365 p. ISBN: 0140235426
Kershaw, Alex The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of WWII's Most Decorated Platoon Da Capo Press, 288 pp November 30, 2004 ISBN: 0306813041
Kormann, John G  Echoes of a Distant Clarion: Recollections of a Diplomat and Soldier Vellum (P), 520 p. ISBN: 0979448832
MacDonald, Charles B  A Time For Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge Wm Morrow & Co (P), 720 p. ISBN: 068151574
O'Donnell, Patrick K. Beyond Valor  Free Press, 2001, 384 p. ISBN: 0684873842
Wilson, Robert L. & Phillip K. A Paratrooper's Panoramic View: Training with the 464th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion for Operation Varsity. pps, 244, 11/30/2005, Authorhouse ISBN: 1420854291


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