U.S. Army

Airborne

They volunteered three times — for the Army, for Airborne, and for every jump after. From the Test Platoon at Fort Benning in 1940 to the 82nd Airborne's Division Ready Force standing by to deploy anywhere on earth in 18 hours, American paratroopers have been first into every fight. Five jumps earn the wings. Everything after earns the legend.

"Airborne All the Way!" Est. 1940

EST. 1940 · FT. BENNING

U.S. Army Airborne

Parachute & Glider Infantry

Points of Contact

On August 16, 1940, the Army's first Test Platoon of Airborne Infantry jumped from a Douglas C-33 over Lawson Field at Fort Benning, Georgia. Forty-eight volunteers proved that American soldiers could be delivered by parachute behind enemy lines. Within two years the Army had five airborne divisions. Every paratrooper since has earned their wings the same way — five jumps, five points of contact, and the knowledge that they volunteered three times: for the Army, for Airborne, and for every jump after. Read more

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World War II — The First Jumps 1942 – 1945

D-Day — The Night Jump

June 5–6, 1944

Airborne · Ste-Mère

Airborne · Carentan

BEFORE THE BEACHES

In the darkness before D-Day, 13,100 American paratroopers jumped into Normandy — hours before the first soldier hit the beach. The 82nd Airborne seized Sainte-Mère-Église and the bridges over the Merderet. The 101st Airborne secured the causeways behind Utah Beach and fought for Carentan. Pathfinders jumped first to mark the drop zones. Most sticks were scattered across miles of hedgerow country. They fought in small groups, in the dark, with no idea where they were. They took Normandy anyway. Read more

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Bastogne — "NUTS!"

December 1944 — Battle of the Bulge

Airborne Surrounded

BG McAuliffe's Reply

RELIEVED BY 4th AD

When the German Ardennes Offensive shattered the American line in December 1944, the 101st Airborne was trucked to Bastogne — the critical crossroads the Germans needed. Surrounded, outnumbered, low on ammunition and medical supplies, freezing in summer uniforms, the Screaming Eagles held. When the Germans demanded surrender, BG Anthony McAuliffe's reply was one word: "NUTS!" The 4th Armored Division broke through on December 26. Bastogne never fell. Read more

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SEPTEMBER 17, 1944

Operation Market Garden

September 1944 — A Bridge Too Far

Airborne · Nijmegen

Airborne · Eindhoven

U.S. Paratroopers

The largest airborne operation in history. 20,000 American paratroopers dropped into Holland to seize the bridges that would open a highway into Germany. The 101st took the bridges at Eindhoven and Veghel. The 82nd seized the Groesbeek Heights and crossed the Waal River at Nijmegen in canvas boats under direct fire — one of the most daring river assaults in military history. The operation failed at Arnhem, but American airborne accomplished every mission assigned to them. Read more

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Operation Varsity

March 24, 1945 — Crossing the Rhine

Airborne Division

MASS JUMP · ETO

The last major airborne operation in the European Theater. The 17th Airborne Division jumped across the Rhine River in daylight — directly onto German positions. Unlike Normandy, where paratroopers were scattered for miles, Varsity dropped in concentrated formations and overwhelmed the defenders within hours. The 17th Airborne took heavy casualties in the drop but secured the east bank. The road into Germany was open. Read more

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LEYTE · MANILA · LUZON

Pacific Airborne

11th Airborne — Angels

Airborne Division

1st Pacific Jump

Los Baños Raid

INTERNEES RESCUED

While the 82nd and 101st fought in Europe, the 11th Airborne Division carried the airborne mission in the Pacific. The Angels jumped onto Leyte and fought across Luzon. Their raid on the Los Baños internment camp — a combined parachute and amphibious assault that freed over 2,000 civilian internees from Japanese captivity — is considered one of the most successful rescue operations in military history. Read more

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Korea & Vietnam 1950 – 1975

Korea — Combat Jumps

187th Airborne RCT

Sunchon · Munsan-ni

The 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team — the Rakkasans — made two combat jumps in Korea. At Sukchon-Sunchon in October 1950, they jumped behind North Korean lines to cut off retreating enemy forces and rescue American POWs. At Munsan-ni in March 1951, they jumped to block Chinese withdrawal routes. Korea proved that even in the jet age, paratroopers could seize ground no other force could reach in time. Read more

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DAK TO · HILL 875

Vietnam — Sky Soldiers

173rd Airborne Brigade

Major Army Unit In

87 KIA · 3 Days

COMBAT JUMP · VN

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was the first major Army ground unit deployed to Vietnam — and made the only combat jump of the war, Operation Hump in February 1967. At Dak To in November 1967, the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry fought the Battle of Hill 875 — three days of savage uphill assault into entrenched NVA positions. Eighty-seven paratroopers were killed. The hill was taken on Thanksgiving Day. The cost was unspeakable. Read more

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Active Airborne Divisions Regular Army

FORT LIBERTY, NC

82nd Airborne Division

Worldwide Deploy

DIV READY FORCE

America's Guard of Honor — the only division-sized airborne force in the world capable of deploying within 18 hours to any point on the globe. The Division Ready Force keeps one brigade on two-hour recall at all times. The 82nd jumped into Sicily, Normandy, Nijmegen, and the Bulge. They jumped into Panama. They've been on the ground in every conflict since — Grenada, Iraq, Afghanistan — and remain the first conventional force the President calls when the world catches fire. Read more

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SCREAMING EAGLES

FORT CAMPBELL, KY

101st Airborne Division

Screaming Eagles (Air Assault)

OEF · EVERY FIGHT

The Screaming Eagles jumped into Normandy, held Bastogne, and fought through Holland. In Vietnam they converted from parachute to air assault — the helicopter replaced the C-47. During Desert Storm, the 101st executed the largest air assault in history, leapfrogging 150 miles into Iraq. Every deployment since 9/11 has put Screaming Eagles in the fight. Based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the 101st is the world's only air assault division. Read more

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FORT WAINWRIGHT, AK

11th Airborne Division

Original Activation

WARFARE MISSION

Reborn in 2022 as the Army's newest division. The original 11th Airborne fought across the Pacific in WWII. Now redesignated for Arctic and extreme cold weather operations in Alaska, the Arctic Angels train for the kind of warfare most units can't survive — temperatures below minus 60, whiteout conditions, and terrain that kills before the enemy does. The Army's answer to great power competition in the High North. Read more

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Active Airborne Brigades Separate Brigades

173rd Airborne Brigade

ONLY COMBAT JUMP · OIF

The Army's rapid-response airborne force in Europe. Based in Vicenza, Italy, the 173rd maintains an airborne battalion on no-notice deployment status. In 2003, the Sky Soldiers conducted the only combat jump of the Iraq war — 1,000 paratroopers into northern Kurdistan to open a second front. The 173rd has deployed to Afghanistan repeatedly, fighting in the Korengal and Kunar valleys. The only separate airborne brigade combat team in the active Army. Read more

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Deactivated Airborne Divisions Legacy

DEACTIVATED 1945

17th Airborne Division

The Golden Talons fought in the Bulge as ground infantry before making their combat jump during Operation Varsity — the last major airborne operation in Europe. The 17th Airborne jumped across the Rhine in daylight onto prepared German positions, took heavy drop-zone casualties, and secured the east bank. Deactivated shortly after V-E Day, the 17th's single combat jump was one of the most violent in airborne history. Read more

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DEACTIVATED 1946

13th Airborne Division

Deployed to ETO

The 13th Airborne Division deployed to France in January 1945, trained, and waited for a combat jump that never came. Operations were planned and cancelled — Varsity went to the 17th, other missions were overtaken by the ground advance. The Black Cats were fully trained, fully ready, and never used. They remain the only airborne division in Army history that deployed overseas but never made a combat jump. Sometimes the war just ends before your number is called. Read more

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Storied Regiments Lineage & Honors

505th Parachute Infantry Regiment

1st Combat Jump

H-Minus · Night Jump

AIRBORNE DIVISION

The first American parachute infantry regiment to make a combat jump — Sicily, July 1943. Then Salerno. Then Normandy at H-Minus, jumping into the darkness hours before the beach landings. At Nijmegen, the 505th crossed the Waal in canvas boats under direct fire. LTC Benjamin Vandervoort fought with a broken ankle at Sainte-Mère-Église. The regiment that proved airborne infantry could win wars. Read more

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504th Parachute Infantry Regiment

Devils in Baggy Pants

"Devils" — German Diary

AIRBORNE DIVISION

"Devils in Baggy Pants" — the name came from a captured German officer's diary at Anzio: "American paratroopers — devils in baggy pants — are all around us." The 504th jumped into Sicily, reinforced Salerno, and held the Anzio beachhead. At Nijmegen, they crossed the Waal in flimsy boats under withering fire to seize the bridge. One of the most battle-tested regiments in airborne history. Read more

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506th Infantry Regiment

Bastogne · Eagles Nest

Brothers · E Co

AIRBORNE DIVISION

Band of Brothers. Easy Company, 506th PIR, jumped into Normandy and fought from Carentan to Bastogne to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. "Currahee" — Cherokee for "stands alone" — the mountain they ran at Toccoa. Stephen Ambrose's book and HBO's series made the 506th the most famous regiment in American history. The regiment continued to fight in Vietnam and Iraq, carrying the same lineage from Normandy to Ramadi. Read more

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503rd Infantry Regiment

Dak To · Vietnam

AIRBORNE BRIGADE

The Rock Regiment earned its name jumping onto the fortress island of Corregidor in February 1945 — paratroopers landing on a tiny drop zone atop sheer cliffs, retaking the island the Japanese had held for three years. In Vietnam with the 173rd, the 503rd fought the Battle of Dak To — Hill 875 cost 87 killed and 130 wounded in one battalion in three days. In Afghanistan, they fought in the Korengal and Kunar valleys. Read more

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508th Parachute Infantry Regiment

D-Day · Hill 30

Forest · Bulge

AIRBORNE DIVISION

The Red Devils jumped into Normandy on D-Day and fought for Hill 30 near La Fière — one of the most critical bridge battles of the invasion. The 508th then fought through the Hürtgen Forest and the Bulge. Deactivated after WWII, the regiment was reactivated and today serves as the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, carrying one of the oldest airborne lineages in the Army. Read more

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187th Infantry Regiment

"Falling Umbrella Men"

Hill · May 1969

AIRBORNE DIVISION

Rakkasan — Japanese for "falling down umbrella men." The 187th earned the name during the occupation of Japan, kept it through combat jumps in Korea, and carried it to Vietnam, where the regiment fought at Hamburger Hill — Dong Ap Bia — in May 1969. Ten days of uphill assault into entrenched NVA positions. Since 9/11, the Rakkasans have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq repeatedly. "Ne Desit Virtus" — "Let Valor Not Fail." Read more

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MULTIPLE ASSIGNMENTS

501st Infantry Regiment

Holland · Bulge

4-25th BCT LINEAGE

"GERONIMO!" — the battle cry that became the regiment's identity. The 501st jumped into Normandy with the 101st Airborne and fought through Holland and Bastogne. The regiment's lineage has carried through multiple reorganizations, most recently serving as part of the 4th BCT, 25th Infantry Division in Alaska before redesignation. The Geronimo battle cry has been shouted from the door of every aircraft since 1942. Read more

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327th Infantry Regiment

Bastogne Bulldogs

Infantry · Normandy

AIRBORNE DIVISION

The Bastogne Bulldogs — glidermen who came in by Waco and Horsa gliders at Normandy, then held Bastogne when the 101st was surrounded. In Vietnam, the 327th's Tiger Force became one of the most aggressive long-range patrol units in the war. "No Slack" — the motto of 1st Battalion — became synonymous with relentless pursuit. The regiment has deployed continuously since 9/11. Read more

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The Pipeline Earning the Wings

U.S. Army Airborne School

Basic Parachutist Course — Fort Moore, GA

Qualifying Jumps

EARNED · NEVER GIVEN

Three weeks. Five jumps. Ground Week, Tower Week, Jump Week. Every paratrooper in the United States Army earns their wings at Fort Moore, Georgia — the same ground where the Test Platoon jumped in 1940. The 250-foot towers still stand. The C-130s still fly. And the Black Hats still push students out the door the same way they have for 84 years. The wings are earned the day of your fifth jump. They are never given. Read more

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5

Airborne Divisions

10+

PIR Regiments

84

Years Airborne

Wings

Earned · Never Given