Self-Designed Field Trip or Activity

The 509th Infantry Regiment draws its origin to the establishment of the 504th Parachute Infantry Battalion on October 5, 1941; merely 2 months prior to the United States of America participated in Second World War. The brigade was the 4th brigade of parachutists to be set off at Fort Benning, Georgia. The brigade and every appointment of the division since have acquired the code name of the "Geronimos." This name derived from the renowned expletive of Geronimo! That was commenced by an associate of the Parachute Test Platoon as he left the aircraft on a conditioning jumping to testify he was not frighted and even had the comportment of mind to scream something distinguishing.

Really promptly, the Army actualized that to combat the approaching warfare they'd require divisions of paratroopers instead of autonomous brigades. In effect on March 1, 1942, the 504th Parachute Infantry Battalion was re-designated as the second Brigade of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Division. With person training accomplished, the 2/503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment actuated to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for brigade level coaching on March 29, 1942. Below the dictation of Lieutenant Colonel Edson Raff, the 2/503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment was picked out as the better devised parachute brigade and converted to the 1st airborne division in the United State ground forces to deploy to Great Britain. The brigade departed on the Queen Elizabeth on June 4, 1942 and made it to Glasgow, Scotland, 6 days afterwards.

The Geronimos constituted the land of Chilton-Foliat their coaching foundation for the succeeding 6 months. For much of this time, the brigade believed they would be addressed upon to leap into France. Nevertheless, the cross-channel encroachment was deferred for more than a year. The 2/503rd was integrated into Operation Torch, the encroachment of North Africa. On the nighttime of Nov 7, 1942, the Geronimos mounted aboard thirty-nine C-47 aircraft and left Lands End in United Kingdom for a 1500 positive knot head trip to North Africa. Their deputation was to take hold of flying fields at La Sénia and Tafaraoui near Oran, Algerie. As their deputation on Nov eight was successful to a lesser degree, the brigade has the differentiation of comprising the 1st American airborne division to attain a battle jump in Second World War.

Almost before leaving England, the Army egested down orders for some other name modification for the Geronimos. As the additional brigades of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment had deployed to the Pacific field, it was conceived that a fresh division would be constituted just around the Geronimos. They were re-designated the second Brigade of the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment in effect from Nov 2, 1942.

Straightaway, under the control of Lieutenant Colonel Doyle Yardley, the Geronimos were affiliated to the 82nd Airborne Brigade for the encroachment of Sicilia but were confined appropriate for the full military operation. 4 days after the encroachment of Salerno on the seacoast of Italia, when the beachhead was in risk of breaking down, 5th Army commanding officer General Mark Wayne Clark called for support by his airborne military units. Although the 82nd Airborne Brigade was deteriorated within the beachhead, the 2/509th PIR was forwarded to an apparently martyr operation to bead on and arrogate the juncture region of Avellino, more than 20 knots behind opposition assembly lines. Their bead on the dark of Sep 14, 1943, was disjointed, and the brigade was not ...