508th Infantry Regiment (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=508th Infantry Regiment


caption=508th Infantry Regiment coat of arms
nickname=Red Devils
motto=Fury From the Sky
type=Parachute Infantry
branch=Army
dates=1942–1946
1951–1957
1962–
country=USA
command_structure=82nd Airborne Division
size=approx. 4,000
specialization=Airborne Infantry (Deployable anywhere in the world within 18 hours)
current_commander= COL Martin P. Schweitzer
garrison=Fort Bragg, NC
battles=World War II
Vietnam War
Afghanistan Campaign
Iraq Campaign
notable_commanders=Colonel Roy E. Lindquist
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=Distinctive Unit Insignia
identification_symbol_2=
identification_symbol_2_label=US Regiments
previous=507th Infantry Regiment
next=509th Infantry RegimentDuring World War II, the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (508th PIR or Red Devils) was a regiment of the 82d Airborne Division which in turn became part of XVIII Airborne Corps of the United States Army.

The regiment was activated on 20 October 1942 at Camp Blanding, Florida. After extensive training and maneuvers the unit embarked on 19 December 1943 in New York and sailed on 28 December 1943 for Belfast, Northern Ireland, arriving on 8 January 1944. After additional training at Cronmore, the unit was moved by ship to Glasgow, Scotland and by train on the 13 March 1944 to Wollaton Park, Nottinghamshire, England. Wollaton Park was shared as a base camp with the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

After service in Operation Overlord jumping on 6 June 1944 the unit returned to its billet at Wollaton Park and prepared for its part in Operation Market Garden jumping in 17 September 1944. The regiment later played a part in the Battle of the Bulge.

The unit was inactivated on 25 November 1946.

Cold War (1946-1987)

The 508th was reactivated as the separate 508th Airborne Regimental Combat Team 1951 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, served in Japan, and later moved to Fort Campbell where it once again inactivated in March 1957 as part of the reactivation of the 101st Airborne Division. [http://www.bragg.army.mil/4BCT/new_page_1.htm]

When the Army abandoned the Pentomic (battle group) structure in the early 1960s, the 508th reorganized under the Combat Arms Regimental System as a parent regiment and at the same time renamed the 508th Infantry. Within the 82nd Airborne Division, the former Company A, 508PIR was reorganized and redesignated as HHC, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry, an element of the 3rd Brigade. The former Company B, 508PIR was reactivated as HHC, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry, part of the 1st Brigade. The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 508th Parachute Infantry continued to serve in the 82nd Airborne Division. They served in Operation Powerpack in the Dominican Republic in 1965. When the 3rd Brigade was sent to Viet Nam in response to the Tet Offensive in early 1968, 1-508th accompanied it. There it took part of the heavy fighting of Hue and Saigon. It was later awarded the Valorous Unit Citation. In 1983 both battalions served in the Operation Urgent Fury with the invasion of Grenada.

From 8 August 1962 to 26 June 1968, the lineage of Co C, 508PIR was reactivated as HHC, 3-508th INF, and the unit served as an Airborne battalion within the 193rd Infantry Brigade in Panama. When the Airborne component of the battalion was reduced to a single company (Co A), the battalion was reflagged as the 3rd Battalion, 5th Infantry.

The colors of 1-508th and 2-508th departed the 82nd Airborne Division during an Army-wide reflagging of combat units in the 1980s, leaving the division with battalions of the 325th, 504th, and 505th within the 2nd, 1st and 3rd Brigades, respectively.

193rd Infantry Brigade (1987-1995)

The 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry was later reactivated in Panama when the Airborne Company was expanded back to a full battalion. The 1st Battalion fought during Operation Just Cause during the invasion of Panama. It was inactivated with the parent 193rd Infantry Brigade as US forces departed Panama in 1995.

173rd Airborne Brigade (1996- 2006)

The colors of 1-508th were reactivated in 1996 in Vicenza, Italy, by reflagging the existing 3-325th Infantry, an airborne battalion combat team, and was expanded in 2000 to become the reactivated 173rd Airborne Brigade. The battalion had elements training all over Europe and participated in the Kosovo peacekeeping mission. On March 26, 2003 the unit conducted a combat jump into northern Iraq. The on the northern front it operated with Special operations forces and Kurdish allies in tying down Iraqi forces. After the fall of Saddam’s Government It continued to serve throughout Iraq. For its Service in Iraq the 1st Battalion 508th Infantry was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation. In 2005-2006 when the 173rd Airborne Brigade deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom VI. TF Fury was deployed to the border on Pakistan in RC East where it served under the Command of JTF Devil (1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division). In June of 2005 B Company (Legion) was redeployed to RC South (Kandahar) under TF Gun Devil (3rd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery). The battalion returned from Afghanistan in February 2006. The colors of 1-508th left the 173rd when the battalion was reflagged as 1-503rd Infantry in June of 2006.

4th BCT, 82nd Airborne Division (2006- Present)

As of January 2006, the colors of both 1-508th and 2-508th were reactivated as the infantry battalions of the newly activated 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. In January 2007, the 508th PIR deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The BCT is composed of:
*HHC, 4th BCT
*1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment
*2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment
*4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment (RSTA)
*2nd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment
*4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion
*782nd Brigade Support Battalion

External links

* [http://www.red-devils.org Red Devils]
* [http://www.508pir.org/ Regimental Association]
* [http://www.tentcity.org.uk/ 508th PIR Living History Group]
* [http://www.bragg.army.mil/82dv/default.htm 82d Airborne Division]
* [http://www.bragg.army.mil/4BCT/default.htm 4th BCT Official Website]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/82abn-4bde.htm 4th BCT at Global Security.org]
* [http://www.american-divisions.com/doc.asp?documentid=133 82nd Airborne Division Operation Market historical data]
* [http://www.american-divisions.com/doc.asp?documentid=3 82nd Airborne Division - Field Order No 11 - 13 September 1944]