Talk:11th Airborne Division

11th Airborne Motto

Regarding the motto "First in Manila, First in Tokyo": this motto is used by the 1st Cavalry Division, not the 11th Airborne. In terms of history, the 1st Cavalry Division was first to enter Manila during the liberation of the Philippines, and no 11th Airborne trooper would dispute this. However, the title of "First in Tokyo" is often subject to debate. For example, a favorite story among 11th Airborne veterans claims that when the 1st Cavalry Division arrived in Tokyo, they were greeted by members of the 11th Airborne Division's band, playing the song "The old gray mare ain't what she used to be."

See:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,813586,00.html?promoid=googlep

http://www.ww2-airborne.us/18corps/11abn/11_overview.html

Also see the book "The Angels: A History of the 11th Airborne Division" by E.M. Flanagan, Jr. (Presidio Press, 1989)

Rhurst1945 21:19, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Sorry the actual timeliness show that 11th Airborne landed in Japan well before the 1st Cavalry. The landings in all the primary material show an 8 hour earlier landing by the 11th. Let's not repeat myths like those above with citations that are not citations. The time magazine article is simply an article about First Cav, relating its claims. The second citation actually asserts 11th Airborne was first into Tokyo. Flanagan book indicate 11th airborne was first when one looks at the primary material Flanagan uses.!72.75.33.54 (talk) 22:13, 25 July 2009 (UTC)

WikiProject Military history/Assessment/Tag & Assess 2008

Article reassessed and graded as start class. Referencing and appropriate inline citation guidelines not met. --dashiellx (talk) 17:32, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

Safekeeping

I'm copy and pasting this information here for safekeeping whilst I begin a revamp of the article Skinny87 (talk) 19:31, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Landing

The 11th Airborne Division arrived in New Guinea, 25 May 1944, and continued training, leaving for the Philippines 11 November 1944. The division made an amphibious landing on Leyte, 18 November 1944, between Abuyog and Tarragona (now MacArthur), 40 miles south of Tacloban. Pushing inland, the division cleared the Ormoc-Burauen supply trail, an important Japanese combat lifeline. The 11th's general mission was to seize and secure within its zone all exits from the mountains into Leyte Valley and to secure the western exits from the mountains into the west coastal corridor to assist the attack of the 7th Division toward Ormoc.

The enemy

On 6 December 1944 the paratroopers of the 11th found themselves fighting Japanese parachutists who had landed near the San Pablo airstrip. The Japanese were wiped out in a 5-day engagement. In a continuous series of combat actions, Japanese resistance was reduced on Leyte by the end of December 1944. Heavy resistance was met at Rock Hill, which finally fell, 18 December; a sleeping enemy was caught off guard at Hacksaw Hill, 23 December, and suffered heavy losses. During January 1945 the Division rested and staged for a landing on Luzon. While other American troops were driving on Manila from the north, the 11th Airborne made an amphibious landing 60 miles south of Manila, 31 January 1945, at Nasugbu, and began to drive north.

Jumps

The first combat jump by an element of the division in the war, that of the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment on Tagaytay Ridge, 3 February 1945, met no resistance. The 511th crossed the Parañaque River 5 February, and reached Manila, meeting fierce Japanese resistance. Nichols Field was taken, 12 February, and Fort McKinley was flanked, 12-16 February, and finally taken, 17 February. A combined air and sea assault liberated more than 2,000 Allied civilians interned at Los Baños, 23 February 1945. With Manila declared secure, the Division reduced a strong ring of enemy outposts between Lake Taal and Laguna de Bay, and occupied towns along Highway No. 1, cutting off the Bicol Peninsula. In April the 11th took part in clearing out remaining enemy resistance in Batangas province, and by 1 May, all resistance in southern Luzon had ended.

Final mission

The final operation of the Division was conducted on 23 June 1945, in conjunction with the advance of the 37th Division in northern Luzon. A Task Force was formed and jumped on Camalaniugan Airfield, south of Aparri. The force attacked and made contact with the 37th Infantry Division, 26 June 1945, between Alcala and the Paret River. In July 1945 the Division trained; in August it was transported by air to Honshū, Japan, via Okinawa, for occupation duty. The First Cavalry Division has claimed that they were the first U.S. Division in Japan for occupation however the 11th Airborne Division history indicates that they were in the country of Japan before the 1st Cavalry. Reportedly the 11th Airborne Division band was waiting in the port when the 1st Cavalry Division arrived in Japan and played "The Old Grey Mare Ain't What She Used to Be" as they disembarked.

Subordinate units

World War II

• Division Headquarters
• 187th Glider Infantry Regiment
• 188th Glider Infantry Regiment (converted to PIR on 20 July 1945)
• 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment
• 541st Parachute Infantry Regiment (disbanded to provide replacements for 187th, 188th, & 511th)
• HHB Division Artillery
  • 457th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (75mm)
  • 472nd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (75mm) (assigned 20 July 1945)
  • 674th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (75mm) (converted to PFAB 20 July 1945)
  • 675th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (75mm)
• 221st Airborne Medical Company
• 127th Airborne Engineer Battalion
• 152nd Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion
• 11th Parachute Maintenance Company
• Headquarters Special Troops
  • Headquarters Company, 11th Airborne Division
  • Military Police Platoon
  • 711th Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company
  • 511th Airborne Signal Company
  • 408th Airborne Quartermaster Company

1950-1956

• 188th Airborne Infantry Regiment
• 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment (assigned 2 March 1952 to replace 187th AIR sent to Korea)
• 511th Airborne Infantry Regiment
• 76th Tank Battalion
• 710th Tank Battalion (no longer listed by 1955)
• 127th Airborne Engineer Battalion
• 89th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion
• 457th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion
• 544th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion
• 675th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion
• 88th Airborne Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
• 11th Airborne Medical Battalion
• Special Troops
• Headquarters Company
• 11th Military Police Company
• 11th Parachute Maintenance Company
• 408th Quartermaster Company
• 11th Replacement Company
• Air Section
• Pathfinder Platoon
• 511th Signal Company

Station List as of 17 April 1957

• Command & Control Battalion
• HQ & HQ Logistics Company
• 11th Admin Company
• 11th Aviation Company
• Troop C (Recon)(Abn), 17th Cavalry

• 127th Engineer Combat Battalion
• 511th Signal Battalion

• 1st Airborne Battle Group, 187th Infantry
• 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 502nd Infantry
• 1st Airborne Battle Group, 503rd Infantry
• 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 504th Infantry
• 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 505th Infantry

• 11th Airborne Division Artillery
• HQ & HQ Battery
• Batteries A, B & C, 320th Artillery (Abn)
• Batteries D & E, 321st Artillery (Abn)
• Battery C, 377th Artillery (Abn)

• Support Group, 11th Abn Div
• HQ & HQ Logistics Company
• 11th QM Co (Parachute Support)
• 711th Maintenance Battalion
• 408th Supply & Transportation Co
• 111th Medical Company

• 76th Tank Battalion (90mm)

• 11th CIC Detachment
• 545th Ordnance Company (DS)
• 886th Medical Company (Ambulance)
• 551st Transportation Company

Most units were located in Augsburg. The 127th Engineer Combat Battalion, 1-503rd Infantry, 76th Tank Battalion, and 111th Medical Company were in Munich. Locations for last four in this list will be provided as the information becomes available.

Effective 1 July 1958 the 11th Airborne Division was inactivated and most of its components were reorganized and reflagged as units of the reactivated 24th Infantry Division. The 24th retained a partial Airborne capability with these units:

• 1st ABG, 187th Inf
• 1st ABG, 503rd Inf
• 11th QM Parachute Supply & Maintenance Co

On 7 January 1959, 1-503rd was relieved from the 24th Infantry Division and assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It was followed on 8 February 1959 by 1-187th. The 11th QM Company was relieved from the 24th on 5 February 1959 and moved to the 8th Inf Div to the northwest in Mainz to support the latter's Airborne components being formed at that time by the arrival of 1-504th and 1-505th from the 82nd Airborne Division as well as other supporting arms formed up in-theater.

11th Air Assault Division (Test), 1963-65

• HHC, 1st Brigade
• 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry (activated 1 February 1964)
• 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry (activated 7 February 1963; relieved 1 February 1964 from assignment to the 11th Air Assault Division and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division; this was a transfer of colors and not a physical relocation of personnel and equipment)
• 1st Battalion, 188th Infantry
• 1st Battalion, 511th Infantry
• Division Artillery
• 2nd Battalion, 42nd Artillery
• 6th Battalion, 81st Artillery
• 3rd Battalion (Composite), 377th Artillery
• Battery E (Aviation), 26th Artillery
• Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry
• Co A, 127th Engineer Battalion
• Co A (Command Operations), 511th Signal Battalion
• Co A, 11th Medical Battalion
• 711th Maintenance Battalion
• 408th Supply & Service Company
• 11th Military Police Company
• 11th Aviation Group
• 226th Aviation Battalion (Aerial Surveillance & Attack)
• 227th Aviation Battalion (Assault Helicopter)
• 228th Aviation Battalion (Assault Support Helicopter)
• 229th Aviation Battalion (Assault Helicopter)
• 11th Aviation Company (General Support)
• 10th Air Transport Brigade
• 611th Maintenance Battalion
• 710th Transportation Battalion (AS&M)
• 37th Transportation Battalion (Air)
• 187th Aviation Company
• 188th Aviation Company
• 478th Aviation Company (Heavy Helicopter)
• 72nd Air Traffic Control Company

• Co A, 170th Transportation Battalion (Aircraft Support & Maintenance)
• redesignated elements, 2nd Infantry Division (United States)
• other formations and units

A question about wording

I've started to take a look at the article, and there's a line I wanted to ask about. In the Knollwood Manoeuvres (btw, shouldn't this page use AE per WP:ENGVAR?) section, there's the line

"as occurred to the 82nd Airborne Division, which participated in the first large-scale Allied airborne operation, Operation Husky and had also been activated at the same time as the 17th Airborne Division"

Was that a typo, and it's supposed to be 11th? If not, I would consider removing the comparison to the 17th, because it kind of comes out of nowhere. It'd be better to just give the date the 82nd was formed, to illustrate the short time between formation and deployment into combat. Parsecboy (talk) 13:11, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Here's another question: in the same section, when it refers to "I Troop Carrier Command", is that another typo? It should be referring to IX Troop Carrier Command, shouldn't it? Parsecboy (talk) 13:16, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

I fixed the 17th ABD to 11th, that was indeed a typo. However, it isn't XI Troop Carrier Command, just I TCC. I'm not familiar with it, but it might have been a predecessor to IX. As for ENGVAR, I'll try and use American English when I edit it next. Is it a major problem? Skinny87 (talk) 13:46, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Hmm, you appear to be correct about I TCC, from what the IX TCC article states: "The original cadre came from "Headquarters 1st Troop Carrier Command" established as a provisional headquarters". I haven't noticed too many issues with ENGVAR, in fact, all of the instances of maneuver/manoeuvre in that section were of the AE variety, only the section header was BE. Parsecboy (talk) 16:28, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Howze Board

You can't have a discussion about the 11th Airborne Division without any mention of the Howze Board - it was based on their recommendation that the 11th be set up as a test division for the airmobile concept.--Nobunaga24 (talk) 08:52, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

Huh, I never even heard of it in the secondary sources. Cheers for that. The article's going through an FAC at the moment, but I'll add it in the histry when I get a chance. Skinny87 (talk) 17:51, 28 July 2008 (UTC)