AFRIKA KORPS FORUM

Hi mates

Finally I found a correct collar insignia for my 2nd .lt parachutist in the Salerno landing. Now it is complete.






In the early stages of the Salerno landing the military situation deteriorated with each passing hour as German tanks and infantry forces tried to push the Allies back into the sea.
On standby at airfields in Sicily, the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 504th were alerted, issued parachutes, and loaded on aircraft without knowledge of their destination. Receiving their briefing aboard the plane, the men were told that the U.S. Fifth Army's beachhead was in danger and they were needed to jump in behind friendly lines. Flying in columns of battalions, they exited over the barrels of gasoline-soaked sand that formed a flaming "T" in the center of the drop zone. The regiment assembled quickly and moved to the sounds of cannon and small arms fire within the hour. By dawn, the unit was firmly set in defensive positions.
The days that followed were, in the words of Lieutenant General Mark Clark, commander of the U.S. Fifth Army, "responsible for saving the Salerno beachhead." As the 504th (minus 3rd Battalion) took the high ground at Altavilla, the enemy counterattacked and the commander of U.S. VI Corps, Major General Ernest Dawley, suggested the unit withdraw. Epitomizing the determined spirit of the regiment, Colonel Tucker vehemently replied, "Hell no! We've got this hill and we are going to keep it. Send me my other battalion." The 3rd Battalion, held in reserve, then rejoined the 504th, the enemy was repulsed, and the Salerno beachhead was saved. Colonel Tucker and two of his men were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for their actions at Altavilla.
The operation secured the flanks of the Fifth Army, allowing it to break out of the coastal plain and drive on to Naples. On 1 October 1943, the 504th became the first infantry unit to enter Naples, which it subsequently garrisoned. The operation was not only a success, but it also stands as one of history’s greatest examples of the mobility of the airborne unit: within only eight hours of notification, the 504th developed and disseminated its tactical plan, prepared for combat, loaded aircraft and jumped onto its assigned drop zone to engage the enemy and turn the tide of battle.


As you can see the american parachutist in the first combat launches is very different from those from Normandy onward ... He had not the classical reinforcements of the jumping suite and very often He wore an early M1 helmet, not M2 D-bale. He didn't wear the arm divisional badge but had a first pattern american flag in its place. Almost always he had a mix of equipment of the first and second world war, especially favorite was the WWI rifle belt, because It was felt more comfortable for the possibility to integrate the pistol pouches. Finally he wore the Training Gas Mask M1A1 for its small size.

Last edited by zip3120 (23-04-2016 17:45:48)