.gif)
511th Parachute Infantry Regiment (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment was a Parachute Infantry unit of the United States Army
first activated during World War II
. It formed the parachute infantry element of the 11th Airborne Division.
The regiment was formed at Camp Toccoa
, GA, in January 1943, under the command of Col. Orin D. "Hard Rock" Haugen
. It trained at Camp Mackall
, NC, and Fort Benning
, GA, and in December 1943 took part in the Knollwood Maneuver. After final examination at Camp Polk
, LA, it proceeded to Camp Stoneman
, CA, and in May 1944 embarked for the Pacific on the troop transport SS Sea Pike. It trained at Oro-Dobodura in New Guinea until November 1945, when it was sent to the Philippines to join the Battle of Leyte
.
Its mission on Leyte was to take and hold the passes through the mountains in the center of the island, and engage and reduce the Japanese forces in the area, ultimately in support of the battle of Ormoc simultaneously ongoing. The 511th performed this mission during harsh monsoonal weather in the steep, heavily forested terrain, emerging shortly after Christmas of 1944 onto the Ormoc plain.
After rest and resupply the regiment was sent to the island of Mindoro where the 11th Airborne was preparing for its part in the Battle of Luzon
. On 3 February 1945 the 511th on board 48 C-47 aircraft performed a combat jump on Tagaytay Ridge. Due to the shortage of planes, the regiment and its associated elements jumped in 3 echelons. Despite some misdrops, the 511th assembled successfully at its drop zone at the Manila Hotel Annex on Tagaytay Ridge and proceeded in battalions north towards Manila, encountering occasional Japanese resistance in the towns of Imus and Las Piñas before engaging the Japanese at the Parañaque River just south of Manila.
During the Battle of Manila
, the 511th fought through the Japanese Genko Line from 5–12 February, penetrating as far into Manila as the Dewey-Libertad area, before turning east to attack and recapture Fort McKinley
(Fort Bonifacio, now Bonifacio Global City). On 23 February its 1st Battalion took part in the Raid at Los Baños
, freeing over 2,000 foreign Allied civilians from a Japanese internment camp south of Manila, with its B Company performing a parachute jump on the camp itself.
The regiment proceeded to clear a transport corridor from Manila to the towns of Lipa
and Batangas City
, which has an important port, and took the crossroads town of Santo Tomas. With the rest of the 11th Airborne it also engaged Japanese forces throughout the provinces of Laguna, Batangas, and Tayabas (modern Quezon); the regiment's 1st and 2d battalions in Sixth Army reserve in the towns of Batangas and Bauan, its 3d battalion in active fighting. From April 27-29 it engaged and eliminated the remaining Japanese forces entrenched in underground complexes in the Mount Malepunyo (Malarayat) range east of Lipa.
On 23 June elements of the regiment took part in a combat jump on Aparri in northern Luzon, part of the effort to seal off the retreat of Japanese commander General Yamashita. The regiment remained in the Lipa-Batangas area, training for the planned invasion of Japan, until the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After the surrender of Japan, the 511th went to Tokyo and then to northern Honshū to perform occupation duty.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
first activated during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It formed the parachute infantry element of the 11th Airborne Division.
The regiment was formed at Camp Toccoa
Camp Toccoa
Camp Toccoa was a United States Army paratrooper training camp during World War II west of Toccoa, Georgia. It was first planned in 1938, constructed by the Georgia National Guard and the Works Projects Administration beginning 17 January 1940, and was dedicated 14 December 1940. The U.S. Army...
, GA, in January 1943, under the command of Col. Orin D. "Hard Rock" Haugen
Orin D. Haugen
Orin D. Haugen was a Colonel in the United States Army and Commanding Officer the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Orin D. Haugen was killed during World War II during the Battle of Manila.-Other sources:...
. It trained at Camp Mackall
Camp Mackall
Camp Mackall is an active U.S. Army training facility located in eastern Richmond County and northern Scotland County, North Carolina, south of the town of Southern Pines. The facility is in close proximity to and is a sub-installation of Fort Bragg Camp Mackall is an active U.S. Army training...
, NC, and Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, GA, and in December 1943 took part in the Knollwood Maneuver. After final examination at Camp Polk
Camp Polk
Camp Polk may refer to*Camp Polk , a former military installation in the U.S. state of Oregon*Fort Polk, a United States Army post located near Leesville, Louisiana...
, LA, it proceeded to Camp Stoneman
Camp Stoneman
Camp Stoneman was a United States Army military facility located in Pittsburg, California. It served as a major staging area for the Army in World War II and the Korean War....
, CA, and in May 1944 embarked for the Pacific on the troop transport SS Sea Pike. It trained at Oro-Dobodura in New Guinea until November 1945, when it was sent to the Philippines to join the Battle of Leyte
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
.
Its mission on Leyte was to take and hold the passes through the mountains in the center of the island, and engage and reduce the Japanese forces in the area, ultimately in support of the battle of Ormoc simultaneously ongoing. The 511th performed this mission during harsh monsoonal weather in the steep, heavily forested terrain, emerging shortly after Christmas of 1944 onto the Ormoc plain.
After rest and resupply the regiment was sent to the island of Mindoro where the 11th Airborne was preparing for its part in the Battle of Luzon
Battle of Luzon
The Battle of Luzon was a land battle fought as part of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony The Philippines, and Mexico against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U.S. and Filipino victory...
. On 3 February 1945 the 511th on board 48 C-47 aircraft performed a combat jump on Tagaytay Ridge. Due to the shortage of planes, the regiment and its associated elements jumped in 3 echelons. Despite some misdrops, the 511th assembled successfully at its drop zone at the Manila Hotel Annex on Tagaytay Ridge and proceeded in battalions north towards Manila, encountering occasional Japanese resistance in the towns of Imus and Las Piñas before engaging the Japanese at the Parañaque River just south of Manila.
During the Battle of Manila
Battle of Manila
- Land battles :* Battle of Manila - Spanish forces and their various allies drove out the ruling Muslim elite and founded the capital city of the Philippines* Battle of Manila - A British victory in the Seven Years' War* Battle of Manila - U.S...
, the 511th fought through the Japanese Genko Line from 5–12 February, penetrating as far into Manila as the Dewey-Libertad area, before turning east to attack and recapture Fort McKinley
Fort McKinley
Several places have been named Fort McKinley* Fort William McKinley * Fort McKinley, Maine* Fort McKinley, Ohio--------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
(Fort Bonifacio, now Bonifacio Global City). On 23 February its 1st Battalion took part in the Raid at Los Baños
Raid at Los Baños
The raid at Los Baños in the Philippines, early Friday morning on 23 February 1945, was executed by a combined U.S. Army Airborne and Filipino guerrilla task force, resulting in the liberation of 2,147 Allied civilian and military internees from an agricultural school campus turned Japanese...
, freeing over 2,000 foreign Allied civilians from a Japanese internment camp south of Manila, with its B Company performing a parachute jump on the camp itself.
The regiment proceeded to clear a transport corridor from Manila to the towns of Lipa
Lipa
LIPA may stand for:*League for Independent Political Action, an American progressive political organization established in 1928*Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, a performing arts university in the English city of Liverpool that offers training in acting, dance, music, sound technology, arts...
and Batangas City
Batangas City
- Foreign Rule :The first Spanish missionaries arrived in Batangas City since 1572. Finally on 1581 Spanish authorities governing the Philippines created a pueblo in the area which included the hill where the present Provincial Capitol of Batangas stands after the formal end of the Coumintang...
, which has an important port, and took the crossroads town of Santo Tomas. With the rest of the 11th Airborne it also engaged Japanese forces throughout the provinces of Laguna, Batangas, and Tayabas (modern Quezon); the regiment's 1st and 2d battalions in Sixth Army reserve in the towns of Batangas and Bauan, its 3d battalion in active fighting. From April 27-29 it engaged and eliminated the remaining Japanese forces entrenched in underground complexes in the Mount Malepunyo (Malarayat) range east of Lipa.
On 23 June elements of the regiment took part in a combat jump on Aparri in northern Luzon, part of the effort to seal off the retreat of Japanese commander General Yamashita. The regiment remained in the Lipa-Batangas area, training for the planned invasion of Japan, until the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After the surrender of Japan, the 511th went to Tokyo and then to northern Honshū to perform occupation duty.
Other sources
- Flanagan, Lt. Gen. E. M., Jr. The Angels: A history of the 11th Airborne Division. 1989 Presidio Press.