194th Glider Infantry Regiment (United States)

194th Glider Infantry Regiment
Active	1942–1945
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Glider infantry
Motto(s)	Aquilae Iuga Mortui
Engagements	World War II Battle of the Bulge Operation Varsity
Insignia
Distinguished Unit Insignia	194th GIR COA.png

World War II

The 194th Glider Infantry Regiment was a Glider infantry regiment of the United States Army that served in World War II. It was a part of the 17th Airborne Division, and saw active combat service until it deactivation in 1945.

The 194th Glider Infantry was constituted on 16 December 1942 as part of the Army of the United States, and was activated on 15 April 1943 at Camp Mackall, North Carolina under the command of COL James R. Pierce. The regiment was assigned to the 17th Airborne Division and began training for combat in the European Theater of Operations. They were stationed at the Tennessee Maneuver Area on 7 February 1944, and later sent to Camp Forrest, Tennessee on 24 March. Their tenure there was brief, and the regiment was sent to Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts on 14 August. The 194th departed at Boston on 20 August 1944 and arrived in England on 28 August. The regiment began staging with the rest of the 17th Airborne Division at Camp Chisledon, and trained for airborne, tactical, and night missions. When Operation Market Garden initiated, the 17th Airborne Division had not yet completed its training, and was used as a strategic reserve.

On 16 December 1944, the Wehrmacht launched a surprise attack on Allied positions, beginning the infamous Battle of the Bulge. The 17th Airborne Division was rushed to the front to assist the embattled defenders of Bastogne, and the men of the 194th Glider Infantry marched through the snow to relieve elements of the 28th Infantry Division, and set up Headquarters and defensive positions near the Belgian town of Morhet on 3 January 1945. The glider troops would soon experience their baptism by fire. General Patton ordered the division to capture Flamierge, and the 194th composed the right flank of the advance, with the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment to their left. Under heavy mortar fire, the regiment attacked and captured their objectives despite the loss of considerable casualties. The 194th remained active on the line until they were relieved, and pulled back to camp at Chalons-sur-Marne in France on 11 February 1945. Here they began preparing for Operation Varsity, an airborne operation designed to help the surface river assault troops secure a foothold across the Rhine River in Western Germany by landing two airborne divisions on the eastern bank of the Rhine near the village of Hamminkeln and the town of Wesel. The British 6th Airborne Division would capture Hamminkeln, and the US 17th Airborne Division would capture Wesel. Prior to the operation, on 1 March 1945, the remnants of the 193rd Glider Infantry Regiment and the 550th Airborne Infantry Battalion became the 194th GIR's 3rd Battalion.