542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (United States)

542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment
Active	1 September 1943 – 1 July 1945
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Airborne
Role	Airborne
Size	Under 150
Garrison/HQ	Fort Benning, Camp Mackall, North Carolina
Disbanded	yes
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lt. Colonel William T. Ryder

The 542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment was a regiment of the US Army during the World War II. Originally formed as a fully fledged regiment, the unit was later downsized to a Battalion and kept in Reserve in the United States until mid-1945 when it was deactivated.

The 542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment came into existence on 1 September 1943 under the command of William T. Ryder, then a Lt. Colonel fresh from a tour of combat with the 82nd Airborne Division.

The unit was formed in a Regimental Tent Encampment north of the Chattahoochee River in Alabama with a cadre of 15 officers and 50 enlisted men, whose job it was to ensure a smooth organization and activation of the new regiment.

As a special incentive to the men and officers of the 542nd the Airborne Command said that if the men of the regiment did well in their Basic and Unit Training they would be deployed overseas early for their Combined Training. From the start it seemed as though the regiment was headed for great things, the rumour was that the unit was to be utilized in a special mission into the industrial part of Central Germany.

Men and officers alike began training in earnest, hoping for an early overseas movement. Spirit and zest abounded as the men took to their individual and group training, which included training in night movement and hand-to-hand combat, two of the cornerstones of paratroop training. The latter often spilled over into the local bars of Columbus, Georgia, when troops of the armoured forces met troops of the airborne forces and both were adamant that they were the superior fighting force.

Training was proceeding well when, in December 1943, Lt. Colonel Ryder was ordered by Airborne Command to provide 100 trained replacements for duty in the Pacific Theatre. Colonel Ryder complied and accompanied the men by train to their Port of Embarkation. Upon his return, however, all dreams of an early overseas deployment were dashed. Orders had come down ordering the regiment to provide 1000 more replacements to the European Theatre, in anticipation of D-Day, then only months away.

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Wikipedia