from "the Army Times "
A heroic history
The 101st Airborne Division was formed in August 1942, during World War II, as the Army’s second airborne division, following the formation of the 82nd Airborne Division by just five months. But the Screaming Eagles rapidly carved out their own spot in history — it was clear to Maj. Gen. William C. Lee, first commander of the 101st, that the division had a “rendezvous with destiny.” Those words proved prophetic and have been the motto of the 101st ever since. Soldiers from the 101st parachuted behind enemy lines as part of the June 1944 D-Day assault into Normandy. Three months later, the 101st again joined other American and Allied paratroopers, this time for an airborne assault on Holland during Operation Market-Garden. But the division’s real claim to fame came in December 1944 when it defended the small Belgian town of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Completely surrounded, the 101st fought off attack after attack from as many as five German divisions — all under bitter cold conditions and lacking winter clothing. The division held Bastogne for more than a week until U.S. ground forces broke through the German lines the day after Christmas. During the Korean War, the 187th Regimental Combat Team, now the 187th Infantry Regiment of the 101st, participated in two combat jumps. The entire division did not go into combat until the Vietnam War, a transitional period in the role of the 101st. The airborne division did not jump during its entire seven years of combat in Vietnam, but instead gained much experience in helicopter warfare. Two years after it returned home in 1972, the 101st was redesigned as an air-assault division. Throughout the Cold War, the 101st trained to reinforce U.S. units in Germany in case of Soviet attack. The years of crafting its air-assault tactics would pay off in combat against Iraqi forces in Operation Desert Storm. The division air-assaulted into Forward Operating Base Cobra — more than 100 miles into Iraq. The operation took the Iraqis completely by surprise. Most were captured. After a quick refuel, the division flew another 60 miles to attack Highway 8, cutting that major enemy supply line. In March 2002, soldiers from the 187th air-assaulted into the Shah-e-Kot valley of Afghanistan and fought al-Qaida forces in Operation Anaconda. It was the largest land battle of Operation Enduring Freedom.
101st AIRBORNE DIVISION (AIR ASSAULT)
20,000 soldiers•
AH-64 Apache helicopters: 70•
UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters: 100•
OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters: 20•
CH-47 Chinook helicopters: 40•
M-119 105 mm howitzers: 50•
Avenger air defense systems: 40•
TOW missile systems: 150•
Javelin missile systems: 50•
60 mm mortars: 50•
81 mm mortars: 36•
Combat Units
1st Brigade
1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment
2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment
3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment
2nd Brigade
1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment
2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment
3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment
3rd Brigade
1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment
2nd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment
3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment
Division Artillery
1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery
2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery
3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery
C Battery, 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery
2nd Field Artillery Detachment
101st Aviation Brigade
2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment
1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
2nd Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
3rd Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
159th Aviation Brigade
4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
9th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
101st Corps Support Group
101st Service and Support Battalion
106th Transportation Battalion
129th Corps Support Battalion
561st Corps Support Battalion
Division Support Command
8th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
101st Division Band
Separate Units
2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery
86th Combat Support Hospital
311th Military Intelligence Battalion
326th Engineer Battalion
887th Light Equipment Company
501st Signal Battalion
•In the interest of operational security, numbers are approximate
Source: 101st Airborne Division
