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| size = [[Regiment]]
| command_structure =
| garrison = [[Fort
| nickname = 1st Battalion= "''Red Devils''"<br>2nd Battalion= "''White Devils''"<br>3rd Battalion= "''Blue Devils''"{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}
| patron =
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* [[Operation Inherent Resolve]]
| anniversaries =
| decorations = [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)#Army and Air Force|Presidential Unit Citation]] (
| battle_honours =
| notable_commanders = [[Reuben Henry Tucker III|Reuben Tucker]]<br>[[William Westmoreland]]<br>[[Hugh Shelton]]<br>[[John Abizaid]]<br>[[David Petraeus]]<br>[[John F. Campbell (general)|John Campbell]]<br>[[Patrick J. Donahue II|Patrick J. Donahue]]<br>Theodore Kleisner
| identification_symbol = [[File:504 PIRDUI.PNG|75px|center]]
| identification_symbol_label = [[Distinctive unit insignia]]
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The '''504th Infantry Regiment''', originally the '''504th Parachute Infantry Regiment''' (504th PIR), is an [[airborne forces]] [[regiment]] of the [[United States Army]], part of the [[82nd Airborne Division]], with a long and distinguished history. The regiment was first formed in mid-1942 during [[World War II]] as part of the 82nd Airborne Division and saw service in [[Allied invasion of Sicily|Sicily]], [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]], [[Battle of Anzio|Anzio]], the [[Operation Market Garden|Netherlands]], [[Battle of the Bulge|Belgium]] and [[Western Allied invasion of Germany|Germany]].
A parent regiment under the [[U.S. Army Regimental System|United States Army Regimental System]], two battalions from the regiment, 1st Battalion (1-504 PIR) and 2nd Battalion (2-504 PIR), are currently active, both assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
==World War II==
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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 [[United States Army North|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.<ref name="bragg"/>
[[File:504th parachute infantry regiment WWII italy.jpg|thumb|left|Men of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment prepare to fire an [[M1 Mortar|
The days that followed were, in the words of [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]] [[Mark W. Clark]], commander of the Fifth Army, "responsible for saving the Salerno beachhead." As the 504th (minus the 3rd Battalion) took the high ground at [[Altavilla Silentina|Altavilla]], the enemy counterattacked, inflicting heavy casualties on the regiment, and the divisional commander, Major General Ridgway, along with Major General [[Fred L. Walker]], commander of the [[36th Infantry Division (United States)|36th Infantry Division]], 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. Just send me my other battalion." The 3rd Battalion, then being held in reserve, rejoined the rest of the 504th and, supported by a huge 350-round barrage from the Navy, repulsed the enemy, forcing the Germans to retreat from Salerno. Colonel Tucker and two of his men were awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]] for their actions at Altavilla.<ref name="bragg"/>
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Finally, the 504th, severely understrength, was pulled back to Naples on 4 January 1944 as rumors of another airborne mission spread. The operation was to be called [[Battle of Anzio|Operation "Shingle"]], and it involved an airborne assault into a sector behind the coastal town of Anzio, 35 miles south of Rome. It seemed, however, that even the locals in Naples knew of the operation, so the 504th was glad that the beach would be assaulted from troop-carrying landing craft.<ref name="bragg"/>
The landing on Red Beach went smoothly—at least until enemy planes started their strafing runs on the landing craft. The unit disembarked under fire and was sent shortly thereafter to patrol in force along the Mussolini Canal. After several days of intense German artillery fire, the enemy launched his main drive to push the Allies back into the sea. The 3rd Battalion was committed with elements of the [[
[[Image:Cassino+Anzio1943JanFeb.jpg|thumb|right|Force dispositions at Anzio and Cassino January/February 1944.]]
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On 23 March 1944, the 504th was pulled out of the beachhead by landing craft and returned to [[Naples]]. The campaign in Italy for the 504th had been costly, but enemy losses exceeded those of the regiment by over tenfold, and the Allies maintained control of the beachhead. Shortly thereafter, the 504th boarded the [[RMMV Cape Town Castle|''Cape Town Castle'']] and steamed to [[England]], arriving there on 22 April.<ref name="bragg"/>
[[File:Lt. General Mark W. Clark pins a battle streamer on the guidon of Co. G, 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment which is held by Pvt. Harold T. Williams, 611-E 10th St., Long Beach, Cal. 8 April, 1944. (49734107586).jpg|thumb|Lt. General [[Mark W. Clark]] pins a battle streamer on the guidon of Co. G, 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment which is held by Pvt. Harold T. Williams, [[Long Beach, California]], April 8, 1944.]]
The near-continuous fighting in Italy had cost the 504th dearly; just over 1,100 casualties were sustained.<ref name="bragg"/> Just under 600 of these, or 25 percent, were suffered during the fighting at Anzio alone and two of three battalion commanders had become casualties.
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For the next two days, the regiment held its ground and conducted aggressive combat and reconnaissance patrols until the 2nd Battalion of the [[Irish Guards]], part of the [[5th Guards Armoured Brigade]] of the [[Guards Armoured Division]], made the ground link-up, spearheading the advance of the [[XXX Corps (United Kingdom)|British 30th Corps]], commanded by Lieutenant General [[Brian Horrocks|Sir Brian G. Horrocks]], of the British Second Army. However, the [[Nijmegen]] road and rail bridges, which were the last remaining link to the [[1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom)|British 1st Airborne Division]] [[Battle of Arnhem|fighting in Arnhem]], remained in enemy hands, and the far bank was heavily defended by the Germans. An assault crossing of the river was necessary, but it was a seemingly impossible task. Gavin intended to make a pre-dawn crossing<ref name="Nordyke2010">{{cite book|last=Nordyke|first=Phil|title=All American, All the Way: A Combat History of the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II: From Market Garden to Berlin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J6PfWPBcEVgC|year=2010|publisher=Zenith Imprint|isbn=978-0-7603-3823-0}}</ref>{{rp|103}} after consulting with British Lieutenant General Horrocks and Lieutenant General [[Frederick Browning|Sir Frederick A. M. Browning]], commander of the [[I Airborne Corps (United Kingdom)|British 1st Airborne Corps]] (of which the 82nd formed a part), in the presence of senior officers of the Guards Armoured and 82nd Airborne Divisions, and Colonel Reuben Tucker of the 504th,<ref name="Nordyke2006">{{cite book|author=Nordyke, Phil|title=The All Americans in World War II: A Photographic History of the 82nd Airborne Division at War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zcv5coasGb4C&pg=PA193|year=2006|publisher=Zenith Imprint|isbn=978-1-61060-102-3|page=122}}</ref> and during the night he drew up a plan, and alerted the troops at 06:00 in the expectation of the boats to be provided by the British XXX Corps.
However, the crossing did not commence until 15:00 after the guns of the [[376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion]] and [[153rd (Leicestershire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery]], and two troops of the Grenadier Guards Sherman tanks opened fire on the northern (Lent) bank. The British provided 26 canvas boats, each {{convert|19|ft}} long, that the 504th used to cross the {{convert|400|yd}}-wide river. The 3rd Battalion's H and I companies, and some engineers from the 307th Airborne Engineers crossed in the first wave, 15 men to a boat, and they were immediately on leaving the far shore the target of German [[88 mm gun|
The 1st Battalion formed the second wave, and they established a firm bridgehead from which the units carried the battle to the enemy defending the old Fort Belvedere<ref name="ReferenceA">''Time Magazine'', World Battlefronts: The Battle of Desperation, 2 October 1944 (US Edition)</ref> and captured the bridge from the north side. Lieutenant General Dempsey, commander of the British Second Army, after witnessing the crossing, characterized the attack with a single word as he shook his head and said, simply, "Unbelievable."<ref name="bragg"/> Six crossings were made by 1900. It was there that Dempsey, upon meeting Brigadier General Gavin, shook him by the hand and said "I am proud to meet the commander of the greatest division in the world today."<ref>p.199, Stewart, Vance, ''Three against one: Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin vs Adolph Hitler'', Sunstone Press, 2002</ref> Because only 11 boats returned from the first crossing, eight from the second and five from the third,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> A Company that followed used locally sourced wooden fishing boats.<ref>Jim Broadhead interview of his father, PFC Daren Broadhead, in early 2004. Daren served in the 2nd Platoon, A Company</ref>
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[[File:504th parachute infantry regiment WWII germany.jpg|thumb|right|Men of the 504th PIR move through Aachen, Germany, the first large German city to be taken by the Allies.]]
The next morning the 504th paratroopers started for Bastogne, not in airplanes, but in large trucks. Along the way, their destination was changed to [[Werbomont]]—a point more seriously threatened. The Devils conducted a night movement on foot for eight miles to take up defensive positions. On 19 December Colonel Tucker was ordered to Rahier and Cheneux to link up with the 505th PIR at Trois Ponts. The 1st Battalion was ordered to take the towns Brume, Rhier, and Cheneux. At 14:00 on 20 December 1944, 1st Battalion (less A Company) moved out toward Cheneux, where it was immediately engaged by a battalion of the SS-[[Obersturmbannführer]] [[Joachim Peiper]]'s [[Kampfgruppe]] Peiper of the [[I SS Panzer Corps]]. Crossing an open 400-yard field laced every fifteen yards with barbed wire, the 1st Battalion faced the heaviest enemy fire the 504th had ever encountered, including heavy machine-guns, a
[[File:SS trooper captured.jpg|thumb|left|While digging in near Bra, soldiers of Company H of the 3rd Battalion, 504th, met [[Waffen-SS|SS troopers]] on reconnaissance. Several Germans were killed and one captured. 25 December 1944.]]
The 504th deployed a captured German halftrack armed with a
Throughout the initial days of battle with experienced German troops, the regiment wore down the enemy and discovered the Germans had only poorly organized and inadequately equipped follow-on forces. Soon thereafter, the paratroopers received the orders they had been expecting—to attack the [[Siegfried Line]]. The regiment was positioned on the right flank of the [[First United States Army|U.S. First Army]], and on 28 January 1945 the 504th advanced through the Belgian forest of [[Büllingen]] in columns of two along a deep snowy trail, meeting only spotty resistance along the way.<ref name="cheneux"/>
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The war officially ended in Europe on 8 May 1945. The 504th returned briefly to [[Nancy, France]] until the 82nd Airborne Division, the [[11th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|British 11th Armoured Division]] and the [[5th Cossack Division]] were called upon to serve as the occupation forces in Berlin. Here the 82nd Airborne Division earned the name, "America's Guard of Honor," as a fitting end to hostilities in which the 504th had chased the [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|German Army]] some {{convert|14000|mi}} across the European Theater.<ref name="bragg"/>
Following their occupation duty with the 82nd Airborne Division in Berlin, the Devils reported to [[Fort
==Post World War II service==
===Occupation and garrison===
Following their occupation duty with the 82nd Airborne Division in Berlin, the Devils reported to [[Fort
The 1st ABG, 504th Infantry remained assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division until 11 December 1958 when it rotated to Germany (along with 1-505th) to become part of the Airborne component of the newly reactivated [[8th Infantry Division (United States)|8th Infantry Division (Mechanized)]]. Both 1-504th and 1-505th were replaced in the 82nd by 1-187th and 1-503rd, which rotated from the 24th Infantry Division in Germany to the 82nd. The colors of both remained with the 8th until the end of the Pentomic era, at which time (1 April 1963) they were reorganized and reflagged as 1st and 2nd battalions (Airborne), [[509th Infantry Regiment (United States)|509th Infantry]], elements of the division's 1st Brigade (Airborne). The colors of 1-504th returned to the 82nd, and on 25 May 1963 they were reorganized and redesignated as 1st Battalion (Airborne), 504th Infantry, an element of the 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division.
The 2nd ABG, 504th Infantry remained with the 11th Airborne Division in Germany only until 1 July 1958, when its colors were inactivated, and the unit was reflagged as a non-Airborne battle group and the division was reflagged as the [[24th Infantry Division (United States)|24th Infantry Division]]. The colors were relieved on 9 May 1960 from assignment to the inactive 11th Airborne Division and assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division and reactivated on 1 July 1960, and then reorganized and redesignated on 25 May 1964 as the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 504th Infantry, joined 1-504th as an element of the 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division.
===Dominican Republic, April 1965===
On 26 April 1965, the 82nd Airborne Division received orders to prepare to deploy forces to the [[Dominican Republic]]. Two days earlier, a revolution had erupted in the Caribbean nation which put the safety of almost 3,000 American citizens in jeopardy. The initial deployment of 82nd Airborne soldiers came on 30 April 1965, and the two battalions of the 504th followed on 3 May 1965, landing at [[San Isidro Air Base]] to perform both military and humanitarian missions in support of [[Operation Power Pack]]. The 504th conducted military operations to help establish and maintain control of [[Santo Domingo]] and to provide security along the [[All American Expressway]] that ran through the city.<ref name="bragg"/>
During these operations, the 504th was often subject to sniper fire and in repeated contact with enemy factions, as it contributed greatly to the establishment of security and to the distribution of food and medical supplies to those in need. Only five days after the arrival of the first U.S. forces, approximately 2,700 American citizens and 1,400 civilians from other nations were evacuated without injury. However, it became apparent that to restore stability to the Dominican Republic would require a continued U.S. presence, so the 504th remained as part of the [[Inter-American Peace Force]] for over a year, not returning to Fort
U.S. troops were opposed by forces loyal to Juan Bosch, the Cuban/Soviet puppet president who was committed to spreading the totalitarian communist revolution to other island nations.<ref name="bragg"/>
===Operation Golden Pheasant, Honduras 1988===
In March 1988, 1st and 2nd battalions, the 504th joined soldiers from the [[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th Infantry Division (Light)]] at [[Fort Ord, California]] in a deployment to Honduras as part of [[Operation Golden Pheasant]] - The 7th ID was the first unit on the ground and went directly to protect the local population from attack by Cuban armed communist guerrillas - a deployment ordered by President Reagan in response to actions by the Cuban and Soviet-supported [[Nicaragua]]n [[Sandinistas]] that threatened the stability of Honduras' democratic government. On 17 March 1988, 1st Battalion, 504th landed at [[Palmerola]], a Honduran Air Force Base (now known as Soto Cano Air Base) that is the headquarters for the U.S. military presence in Honduras. 2nd Battalion jumped onto La Paz Drop Zone a day later, and the troopers of the 504th began rigorous training exercises with orders to avoid the fighting on the border. Had those orders changed, the Devils were prepared to fight, but the invading Sandinista troops had already begun to withdraw. In only a few days, the Sandinistan government negotiated a truce with Contra leaders, and by the end of March the paratroopers of the 504th had returned to Fort
===Parachutes in Panama, 1989===
On 20 December 1989, the 504th was again sent into battle as part of [[Operation Just Cause]]. The intent of this operation was to protect U.S. civilians in [[Panama]], secure key facilities, neutralize both the [[Panamanian Defense Forces]] (PDF) and the "Dignity Battalions," and restore the elected government of Panama by ousting General [[Manuel Noriega]]. The 3-504 PIR had been prepositioned at [[Fort Sherman]] two weeks prior to the operation and was under the control of the [[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th Infantry Division]]. The battalion conducted air and sea assaults in northern and central Panama to seize the dam that controlled the water in the [[Panama
The 1-504 PIR and 2-504 PIR, along with the 4th Battalion, [[325th Infantry Regiment (United States)|325th Airborne Infantry Regiment]] (4-325 PIR) and the [[1st Ranger Battalion (United States)|1st Battalion]], [[United States Army Rangers|75th Ranger Regiment]] (1/75 RGR), conducted a parachute assault on the [[Omar Torrijos International Airport]]. Following the airborne assault, the paratroopers soon found themselves engaged in fierce combat in urban and rural areas. As a testament to the discipline of the soldiers, however, the unit achieved all key objectives while causing only minimal collateral damage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.empowermentproject.org/pages/panama.html|title=Panama Deception }}</ref>
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In July 2002, 1-504 PIR deployed to Afghanistan with the Task Force (TF) Panther (3rd Brigade, [[82nd Airborne Division]]) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Areas of operation included [[Kandahar]], [[Bagram Air Base]], FOB Shkin, FOB Salerno, FOB Asadabad, and others. In December 2002 to January 2003, TF Devil (1st Brigade, [[82nd Airborne Division]]), including both 2-504 PIR and 3-504 PIR replaced TF Panther. In January 2003, 2-504 PIR was operating from FOB Panther, [[Dora, Baghdad]], while the 3-504 PIR was operating from [[Kandahar Air Base]], Afghanistan in support of [[Operation Enduring Freedom]].
The 1-504 PIR deployed again with TF Panther in September 2003 to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Areas of Operation included FOB
In July 2005, 2-504 PIR was operating in Afghanistan close to the Pakistan border.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/2-504pir.htm|title=2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment "White Devils"|access-date=12 September 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090904211849/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/2-504pir.htm| archive-date= 4 September 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> In October 2005, 1st Battalion, 504 Parachute Infantry Regiment "Red Devils" deployed to Kurdistan in Northern Iraq in order to establish and run a maximum
In September 2005, 3-504 deployed to Iraq to assist in providing security for the upcoming elections. The Blue Devils operated throughout the Al Anbar Province along the Euphrates River, in or near the cities of Haqlaniyah, Ramadi and Al Qaim. After the elections were complete the battalion was attached to USASOC in what was the first ever pairing of a battalion sized infantry unit to a USASOC task force and the beginning of the "Torch Mission." The battalion conducted combat operations in and around Ramadi in support of task force objectives. The Blue Devils redeployed to Ft Bragg in late January 2006. Five paratroopers were killed in action during this deployment. In June 2006 the battalion was reflagged as the 1st of the [[508th Infantry Regiment (United States)|508th Parachute Infantry Regiment]] in the newly formed Fourth Brigade of the division.
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Roughly 2,500 of the 3,500-strong 1st Brigade Combat Team deployed to Afghanistan from March to September 2012 to spearhead the last major clearing operation of the war, fighting insurgent forces in southern Ghazni Province. The brigade conducted nearly 3,500 patrols, killed or captured 400 enemy combatants, found nearly 200 roadside bombs and weapons caches, and engaged the enemy over 170 times. Seven paratroopers were killed in action, including two with 1-504 PIR and two with 2-504 PIR.
In February 2014 1-504 and 2-504 again deployed to Afghanistan. Most of 1-504 were stationed in Bagram Air Base as the Theatre Reserve Force for all of RC East. While A-1-504
During the summer of 2017, 2-504 deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel. In September 2017, they were joined by 1-504 as part of an increase in U.S. troop levels.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://taskandpurpose.com/news/afghanistan-war-paratroopers-deployment | title=More Than 2,000 Paratroopers Deployed to Afghanistan on Short Notice | date=22 September 2017 }}</ref> Both battalions redeployed to Fort
On New Years Eve 2019, the Immediate Response Force was activated in response to the global unrest with Iran. The 2-504 "White Devils" were alerted, marshaled and deployed within 18 hours upholding the 82nd Airborne's lasting motto. Eventually all of the Devil Brigade was alerted and deployed to the CENTCOM AOR to include portions of Kuwait and Iraq. The 2-504 was redeployed back to the United States after a month, meanwhile the 1-504 was once again alerted to push into Iraq after militants fired upon coalition base Camp Taji. Eventually the entire Devil Brigade would be redeployed back to Ft Bragg in May to June 2020.
On August 12, 2021, the Devil Brigade was activated once more as the Immediate Response Force to mobilize in support of Operation Allies Refuge, a noncombatant evacuation operation supporting the safe evacuation of vulnerable Afghan civilians, U.S. embassy employees, and prospective Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants, out of Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan.
==Regimental Lineage==
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===Former Battalions===
====Third Battalion====
<gallery class="center" >
File:Former US Army 504th Infantry Regiment-3rd Battalion Beret Flash.svg|3/504th PIR Beret Flash
</gallery>
*Reorganized and redesignated 15 December 1947 as Company C, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
*Allotted 15 November 1948 to the Regular Army.
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* Presidential Unit Citation for Operation Market Garden at Nijmegen, Netherlands
* Presidential Unit Citation for Cheneux, Belgium
* Presidential Unit Citation for HKIA Evacuation
* [[Military Order of William]] for Nijmegen 1944
* Netherlands [[Orange Lanyard]]
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*COL Mark R. Stammer, 2008 - 2010
*COL Mark Stock, 2010 - 2012
*COL Trevor Bredenkamp, 2012 -
*COL Andrew Saslav, -2019-2021
*COL Theodore W. Kleisner II,
*COL Jason P. Schuerger, 2023-Present
==Notable former members==
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*[[Jack Reed (Rhode Island politician)|Jack Reed]], U.S. Senator from Rhode Island
*[[James Megellas]], World War II
* Kevin Engler, 1-504 1SG, CSM of 2-506 IN BN White Currahee
==References==
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==Further reading==
* Frank van Lunteren, ''Birth of a Regiment: The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Sicily and Salerno.'', Permuted Press, LLC, 2022.
* Frank van Lunteren, ''The Battle of the Bridges: The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Operation Market Garden'', Casemate Publishing, 2014.
* Frank van Lunteren, ''Blocking Kampfgruppe Peiper: The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the Battle of the Bulge,'' Casemate Publishing, 2015.
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