The Epic Journey of the 517 Parachute Regimental Combat Team

The origins of the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team (PRCT) trace back to the birth of the 17th Airborne Division on March 15, 1943. This division’s parachute forces included the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the 460th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, and Company C of the 139th Airborne Engineer Battalion. While the 517th trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, their artillery and engineer counterparts honed their skills at Camp Mackall, North Carolina.

For months, volunteers eager for parachute duty streamed into Camp Toccoa from induction centers across the nation. The 517th took on the demanding role of screening these men, sorting those qualified into infantry, artillery, or engineer roles. To assist, officers from the 460th and C/139 temporarily joined the 517th’s efforts, sending their assigned men on to Camp Mackall for further training.

As units filled out, recruits began basic training at their home stations before traveling to Fort Benning, Georgia, for parachute qualification. Once jump training was complete, all units—including the 517th—would regroup at Camp Mackall.

Screening one to two hundred candidates a day was a daunting task for the young 517th, which began with just nine officers under the command of Lt. Col. Louis A. Walsh, Jr. Within days, Major William J. Boyle’s cadre arrived, swelling the regiment’s ranks to around 250 men.

Trains pulled into Toccoa daily, delivering groups of 50 to 150 volunteers. Each was greeted on arrival by Lieutenant John Alicki, whose tough demeanor and blunt speeches served as a test of resolve, weeding out the faint-hearted. Candidates faced a towering 34-foot parachute mock tower and, if they passed, underwent a medical exam and an interview to assess their motivation for joining airborne forces. Some candid responses emerged: a few had been encouraged by doctors to conquer their fear of heights through parachuting, while others sought a fresh start, hoping their criminal pasts would be wiped clean.

Those who didn’t make the cut were sent to the “Out” platoon, while the rest moved on to their assigned units. As infantry recruits began basic training, artillery and engineers prepared at Camp Mackall.

The personality of a military unit often reflects its leadership, and the 517th was no exception. Lt. Col. Walsh, just 32 years old, was a bold and driven commander shaped by his experience observing combat in the brutal conditions of the Southwest Pacific. He set uncompromising standards, emphasizing rigorous physical conditioning and weapons proficiency. Every trooper had to qualify as an expert marksman with their own weapon, sharpshooter with a secondary, and marksman on crew-served weapons.

Initially, battalions were to be filled sequentially. By late spring, Major Boyle’s 1st Battalion was nearly full; Major Seitz’s 2nd Battalion followed shortly thereafter. However, when it came to the 3rd Battalion, the flow of volunteers suddenly halted. It was decided to fill this unit exclusively with parachute school graduates who had already completed basic training.

That summer, the 517th advanced to Fort Benning for jump school, where they made history: the regiment graduated with zero washouts—a record that still stands. General Ridgely, the school commandant, praised their discipline and effectiveness, a testament to Walsh’s rigorous training methods. Notably, the 517th troopers were the first to don steel helmets during jump training, replacing the old, modified football helmets.

After Airborne School and the move to Camp Mackall

After jump school, the 1st and 2nd Battalions moved on to Camp Mackall, while the 3rd stayed behind at Benning to complete its ranks.

Camp Mackall, while larger than Toccoa, retained the same austere conditions. Troopers lived in unheated, one-story “hutments,” warmed only by coal stoves. Yet, the regiment’s spirit shone through as it fielded football and boxing teams that won division championships.

An inspection team from Army Ground Forces soon arrived to test the regiment’s physical fitness. Soldiers endured rigorous tests of strength and endurance, while platoons and companies marched and ran with and without gear. When results were tallied, the 517th dominated—taking first, second, and third place in every event, scoring higher than any unit before or since.

Throughout the fall, the regiment conducted tactical exercises at all levels, often concluding training phases with parachute jumps. Despite occasional weather delays, the men averaged a jump each month.

In February 1944, the 517th moved to Tennessee for the “Tennessee Maneuvers,” a large-scale, year-round rehearsal for combat readiness. Conditions were harsh—mud, cold, and exhaustion—but in March, as they toiled through the muck, news came: the parachute elements of the 17th Airborne were being sent overseas as the 517th Regimental Combat Team.

Back at Camp Mackall, preparations for deployment intensified. But amid the frenzy, the regiment was rocked by an unexpected change. Colonel Walsh was relieved of command, much to the surprise and dismay of the troopers. His successor, Lt. Col. Rupert D. Graves, a West Point graduate and seasoned airborne leader, stepped in to carry the torch.

In May, the 517th staged at Camp Patrick Henry near Newport News, Virginia. On May 17th, the troopers boarded ships bound for Italy—the former Grace liner Santa Rosa carried the infantry, while the artillery and engineers sailed aboard the Cristobal.

Italy and the Fight for Rome

Under cover of night, the ships slipped through the Straits of Gibraltar, their destination revealed as Italy when they docked in Naples on May 31st. The troopers moved by rail to Bagnoli, a suburb of Naples. Orders came swiftly for the 517th to join the attack toward Rome, but with vital heavy weapons still in transit, the mission was postponed.

By mid-June, fully equipped and mounted on LSTs, the regiment embarked for the Anzio area. Yet en route, orders changed again, diverting them to the battered port of Civittavecchia. There, they disembarked and marched inland, attaching to Major General Fred L. Walker’s 36th Infantry Division under IV Corps of the Fifth Army.

On June 18th, the 517th plunged into combat near Grosseto. Mechanized cavalry reported the area clear, but the 1st Battalion quickly encountered fierce machine gun fire entrenched in farm buildings nestled in the Moscona Hills. The troopers took cover and returned fire, calling in artillery support and flanking maneuvers until the enemy withdrew.

Though the regiment suffered around 50 casualties on that first day, they dealt out far heavier losses to the Germans. Over the next week, relentless pressure forced the enemy into retreat as the 517th advanced steadily, artillery firing around the clock and engineers clearing mines and scouting roads.

By June 24th, the regiment entered the outskirts of Follonica under intense enemy shelling. Over the following days, they seized key terrain, including Monte Peloso, after heavy fighting against elements of the feared 29th SS Panzer Grenadier Division. Despite sustained artillery barrages and enemy counterattacks, the 517th held firm.

Yet the regiment was soon placed in reserve, its combat proving invaluable as it readied for new orders.

Preparing for Operation Dragoon

The 517th had been sent to Italy to meet a request for airborne troops for “ANVIL,” the upcoming invasion of southern France, later renamed “DRAGOON.” As other units pulled back and naval and air forces gathered, the 517th transitioned to the First Airborne Task Force in the Rome area.

Facing an enemy presence of roughly 30,000 troops in the assault zone, planners knew a division-sized airborne force was necessary. Lacking one in the Mediterranean, they assembled a makeshift force from the 517th, the 509th and 551st Parachute Battalions, and the 550th Airborne Battalion. By early August, the task force was nearly complete, with hundreds of troop carrier aircraft en route from England.

On August 15th, 1944, the invasion began at 0800. The 517th boarded 180 C-47 aircraft in four waves, each plane laden with equipment bundles and soldiers ready for the perilous jump into enemy-held territory.

Although many pathfinder teams missed their drop zones, the troopers sprang into action, disrupting German lines, attacking convoys, and cutting communications. The towns of Le Muy, Les Arcs, La Motte, and Draguignan became etched in history as fierce battles raged.

The regiment fought with unyielding tenacity, their aggressive tactics sowing confusion and chaos among German forces. Despite scattered landings, within 48 hours, all assigned objectives were achieved, allowing Allied forces to press their beachhead and advance inland.

The Campaign in Southern France

Following the initial success, the 517th protected the Allied eastern flank along a narrow coastal strip, pushing through towns like Fayence, Callian, and Saint Cezaire. Company I earned special commendation for breaking through heavy fire in mountainous terrain, while other units captured strategic positions amid fierce resistance.

The regiment battled entrenched German fortifications stretching from the Maritime Alps to the sea, gaining ground at Col de Braus and beyond. The capture of Ventebren and Tete de Lavina marked significant milestones.

Despite constant artillery fire, the 517th endured, digging in along a stretched 15-mile front, employing mines and booby traps to compensate for thin troop numbers. After 51 grueling days, the siege of Sospel ended with the enemy retreating, marking the close of the regiment’s southern France campaign.

The Battle of the Bulge and Ardennes

By December 1944, the 517th was repositioned in Soissons, France, under General Matthew Ridgway’s XVIII Airborne Corps, joining legendary units like the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.

When the Germans launched their surprise offensive in the Ardennes on December 15-16, the 517th was quickly thrown into the fray. Moving rapidly to key sectors near Soy and Hotton, the regiment faced fierce armored assaults and brutal combat conditions. Their determined counterattacks earned the 1st Battalion a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation despite heavy casualties.

Over the following weeks, the 517th operated alongside armored and infantry units, recapturing lost ground in villages like Manhay and Saint Vith, pushing back the German offensive with relentless assaults.

The Schmidt Minefield and Final Push into Germany

February 1945 brought one of the regiment’s most harrowing challenges: breaching the heavily mined Schmidt-Nideggen Ridge. The 596th Engineer Company bravely cleared paths through one of the war’s most extensive minefields under enemy fire, allowing infantry to press forward.

Attached to the 82nd Airborne, the 517th continued its advance, facing relentless machine gun fire and artillery barrages. Though reduced to company strength, the troopers held firm until relieved by fresh units.

Legacy and Honors

The 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team fought over 150 days across five campaigns in Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany. Their courage came at a staggering cost: 1,576 casualties and 247 killed in action, with some battalion units suffering casualty rates above 80 percent.

Among their heroes was PFC Melvin E. Biddle, awarded the Medal of Honor for valor during the Soy-Hotton engagement. The regiment’s troopers earned a litany of decorations: 131 Silver Stars, 631 Bronze Stars, 1,576 Purple Hearts, six Distinguished Service Crosses, five Legion of Merits, and 17 French Croix de Guerres, among others.

In February 1945, elements of the 517th were assigned to the 13th Airborne Division, which was deactivated the following year.

Through determination, grit, and sacrifice, the 517th PRCT cemented its place among the most formidable airborne units of World War II—paratroopers who lived by their motto: to fight, to survive, and to triumph against all odds.