What Army Unit?
What Army unit was Tom Rath in? They left Italy and went to the Pacific.
shareThe much coveted left shoulder patch (the "Gingerbread Man") indicates that he was in the 509th PIB-Parachute Infantry Battalion. They were in the 5th Army, who was under the command and control of II Corps. The blue "II" sign that appears at the HQ represents his unit. I don't know how accurate the part of them leaving for the Pacific is.
shareAlthough I don't know of any Airborne units that served in both Europe and the Pacific, the 509th PIB (Parachute Infantry Battalion) was originally known as the 2nd Battalion, 503rd PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment). The 2nd Battalion was separated from the rest of the 503rd PIR and sent to Europe & North Africa, where they were renamed the 509th PIB. The rest of the 503rd PIR was sent to the Pacific, and a new 2nd Battalion was added to replace the one that went to Europe.
See:
http://www.ww2-airborne.us/18corps/other_overview.html#509
http://www.ww2-airborne.us/18corps/503_overview.html
Thanks.
When I first saw the film, I thought that the protagonist had been a rifle company commander in one of the independent parachute infantry battalions assigned to Frederick's First (Allied) Airborne Task Force for Operation Dragoon (the invasion of southern France in 1944).
Several unattached PIBs, I knew, had been among the many American odds-and-ends - non-divisional units like Frederick's own original First Special Service Force, "The Devil's Brigade," that had so distinguished itself at Anzio - which had washed up in the Mediterranean theater of the war by 1944.
Knowing of no such units that were transferred from the ETO to the Pacific theater of operations, I had at first assumed that the Captain was leaving his Italian mistress to participate in the airborne phase of Dragoon. I was very much confused, therefore, when the film showed his unit dropping into combat against the Japanese.
Was there a detachment of Special Naval Landing Force troops serving cooperatively with their Aryan allies somewhere along the Côte d'Azur or what? There's something more than just a sigma or two on the funny side of strange here....
Incidentally, the only one of my father's generation to see combat in the Airborne druing World War II was an uncle of mine who dropped on Corregidor's Topside with the 503rd PRCT in 1945. I hadn't known of the 509th PIB's derivation from the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment until I'd read your Post. Much appreciated.
Oh good! My dog found the chainsaw!
As previously posted -- the unit was the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion.
The "blue II" insignia mentioned was a Corps insignia -- II ("Two") Corps.
The real 509th PIB actually did fight in North Africa and Italy in WWII, but it didn't transfer to or engage in combat in the Pacific as in the film.