Entry found in the diary of a German officer killed at Anzio:
“American parachutists — devils in baggy pants — are less than 100 meters from my outpost line. I can’t sleep at night; they pop up from nowhere and we never know when or how they will strike next. Seems like the black-hearted devils are everywhere…”
As early as 1784, Benjamin Franklin foresaw the potential of parachutists in combat. Though the concept of soldiers descending upon the enemy from above would not become a reality for another one-hundred fifty years, the half century since the introduction of the paratrooper has seen soldiers of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, Japanese soldiers in the Pacific, communist infantry in Korea, Cuban “advisers” in Grenada, General Manuel Noriega in Panama and General Cedras in Haiti all fall prey to the “vertical envelopment” of the American paratrooper.
Today, no other military unit can respond more rapidly and effectively to conflict anywhere in the world than the 82nd Airborne Division. Known as “Americas Guard of Honor,” the 82nd is widely recognized as one of the most powerful forces in America’s military arsenal. The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) is one of the three infantry regiments of the 82nd and has served as such for more than fifty years.
The 504th PIR was activated on 1 May 1942 at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Later that same year, the United States War Department announced plans to form an Airborne Division. The 82nd Infantry Division, under the command of Major General Omar Bradley, was selected as the first American Division to wear the Airborne tab and include the term “Airborne” in its official unit designation. Subsequently, the 504th Parachute Infantry became the first Parachute Infantry Regiment in the newly designated 82nd Airborne Division. Relative to other units in the Army, however, the 504th is quite young. Nevertheless, few units are more highly decorated or have a prouder heritage than “The Devils in Baggy Pants” of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.