101st Airborne Division

101st Airborne Division aka "Screaming Eagles" was formed during World War II as part of effort to create airborne doctrine and capability for United States Army. 101st created strong reputation during the Normandy landings and at Battle of Bulge where it held surrounded city of Bastogne against repeated German assaults. Long after the war the 101st Airborne would gain massive fame through many major book and movie productions such as "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers".

Background
In 1942, the 82nd Infantry Division at Camp Claiborne, LA was split in two, to form two new Airborne Infantry Divisions. The 82nd Airborne and the 101st Airborne. Both divisions were stationed at Ft Bragg, N.C. before being shipped overseas. 101st trained heavily in England during 1943-1944 in preparation of the massive Normandy landings.

In June, the Division landed in Normandy on, and behind the Utah Beach area. Paratroopers were dropped onto three landing zones, and relatively few troops of the 101st landed by glider. The rest of the division landed by sea. The three parachute regiments captured the four elevated roads leading inland from Utah Beach and secured various key terrain objectives behind the east coast of the Cotentin Peninsula. This was done with great success, and a new objective was added to their agenda: the taking of Carentan, France. This not only aided in linking the Utah and Omaha beachheads, it helped prevent the Germans from driving through to the coast in an area which would divide the Allied landings. One of the biggest pitched battles pitted part of the 501 PIR against 1st Bn of the German 6th Para Regiment on 7 June. This resulted in a great victory for Colonel Johnson's regiment. The 502's 3rd battalion won particular honors in it's costly battle to secure the road into Carentan from the north-this became known as 'Purple Heart Lane', due to the many American casualties taken there.

The 101st took Carentan and the 506th, reinforced by CCA, 2d Armored Division, defended it against counterattacks by the 17th SS division and the 6th Para Regiment. The 101st was withdrawn from the lines in late June and sailed back to England on LSTs in July. After several false alerts, they invaded by air again in the Netherlands on 17 September 17, 1944. Their mission in Holland was to hold open a corridor for British armor to drive north and relieve their paratroops who had landed at Arnhem.

Withdrawn from Holland at the end of November for recuperation, the 101st was sent to Camp Mourmelon le Grand, France. Less than 3 weeks later, the 101st was rushed north into Belgium in trucks, to counter the German Ardennes counteroffensive. Throwing a cordon around the key road and rail center of Bastogne, the 101st Division was surrounded for a week by elements of eight German divisions, but refused to yield the town to the enemy. Here, General Anthony McAuliffe, the acting commander rejected a German surrender ultimatum with a one word reply of "Nuts". The German ring around Bastogne was broken on 26 December, 1944, when elements of Patton's 3rd Army shot their way into the town. But even heavier fighting ensued, as the 101st pushed north toward Houffalize for the first half of January, to help close the Bulge. The 463rd Parachute Field Artillery (PFA) Bn. was attached to the 101st just before the Bulge and remained with the division for the duration of WW2. That unit had prior combat experience at Anzio, as well as in southern France, supporting the 1st Special Service Force. The 101st left Bastogne in trucks in mid January, 1945, and the weary Bastogne survivors were rushed to the 7th Army front in Alsace-Lorraine, to reinforce the line along the Moder River. A month later, the 101st boarded trains (40&8 boxcars) and returned to the Reims, France area, this time Mourmelon le Petit, where they received a Presidential Unit Citation for their defense of Bastogne. Near the end of the war elements of the 101st participated in the capture of Hitler's Obersalzberg complex, also known as "Eagle's Nest". 101st Airborne Division was deactivated in late 1945, and ceased to exist as a U.S. Army unit until it was reborn in 1956. It has continued ever since, with combat tours in Vietnam and the Gulf Wars.

Weapons
101st Airborne Division paratroopers carried numerous weapons to combat of which we carry the following:

M1911A1 .45ACP pistol
M1 Carbine
M1A1 Carbine
M1 Rifle (Garand)
M1918 BAR
M3A1 Grease Gun
Thompson M1A1
MkII "Pineapple" hand grenade

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