551st parachute infantry battalion

551ST PARACHUTE INFANTRY BATTALION
Raiders from the Sea
Raiders from the Sea
By John Lodwick
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By Steve Stone
551ST PARACHUTE INFANTRY BATTALION
26th November 1942 - 27th January 1945

The 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion (551st PIB) was, for many years, a little-recognized airborne forces unit of the United States Army, raised during World War II, that fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Originally commissioned to take the French Caribbean island of Martinique, they were shipped instead to Western Europe. With an initial strength of 800 officers and enlisted men, the remaining 250 members of the Battalion were ordered on 7 January 1945 to attack the Belgian village of Rochelinval over open ground and without artillery support. During the successful assault the unit lost more than half its remaining men. The Battalion was inactivated on 27 January 1945 and the remaining 110 survivors were absorbed into the 82nd Airborne Division. Virtually nothing of the unit's history was known to the American public until the 1990s when renewed interest prompted its veterans to seek recognition for their costly success at Rochelinval. The battalion was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation in 2001 recognizing its accomplishment.

Killed in action : 66
Distinguished Service Cross : 2
Silver Star : 1
Bronze Star : 1
Recent contents

  1. US PARAS Bejma, Frank Joseph

    SURNAME Bejma FORENAME Frank Joseph UNIT 551 Parachute Infantry Bn (HQ) RANK Private First Class NUMBER 36250841 DATE OF DEATH 8th January 1945 AGE 23 GRAVESITE Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium Plot D Row 12 Grave 43 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION from Milwaukee County...

  2. US PARAS Beauchaine, Arthur E.,Jr

    SURNAME Beauchaine FORENAME Arthur E.,Jr UNIT 551 Parachute Infantry Bn (Service Company) RANK Technician Fifth Class NUMBER 11039984 DATE OF DEATH 3rd January 1945 AGE 24 GRAVESITE Penacook Calvary Cemetery, Penacook, New Hampshire, USA ADDITIONAL INFORMATION from...

  3. US PARAS Banks, Wilbur M.

    SURNAME Banks FORENAME Wilbur M. UNIT 551 Parachute Infantry Bn (Company A) RANK Staff Sergeant NUMBER 39836011 DATE OF DEATH 3rd January 1945 AGE 29 GRAVESITE Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium Plot F Row 9 Grave 46 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION from Solano, California...

  4. US PARAS Banks, Ray

    SURNAME Banks FORENAME Ray UNIT 551 Parachute Infantry Bn (Company C) RANK Corporal NUMBER 6953527 DATE OF DEATH 3rd January 1945 AGE 21 GRAVESITE Fort Smith National Cemetery, Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas Section 4 Site 2251 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION from Braden...

  5. US PARAS Anderson, Robert Egnar

    SURNAME Anderson FORENAME Robert Egnar UNIT 551 Parachute Infantry Bn (Company A) RANK Sergeant NUMBER 39024770 DATE OF DEATH 3rd January 1945 AGE 33 GRAVESITE Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium Plot F Row 1 Grave 44 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION from Alameda, California...

  6. US PARAS Anderson, Donald R.

    SURNAME Anderson FORENAME Donald R. UNIT 551 Parachute Infantry Bn (Company A) RANK Private First Class NUMBER 20312575 DATE OF DEATH 3rd January 1945 AGE 22 GRAVESITE Forest Lawn Cemetery, Kane, McKean County, Pennsylvania ADDITIONAL INFORMATION from Elk County...
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