Unit histories of Airborne Military Police Units. If you have any information on the history of these units and/or photos, please send them to me. Also, if you have info on any other units not listed here, please let me know.
8th MP Company, 8th Infantry Division
The 8th Military Police Company was a part of the 8th Infantry Division since the division was organized in January 1918 at Camp Fremont, Palo Alto, California. From the namesake of that station, the explorer and soldier John Fremont who opened up the Oregon Trail, the division took its first name, the "Pathfinders." Years later, the name "Golden Arrow" was adopted because of the gold arrow which pierces the silver figure 8 in the division insignia.
In November 1918, the division left California for France, arriving after the armistice had been signed. The MP Platoon was attached to the Army of Occupation and served in Germany until August 1919. The unit returned to the U.S. and was demobilized 22 February 1919 at Camp Lee, VA. It was reconstituted 24 March 1923 in the Regular Army as the Military Police Platoon, Headquarters and Military Police Company, 8th Infantry Division (Inactive). The unit was reactivated at Camp Jackson, SC 1 July 1940.
On 7 December 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. With the threat of attack against the United States, the 8th Infantry Division was given the mission of patrolling the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to the Florida Keys. The 8th Division returned to Ft. Jackson in March 1943, and was redesignated as the 8th Motorized Division. With this redesignation, the 8th MP Platoon became the 8th MP Company.
On 5 December 1943, the division departed New York aboard the USS Excelsio and arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 12 December 1943, to begin extensive training in small unit tactics. On the early morning of 8 July 1944, the division jumped off onto Utah Beach, Normandy, France, and participated in its first engagement of the war in the vicinity of La Haye du Puitts. In four days of swift advance, the 8th Division captured more than 7,000 prisoners. Groups of civilians were organized under the 8th MP Company guards to dig potatoes and chop wood in nearby forests. Military Government units, assisted by the 8th MP Company, searched civilian homes and other possible hiding places for German parachutists.
The 8th MP Company supported 8th Infantry Division troops during their campaigns across France and into Germany in World War II. 8th Infantry Division MPs never will forget Hurtgen Forest. Pfc Ottis Brewer, Jackson, KY, stood in a foot of mud for hours while directing the 709th TD Bn. into its area.
When 8th Inf. Div. MPs arrived, the crooked, narrow roads were slimy morasses, splotched with craters, tree trunks, swollen streams. Three divisions had churned up the roads and engineers saw no end to their work.
First Lt. Robert L. Perrin, Howard, KS, and Sgt. Harry Fenzlein, Fairlawn, NJ, kept MPs going 24 hours a day, directing outgoing units, clearing the roads for ambulances, setting up traffic posts. "Weasels," tanks, TDs and jeeps had churned through mud to log trails. Sgt. Esse Lewis, Jacksonville, FL, led 644th TD Bn. M-10s to their area. Mortar shells burst against tree tops, splattering troops with metal and wood fragments. CC R of the 5th Armd. Div. entered the vicinity as eight miles of tanks, 90mm TDs, armored infantry half-tracks, tank retrievers, ground into position through the night. MPs staked the line of departure with delineators. In pitch darkness they used masked flashlights to guide Shermans that were wider than the roads. Pfc Winfield Bogert, Allentown, PA, and Sgt. Donald Gruner, Patterson, NJ, sweated over 11 Shermans, four M-30 TDs, and 14 half-tracks, which slipped into a washout twice and nearly crushed them.
CC R was ready at daylight, but MPs still couldn't rest. It was time to handle the normal supply. Lt. Perrin and Cpl. George Buhler, Passaic, NJ, led tanks into battle but couldn't crack enemy defenses. Reinforced, they tried again four days later and succeeded. As armor slashed ahead, muddy, bearded MPs gave them the right-of-way. Jams, mines, shells were overcome as traffic of three divisions and an adjacent Corps rolled through to the front. For nine days this nightmare continued before Hurtgen Forest was cleared. Enemy 88s, at one to two minute intervals, shelled the traffic flow in the Roer River sector. Drivers stopped, leaped for cover, leaving some vehicles parked bumper to bumper. Germans increased the rate of fire.
After 40 consecutive days of offensive action, all units of the 8th Division now reverted to an all-out defensive mission. Throughout river-crossing operations, men of the 8th MP Company directed traffic, often in the most exposed positions.
On February 8, 1945, the Military Police platoon was given a Presidential Unit Citation for helping to process more than 300,000 German prisoners of war.
After the German surrender, the 8th Infantry Division departed France for the United States, arriving on 14 August 1945. The division was deactivated at FT. Leonard Wood, MO, on 20 November 1945.
In November 1956, Department of the Army announced that the 8th Infantry Division would replace the 9th Infantry Division in Germany.
In 1958, the 8th Infantry Division gained an airborne capability with the assignment of the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 504th Infantry. On 15 January 1959, the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 505th Infantry was also assigned to the division. These two battle groups were relieved from assignment to the 8th in April 1963, but the division's airborne capability was maintained by the assignment of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 509th Infantry (Abn) to Lee Barracks, Mainz. The Military Police Company was made part of Headquarters, 8th Division, headquartered in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, with platoons in Mainz, Baumholder, and Mannheim, where they could support any component of the 8th Infantry Division.
Only the 1st Platoon, stationed at Robert E. Lee Barracks, Mainz, were airborne. The 8th Division also had its own jump school located at Wiesbaden. In May 1966, the division conducted excercise Southern Arrow, the largest joint-service airborne operation in Europe since World War II.
The 8th Infantry Division cased its colors on 17 January 1992 and was redesignated as the 1st Armored Division.
82nd MP Company, 82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd MP Company consisted of four platoons and a Provost Marshal Office. The "All American" MP Company also had a headquarters platoon, which enabled the company to function; four MP platoons that support the Division by performing the MP combat missions as well as law enforcement in the division area; and the Provost Marshal Office functioned as a special staff advisor to the Commanding General. Three platoons provided direct support to the Division's three Infantry brigades and the fourth platoon provided general support to the Division's rear area. The Provost Marshal Office planned and directed military police support throughout the division and advised the Division Commander and his staff on military police employment.
The mission required the company to maintain platoons in a posture for quick recall and rapid deployment. The platoons maintained this readiness posture using three six-week rotation cycle. During the training cycle, the Military Police Paratroopers sustain their war-fighting skills. Training distracters were minimized, but the platoons were always postured to deploy within 18 hours. Platoons continued to train during mission cycle, but they did so in a manner that allowed them to meet directed deployment times. Alert procedures required the Paratroopers to be on a two-hour recall. In this cycle, the "All American" military police assisted, protected, and defended their fellow Paratroopers by conducting law enforcement operations in the Division garrison.
The 82nd MP Company supported the Division as a unique combat multiplier. This company provided combat military police support in the form of traffic circulation control, rear area security operations, enemy prisoner of war control, and evacuation of non-combatants.
In addition, the 82nd MP Company provided a full range of combat support and combat service support for the Division throughout the spectrum of operations, from combat operations to stability and support operations. This support included controlling refugee movement, conducting law and order operations, and included training indigenous law enforcement officials in the area of operations.
The 82nd MP Company consistently and successfully demonstrated the versatility and flexibility of MP forces in every Division operation from World War I to glider assaults in World War II, rapid deployment to the Dominican Republic, the jungles of Vietnam and Grenada, to conducting an airborne assault into enemy held territory in Panama; in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, to the current combat Operations Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. Wherever the 82nd Airborne Division served, the 82nd Military Police Company served as well. Sadly, on 15 June 2006, the 82nd Military Police Company was inactivated due to the revamping of the US Army’s Division units for the War on Terrorism.
118th MP Company, 18th Airborne Corps
The 118th Military Police Company was originally constituted on 11 June 1945 during the waning days of World War II. Less than a month later the 118th started the first of many overseas assignments when it was activated in China on 9 July 1945. As the war ended and the Army returned to a peacetime role, the 118th returned to Ft Lawton, WA, where it was inactivated on 6 January 1946. The 118th MP Co remained inactive until 20 February 1963 when it was allotted to the regular Army and activated at Ft Bragg, NC. With its new assignment came the distinction of being the only separate airborne Military Police Company in the world. This honor remained bestowed upon the 118th until May 1990 when it was assigned to the 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne).
Over the past 33 years the 118th continually proved itself, often being present during the making of history. Examples of this include the rebellion in the Dominican Republic in 1966 where the 118th secured the XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters; the invasion of Grenada in 1983, where the 118th was given the responsibility of ensuring the safe and speedy evacuation of American citizens and students from St. Georges University; the crisis situation in the republic of Panama in 1988, where the unit deployed as an augmentation security force to the Marines; the coup attempt in Panama in 1989; Operations Desert Shield and Desert storm in 1990/91 where the unit provided security for the XVIII Airborne Tactical Operations Center and Main Command Post as well as EPW escort missions from Iraq; a timely deployment in 1992 to Homestead Florida was instrumental in restoring law and order to the community and humanitarian aid to those in need after Hurricane Andrew devastated the city; in 1994 the unit deployed to Port-au-Prince, Haiti in support of Operation Uphold Democracy. In 1995 the unit deployed back to Port-au-Prince, in support of the United Nations Mission Haiti; the unit then deployed to Panama in 1999 in support of Joint Task Force Bravo. In September 2001 the Mighty 118th was called upon to defend and secure the Pentagon in support of Operation Noble Eagle after the terrorist attacks. Most recently the unit deployed to Afghanistan on December 1, 2002 in support of the Global War on Terrorism. The deployment lasted over nine months and spanned Operation Enduring Freedom 2, 3 and 4.
The 118th has been recognized for excellence on several occasions throughout its history. The unit was awarded the Army Superior and Unit FORSCOM Eagle Award in 1984, and holds the rare distinction of having twice earned the Jeremiah P. Holland Award, as the best Military Police Company in the Army.
The 118th MP Company is now under the command of the 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne).
101st MP Company, 101st Airborne Division
The 101st Military Police Company (AASLT) was constituted on 6 August 1942 in the Army of the United States as the Military Police Platoon, 101st Airborne Division. The unit was immediately sent to the European Theater where it distinguished itself by winning numerous awards prior to its deactivation in 1945 at Auxere, France. The unit was reactivated on 25 August 1950 as the 101st Airborne Military Police Company at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky, where it served in a garrison environment until transferred to Fort Campbell in 1956. The unit was again deactivated in 1957.
The hostilities in Vietnam caused the unit's redesignation in the 101st Airborne Division with deployment of the unit to Vietnam in 1968. During its tour in Vietnam, the unit amassed a reputation of valor, exemplified by over 400 individual awards, over 123 ARCOM's, and 97 Bronze Stars in 1970 alone. The unit redeployed from Vietnam to Fort Campbell on 16 January 1972.
On 22 August 1990, the 101st Military Police Company (AASLT) began deployment to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. The company was responsible for processing over 1,100 captured Enemy Prisoners of War (EPW's) and performing battlefield circulation control on over 200 miles of MSR's in IRAQ. On 19 September 1994, the 101st Military Police Company (AASLT) deployed to the Republic of Haiti in support of Operation Uphold Democracy as part of Joint Task Force 190 and Joint Task Force 180. The unit deployed to the underdeveloped nation to help restore stability to the area. As a result of their achievements, the soldiers of the company were awarded the Army Expeditionary Medal.
On 19 July 1997, the 101st MIlitary Police Company deployed a direct support platoon to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt with the 1/327 Infantry Battalion Task Force. The platoon provided military police support at both north and south camps for a period of six months. On 21 April 1998, the 101st Military Police Company deployed a squad from 1st platoon to Port au Prince, Haiti with C Co. 2/327th Infantry to support operation New Horizon. The history of the 101st Military Police Company (AASLT) speaks volumes of the valiant devotion to duty and is a chronicle of one of the proudest units in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
16th MP Brigade (Airborne)
The Brigade dates back to the Vietnam conflict when it was constituted on 23 March 1966 as the 16th Military Police Group and activated on 20 May 1966 at Fort George Meade, Maryland. The unit particiapted in thirteen campaigns to include nine counteroffensives and two consolidations during the Vietnam conflict, recieving two Meritorious Unit Citations and the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm for their outstanding effort and dedication.
On 16 July 1981 the Group was reorganized and redesignated as the 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne). Since Vietnam, the Brigade Headquarters has deployed around the world in support of XVIII Airborne Corps and on-going army operations.
In October 1983, the Headquarters was sent to Grenada in support of Operation Urgent Fury. In March 1988, the Brigade went to Panama in support of Southern Command's operation to secure U.S. civilians and property and to protect the canal. In September 1989, the Brigade was sent to Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands to restore law and order and protect property following hurricane Hugo. In December 1989, the Brigade again went to Panama, this time in support of Operation Just Cause and Promote Liberty, during which the Brigade was instrumental in standing up the Panamanian Police Force. In August 1990, the Brigade deployed to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The Brigade was later recognized for its hard work in the desert with their third Meritorious Unit Commendation. In September of 1992, the Brigade went to Florida to assist in disaster relief following hurricane Andrew. In September of 1994, the Brigade was sent to Haiti to support Operation Uphold Democracy. In January 2004, the Brigade deployed for one year to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom where they were responsible for detainee operations and convoy security. The Brigade was awarded its fourth Meritorious Unit Commendation for the outstanding mission accomplishments in Iraq.
The soldiers of the Brigade have consistently been sent first to world wide hot spots and crisis locations. Other operations that Brigade units have supported include Cuban refugee relief in Florida, civil disturbance operations at Seneca Army Depot in New York, rotations to the Sinai for Multinational Force and Observer duty, Presidential inaugerations, Joint Task Force Bravo in Honduras, Somalia, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Bosnia, Kosovo, Albanian refugee support at Fort Dix, New Jersey, Pentagon security following the attacks of September 11, 2001, and Uzbekistan and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Currently, the 21st Military Police Company is deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Subordinate Units of the 16th MP BDE (ABN)
503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne)
The 503rd Military Police Battalion (Abn) was originally formed as the 303rd Military Police Battalion on 29 July 1921 and was assigned to the organized reserves. On 01 June 1940, the Battalion was redesignated as the 503rd Military Police Battalion. The 503rd Military Police Battalion fought on the battlefields of Europe and qualified for its first World War II campaign honors on the beachhead at Normandy. As a result of its distinguished service during the Second World War, the Battalion was awarded its first Meritorious Unit Commendation. On 16 February 1949, the 503rd was moved to Fort Bragg with the mission of training Military Policemen and providing law enforcement support to the Fort Bragg community. In May 1965, the 503rd Military Police Battalion was deployed to the Dominican Republic as part of a peacekeeping force. For these duties, the Battalion was awarded its second Meritorious Unit Commendation.
On 27 October 1983, advance elements of the 503rd were sent to Grenada. The remainder of the Battalion was in place on the island by 14 November 1983 in support of Operation Urgent Fury. On a rotating basis until 01 January 1985, the 21st, 65th, and 108th Military Police Companies returned to Grenada on sixty day deployments. During Operation Island Breeze, the soldiers performed security missions and assisted members of the Caribbean Peacekeeping Force and the Royal Grenadian Police Force.
On 20 December 1989, the Battalion deployed to the Republic of Panama for Operation Just Cause and performed over 140 combat missions with no friendly casualties. After hostilities ceased, the Battalion restored law and order in Panama City and helped establish the new Panamanian Police Force. On 27 August 1990, the Battalion deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, participating in combat operations to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait. The Battalion returned to Fort Bragg in March 1991. In September 1994, the Battalion deployed to Haiti, participating in Operation Uphold Democracy. All units returned to Fort Bragg in November 1994.
The Battalion played a significant role in the military operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina. During the late 90s, the 65th Military Police Company (Abn), the 108th Military Police Company (Abn), and the 21st Military Police Company (Abn) deployed to Bosnia in support of Operations Joint Endeavor, Guard, and Force. In February 1999, the 118th Military Police Company (Abn) was deployed to Panama to perform law enforcement support for the remaining SOUTHCOM units and installations, while the 21st Military Police Company (Abn) deployed one platoon to support the Kosovar-Albanian Refugee Relief Efforts at Fort Dix. In November 1999, the 65th Military Police Company (Abn) deployed to Kosovo in support of KFOR 1B and returned in May 2000. In July 2000, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 503rd Military Police Battalion (Abn) and the 108th Military Police Company (Abn) deployed to Kosovo in support of KFOR 2A, forming TF 503 in Multi-National Brigade East. Both units returned home in December 2000, at which time the 21st Military Police Company (Abn) rotated into Kosovo as a member of TF 716 in support of KFOR 3A.
The Battalion answered the Commander in Chief’s call to arms on September 11, 2001. Shortly after the terrorist attacks, HHD, 503rd Military Police Battalion (Abn) and the 118th Military Police Company (Abn) deployed to the Military District of Washington to provide force protection for the Pentagon. In November 2001, the 65th Military Police Company (Abn) deployed to Uzbekistan and Afghanistan as a member of LTF 507, and in December, 2001, the 108th Military Police Company (Abn) deployed to Afghanistan in support of CJTF 180. The 21st Military Police Company (Abn) and the 118th Military Police Company (Abn) rotated into Afghanistan in July and December 2002 respectively. In April 2003, the 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne) deployed to Iraq with the HHD, the 65th Military Police Company (Abn), and the 108th Military Police Company (Abn), serving in Mosul, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Battalion was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service. The 21st Military Police Company (Abn) followed in January 2004 and the 118th Military Police Company (Abn) in March 2004. In December 2004, the 503rd Military Police Battalion (Abn) Headquarters deployed to Baghdad and assumed mission from the 95th Military Police Battalion. The 65th and 108th Military Police Companies followed in January and February 2005. In September 2005, the Battalion Headquarters and the 65th Military Police Company (Abn) were re-missioned and moved north to Mosul Iraq as part of the Military Police functional realignment. The 108th Military Police Company (Abn) remained in Baghdad to conduct Police Partnership with Iraqi Police. The 21st Military Police Company (Abn) deployed to Iraq in December 2005.
At home and abroad, the fine paratroopers of the 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne) stand ready to support the XVIII Airborne Corps and Multi National Corps – Iraq to respond to any contingency mission, anytime, anywhere.
21st Military Police Company (Airborne)
The 21st Military Police Company was activated on 1 FEB 1943 at Camp Maxey Texas, and reactivated 16 FEB 1949 at Fort Bragg NC. It was later designated the Army’s third Airborne Military Police Company on 1 OCT1986.
-The unit has received numerous accolades and awards from Military Leaders to Foreign Dignitaries.
-The Company’s Motto ‘First From Above’ embodies not only the aggressive airborne spirit of the company but also hails the fact that the 21st Military Police Company was the first Airborne MP Company in the 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne).”
23rd Military Police Company (Airborne)
Constituted 3 April 1943 in the Army of the United States as the Military Police Platoon, Americal Division
-Activated I May 1943 in New Caledonia
-Inactivated 2 December 1945 at Fort Lawton, Washington
-Redesignated 1 December 1954 as the 23rd Military Police Company and allotted to the Regular Army (Americal Division)
-Redesignated 1 December 1954 as the 23rd Infantry Division
-Activated 2 December 1954 at Fort Amador Canal Zone
-Inactivated 10 April 1956 at Fort Amador, Canal Zone
-Activated 8 December 1967 in Vietnam
-Inactivated 28 June 1972
108th Military Police Company (Airborne)
For over fifty years, the 108th Military Police Company (Airborne) (Air Assault) has faithfully served in peacetime and in war. The company was originally constituted as the 1389th Military Police Company on 27 October 1944.
It was first introduced to active service at the Military Police Center in Barksdale, Louisiana on 4 November 1944. The unit first saw action during World War II in the Indian-China-Burma Theater. Upon rendering service to the nation, the company was inactivated on 27 December 1945 at Hijili Airbase, Indiana.
On 27 September 1966 the 1389th was designated the 108th Military Police Company and allotted to the Regular Army. One month later, the company entered active service on 25 November 1966 at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Less than two years later the company was inactivated at Fort Polk on 25 June 1968.
On 1 November 1970 the 108th Military Police Company was returned to active service at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. On 1 April 1989, the 108th Military Police Company was designated as an Air Assault Military Police Company for the XVIII Airborne Corps. It is the only Air Assault Company in the 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne). The 108th Military Police Company (Air Assault) entered a provisional Airborne status on 1 October 1999 and was officially designated as an Airborne Military Police Company on 16 October 2000. The company currently retains both its Airborne and Air Assault designations, making it the Army’s only Airborne and Air Assault Military Police Company.
Since its activation, the 108th Military Police Company (Airborne) (Air Assault) has participated in every major overseas deployment with the XVIII Airborne Corps. Soldiers of the 108th have served honorably in Operation Urgent Furry, Grenada; Operation Bright Star, Egypt; Operation Hawkeye, St. Croix; Operation Just Cause and Operation Promote Liberty, Panama; Operation Andrew, Florida; Operation Desert shield and Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia; Operation Safe Harbor, Cuba; and Operation Uphold Democracy, Haiti.
During the past three years, the soldiers of the 108th Military Police Company (Airborne) (Air Assault) have played a vital role in Operation Joint Guard, Bosnia; helped in the clean up after Hurricane Fran; participated in Operation Open Arms, Fort Dix, New Jersey; and deployed to Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian II. The outstanding soldiers of the 108th Military Police Company (Airborne) (Air Assault) continue to demonstrate their ability to answer the call to duty by providing combat ready Military Police Support to the XVIII Airborne Corps.
65th MP Company (Airborne)
Constituted 24 NOV 1943 in the Army of the US as the 65th Military Police Company, Post, Camp or Station, and activated in Morocco.
-Inactivated 31 JUL 1946 in France.
-Activated 25 AUG 1947 as the 65th Military Police Company, Post, Camp, or Station (Philippine Scouts) in the Philippine Islands.
-Inactivated 1 JUN 1949 in the Philippine Islands.
-Allotted in 25 FEB 1953 to the Regular Army.
-Redesignated 16 MAR 1953 as the 65th Military Police Company and activated in Austria. ---
-Inactivated 25 MAR 1955 in Austria.
-Activated 2 AUG 1965 in Germany.
-Inactivated 25 JUN 1969 in Germany.
-Activated 1 NOV 1970 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
In AUG 1994, the 65th Military Police Company (Airborne) deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In JUL 1996, the Company deployed to Bosnia in support of Operations Joint Endeavor. From NOV 1999 to JUN 2000, the Company was deployed to Kosovo.
42nd Military Police Detachment
The 42nd Military Police Detachment was constituted on 18 November 1944 in the Army of the United States as the 42nd Military Police Criminal Investigations Section and activated on 26 November 1944 in France. On 31 March 1945, the unit was redesignated as the 42nd Military Police Criminal Investigations Detachment. The unit was deactivated on 15 November 1945 at Camp Bullis, Texas. On 8 May 1974 the unit was redesignated as the 300th Military Police Criminal Investigations Detachment and assigned to the Army Reserves in Memphis Tennessee. The unit was activated on 30 May 1947 and ordered into active military service from 11 September 1950, until released from active service on 15 February 1955. The unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 300th Military Police Detachment and inactivated on 15 October 1958. On 1 July 1968, the unit was allotted to the Regular Army and activated on 1 September 1968, at Oakland Army Base, California where they served until inactivated on 29 August 1971. The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 2 July 1996, as the 42nd Military Police Detachment and activated 16 October 1997 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina under the operational control of the 16th MP Bde (Abn). While not designated an airborne unit, several unit members are airborne qualified
173rd MP Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade
The 173d Airborne Brigade was constituted 5 August 1917 as an infantry brigade and organized 25 August 1917 at Camp Pike, Arkansas as an element of the 87th Division.
The Brigade deployed to France in 1918 as part of the Division, but did not participate in any named campaigns. Returning to the United States the Brigade was demobilized January 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey. Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 173d Infantry Brigade, and assigned to the 87th Division at Shreveport, Louisiana. Organized in December 1921 at Mobile, Alabama. Redesignated 23 March 1925 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 173d Brigade. Redesignated 24 August 1936 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company 173d Infantry Brigade. Converted and redesignated 13 February 1942 as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop and ordered into active military service 15 December 1942.
During World War II, when brigades were eliminated from divisions, Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 173d Infantry Brigade fought in three European campaigns as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop. After the war, the troop reverted to reserve status and was active from 1947 to 1951 at Birmingham, Alabama. It was inactivated 1 December 1951 at Birmingham, Alabama and released from assignment to the 87th Infantry Division.
In 1963 it was allotted to the Regular Army and activated on Okinawa 26 March 1963 as the 173d Airborne Brigade (Sep). Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson commanded the unit, which was given the charter to serve as the quick reaction force for the Pacific Command. Under Williamson the unit trained extensively making mass parachute jumps and they earned the nickname “Tien Bien” or “Sky Soldiers,” from the Nationalist Chinese paratroopers.
Deployed to Vietnam in May 1965, the brigade was the first major ground combat unit of the United States Army to serve there. They were the first to go into War Zone D to destroy enemy base camps, introduced the use of small long-range patrols, and conducted the only combat parachute jump in the Vietnam conflict on 22 February 1967 (Operation Junction City). They fought in the Iron Triangle and blocked NVA incursions at Dak To during some of the bloodiest fighting of the war in the summer and fall of 1967, culminating in the capture of Hill 875.
The HQ and HQ, MP Platoon, 173rd ABN Brigade was located in An Khe. The Brigade's area of operation across II Corps was changed in early 1968. The Brigade assumed control of AO Lee that covered most of the Binh Dinh Province. The Brigade Headquarters (Rear) remained at An Khe while the Brigade Headquarters (Forward) moved into LZ English. The Brigade's Three maneuver battalions (1st, 2nd, and 4th of the 503d Airborne Infantry Battalions) were assigned areas of operation north of Qui Nhon along the coastal highlands and QL 1 north to the I Corp-II Corps border. The 3rd/503d Airborne Infantry Battalion remained south near Ban Me Thout. LZ English housed the Brigade Headquarters (Forward), Headquarters & Headquarters Company, MP Platoon, Headquarters 3rd/319th Field Artillery Battalion and one firing battery, a cavalry troop, and other assigned support elements. The Brigade moved into AO Lee with its Headquarters (Forward) being stationed at LZ English near the city of Bong Son.
Elements of the brigade conducted an amphibious assault against NVA and VC forces as part of an operation to clear the rice-growing lowlands along the Bong Song littoral. The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 503d Infantry were the first Army combat units from the 173d sent to the Republic of South Vietnam, accompanied by the 3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery. They were supported by the 173d Support Battalion, 173d Engineers, Troop E, 17th Cavalry and Co D, 16th Armor. The First Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment and the 161st Field Battery of the Royal New Zealand Army were later attached to the Brigade during the first year.
In late August 1966, the 173d received another infantry battalion, the 4/503d from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The 3/503d joined the Brigade at Tuy Hoa in September 1967 following its reactivation and training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Another unit assigned was the Co N, 75th Infantry (Ranger). At its peak in Vietnam, the 173d Airborne Brigade (Sep) had nearly 3,000 soldiers assigned.
The troopers of the 173d Airborne Brigade wear their combat badges and decorations with pride. During more than six years of continuous combat, the brigade earned 14 campaign streamers and four unit citations. Sky Soldiers serving in Vietnam received 13 Medals of Honor, 46 Distinguished Service Crosses, 1736 Silver Stars and over 6,000 Purple Hearts. There are over 1,790 Sky Soldiers' names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. The brigade was deactivated on 14 January 1972 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The 173d Airborne Brigade was then reactivated on 12 June 2000 on Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy, where it serves as European Command’s only conventional airborne strategic response force for the European Theater.
11th MP Platoon, 11th Airborne Division
The 11th Airborne division, nicknamed "The Angels," was activated at Camp Mackall, NC, 25 February 1943, under the command of Maj. Gen. Joseph Swing. After almost a year training in ground and Airborne tactics, the division was tested for overseas movement and in May 1944, sailed from San Francisco for New Guinea. There the paratroopers trained for jungle warfare and intensified combat unit ground training, On 7 November 1944, the Angels sailed from New Guinea and on 11 November landed at Leyte Beach, Leyte, Philippine Islands, 40 miles south of Tacloban. In three months of bitter fighting, the division cleared the treacherous mountain pass from Burauen to Ormoc, killing more than 5,700 Japanese.
Their mission completed, the 11th Abn. paratroopers were withdrawn from the front lines in January 1945, given a short rest, re-equipped and on 26 January 1945, stormed Nasgubu Beach, Luzon, Philippine Islands and started a drive towards Manila. In five days, the division fought its way from Nasgubu Beach to Manila, a distance of 69 miles. The eliminated all opposition along Highway 17, destroyed the famed fortified "Genko Line" protecting southern Manila, took Fort McKinley, Clark Field and Nichols Field. For the achievement, the division was cited by Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger, then commanding general of the 8th U.S. Army and almost every unit within the division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
From Manila the paratroopers swung south. In a lighting thrust by land, sea and air, the division made a daring raid on Los Banos Internment Camp behind Japanese lines and successfully rescued 2,147 internees. This accomplished, they cleared the Japanese from southern Luzon, eliminating enemy strongholds in Ternate , Macolod and Mount Malepunyo.
Near the close of the Luzon campaign. one reinforced battalion, designated "Task Force Gypsy" was attached to the 6th U.S. Army. A combined parachute and glider operation was launched on Aparri, in Northern Luzon to seal off the Cagavan Valley and permit the annihilation of the remaining Japanese. Task Force Gypsy was the largest and one of the only U.S. glider operations of the Pacific War.
During action on Luzon, the division participated in combat parachute jumps at Taygaytay Ridge, Los Banos, and Aparri. It was at Aparri that the 11th Abn. successfully completed the only combat glider landing made in the Pacific theater.
In May 1945, the division moved into a rest and training camp near Lipa, Luzon to prepare for the planned invasion of Japan. Japan's surrender canceled these plans and on 10 August 1945, the division moved to Okinawa to escort Gen. Douglas MacArthur into Japan and to spearhead the occupation. The 11th Abn. landed at Atsugi Airdrome, near Tokyo, on 30 August 1945, and occupied an initial area in and around Yokohama. They remained there until mid-September 1945, when they moved to northern Japan and assumed responsibility for Akita, Yamagata, Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures. The division later took over control of Amori, Hokkaido, Fukushima and Prefectures to control of almost half the island of Honshu and all the island of Hokkaido.
General Swing left the division, which he had formed and led through combat, in January 1948, to assume command of 1st Corps, 8th Army and Maj. Gen. William M. Miley assumed command.
The division was relieved of its occupation role in early 1949 and made the move back to the United States and Camp Campbell, KY, to start an intensive training program. In the summer of 1949, they provided instructions to Reserve Officer Training Corps students and Reserve Officers, including the officers and men of the 100 Abn. Div. (Reserve).
In 1950, the division started concentrating on training and preparation for "Exercise Swarmer," scheduled to be held in May 1950 near Ft. Bragg, N.C. As a result of re-supply techniques learned on "Swarmer," forces in the Korean Conflict had superior re-supply methods and mobility over the enemy forces.
With the outbreak of the war in Korea, training was intensified. In the late summer months of 1950, the 11 Abn. Div. was charged with training, processing and shipment overseas of 13,000 enlisted reservists which was completed in December of the same year.
Another highlight came in March 1956, when the Division crossed the Atlantic into Europe to replace the 5th Inf. Div., in Augsburg, Germany during Operation Gyroscope. The division's nine-year tenure came to an end at Fort Campbell on 1 July 1958, and most of its components were reorganized and reflagged as units of the reactivated 24th Infantry Division.
Five years later, the 11th Air Assault Div (Test) was formed at Fort Benning, Ga., the training area site for many soldiers of the original division. During its brief, two year tenure, the division conducted studies developing the concept of helicopters and the use of air mobility. When tests were completed, the division was once again deactivated. the last of the unit's commanders was Maj. Gen. W.O. Kinnard, who had been chief of staff of the 101st Abn. Div. during World War II.
World War II: Military Police Platoon
1950-1956: 11th Military Police Company
1963-1965: 11th Military Police Company
13th MP Platoon, 13th Airborne Division
The MP Platoon of the 13th Airborne Division, which was activated with the division, was small until March 1944 when, by the influx of ASTP men, it was increased to thirty-three men. Its duties were manifold, however, entailing town and traffic patrols and security missions.
During the maneuvers of September 1944, the platoon had its first real test of handling traffic under difficult conditions having to be virtual encyclopedias of information concerning the whereabouts of units. This proved to be difficult in view of the Air Corps’ unusual method of spreading men all over Western North Carolina.
On January 26, 1945, the MP Platoon sailed from New York and in due time were disembarked at Le Havre, France. On February 16, the MP Platoon joined other units of the division in Auxerre, France, where the new headquarters were set up in the town’s museum. Duties were varied, ranging from guarding the divisions TOP SECRETS to patrolling the network of roads among the towns of Sens, Joigny, Auxerre, Chablis and Tonnerre.
During the first days of April, the platoon moved to an American air strip near Arpajon, France. Here the platoon waited- eating steaks, bathing in the sun, going to Paris 15 miles distant and listening to innumerable rumors until orders finally came. The road-tail of the unit piled into their jeeps and set out for Germany. They reached Heilbronn, Germany before word of the mission being cancelled reached them.
About May 15, 1945, the unit once more reassembled at Auxerre to resume routine duties. In July, Sergeant Alan Hack and PFC Bill Caufield proved in a division elimination tournament to be among the best golfers in the 13th Division. CPL Bill Kennedy, whose pitching record for the champion division team was eight wins and no losses, added to the platoon’s laurels. Soon, without too much reluctance, the MP Platoon prepared to go home with the others units of the Division and pay their joyous respects to the “Traffic cop with the torch” in the New York Harbor.
17th MP Platoon, 17th Airborne Division
The 17th MP Platoon was activated on 15 April 1943, along with the rest of the division, and arrived in England on 25 August 1944.
During December 1944, elements of the division were flown to the Reims area in France in spectacular night flights. These elements closed in at Mourmelon. After taking over the defense of the Meuse River sector from Givet to Verdun, the 17th moved to Neufchateau, Belgium, then marched through the snow to Morhet, relieving the 28th Infantry Division on 3 January 1945.
The division entered the Ardennes campaign on 4 January 1945, at the Battle of Dead Man's Ridge. It captured several small Belgian towns and entered Flamierge on 7 January, but enemy counterattacks necessitated a withdrawal. However, constant pressure and aggressive patrolling caused the enemy to retreat to the Ourthe River. On 18 January, the division relieved the 11th Armored Division at Houffalize, pushed enemy remnants from the Bulge, and seized Wattermal and Espeler on 26 January. Coming under the III Corps, the 17th turned toward Luxembourg, taking Eschweiler and Clervaux and clearing the enemy from the west bank of the Our River. Aggressive patrols crossed the river to probe the Siegfried Line defenses and established a limited bridgehead near Duisburg before being relieved by the 6th Armored Division on 10 February.
A period of re-equipment and preparation began. Taking off from Marshalling areas in France, the 17th dropped into Westphalia in the vicinity of Wesel, on 24 March. Operation Varsity was the first airborne invasion over the Rhine into Germany itself. On the 25th, the division had secured bridges over the Issel River and had entrenched itself firmly along the Issel Canal. Moving eastward, it captured Haltern on 29 March and Munster on 2 April 1945. The 17th entered the battle of the Ruhr Pocket, relieving the 79th Infantry Division. It crossed the Rhine-Herne Canal on 6 April, and set up a secure bridgehead for the attack on Essen. The "Pittsburgh of the Ruhr" fell on 10 April, and the industrial cities of Mulheim and Duisburg were cleared in the continuing attack. Military government duties began on 12 April, and active contact with the enemy ceased on 18 April. The 17th Airborne Division came under the XXII Corps on 24 April. It continued its occupation duties until 15 June 1945 when it returned to France for redeployment.
The division was deactivated on 16 September 1945, but reactivated on 3 July 1948 for a short period as a training unit at Camp Pickett, VA, to absorb the influx of draftees occasioned by the Berlin Airlift crisis.
Many thanks to 1SG (Ret) Kenton Falerios for much of the historical information.
