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The 542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment was a regiment of the US Army during the World War II. Originally formed as a fully fledged regiment, the unit was later downsized to a Battalion and kept in Reserve in the United States until mid-1945 when it was deactivated. == The 542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment == The 542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment came into existence on 1 September 1943 under the command of William T. Ryder, then a Lt. Colonel fresh from a tour of combat with the 82nd Airborne Division. The unit was formed in a Regimental Tent Encampment north of the Chattahoochee River in Alabama with a cadre of 15 officers and 50 enlisted men, whose job it was to ensure a smooth organization and activation of the new regiment. As a special incentive to the men and officers of the 542nd the Airborne Command said that if the men of the regiment did well in their Basic and Unit Training they would be deployed overseas early for their Combined Training. From the start it seemed as though the regiment was headed for great things, the rumour was that the unit was to be utilized in a special mission into the industrial part of Central Germany. Men and officers alike began training in earnest, hoping for an early overseas movement. Spirit and zest abounded as the men took to their individual and group training, which included training in night movement and hand to hand combat, two of the cornerstones of paratroop training. The latter often spilled over into the local bars of Columbus, Georgia when troops of the armoured forces met troops of the airborne forces and both were adamant that they were the superior fighting force. Training was proceeding well when, in December 1943, Lt. Colonel Ryder was ordered by Airborne Command to provide 100 trained replacements for duty in the Pacific Theatre. Colonel Ryder complied and accompanied the men by train the their Port of Embarkation. Upon his return, however, all dreams of an early overseas deployment were dashed. Orders had come down ordering the regiment to provide 1000 more replacements to the European Theatre, in anticipation of D-Day, then only months away. The 542nd Staff complied and sent their best and most healthy soldiers off to fight the Germans among strangers. A glum mood settled over the bare regiment, now but a Battalion in size. Officers and Senior NCO's dreaded the thought of starting all over with the Basic Stage of Training. Colonel Ryder was saved, accepting Transfer to the Pacific Theatre as General MacArthur's Airborne Advisor, gaining promotion to full Colonel in doing so. The regiment was a gutted shell with an uncertain future and no prospect of being sent overseas. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「542nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (United States)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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