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85-644: At AUSA 2016 annual meeting, General Dynamics unveiled 120mm Griffin Technology Demonstrator (TD) as a "conversation starter" for the US Army Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) program. MPF is a light tracked vehicle intended to provide support of large caliber direct fire for Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The chassis of Griffin I shown at AUSA is from British Scout SV program (now called General Dynamics Ajax ), but it only has six road wheels. The welded aluminum turret

170-693: A 1975 interview with Gavin that Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery , commanding the Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group , had told him that German opposition was too great to cross the Elbe. When Gavin's 82nd crossed the river, in company with the British 6th Airborne Division , the 82nd Airborne Division moved 36 miles in one day and captured over 100,000 troops, causing great laughter in Bradley's 12th Army Group headquarters. Following Germany's surrender,

255-522: A component of the Operation Overlord plan. In preparation for the operation, the division was significantly reorganized. To ease the integration of replacement troops, rest, and refitting following the fighting in Italy, the 504th PIR did not rejoin the division for the invasion. Two new parachute infantry regiments (PIRs), the 507th and the 508th , provided it, along with the veteran 505th,

340-547: A contingent of men from Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. The citizens of Atlanta held a contest to give a nickname to the new division, and in April 1918, Major General Eben Swift , the commanding general, chose "All American" to reflect the unique composition of the 82nd—it had soldiers from all 48 states in the Union. The bulk of the division was two infantry brigades , each commanding two regiments. The 163rd Brigade commanded

425-676: A divisional level battalion, from which companies will be detailed to the IBCTs. The targeted fielding for the first unit equipped is FY2025. Under current Army plans, four MPF battalions are to be fielded by 2030, with the bulk of the planned acquisition scheduled to be completed by 2035. In June 2023, the Army designated the Mobile Protected Firepower combat vehicle as the M10 Booker after Private Robert D. Booker , who

510-616: A divisional troops contingent, and a division train . The division sailed to Europe in May 1918 to join the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), commanded by General John Pershing , on the Western Front . Brigadier General William P. Burnham , who had previously commanded the 164th Brigade, led the division during most of its training and movement to Europe. In early April 1918, the division embarked from

595-552: A series of projects in the 1980s to either improve the Sheridan or replace it. Some of its efforts around this time could be described as hopelessly intermingled. After a series of false starts, in June 1992 the Army selected FMC 's XM8 Armored Gun System (AGS) to go into low-rate initial production. The AGS was expected to replace the Sheridan in the 3/ 73rd Armor of the 82nd Airborne Division and TOW missile-armed Humvees in

680-452: A three-parachute infantry regiment punch. The 325th was also reinforced by the addition of the 3rd Battalion of the 401st GIR , bringing it up to a strength of three battalions. On 5 and 6 June these paratroopers, parachute artillery elements, and the 319th and 320th, boarded hundreds of transport planes and gliders to begin history's largest airborne assault at the time (only Operation Market Garden later that year would be larger). During

765-607: A total of 8,077 casualties. Following the war's end, the division moved to training areas near Prauthoy , where it remained through February 1919. It returned to the United States in April and May, and was demobilized and deactivated at Camp Mills , New York, on 27 May. The 82nd Division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921, allotted to the Fourth Corps Area , assigned to

850-537: Is a limited quantity of serviceable 105 mm ammunition for MPF training and operational use. As such, there could be a requirement to procure additional 105 mm ammunition. In 2023, MPF product manager LTC Peter George said that although the Ajax was the starting point for the GDLS MPF, the current chassis shares little in common with the Ajax and "it's difficult to see the similarities." BAE XM1302 MPF pilot vehicle 2 at

935-552: Is armed with 120mm XM360 lightweight gun which was developed by the Army Research, Development and Engineering Center. The XM360 gun was developed as part of the canceled Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. The Griffin II was offered under the Army's Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF). In accordance with the program's caliber requirements, it incorporated a 105 mm M35 tank gun and a redesigned chassis. In December 2018, GDLS

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1020-501: Is planned for the end of FY2024. The First Unit Equipped (FUE) is scheduled for the fourth quarter of FY2025, consisting of a battalion of 42 MPFs. Each LRIP MPF system is expected to cost about $ 12.8 million. Full-rate production MPF systems are expected to cost less than LRIP units. The Army's MPF acquisition objective is for 504 vehicles, with Army officials noting that this number could vary slightly. Each Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) will be allocated 14 MPFs. The MPFs will form

1105-484: Is undoubtedly the best." Hence the "All-American" became also known as "America's Guard of Honor". The war ended before their scheduled participation in the Allied invasion of Japan , Operation Downfall . During WWII the division was composed of the following units: Attached paratrooper units: During World War II the division and its members were awarded the following awards: The 82nd Airborne division returned to

1190-405: The 101st Airborne Division and was replaced by the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment , leaving the division with two regiments of glider infantry and one of parachute infantry . In February 1943 the division received another change when the 326th was transferred to the 13th Airborne Division , being replaced by the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment , under James M. Gavin, then a colonel , who

1275-487: The 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment . The Army canceled the AGS in 1996, citing an unfavorable outyear funding environment. The 3/73rd Armor was inactivated over the following two years. The last Sheridans in service were vismod Sheridans used for opposing force training. These too were retired in 2004. In 1999, Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki laid out his vision for a lighter, more transportable force. The Army began

1360-528: The 30th , 31st , and 81st Divisions . Replacements for them were received mostly from Camp Devens , Massachusetts , Camp Dix , New Jersey , Camps Lee and Meade , Virginia , and Camp Upton , New York , the men hailing from New England and the Mid-Atlantic states . In the spring, 5,000 more replacements for transfers made over the winter were assigned from Fort Devens, Camp Gordon, Camp Upton, Camp Dodge, Iowa , and Camp Travis, Texas , along with

1445-408: The 325th Infantry Regiment and the 326th Infantry Regiment along with the 320th Machine Gun Battalion. The 164th Brigade commanded the 327th Infantry Regiment and the 328th Infantry Regiment and the 321st Machine Gun Battalion. Also in the division were the 157th Field Artillery Brigade , composed of the 319th , 320th and 321st Field Artillery Regiments and the 307th Trench Mortar Battery;

1530-485: The 3d Battalion, 320th Artillery , was activated under Division Artillery to support the 4th Brigade. The units assigned and attached to the 3d Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division were as follows: The deployment of the 3rd Brigade took place with significant problems and controversy. In The Rise and Fall of an American Army: U.S. Ground Forces in Vietnam, 1965–1973, author Shelby L. Stanton describes how, other than

1615-626: The COVID-19 pandemic . The Army had required that the two companies submit all of their 12 prototypes by August 2020. GDLS delivered all of its prototypes (based on the Griffin II) by December 2020. BAE's final prototypes were delivered in February 2021. The assessment phase began in January 2021 at Fort Bragg , North Carolina, with testing scheduled to run through June 2021. In March 2022, BAE

1700-582: The Clermont area in Argonne (just west of Verdun) starting on September 24, stationed there to act as a reserve for the US First Army. On 3 October, Major General George B. Duncan , commander of the 77th Division, relieved William Burnham of his duties and took over as commander of the 82nd. On the night of October 6, 1918, the 164th Brigade relieved troops of the 28th Division , which were holding

1785-657: The Far East , and the continental United States . In 1957, the division implemented the pentomic organization (officially Reorganization of the Airborne Division (ROTAD)) in order to better prepare for tactical nuclear war in Europe. Five battle groups (each with a headquarters and service company, five rifle companies and a mortar battery) replaced the division's three regiments of three battalions each. The division's battle groups were: The pentomic organization

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1870-523: The IMI Systems ’ Iron Fist Active Protection System (APS) and AeroVironment ’s Switchblade loitering munition system. Mobile Protected Firepower The Mobile Protected Firepower ( MPF ) is a U.S. Army program to procure a combat vehicle that is capable of providing mobile, protected, direct fire offensive capability. The projected vehicle has been designated the M10 Booker , and will according to description essentially serve

1955-805: The Interim Armored Vehicle (IAV) program to implement Shinseki's concept. United Defense LP entered a variant of the AGS to meet the Mobile Gun System requirement; however the Army selected the General Dynamics Land Systems 8×8 LAV III derivative. The Army stated in its request for proposals in 2015 that it expected the MPF to operate in concert with the Army Ground Mobility Vehicle and Light Reconnaissance Vehicle. The Army said

2040-541: The National Army . It was organized and formally activated on 25 August 1917 at Camp Gordon , Georgia. At the time, the division consisted entirely of newly conscripted soldiers. Original enlisted men assigned to the division came from Alabama , Georgia , and Tennessee , but during October 1917, nearly all of them were transferred to fill shortages in National Guard and National Army units, principally

2125-611: The Saint-Mihiel offensive . As the attack on the Saint-Mihiel salient began on September 12, the division engaged in a holding mission to prevent Imperial German Army forces from attacking the right flank of the First Army. This defensive action allowed the 163rd Brigade and 327th Infantry Regiment to advance north-east, raiding the communes of Port-sur-Seille , Eply , Bois de Cheminot , and Bois Fréhaut . Meanwhile,

2210-520: The U.S. Army Armor & Cavalry Collection , Fort Moore . 82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into hostile areas with a U.S. Department of Defense mandate to be "on-call to fight any time, anywhere" at "the knife's edge of technology and readiness." Primarily based at Fort Liberty, North Carolina ,

2295-656: The XIV Corps , and further allotted to Florida , Georgia , and South Carolina as its home area. The division headquarters was organized on 23 September 1921 at 1202-1/2 Main Street in Columbia, South Carolina , relocating in 1923 to the Post Office Building where it remained until activated for World War II. The 82nd Division's designated mobilization station was Camp McClellan, Alabama , also where much of

2380-648: The 1940 tables of organization. The headquarters companies of the two infantry brigades were consolidated into the division's cavalry reconnaissance troop, and one infantry regiment was removed by inactivation. The field artillery brigade headquarters and headquarters battery became the headquarters and headquarters battery of the division artillery, and its three field artillery regiments were reorganized into four battalions. The engineer, medical, and quartermaster regiments were reorganized into battalions. In 1942, divisional quartermaster battalions were split into ordnance light maintenance companies and quartermaster companies, and

2465-400: The 3/ 73rd Armor of the 82nd Airborne Division , was subsequently inactivated starting in 1996. In 2018 the Army selected bids from General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and BAE Systems —for further evaluation for the MPF requirement. Prototypes of GDLS's Griffin II and BAE's M8 AGS were delivered to the Army beginning in 2020. BAE's submission was disqualified in 2022. The Army selected

2550-582: The 307th Observation Squadron with Air Corps units at Maxwell Field , Alabama. The infantry regiments of the division rotated responsibility to conduct the Citizens Military Training Camps each year at Camp McClellan. The division participated in Fourth Corps Area or Third Army command post exercises in conjunction with other Regular Army, National Guard and Organized Reserve units, but unlike Regular and Guard units,

2635-439: The 325th GIR. When the division was relieved in early July, the 82nd had seen a month straight of severe combat. Casualties had been heavy. Losses included 5,245 troopers killed, wounded, or missing- a 46% casualty rate. Major General Ridgway's post-battle report stated in part, "... 33 days of action without relief, without replacements. Every mission accomplished. No ground gained was ever relinquished." Following Normandy,

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2720-526: The 328th Infantry Regiment advanced on the west of the Moselle River , made contact with the 90th Division , and entered the town of Norroy , to consolidate American troop positions. By September 17, the Saint-Mihiel offensive had stabilized, and preparations for the infamous Meuse-Argonne offensive began. On September 20, the 82nd Division was relieved by the French 69th Division. The 82nd Division

2805-467: The 3d Brigade. As Stanton wrote: The division had been so rushed to get this brigade to the battlefront that it ignored individual deployment criteria. Paratroopers who had just returned from Vietnam now found themselves suddenly going back. The howl of soldier complaints was so vehement that the Department of the Army was soon forced to give each trooper who had deployed to Vietnam with the 3d Brigade

2890-770: The 3rd Brigade was en route to Chu Lai within 24 hours of receiving its orders. The 3rd Brigade performed combat duties in the Huế – Phu Bai area of the I Corps sector. Later the brigade moved south to Saigon , and fought in the Mekong Delta , the Iron Triangle and along the Cambodian border, serving nearly 22 months. While the 3rd Brigade was deployed, the division created a provisional 4th Brigade, consisting of 4th Battalion, 325th Infantry; 3d Battalion, 504th Infantry; and 3d Battalion, 505th Infantry. An additional unit,

2975-581: The 505th Parachute Regimental Combat Team, under Colonel Gavin, was the first regimental-sized combat parachute assault conducted by the United States Army. The first glider assault did not occur until Operation Neptune as part of the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944 . Troopers arrived in Italy by landing craft at Maiori, Naples, and Salerno. During the invasion of Italy , Ridgway considered Will Lang Jr. of TIME magazine an honorary member of

3060-480: The 826 men who went into the Ardennes, only 110 came out. Having lost its charismatic leader Lt. Colonel Joerg, and almost all its men either wounded, killed, or frostbitten, the 551 was never reconstituted. The few soldiers who remained were later absorbed into units of the 82nd Airborne. After several days of fighting, the destruction of the 62nd Volksgrenadiers, and what had been left of the 9th SS Panzer Division

3145-565: The 82nd Airborne Division entered Berlin for occupation duty , replacing the 2nd Armored Division in August 1945. The division was relieved by the 78th Infantry Division early in November 1945. While in Berlin, General George S. Patton was so impressed with the 82nd's "honor guard" that he said, "In all my years in the Army and all the honor guards I have ever seen, the 82nd's honor guard

3230-537: The 82nd Airborne Division is part of the XVIII Airborne Corps . The 82nd Airborne Division is the U.S. Army's most strategically mobile division. The division was organized on 25 August 1917, at Camp Hancock , Georgia , (now subdivided and owned by a combination of the City of Augusta-Richmond County, Veterans Administration, and private parties) and later served with distinction on the Western Front in

3315-449: The 82nd Airborne Division returned to England to rest and refit for future airborne operations. The 82nd became part of the newly organized XVIII Airborne Corps , which consisted of the 17th , 82nd, and 101st Airborne Divisions . Ridgway was given command of the corps but was not officially promoted to lieutenant general until 1945. His recommendation for succession as division commander was Brigadier General James M. Gavin , previously

3400-419: The 82nd Airborne Division was assigned to take Cheneux which had been captured by Kampfgruppe Peiper . On 21–22 December 1944, the 82nd Airborne faced counterattacks from two Waffen SS divisions which included the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler ( lit. translation "The SS Bodyguard Division of Adolf Hitler") and the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen . The Waffen SS efforts to relieve

3485-430: The 82nd Airborne Division was forced to withdrawal for the first time in its combat history. The Germans pursued their retreat with the 2nd and 9th SS Panzer Divisions. The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich engaged the 82nd until 28 December when it and what was left of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte were ordered to move south to meet General George Patton 's forces attacking in the area of Bastogne. Some units of

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3570-616: The 82nd Division did not participate as an organized unit in the Fourth Corps Area maneuvers and the Third Army maneuvers of 1938, 1940, and 1941 due to a lack of enlisted personnel and equipment, with the officers and a few enlisted reservists assigned to fill vacant slots in organized units to bring them to war strength for the exercises, with others assigned duties as umpires or support personnel. Before Organized Reserve infantry divisions were ordered into active military service, they were reorganized on paper as "triangular" divisions under

3655-689: The 82nd Division relieved the 78th division at Champigneulle . Three days later it advanced to the Ravin aux Pierres. On 31 October, the 82nd, except the artillery, was relieved by the 77th Division and the 80th Division , and assembled in the Argonne Forest to regroup. On 10 November, it moved again to training areas in Bourmont , where it remained until the Armistice of 11 November 1918 . The division suffered 995 killed and 7,082 wounded, for

3740-534: The 82nd Infantry Division, now commanded by Major General Ridgway, became the first airborne division in the history of the U.S. Army, and was redesignated as the 82nd Airborne Division . The 82nd was selected after deliberations by the U.S. Army General Staff because of a number of factors; it was not a Regular Army or National Guard unit (historian John B. Wilson wrote that "many traditionalists in those components wanted nothing to do with such an experimental force," while James M. Gavin wrote that many states would refuse

3825-509: The 82nd found a permanent home at Fort Bragg , North Carolina , designated a Regular Army division on 15 November 1948. The 82nd was not sent to the Korean War , as both Presidents Truman and Eisenhower chose to keep it in strategic reserve in the event of a Soviet ground attack anywhere in the world. Life in the 82nd during the 1950s and 1960s consisted of intensive training exercises in all environments and locations, including Panama ,

3910-818: The 82nd's assistant division commander. Upon being promoted to Major General in October 1944 at the age of 37, Gavin became the youngest general since the Civil War to command a U.S. Army division. On August 2, 1944, the division became part of the First Allied Airborne Army . In September, planning for Operation Market Garden (the Allied invasion of the Netherlands ) began in earnest. The operation called for three (at minimum) airborne divisions to seize and hold key bridges and roads deep behind German lines. The 504th PIR, now back at full strength,

3995-490: The 82nd, only two under-strength Marine and four skeletonized Army divisions were left stateside by the beginning of 1968. MACV, desperate for additional manpower, wanted the division to deploy to Vietnam, and the Department of the Army, wishing to retain its "sole readily deployable strategic reserve, the last real vestige of actual Army divisional combat potency in the United States left to the Pentagon," compromised by sending

4080-461: The 9th SS Panzer including the 19th Panzer Grenadier Regiment stayed and fought the 82nd. They were joined by the 62nd Volksgrenadier Division . The 9th SS Panzer tried to breakthrough by attacking the 508 and 504 PIR positions, but ultimately failed. The failure of the 9th and 2nd SS Panzer Divisions to break through the 82nd lines marked the end of the German offensive in the northern shoulder of

4165-692: The Belgian city of Enghien , successfully re-establishing the front there. On October 11, the right flank of the division took the high ground north of the Rance river while the left flank continued to advance along the Aire. The next day, the 42nd Division relieved the 82nd's troops in Sommerance. Attacking with fresh troops, the 82nd broke through the Hindenburg Line on October 15. On October 18,

4250-716: The British Ajax IFV (itself based on the Austrian–Spanish ASCOD ). It was publicly unveiled on 22 April 2020. BAE Systems' proposal was a lighter updated version of the M8 Armored Gun System, which was canceled in 1996. In December 2018, the Army narrowed their choices to BAE and GDLS's proposals to move forward. The Army awarded rapid prototyping contracts for MPF not to exceed $ 376 million to these two companies. Both companies faced production difficulties and supplier issues related to

4335-484: The Bulge. The German objective now became one of defense. On 3 January 1945, the 82nd Airborne Division conducted a counterattack. On the first day's fighting the 82nd Airborne overran the 62nd Volksgrenadiers and the 9th SS Panzer's positions capturing 2,400 prisoners. The 82nd Airborne suffered high casualties in the process. The attached 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion was all but destroyed during these attacks. Of

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4420-677: The French sector. The division was briefly assigned to I Corps before falling under the command of IV Corps until late August. It was then moved to the Woëvre front. As part of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) deployed during WWI, the 82nd Division began training with British forces in Picardy as early as May 10, 1918. From there they moved to the hotly contested French border region of Lorraine , which they occupied from June 16 to September 11 in preparation for

4505-654: The GDLS model for initial production later that year. In 2023, the Army type classified the vehicle as the M10 Booker. The Army expects to purchase 504 units. The Army recognized the poor performance of the M551 Sheridan light tank in Vietnam and began the process of retiring the vehicle in 1977. A small number were retained in active service by the 82nd Airborne Division and the National Guard . The Army began

4590-416: The June 6th assault, a 508th platoon leader, First Lieutenant Robert P. Mathias , would be the first U.S. Army officer killed by German fire during the invasion. On 7   June, after this first wave of attack, the 325th GIR would arrive by glider to provide a division reserve. In Normandy, the 82nd gained its first Medal of Honor of the war, belonging to Private First Class Charles N. DeGlopper of

4675-442: The Kampfgruppe Peiper failed due to the stubborn defense of the 82nd Airborne, the 30th ID , 2nd ID , and other units. On 23 December, the Germans attacked from the south and overran the 325th GIR holding the Baraque- Fraiture crossroads on the 82nd's southern flank, endangering the entire 82nd Airborne division. The 2nd SS Panzers objective was to outflank the 82nd Airborne. It was not an attack designed to reach Peiper, but it

4760-455: The MPF will operate in "austere and unpredictable locations". At an industry day in August 2016, an Army spokesperson said the MPF was one of the Army's top priorities. The Army desired a commercial off-the-shelf vehicle weighing no more than 32 tons. The Army opted not to add a requirement for an air-drop capability, unlike the M8 Armored Gun System, which had this capability. According to an Army Futures Command official, as of 2021, one of

4845-479: The United States at once. MACV had no paratroopers to replace them, and overnight the brigade was transformed into a separate light infantry brigade, airborne in name only. On 24 July 1967, shortly before midnight, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the U.S. military to occupy Detroit . At 1:10 a.m., 4,700 paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, under the command of Lieutenant General John L. Throckmorton , arrived in Detroit and began working in

4930-489: The United States on 3 January 1946 on the RMS  Queen Mary . The 82nd initially was staged at Camp Shanks , New York, where they drilled for the coming Victory Parade , to be held in New York City on January 12, 1946. In 1947 the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was assigned to the 82nd and was reflagged as the 3d Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (redesignated as the 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment effective 15 December 1947). Instead of being demobilized,

5015-417: The active elements of the 4th Division at various posts in the Fourth Corps Area. For example, the division artillery trained with the units of the 13th Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina ; the 307th Engineer Regiment alongside Company A, 4th Engineer Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia ; the 307th Medical Regiment trained at the medical officers training camp at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia ; and

5100-464: The assault, described it as "a single, isolated battle that ranks in magnificence and courage with Guam , Tarawa , Omaha Beach . A story that should be told to the blowing of bugles and the beating of drums for the men whose bravery made the capture of this crossing over the Waal possible." The Market Garden salient was held in a defensive operation for several weeks until the 82nd was relieved by Canadian troops, and sent into reserve in France. During

5185-420: The conversion of their National Guard units, likely because of the additional expenses needed to maintain facilities for airborne units), its personnel had all completed basic training, and it was stationed in an area that had good weather and flying facilities. The division initially consisted of the 325th , 326th and 327th Infantry Regiments , and supporting units. The 327th was soon transferred to help form

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5270-432: The division's headquarters and military police company, which had previously been a combined unit, was split. The 82nd Division was redesignated on 13 February 1942 as Division Headquarters, 82nd Division, and ordered into active service on 25 March 1942, at Camp Claiborne , Louisiana , under the command of Major General Omar N. Bradley . The officer and enlisted cadre mostly came from the 9th Infantry Division , while

5355-484: The division. In January 1944, the 504th, commanded by Colonel Reuben Tucker , which was temporarily detached to fight at Anzio , adopted the nickname "Devils in Baggy Pants", taken from an entry in a German officer's diary. With two air drops under its belt, the 82nd Airborne was ready for the second "D-Day" operation in the division's history; Operation Neptune , or the amphibious assault portion of Allied invasion of Normandy . The division conducted Mission Boston ,

5440-407: The enlisted fillers came from reception centers in the Midwest , South , and Southwest . During this period, the division brought together three officers who would ultimately steer the U.S. Army during the following two decades: Matthew Ridgway , James M. Gavin , and Maxwell D. Taylor . Under Major General Bradley, the 82nd Division's Chief of Staff was George Van Pope . On 15 August 1942,

5525-490: The final months of World War I . Since its initial members came from all 48 states, the division acquired the nickname All-American , which is the basis for its "AA" on the shoulder patch. The division later served in World War II where, in August 1942, it was reconstituted as the first airborne division of the U.S. Army and fought in numerous campaigns during the war. The 82nd Division was first constituted during World War I on 5   August 1917 as an infantry division in

5610-399: The front line from south of Fléville to La Forge , along the eastern bank of the Aire River . On   October 7 the 82nd Division, minus the 163rd Brigade, which remained in reserve, attacked the northeastern edge of the Argonne Forest , taking "Hill 223" in the process. The division's right flank entered the commune of Cornay but later withdrew southeast. The division's left flank took

5695-434: The high ground northwest of Châtel-Chéhéry . On October 9, the division's left flank advanced to form a line along the French pylons on the road to the Belgian city of la Louvière . Throughout October, the division advanced north-east along the Aire (Aisne) river . On 10 October, it relieved troops of the 1st Division in Ardennes at Fléville and Sommerance . The 82nd Division then relaunched an attack on Cornay and

5780-433: The operation, 19-year-old Private John R. Towle of the 504th PIR was posthumously awarded the 82nd Airborne Division's second Medal of Honor of World War II. On 16 December 1944, the Germans launched a surprise offensive through the Ardennes Forest , which became known as the Battle of the Bulge . In SHAEF reserve, the 82nd was committed on the northern face of the bulge near Elsenborn Ridge . On 20 December 1944,

5865-428: The opportunity presented itself early in the battle. When the British XXX Corps arrived in Nijmegen, six hours ahead of schedule, they found themselves having to fight to take a bridge that should have already been in allied hands. In the afternoon of Wednesday 20 September 1944, the 82nd Airborne Division successfully conducted an opposed assault crossing of the Waal river. War correspondent Bill Downs , who witnessed

5950-408: The option of returning to Fort Bragg or remaining with the unit. To compensate for the abrupt departures from home for those who elected to stay with the unit, the Army authorized a month leave at the soldiers' own expense or a two-week leave with government aircraft provided for special flights back to North Carolina. Of the 3,650 paratroopers who had deployed from Fort Bragg, 2,513 elected to return to

6035-461: The ports in Boston , New York and Brooklyn to Liverpool , England, where the division fully assembled by mid-May 1918. From there, the division moved to Continental Europe , leaving Southampton and arriving at Le Havre , France . The 82nd Division then moved to the British-controlled sector of the Somme , where it began sending small numbers of troops and officers to the front lines to gain combat experience. On June 16, it moved by rail to

6120-643: The role of an assault gun . The program is part of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle program. The MPF vehicle has been called a light tank by some sources, which is incorrect according to some Army officials. It will weigh about 42 short tons (38 t). MPF is similar in purpose to the M8 Armored Gun System light tank, the intended replacement for the M551 Sheridan , which the Army canceled due to budget considerations in 1996. The last user of M551 Sheridans ,

6205-508: The two competing team's bids was potentially light enough to airdrop due to its "significantly" lighter weight. In November 2017, the Army issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase and, in order to maximize competition, planned to award up to two Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) contracts for the EMD phase in early 2019. The expected buy

6290-470: The unit's annual training activities occurred in the interwar years. The headquarters usually trained at Camp McClellan, but also occasionally trained with the staff of the 8th Infantry Brigade, 4th Division . The 82nd Division's infantry regiments held their annual training primarily with the units of the 8th Infantry Brigade, while other units, such as the special troops, artillery, engineers, aviation, medical, and quartermaster units, usually trained alongside

6375-493: Was 504 MPF systems. Science Applications International Corporation partnered with ST Kinetics and CMI Defence . The design paired CMI's Cockerill 305 turret to an ST Kinetics Next Generation Armored Fighting Vehicle hull. BAE Systems offered a vehicle based on the M8 Armored Gun System . General Dynamics Land Systems offered a variant of the Griffin II . The GDLS vehicle incorporates components and systems from

6460-565: Was complete. For the 82nd Airborne Division the first part of the Battle of the Bulge had ended. After helping to secure the Ruhr , the 82nd Airborne Division took over Ludwigslust past the Elbe River , accepting the surrender of over 150,000 men of Lieutenant General Kurt von Tippelskirch 's 21st Army on 2 May 1945. General Omar Bradley , commanding the U.S. 12th Army Group , stated in

6545-543: Was downselected, along with BAE Systems , to develop prototypes. GDLS presented its first prototype in April 2020. BAE's M8 AGS proposal was disqualified in March 2022. In June 2022, GDLS won the Mobile Protected Firepower program competition and was awarded a contract worth up to $ 1.14 billion. In June 2023, MPF was officially designated as M10 Booker, named after Staff Sgt. Stevon A. Booker and Pvt. Robert D. Booker . Griffin III

6630-529: Was first unveiled at the Association of the United States Army 's 2018 Exposition in Huntsville, Alabama . It was being offered under Army's XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (MICV) program with six fully equipped infantry carrying option in the back. This version, while similar in weight to Griffin II, scaled down the main gun from 105mm caliber to the 50 mm XM913 gun system . It is equipped with

6715-437: Was his last chance, nonetheless. If it did outflank the 82nd, it could have opened a corridor and reached the stranded yet still powerful Kampfgruppe. But the attack came too late. On 24 December 1944, the 82nd Airborne Division with an official strength of 8,520 men was facing off against a vastly superior combined force of 43,000 men and over 1,200 armored fighting and artillery vehicles and pieces. Due to these circumstances,

6800-494: Was killed in the North African campaign during World War II , and Staff Sergeant Stevon Booker, who was a tank commander during the invasion of Baghdad . The M10 Booker is an armored vehicle that is intended to support our Infantry Brigade Combat Teams by suppressing and destroying fortifications, gun systems and trench routes, and then secondarily providing protection against enemy armored vehicles. As of 2023, there

6885-548: Was later to command the division. In April 1943, paratroopers from the 82nd, under the command of Major General Ridgway, sailed into the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and landed in North Africa as part of the Allied plan to invade Sicily . The division's first two combat operations were parachute assaults into Sicily on July 9 and Salerno on 13 September 1943. The initial assault on Sicily, by

6970-454: Was reassigned to the 82nd, while the 507th was assigned to the 17th Airborne Division , at the time training in England. On 17 September, the "All American" Division conducted its fourth (and final) combat jump of World War II. Fighting off German counterattacks, the division captured its objectives between Grave , and Nijmegen . The division failed to initially capture Nijmegen Bridge when

7055-508: Was reportedly disqualified from the competition due to "noncompliance issues", leaving GDLS as the only remaining option. The Army selected the GDLS Griffin II in June 2022. The initial contract is for 96 Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) vehicles, with first delivery by the end of 2023. As of January 2023, delivery of the first LRIP MPF system is expected in 19 months, and Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation (IOT & E)

7140-483: Was then stationed near Triaucourt and Rarécourt , near the First Army. During this operation, the 82nd Division suffered casualties from heavy artillery fire which the fresh American soldiers were completely unused to. The division was moved into reserve from September 26 to October 3 while it assembled near Varennes-en-Argonne to train and prepare for the Meuse-Argonne offensive . The division mobilized to

7225-764: Was unsuccessful, and the division reorganized into three brigades of three battalions (the Reorganization Objective Army Division (ROAD) organization) in 1964. In April 1965, the "All-Americans" invaded the Dominican Republic . Spearheaded by the 3rd Brigade, the 82nd deployed in Operation Power Pack . During the Tet Offensive , which swept across South Vietnam in January/February 1968,

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