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List of known U.S. combat parachute jumps

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This is a list of known parachute jumps into combat zones by troops and units of the United States military. Participation in such jumps is recognized by certain Parachutist Badges.

List of known U.S. combat parachute jumps[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Date Unit Operation Troopers Country Dropzone
8 November 1942 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion (PIB) Torch 556 Algeria Tafaraoui airfield, La Senia
15 November 1942 509th PIB Torch 300–350 Algeria Youks les Bains
24 December 1942 509th PIB, Headquarters Company

Two French paratroopers

32 Tunisia El Djem
9 July 1943 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 3rd Battalion (jumped first).

505th Regimental Combat Team (RCT), including 505th PIR, 456th Parachute Field Artillery (PFA), 307th Engineering Battalion (Engr.), Company B.

Husky I 3,406 Italy Gela, Sicily
10 July 1943 504th RCT, including 504th PIR, 1st & 2nd Btn.; 376th PFA, 307th Engr., Co. A Husky II 2,304 Italy Gela, Sicily
5 September 1943 503th PIR 1,700 New Guinea Nadzab, Markham Valley
13 September 1943 504th RCT, including 504th PIR, 376th PFA, 307th Engr., Co. A Avalanche 1,300 Italy Paestum, Salerno
14 September 1943 505th RCT, including 505th PIR, 456th PFA, 370th Engr., Co. B Avalanche 2,105 Italy Salerno, Paestum
14 September 1943 509th PIB Avalanche 640 Italy Avellino
6 June 1944 82nd Airborne Division (507, 508) 505th RCT, including 505th PIR, 307th Engr. Co. B, 456th PFA.

28 Pathfinders, 504th PIR, (7 returned).

Overlord, Titanic (Dropping of parachute dummies, "Oscar"). 6,418 France Normandy
6 June 1944 101st Airborne Division [326, 377, 501, 502, 506] Overlord, Titanic (Dropping of parachute dummies, "Oscar"). 6,638 France Normandy
3 July 1944 503rd PRCT, 1st Bn. Table Tennis 739 New Guinea Noemfoor Island
4 July 1944 503rd PRCT, 3rd Bn. Table Tennis 685 New Guinea Noemfoor Island
15 August 1944 1st Abn. Task Force (460th PFA, 463rd PFABn.; 509th PIB; 517th PCT; 551st PIB; 596th PCEng. Co.) Dragoon 5,607 France Cote d' Azur, Riviera
17 September 1944 82nd Airborne Division (508), 505th RCT, Includes: 505th PIR, 456th PFA, & Co.B, 307th Engr.; 504th RCT, Includes: 504th PIR, 376th PFA, & Co.A, 307 Engr Market Garden 7,250 Netherlands Grave & Nijmegen
17 September 1944 101st Airborne Division [501, 502, 506] Market Garden 6,769 Netherlands Eindhoven
29 November 1944; 5 December 1944 Co.C, 127th Abn.Eng, Bn. Co.C., 1st Pl.., 187th P/GIR 221st AB. Med. Co.; 457th PFA 11th Abn. Div. Hdqt's Group 511th Pcht. Signal Co. 11th Abn. Div. RECON Pl. Tabletop 241 Leyte Manarawat
3 February 1945 511th PIR, 457th FABn. Shoestring 1,830 Philippines Tagaytay Ridge
16 February 1945 503rd PRCT, 462nd PFABn; Co. C, 161st Airborne Engr. Btn. Topside 2,050 Philippines Corregidor
23 February 1945 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment: 1st Btn., Co.B; Hdqt's Co., 1st Btn.; Hdqt's Co., 1st Btn., Light Machine Gun Platoon Rescue 2,147 internees 130 Philippines Los Banos Prison Camp
24 March 1945 17th Airborne Division (507 PIR, 513 PIR, 464 PFA, 466 PFA, 139 AEB, 224 AMC, 155 AAB, 411 AQM, 517 ASC, 680 GFA 681 GFA, 717 AOC & 194 GIR). Also small units: MP's, Division Artillery, Reconnaissance Platoon, & Parachute Maintenance Co. Varsity 4,964 Germany Wesel
23 June 1945 511th PIR Gypsy 1,030 Philippines Aparri
20 October 1950 187th ARCT, 2nd Battalion DZ Easy 1,203 Korea Sukchon
20 October 1950 187th ARCT, 1st, 3rd. Bn's. DZ William 1,470 Korea Sukchon
21 October 1950 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team (ARCT). DZ William 671 Korea Sukchon
23 March 1951 187th ARCT, 2nd & 3rd Bns; 674th ABN Field Artillery Bn; 2nd & 4th ABN Ranger Cos, and Indian army surgical team. Tomahawk 3,486 Korea Munsan-Ni
12 February 1962 FTT-1 White Star SF Team Nam Beng Valley Campaign vs. Pathet Lao 12 Laos Nam Tha airstrip
2 January 1963 Joint General Staff reserve ARVN Paratroopers with U.S. MACV "Red Hat" Advisors from Saigon Ap Bac 300 South Vietnamese, 2 Americans South Vietnam Ap Tan Thoi
22 February 1967 173rd Airborne Brigade, 503rd P.I.R., 2nd & 3rd Btl's,; 3/319 Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (AFAR). Junction City 845 Vietnam Katum
2 April 1967 5th Special Force Group (ABN), 1st Special Forces: Detachments, A-503 Mike Force & A-344, Operation Harvest Moon (Includes Montagnards) Harvest Moon 356 (includes Montagnards) Vietnam Bunard, Phouc Long "Happy Dragon" Province
5 September 1967 USMC, 1st Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) Oregon 10 Vietnam South
5 October 1967 5th Special Forces Group (ABN): Pathfinder Detachment (12 SF, 37 ARVN Pathfinders), "B" Co II CTZ (Pleiku) Mike Force (50 SF) & 275 LLDB (Includes Montagnards) Blue Max 374 Vietnam Bu Prang CIDG fighting camp, Quang Duc "Great Virtue" Province
1968–73? Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) Airborne Studies Group (SOG 36) Eldest Son, Italian Green, Pole Bean North Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
28 November 1970 Recon Team Florida, CCN, MACV-SOG (High Altitude Low Opening [HALO]) 3 Americans, one ARVN officer and 2 Montagnards Laos NVA road inside Laos
7 May 1971 Captain Larry Manes' Recon Team, CCN, MACV-SOG (HALO) 4 Americans South Vietnam Between Ashau Valley and Khe Sanh, NVA trail extension of Laotian Highway 921
22 June 1971 Sergeant Major Billy Waugh's Recon Team, CCN, MACV-SOG (HALO) 4 Americans South Vietnam 60 miles SW of Danang
22 September 1971 Captain Jim Storter's Recon Team, CCC, MACV-SOG (HALO) 4 Americans South Vietnam Plei Trap Valley, NW of Pleiku
11 October 1971 Sgt. 1st Class Dick Gross' Recon Team, CCC, MACV-SOG (HALO) 5 Americans Vietnam 25 miles, SW of Pleiku in the Ia Drang Valley
23 October 1983 Navy SEAL Team and USAF CCT Urgent Fury 15 Grenada Port Salines
25 October 1983 75th Ranger Regiment LRS Detachment; 82nd Abn Div combat controllers (CCT), Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), 12 troopers; 4 troopers, 1st Bn, tactical air control parties (TACP). Urgent Fury 16(?) Grenada Point Salines
25 October 1983 Navy SEAL Team Urgent Fury 11 Grenada Governor's residence
25 October 1983 75th Ranger Regiment 1st and 2nd Bns; and two paratroopers (SGT Spain and SPC Richardson from 307th Engineer Bn) Urgent Fury 500 Grenada Point Salines airfield
20 December 1989 Unit: 75th Ranger Regiment; 82nd Airborne Division Ready Brigade Just Cause 4,000 Panama Rio Hato east to Fort Cimarron
20 December 1989 75th Ranger Regiment; 82nd Abn Div, 1st Brigade Task Force: 1-504th PIR, 1-505th PIR; 2-504th PIR; 4-325th PIR, Co B and C; A/3-505 PIR; 3-73rd Armor (Abn); 82nd MP Co (Abn), 3 platoons. All joined to form: Task Force Pacific. Just Cause 2,176 Panama Torrijos-Tocumen Airport
15 January 1991 Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (HAHO) Desert Storm 12 Iraq Northwest desert
Dec. 1991 Navy SEAL Team 6 Raw Deal Haiti Navassa Island
19 October 2001 75th Ranger Regiment Operation Enduring Freedom 200 Afghanistan Objective Rhino[7]
13 November 2001 3-75th Ranger Regiment Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan In the vicinity of Alimarden Kan-E-Bagat
25 February 2003 2-75th Ranger Regiment; 3-504th PIR Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan Near Chahar Borjak, Nimruz Province
24 March 2003 3-75th Ranger Regiment; 24th Special Tactics Squadron Operation Iraqi Freedom Iraq Northwestern desert region of Iraq, Objective Serpent in the vicinity of Al Qaim [6]
26 March 2003 173rd Airborne Brigade, 786th Security Forces Squadron Operation Northern Delay 954 Iraq Bashur Drop zone [6]
28–29 Mar 2003 27th Engineer Battalion; 3-75th Ranger Regiment; 24th Special Tactics Squadron Operation Iraqi Freedom Iraq At H1 Airfield
3 July 2004 75th Ranger Regiment, Regimental Reconnaissance Company Team 3 (HALO) Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan Southeastern Region (Tillman Dropzone) [6]
31 July 2004 USMC 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (HAHO)[8] Operation Iraqi Freedom 6 Iraq Near Baghdad
30 May 2007 ODA 074, 3-10th Special Forces Group (HALO) [4] Operation Iraqi Freedom 11 Iraq Ninewah Province
11 July 2009 75th Ranger Regiment, Regimental Reconnaissance Company, Team 1 [6] Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan

Notes

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  1. ^ United States Combat Jumps, GlobalSecurity.org, last updated 7 May 2011, last accessed 17 February 2013
  2. ^ Plaster, John L. (1997). SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 295-301. ISBN 0-684-81105-7.
  3. ^ Units Credited With Assault Landings, General Orders No. 10, Department of the Army, dated 25 September 2006, last accessed 30 April 2017
  4. ^ a b Hitting the ground with coalition partners; Special Warfare Magazine; Valume 21, Issue 6; dated November–December 2008, last accessed 17 February 2013
  5. ^ History of Military Operational Parachute Jumps, Special Forces Association, dated 7 March 2013, last accessed 30 April 2017
  6. ^ a b c d e These are the only 5 combat jumps by US troops that we know about since September 11, Business Insider, by Eric Milzarski from "We Are The Mighty" program, dated 7 October 2019, last accessed 9 July 2020
  7. ^ Naylor, Sean (1 September 2015). Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command. St. Martin's Press. p. 112.
  8. ^ "ON THIS DAY: FIRST HIGH-ALTITUDE HIGH-OPENING (HAHO) JUMP IN COMBAT". History of the Marine Corps.