11th Airborne Division ( United States ) The 11th Airborne Division ( " Angels " ) was a United States Army airborne formation , first activated on 25 February 1943 , during World War II . Consisting of one parachute and two glider infantry regiments , with supporting troops , the division underwent rigorous training throughout 1943 . It played a vital role in the successful Knollwood Maneuver , which was organised to determine the viability of large - scale American airborne formations after their utility had been called into question following a disappointing performance during the Allied invasion of Sicily . Held in reserve in the United States for the first half of 1944 , in June the division was transferred to the Pacific Theater of Operations . Upon arrival it entered a period of intense training and acclimatization , and by November was judged combat - ready . The 11th Airborne saw its first action on the island of Leyte in the Philippines , but in a traditional infantry role . In January 1945 the division took part in the invasion of Luzon . The two glider infantry regiments again operated as conventional infantry , securing a beachhead before fighting their way inland . The parachute infantry regiment was held in reserve for several days before conducting the division ' s first airborne operation , a combat drop on the Tagaytay Ridge . Reunited , the division participated in the Liberation of Manila , and two companies of divisional paratroopers conducted an audacious raid on the Los Baños internment camp , liberating two thousand civilians . The 11th Airborne ' s last combat operation of World War II was in the north of Luzon around Aparri , in aid of combined American and Philippine forces who were battling to subdue the remaining Japanese resistance on the island . On 30 August 1945 the division was sent to southern Japan as part of the occupation force . Four years later it was recalled to the United States , where it became a training formation . One parachute infantry regiment was detached for service in the Korean War , but on 30 June 1958 the division was inactivated . It was briefly reactivated on 1 February 1963 as the 11th Air Assault Division ( Test ) to explore the theory and practicality of helicopter assault tactics , and was inactivated on 29 June 1965 . The division ' s personnel and equipment were transferred to the newly raised 1st Cavalry Division ( Airmobile ) . World War II . Formation . Inspired by the pioneering German use of large - scale airborne formations during the Battle of France in 1940 and later the Invasion of Crete in 1941 , the various Allied powers decided to raise airborne units of their own . One of the resultant five American and two British airborne divisions , the 11th Airborne Division was officially activated on 25 February 1943 at Camp Mackall in North Carolina , under the command of Maj . Gen . Joseph M . Swing . As formed the division consisted of the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment , the 187th Glider Infantry Regiment and the 188th Glider Infantry Regiment , and with a complement of 8 , 321 men was around half the strength of a regular American World War II infantry division . The division initially remained in the United States for training , which in common with all airborne units was extremely arduous to befit their elite status . Training included lengthy forced marches , simulated parachute landings from and towers , and practice jumps from transport aircraft ; hesitancy in the doorway of an aircraft resulted in an automatic failure for the candidate . The washout rate was high , but there was never a shortage of candidates ; especially in American airborne units the rate of pay was much higher than that of an ordinary infantryman . Before training was complete a debate developed in the United States Army over whether the best use of airborne forces was " en masse " or as small , compact units . On 9 July 1943 , the first large - scale Allied airborne operation was carried out by elements of the United States 82nd Airborne Division and the British 1st Airborne Division in support of the Allied invasion of Sicily , codenamed Operation Husky . The 11th ' s commanding officer , Maj . Gen . Swing , was temporarily transferred to act as airborne advisor to General Dwight D . Eisenhower for the operation , and observed the airborne assault which went badly . The 82nd Airborne Division had been inserted by parachute and glider and had suffered high casualties , leading to a perception that it had failed to achieve many of its objectives . Swing Board . Eisenhower reviewed the airborne role in Operation Husky and concluded that large - scale formations were too difficult to control in combat to be practical . Lt . Gen . Leslie J . McNair , the overall commander of US Army ground forces , had similar misgivings : once an airborne supporter , he had been greatly disappointed by the performance of airborne units in North Africa and more recently Sicily . However , other high - ranking officers , including General George Marshall , believed otherwise . Marshall persuaded Eisenhower to set up a review board and to withhold judgement until the outcome of a large - scale maneuver , planned for December 1943 , could be assessed . When Swing returned to the United States to resume command of the 11th Airborne in mid - September 1943 , he was given the role of preparing the exercise . McNair ordered him to form a committee — the Swing Board — composed of air force , parachute , glider infantry , and artillery officers , whose arrangements for the maneuver would effectively decide the fate of divisional - sized airborne forces . As the 11th Airborne Division was in reserve in the United States and had not yet been earmarked for combat , the Swing Board selected it as the test formation . The maneuver would additionally provide the 11th Airborne and its individual units with further training , as had occurred several months previously in an earlier large - scale exercise conducted by the 101st and the 82nd Airborne Divisions . Knollwood Maneuver . The 11th Airborne , as the attacking force , was assigned the objective of capturing Knollwood Army Auxiliary Airfield near Fort Bragg in North Carolina . The force defending the airfield and its environs was a combat team composed of elements of the 17th Airborne Division and a battalion from the 541st Parachute Infantry Regiment . The entire operation was observed by Army Ground Forces commander Lt . Gen . McNair , who would ultimately have a significant say in deciding the fate of the parachute infantry divisions . The Knollwood Maneuver took place on the night of 7 December 1943 , with the 11th Airborne Division being airlifted to thirteen separate objectives by 200 C - 47 Skytrain transport aircraft and 234 Waco CG - 4A gliders . The transport aircraft were divided into four groups , two of which carried paratroopers while the other two towed gliders . Each group took off from a different airfield in the Carolinas . The four groups deployed a total of 4 , 800 troops in the first wave . Eighty - five percent were delivered to their targets without navigational error , and the airborne troops seized the Knollwood Army Auxiliary Airfield and secured the landing area for the rest of the division before daylight . With its initial objectives taken , the 11th Airborne Division then launched a coordinated ground attack against a reinforced infantry regiment and conducted several aerial resupply and casualty evacuation missions in coordination with United States Army Air Forces transport aircraft . The exercise was judged by observers to be a great success . McNair , pleased by its results , attributed this success to the great improvements in airborne training that had been implemented in the months following Operation Husky . As a result of the Knollwood Maneuver , division - sized airborne forces were deemed to be feasible , and Eisenhower permitted their retention . Leyte . Following the Knollwood Maneuver the 11th Airborne remained in reserve until January 1944 , when it was moved by train from Camp Mackall to Camp Polk in Louisiana . After four weeks of final preparation for its combat role , in April the division was moved to Camp Stoneman , California , and then transferred to Milne Bay , Papua New Guinea , between 25 May and 11 June . From June to September the division underwent acclimatization and continued its airborne training , conducting parachute drops in the New Guinea jungle and around the airfield in Dobodura . During this period , most of the glider troops became parachute - qualified making the division almost fully Airborne . On 11 November the division boarded a convoy of naval transports and was escorted to Leyte in the Philippines , arriving on 18 November . Four days later it was attached to XXIV Corps and committed to combat , but operating as an infantry division rather than in an airborne capacity . The 11th Airborne was ordered to relieve the 7th Infantry Division stationed in the Burauen - La Paz - Bugho area , engage and destroy all Japanese forces in its operational area , and protect XXIV Corps rear - area supply dumps and airfields . Maj . Gen . Swing ordered the 187th Glider Infantry Regiment ( GIR ) to guard the rear installations of XXIV Corps , while the 188th GIR was to secure the division ' s rear and conduct aggressive patrols to eliminate any enemy troops in the area . The 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment ( PIR ) was assigned the task of destroying all Japanese formations in the division ' s operational area , which it began on 28 November when it relieved the 7th Infantry . The 511th PIR advanced overland with two battalions abreast and the third in reserve , but progress proved slow in the face of fierce Japanese resistance , a lack of mapped trails , and heavy rainfall ( with more than twenty - three inches ( 60 cm ) falling in November alone ) . As the advance continued resupply became progressively more difficult ; the division resorted to using large numbers of Piper Cub aircraft to drop food and ammunition . Several attempts were made to improve the rate of advance , such as dropping platoons of the 187th GIR from Piper Cubs in front of the 511th PIR to reconnoiter , and using C - 47 transport aircraft to drop artillery pieces to the regiment ' s location when other forms of transport , such as mule - trains , failed . On 6 December the Japanese tried to disrupt operations on Leyte by conducting two small - scale airborne raids . The first attempted to deploy a small number of Japanese airborne troops to occupy several key American - held airfields at Tacloban and Dulag , but failed when the three aircraft used were either shot - down , crash - landed or destroyed on the ground along with their passengers . The second , larger , raid was carried out by between twenty - nine and thirty - nine transport aircraft supported by fighters ; despite heavy losses , the Japanese managed to drop a number of airborne troops around Burauen airfield , where the headquarters of 11th Airborne Division were located . Five L - 5 Sentinel reconnaissance aircraft and one C - 47 transport were destroyed , but the raiders were eliminated by an " ad hoc " combat group of artillerymen , engineers and support troops led by Maj . Gen . Swing . The 511th PIR was reinforced by the 2nd Battalion , 187th GIR , and continued its slow but steady progress . On 17 December it broke through the Japanese lines and arrived at the western shoreline of Leyte , linking up with elements of the 32nd Infantry Division . It was during this period that Private Elmer E . Fryar earned a posthumous Medal of Honor when he helped to repel a counterattack , personally killing twenty - seven Japanese soldiers before being mortally wounded by a sniper . The regiment was ordered to set up temporary defensive positions before being relieved on 25 December by the 1st Batt . , 187th GIR , and the 2nd Batt . , 188th GIR , who would themselves incur considerable casualties against a heavily dug - in enemy . The 511th PIR was reassembled at its original base - camp in Leyte on 15 January 1945 . Luzon . On 22 January the division was placed on alert for an operation on the island of Luzon , to the north of Leyte . Five days later the 187th and 188th Glider Infantry Regiments were embarked for Luzon by sea , while the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment flew by C - 46 Commando transport aircraft to Mindoro . At dawn on 31 January the 188th GIR led an amphibious assault near Nasugbu , in southern Luzon . Supported by a short naval barrage , A - 20 Havoc light bombers and P - 38 Lightning fighter aircraft , a beach - head was established in the face of light Japanese resistance . The regiment moved rapidly to secure Nasugbu , after which its 1st Battalion advanced up the island ' s arterial Highway 17 to deny the Japanese time to establish defenses further inland . The 2nd Battalion moved south , crossing the River Lian and securing the division ' s right flank . By 10 : 30 elements of the 188th had pushed deep into southern Luzon , creating the space for the 187th GIR to come ashore . The 188th ' s 2nd Battalion was relieved and the regiment continued its advance , reaching the River Palico by 14 : 30 and securing a vital bridge before it could be destroyed by Japanese combat engineer s . Following Highway 17 to Tumalin , the regiment began to encounter heavier Japanese resistance . At midnight the 187th took over the lead and the two glider infantry regiments rested briefly before tackling the main Japanese defensive lines . These consisted of trenches linked to bunkers and fortified caves , and were manned by several hundred infantry with numerous artillery pieces in support . At 09 : 00 on 1 February the glider infantry launched their assault , and by midday had managed to break through the first Japanese position ; they spent the rest of the day conducting mopping up operations . On the morning of 2 February the second line was breached , and by midnight the 188th had broken a third . The divisional reconnaissance platoon was now in the vicinity of Tagaytay Ridge , the intended site of the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment ' s first combat drop . The 511th ' s airborne operation had originally been scheduled for 2 February , but with Major General Swing ' s insistence that the drop was only to go ahead if his ground forces were in range to offer support , the dogged Japanese resistance encountered delayed the operation . With only forty - eight C - 47 Skytrain transport aircraft available , the 511th was forced to deploy in three waves . The regimental staff , the 2nd Battalion and half of the 3rd Battalion would drop first , the rest of the regiment would arrive in the second lift , and the 457th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion would drop in the third . At 03 : 00 on 3 February the troops of the first lift entered their transport planes , and at 07 : 00 the first transports left Mindoro . Protected by an escort of P - 61 Black Widow night fighter s , on arriving over Luzon they followed Highway 17 to Tagaytay Ridge . The ridge itself was an open space some two thousand yards ( 1 , 829 m ) long and four thousand yards ( 3 , 657 m ) wide , plowed in places , and had been largely cleared of Japanese troops by local Filipino guerrillas . At 08 : 15 the first echelon of the first lift , approximately 345 men , successfully parachuted into the drop zone . The second echelon , consisting of approximately 570 men , were dropped prematurely and landed about eight thousand yards ( 7 , 315 m ) to the east . The next lift also encountered problems , with 425 men dropping correctly but another 1 , 325 dropping early due to pilot error and poor jump discipline . However , the entire regiment was assembled within five hours of the first landings . After overcoming minor Japanese resistance , by 15 : 00 the 511th had made contact with the 188th and 187th , and the entire division was once again assembled as a single formation . The ridge having been cleared of its remaining defenders , the division began to advance towards Manila , reaching the Paranaque River by 21 : 00 . The city was protected by the Genko Line , a major Japanese defensive belt that stretched along Manila ' s southern edge . The line consisted of approximately 1 , 200 two - to three - story deep blockhouse s , many of which emplaced naval guns or large - caliber mortars . Entrenched heavy anti - aircraft weapons , machine - gun nests and booby - traps made of naval bombs completed the defenses , which were manned by around 6 , 000 Japanese soldiers . The 11th Airborne Division was ordered to breach the Genko Line and drive into Manila , where it would link up with other American forces attacking the city from the north . All three regiments were committed to the assault . Spearheading the division ' s attack on 5 February , the 511th overcame fierce resistance and broke the crust of the Japanese position , but was soon relieved by the 188th . As the glider regiment took up the push westwards in the face of heavy opposition , the 511th changed their axis of advance and attempted to move into the city from the north . By 11 February , the division had penetrated as far as Nichols Field , an airfield that formed the center of the Genko Line . This was heavily fortified with a number of entrenched naval guns and a series of bunkers ; after a short artillery bombardment on the morning of 12 February , the 187th ' s 2nd Battalion attacked the airfield ' s north - west corner while the 1st Battalion and the entire 188th regiment moved in from the south and south - eastern corners . This pincer movement succeeded in taking the airfield and , despite a local counter - attack , by nightfall the position was secured . The following day the division thrust towards Fort William McKinley , the headquarters of Rear Admiral Iwabuchi , commander of the Japanese defenders on Luzon . It was during this advance that Private First Class Manuel Perez Jr . neutralized several Japanese bunkers which were impeding the division ' s progress , capturing one single - handedly and killing eighteen Japanese soldiers . PFC Perez was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . On 15 February , the 1st Battalion of the 187th , alongside other American units , launched an attack on Mabato Point . This was an extremely heavily fortified position featuring the same defensive measures as the Genko Line , and it would take six days of hard fighting , multiple airstrikes , and the frequent use of napalm and heavy artillery , before the point was secured . Meanwhile , having taken heavy casualties on its approach to Fort McKinley — particularly when the Japanese detonated a quantity of buried naval depth charge s — on 17 February the rest of the 11th Airborne Division assaulted the fort . The 511th led the break - in , and by 18 February the area had been cleared of its defenders . Sporadic fighting continued in Manilla until 3 March , when all organized Japanese resistance ended . Raid at Los Baños . A large number of civilian prisoners had been detained by the Japanese on Luzon , mostly in internment camps scattered throughout the island . The largest of these was located on the campus of the Agricultural College of the Philippines at Los Baños , some forty miles ( 64 km ) south - east of Manila . General Douglas MacArthur had tasked the 11th Airborne Division with rescuing the Los Baños internees on 3 February , but the division ' s ongoing combat operations around the Genko Line left it unable to divert any resources at that time . All that could be accomplished during February was to gather information , primarily through liaison with the guerilla groups operating in Southern Luzon and around Los Baños . Maj . Gen . Swing and his command staff were briefed daily by the officer working with the guerilla groups , Major Vanderpool . From the guerillas and a few civilians that had escaped the camp , Vanderpool established that it was surrounded by two barbed - wire fences approximately six feet tall . Several guard towers and bunkers dotted its perimeter , each containing at least two guards . Prisoners left each morning under armed guard to gather food supplies and firewood from a nearby town . Vanderpool was informed that the camp ' s population consisted of American civilians in three distinct groups : Protestant missionaries and their families ; Roman Catholic nuns and priests ; and professional workers such as doctors and engineers , and their families . The latter group included several hundred women and children . While all the inmates appeared to be in good health , many had become weak from food rationing . On 20 February , Maj . Gen . Swing was finally able to release sufficient troops for a raid on the Los Baños camp , and a four - phase plan was devised by Major Vanderpool and the divisional staff officers . The divisional reconnaissance platoon would travel across a nearby lake and move to the outskirts of the camp , securing a large adjacent field as the drop zone for a company of paratroopers . Having landed , the paratroopers would eliminate Japanese resistance in the area , secure the camp , and prepare for its evacuation . Fifty - four amphibious Amtracs would transport two additional companies of paratroopers to the lake shore , where a beachhead would be established while the Amtracs continued to the camp to evacuate its occupants . Simultaneously , a task force consisting of a reinforced infantry battalion , two battalions of heavy artillery and a tank destroyer battalion would advance down Highway 1 towards Los Baños to interdict any Japanese attempts to interfere . Assisted by a group of guerrillas , on the night of 21 February the divisional reconnaissance platoon made their way to the lake and collected ten canoes . Despite navigational difficulties , the platoon came ashore near Los Baños at 02 : 00 the following morning , and after securing the paratroopers ' drop zone , concealed themselves in the jungle near the camp . During the afternoon B Company of the 1st Battalion , 511th PIR was transferred to the airfield from which they would be deployed , while the rest of the battalion rendezvoused with the Amtrac convoy . At 07 : 00 on the morning of 23 February , B Company took off in ten C - 47 Skytrain transport aircraft , arriving over their drop zone shortly afterwards . As the first paratroopers landed , the reconnaissance platoon and the supporting guerilla fighters opened fire on the camp ' s defences , using Bazooka rounds to penetrate the concrete pillboxes , and then entered the camp to engage its garrison . The paratroopers soon joined the battle , and by 07 : 30 the Japanese guards had been overcome and the internees were being rounded up and readied for evacuation . At the lakeshore the 511th ' s other two companies had secured their beachhead , and the convoy of Amtracs reached the camp without incident . Priority during loading was given to the women , children and wounded ; some of the able - bodied men walked alongside the Amtracs as they returned to the beach . The first evacuation convoy left the camp at approximately 10 : 00 , with B Company , the reconnaissance platoon and the guerrillas remaining behind to provide a rearguard . By 11 : 30 all of the civilians had been evacuated , and at 13 : 00 the Amtrac convoy returned for the rearguard , with the last paratroopers leaving the beach at approximately 15 : 00 . Meanwhile , on Highway 1 , the taskforce that had been deployed to protect the operation met heavy Japanese resistance and suffered several casualties , but was able to block Japanese forces that advanced on the camp , before retreating back to American lines . The raid had been a complete success , liberating 2 , 147 civilians . Southern Luzon and Aparri . On the day that the Los Baños internees were freed , the headquarters of Sixth United States Army assigned the 11th Airborne Division the task of destroying all Japanese formations in southern Luzon , south of Manila . The bulk of the division moved south the following day , with the 187th GIR and the 511th PIR advancing abreast . The 188th GIR was detached from the main advance by Maj . Gen . Swing ; it was to eliminate all Japanese units still operating in the Pico de Loro hills along the southern shore of Manila Bay . These forces belonged to the 80 , 000 - strong " Shimbu " Group , one of three groups of the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army under General Tomoyuki Yamashita . It would take until the end of April for the 11th Airborne Division — often acting in conjunction with Filipino guerillas and elements of the 1st Cavalry Division — to subdue the " Shimbu " Group . Conducting combat operations was extremely difficult in the mountainous terrain , and many Japanese units elected to fight to the death rather than surrender . However , all organized resistance in southern Luzon ended on 1 May , when the division captured Mount Malepunyo near the city of Lipa . The 11th Airborne established a base centered around the former Japanese airstrip on the outskirts of Lipa , the runway of which was lengthened by the 127th Engineering Battalion to accommodate C - 47 transport aircraft . Once the engineering work was completed , the division ' s combat troops participated in several refresher - training courses . The 11th Airborne ' s next operation took place on 23 June in the province of Aparri in northern Luzon . By this time the only Japanese forces remaining on the island were positioned to the far north and belonged to the 52 , 000 - strong " Shobu " Group . This last of General Yamashita ' s three groups proved to be the most tenacious , forcing Lieutenant - General Walter Krueger , commander of the Sixth United States Army , to commit four infantry divisions , an armored task force , and a large band of guerillas . While these forces pinned down the Japanese , the 37th Infantry Division began an advance northwards , defeating a weaker formation and encircling the main Japanese force . To ensure the success of the 37th ' s drive , Krueger called for an airborne force to land near Aparri and move southwards to meet the advancing 37th . The 11th Airborne Division was to drop a battalion - sized combat team on Camalaniugan Airfield , approximately ten miles ( 16 km ) south of Aparri . It would then advance southwards , eliminating all Japanese resistance , until it linked up with the leading elements of the 37th Infantry Division . To accomplish this Maj . Gen . Swing formed a special unit – Gypsy Task Force – comprising the 1st Battalion of the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment , G and I Companies of the regiment ' s 2nd Battalion , an artillery battery from the 457th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion , and a platoon of engineers and miscellaneous signal and medical detachments . Gypsy Task Force would be transported by fifty - four C - 47 Skytrain and thirteen C - 46 Commando aircraft , as well as six Waco CG - 4A Gliders which would land jeep s and supplies for the task force . On 21 June , a detachment of pathfinders from the division was flown in to secure Camalaniugan Airfield , and two days later the transport aircraft carrying the troops of Gypsy Task Force were escorted by fighters to the area . At 09 : 00 the pathfinder detachment set off colored smoke to mark the drop - zone , but fierce winds and uneven ground around the airfield proved hazardous to the parachutists , causing two deaths and seventy injuries during the drop . Despite these casualties the force was rapidly concentrated , and began its advance southwards . Japanese resistance was stiff , forcing the airborne troops to rely on flamethrower s to eliminate bunkers and fortifications along their route . After three days of fighting and having eliminated a significant portion of " Shobu " Group , the task force encountered the lead elements of the 37th Infantry Division . Although " Shobu " Group would continue its resistance until September , its encirclement marked the 11th Airborne Division ' s final combat operation of the war . Post - World War II . Occupation of Japan . General MacArthur made plans to use the 11th Airborne Division in the invasion of Japan ; it was to remain as Sixth Army ' s operational reserve , to be committed if required . However , with the end of hostilities in the Pacific Theater shortly after the detonation of two nuclear weapons over Hiroshima and Nagasaki , the division was instead selected by General MacArthur to lead the American forces that would occupy Japan . The divisional staff received orders to this effect on 11 August 1945 , and the division was transported to Okinawa on 12 August ; an operation that involved 99 B - 24 Liberator bombers , 350 C - 46 Commando and 150 C - 47 Dakota transport aircraft to airlift 11 , 100 men , 120 vehicles and approximately 1 . 16 million pounds ( 530 , 000 kg ) of equipment . The 11th Airborne remained on Okinawa for several weeks before , on 28 August , it was ordered to land at Atsugi Airfield outside of Yokohama , on the main Japanese home island of Honshū . Its instructions were to secure the surrounding area , evacuate all Japanese civilians and military personnel within a radius of three miles ( 5 km ) , and finally occupy Yokohama itself . A large number of C - 54 Skymaster transport aircraft were made available , with the first — carrying Swing and his divisional staff — landing at Atsugi Airfield at 06 : 00 on 30 August . It took a week to fully assemble the division , and by 13 September it had been joined by the 27th Infantry Division , which was airlifted into Japan at the same time . The 11th Airborne Division was later moved from Yokohama to northern Japan , and established camps along the coast of Honshu and on the island of Hokkaido . Training and first inactivation . Occupation duties in Japan continued until May 1949 , when the 11th Airborne was relieved and recalled to the United States . The division was transferred to Camp Campbell in Kentucky and became a training formation , with several of its subordinate units inactivated including the 188th Glider Infantry Regiment . Training continued until the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 . For service in Korea , the 187th Glider Infantry Regiment — now renamed the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment — and the 674th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion were detached from the division and re - formed as a separate Regimental Combat Team ( RCT ) . The 187th RCT saw two years of fighting in Korea , conducting two airborne operations as well as operating as conventional infantry . The rest of the division continued its training role , processing and training approximately thirteen thousand recalled reservists between September and December 1950 alone . The 187th RCT remained in Korea until 1 October 1953 , when it was transferred to Japan for two years until being replaced by the 508th RCT . The 187th returned to the United States on 17 July 1955 , but as a unit independent of its parent division . The 11th Airborne Division was sent to Germany in early 1956 as part of Operation Gyroscope , to replace the 5th Infantry Division stationed in Augsburg and Munich . As the division was en route , the 187th RCT was relocated to Fort Campbell , taking over the camps that the 11th had recently vacated . In July that year the 187th , along with the 508th ARC , was transferred to the newly reactivated 101st Airborne Division . As the American Army began to restructure its organisation ( known as the Pentomic Concept ) , the battalions of the 187th were re - designated as Airborne Battle Group s . In early 1957 the 1st Airborne Battle Group , 187th Infantry transferred to Augsburg to join its former parent formation , where it was reintegrated into the 11th Airborne Division . The 2nd Airborne Battle Group , 187th Infantry remained with the 101st until 1964 while the 3rd Battalion was inactivated . However , the 11th Division was itself inactivated in Augsburg on 1 July 1958 , and the 1st Airborne Battle Group was instead moved to the 24th Infantry Division . Reactivation ( 11th Air Assault Division ) and final inactivation . In the early 1960s , the United States Army began to explore alternative means for conducting future combat operations . One of the many ideas resulting from that effort was the concept of helicopter assault . To test this concept ' s feasibility , the 11th Airborne Division was reactivated on 1 February 1963 and renamed the 11th Air Assault Division ( Test ) . This was done on the recommendation of the U . S . Army Tactical Mobility Requirements Board , also known as the ' Howze Board ' after its president Lieutenant General Hamilton H . Howze . The 11th never existed as a full division during the test period . Although the intent was to create three air assault brigades , the reality was an air assault brigade ( which was also parachute - qualified ) , an airmobile brigade , and both ground and air artillery elements ( the air artillery was provided by armed helicopters known as ARA ) . There was also an aviation group to control the helicopters assigned to the division . Elements of its original combat units – the 187th Airborne Infantry , the 188th Airborne Infantry and the 511th Airborne Infantry – were also reformed under the new division . For the next two years , the 11th Air Assault Division developed and refined air assault tactics and the equipment required to operate effectively in the role . The 187th and 188th tested helicopters during various exercises , ranging from command and control maneuvers to scouting , screening and aerial resupply , to assess their ability to perform as combat aircraft . However , the division was inactivated for the final time on 29 June 1965 , with its personnel and equipment being merged with the 2nd Infantry Division to form the newly raised 1st Cavalry Division ( Airmobile ) . The colors of the 1st Cavalry Division , at that time assigned to Korea , were transferred to Fort Benning , while those of the 2nd Infantry Division were moved to Korea . An earlier predecessor to the current Air Assault Badge , pictured on the right , was worn by troops of 11th who qualified for it by making three helicopter rappels from and three from . Soldiers were also required to be knowledgeable of aircraft safety procedures ; familiar with aircraft orientation ; proficient in hand and arm signals and combat assault operations ; able to prepare , inspect and rig equipment for external sling loads ; and able to lash down equipment inside helicopters . The badge was first awarded in early 1964 and was only authorized for wear by soldiers within the 11th .