517th Parachute Infantry Regiment ( United States ) During World War II , the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment ( 517th PIR ) was a separate infantry regiment of the United States Army , at times attached to the 17th Airborne Division , 82nd Airborne Division and later , the 13th Airborne Division . During most of their combat , the unit was an independent combined force of 17th Airborne troops called the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team or 517th PRCT / PCT / RCT . The unit formed in early 1943 and trained at Camp Toccoa , Georgia . The 517th saw heavy fighting in Italy in June 1944 , before being transferred to take part in Operation Dragoon in August 1944 , in Southern France , which happened to be their first combat jump . Following the liberation of France , the 517th was attached to the 82nd Airborne Division and fought with it in Belgium , during the Battle of the Bulge . Following the end of World War II , the 517th was assigned to Fort Bragg , North Carolina , where the unit was inactivated on 25 February 1946 . Operation Dragoon . The 517th was one of three parachute infantry regiments assigned to the First Airborne Task Force , which was charged with the assault on Southern France . The assault was set for 0800 on August 15 , 1944 , however , the 517th dropped early at 0328 on the 15th . This marked the unit ' s first combat jump . After three days of heavy fighting around the towns of Le Muy , Les Arcs , La Motte and Draguignan , German resistance ceased . For their participation in Operation Dragoon and the subsequent liberation of France , the 517th PIR was awarded the French Croix de Guerre by the Provisional Government of the French Republic . Battle Of The Bulge . The 517th was attached to the XVIII Airborne Corps following the liberation of France , along with the 82nd , 101st , and 13th Airborne Division s . Elements of the 517th participated in counter - attacks near the Belgian towns of Soy , Sur - Les - Hys , Hotton , and Manhay , pushing the German offensive past its starting point . The 517th suffered heavy casualties in the ferocious fighting during the battle , during which 1st Battalion , 517th received the Presidential Unit Citation for its successful assault on Soy and Hotton . Last Days of World War II . Following the Battle of the Bulge , the 517th PIR was assigned to the 13th Airborne Division , to take part in Operation Varsity , the airborne crossing of the Rhine river . However , prior to the operation , the 13th ' s participation in the attack was called off . The 517th , then attached to the 17th Airborne Division , was slated to take part in Operation Coronet , the airborne invasion of the Japanese Home Islands , which was also called off after V - J Day . Statistics . The 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team accumulated over 150 combat days during five campaigns on battlefields in Italy , France , Belgium and Germany . The battalion casualty rate was 81 . 9 percent . The Team suffered 1 , 576 casualties and had 247 men killed in action . PFC Melvin E . Biddle B / 1 / 517th PIR was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions during the Soy - Hotton engagement . On February 15 , 1945 , elements of the RCT were assigned to the 13th Airborne Division . The 13th was inactivated in February 1946 . In addition to the one Medal of Honor , troopers of the 517th PRCT earned 6 Distinguished Service Crosses , 131 Silver Star s , 631 Bronze Stars , 1 , 576 Purple Heart s , 5 Legion of Merit s , 4 Soldier ' s Medal s , 2 Air Medal s and 17 French Croix de Guerre s . Charles " Dutch " Wilmerton