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464th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion

The 464th was activated on 1 April 1943, and unlike most of the division's other component units, it wasn't assigned to the 17th Airborne Division until later in the war.  The 464th joined the 17th as part of the 1 March 1945 divisional realignment.

 

As part of the Division, the 464th engaged in the Rhineland, and Central Europe Campaigns. During Operation Varsity, the Battalion was attached to the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, with the mission to provide artillery support throughout the operation. The 464th was the first field artillery battalion to jump into Germany and the first across the Rhine.

 

Military government duties began 12 April, and active contact with the enemy ceased 18 April 1945. The division came under the XXII Corps on 24 April. In early May 1945 the Battalion helped oversee Displaced Person camps in Germany. On 4 August 1945, the 464th left France, arriving at Camp Kilmer, NJ 13 August. The Battalion was inactivated on 25 October 1945.

Official website of the veterans and descendants of the 17th Airborne Division.  World War II US Army paratroopers
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