CHRONOLOGICAL LINEAGE OF THE 503d INFANTRY 

(THE ROCK REGIMENT)

1st BATTALION, 503d INFANTRY (THE ROCK REGIMENT)

2d BATTALION, 503d INFANTRY (THE ROCK REGIMENT)

3d BATTALION, 503d INFANTRY (THE ROCK REGIMENT)

4th BATTALION, 503d INFANTRY (THE ROCK REGIMENT)

My Comment - Note that the 503d Infantry and the 503d Battalions all bear the annotation of THE ROCK REGIMENT. This, of course pays tribute to the retaking from the Japanese of the island fortress of Corregidor by the 503d Parachute Regimental Combat Team, the 3d Battalion of the 34th Infantry Division and all other units who combined to make up what Colonel George M. Jones had designated as "THE ROCK FORCE."  

14 MAR 1941

503d Parachute Battalion constituted.

504th Parachute Battalion constituted.

1st Battalion, 503d Infantry constituted in the Army of the United States as Company A, 503d Parachute Infantry Battalion

2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry constituted in the Army of the United States as Company B, 503d Parachute Infantry Battalion.

3rd Battalion, 503d Infantry constituted in the Army of the United States as Company C, 503d Parachute Infantry Battalion.

22 AUG 1941

1st Battalion, 503d infantry activated.

2d Battalion, 503d Infantry activated.

3d Battalion, 503d Infantry activated.

My comment - In my mind I am able to distinguish constituted and activated as the difference between conception and birth.

5 OCT 1941

504th Parachute Battalion activated at Fort Benning, Georgia.

24 FEB.1942

1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry consolidated with Company A, 503rd Parachute Infantry (concurrently constituted) and consolidated unit designated as Company A, 503rd Parachute Infantry.

2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry consolidated with Company B, 503rd Parachute Infantry (concurrently constituted) and consolidated unit designated as Company A, 503rd Parachute Infantry.

3d Battalion, 503rd Infantry consolidated with Company C, 503rd Parachute Infantry (concurrently constituted) and consolidated unit designated as Company A, 503rd Parachute Infantry.

503rd Infantry (The Rock Regiment) constituted in the Army of the United States as the 503rd Parachute Infantry (1st Battalion concurrently consolidated with the 503rd Parachute Battalion, and the 2nd Battalion consolidated with the 504th Parachute Battalion) and consolidated units designated as the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 503rd Parachute Infantry.

My comment - The above reference to the 503rd Infantry (The Rock Regiment), of course, refers to the present 1996 designation. "The Rock," was to become associated with the 503rd much later in its history and comes from the airborne assault on the island fortress, of Corregidor.

2 MAR 1942

503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment (less 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions) activated at Fort Benning, Georgia.

8 JUN 1942

3rd Battalion activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

7 NOV 1942

4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry activated in the Army of the United States in Australia as Company D, 503d Parachute Infantry.

My Comment  - To make this chronology more complete it is noted that the unit which was to become Company D, 503d Parachute Infantry was originally A Company of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, later became part of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was reassigned to the 503rdParachute In­fantry Regiment just prior to their departure from Fort Bragg, North Carolina In October 1942.

On their way to Australia, the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment stopped in Panama to pick up three companies from the 501st Parachute Battalion. The companies were Headquarters and Headquarters Company, A Company and B Company. They were picked up to complete the 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment.

Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 501 became Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, A Company of the 501 became E Company of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment and B Company of the 501 became F Company of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment.

Former 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Parachute Infantry reorganized and redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry – and thereafter followed into a separate lineage; new 2nd Battalion 503rd Parachute Infantry concurrently activated in Australia.

29 MAR 1944

462nd Parachute Field Artillery Bat­talion attached to 503d PIR.

13 SEP. 1944

Company "C" 161st Airborne Engineers joined the 503d PIR with 8 officers and 109 enlisted men. From this time the 503d became known as the 503d Parachute Regimental Combat Team. 

My comment  - The artillery and the engineer units have their own lineage, and their relevant portions follow below..

24 DEC. 1945

503d Parachute Infantry Regiment inactivated at Camp Anza, California.

1st Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment inactivated at Camp Anza, California

2d Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment inactivated at Camp Anza, California.

3d Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment inactivated at Camp Anza, California.

4th Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment inactivated at Camp Anza, California.

1 FEB.1951

503d Parachute Infantry Regiment redesignated as the 503d Airborne Infantry, allotted to the Regular Army and assigned to the 11th Airborne Division.

1st Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry was redesignated as Company A, 503d Airborne Infantry, an element of the 11th Airborne Division and allotted to the Regular Army.

2d Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry was redesignated as Company B, 503d Airborne Infantry, an element of the 11th Airborne Division and allotted to the Regular Army.

3d Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry was redesignated as Company C, 503d Airborne Infantry, an element of the 11th Airborne Division and allotted to the Regular Army

4th Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry was redesignated as Company D, 503d Airborne Infantry, an element of the 11th Airborne Division and allotted to the Regular Army.

2 MAR 1951

503d Airborne Infantry activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Company A, 503d Airborne Infantry activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Company B, 503d Airborne Infantry activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Company C, 503d Airborne Infantry activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Company D, 503d Airborne Infantry activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

1 MAR 1957

503d Airborne Infantry relieved from assignment to the 11th Airborne Division, concurrently reorganized, and redesignated as the 503d Infantry, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System.

Company A, 503d Airborne Infantry, reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry and remained assigned to the 11th Airborne Division (organic) elements concurrently constituted and activated).

Company B, 503d Airborne Infantry, inactivated in Ger­many and relieved from assignment to the 11th Airborne Division.

Company C, 503d Airborne Infantry, inactivated in Germany and relieved from assignment to the 11th Airborne Division, concurrently redesignated as Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 3d Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry

Company D, 503d Airborne Infantry inactivated in Germany and relieved from assignment to the 11th Airborne Division; concurrently redesignated as Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 4th Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry.

1 SEP 1957

Company B, 503d Airborne Infantry redesignated as Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 2d Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry, assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, and activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated).

1 JUL 1958

Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry relieved from assignment to the 11th Airborne Division and assigned to the 24th Infantry Division.

7 JAN 1959

Headquarters & Headquarters Company 1st Airborne Battle Group. 503:1 Infantry relieved from assignment to the 24th Infantry Division and assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.

24 JUN 1960

Headquarters & Headquarters. Company, 2d Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry relieved from assignment to the 82nd Airborne Division and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division.

1 JUL 1961

Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 2d Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry relieved from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division.

25 JUN 1963

Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry reorganized and redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 503d Infantry.

Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 503rd Infantry reorganized and redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry.

26 MAR 1966

Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry relieved from assignment to the 82nd Airborne Division and assigned to the 173d Airborne Brigade

Headquarters & Headquarters Company,  2d Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry assigned to the 173d Airborne Brigade.

26 MAR 1963

Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 4th Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry redesignated as Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 503d Infantry and assigned to the 173d Airborne Brigade (organic elements concurrently constituted)

1 APR 1963

4th Battalion, 503d Infantry activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky

6 FEB.1967

Headquarters & Headquarters Company 3d Airborne Battle Group, 503d Infantry redesignated as Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 503d Infantry (organic elements concurrently constituted).

1 APR 1967

3d Battalion, 503d Infantry activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and assigned to the 713d Airborne Brigade

3 SEP 1971

4th Battalion, 503d Infantry inactivated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

14 JAN 1972

1st Battalion, 503d Infantry relieved from assignment to the 173d Airborne Brigade and assign­ed to the 101st Airborne Division.

2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry relieved from assign­ment to the 173d Airborne Brigade and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division.

3rd Battalion, 503d Infantry relieved from assignment to the 173d Airborne Brigade and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division.

31 JUL 1972

3d Battalion, 503d Infantry inac­tivated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

1 OCT1983

2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry inactivated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and relieved from assignment to the 101st Airborne Division.

18 NOV1984

1st Battalion, 503d Infantry inactivated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and relieved from assignment to the 101st Airborne Division.

16 DEC 1986

503d Infantry withdrawn from the Com­bat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United Sates Army Regimental System.

1st Battalion, 503d Infantry assigned to the 2nd In­fantry Division and activated in Korea.

2d Battalion, 503d Infantry assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division and activated in Korea.

29 SEP 1990

2d Battalion, 503d Infantry inactivated in Korea and relieved from assignment to the 2d Infantry Division.

My comment - As far as I know, the 1st Battalion, 503d Infantry is still assigned to the 2d Infantry Division and is on active duty. Perhaps some of its members may read this lineage and respond to it. They are, again as far as I know, the only 503d active unit. Their roots are deep into Airborne history, a history whose lineage is linked to the 501, 504, 509, 11th, 82nd and the 101st. The column THREE WINDS OF DEATH deals mostly with the 503d Parachute Regimental Combat Team, but we pay our respects to and are proud of all of those who came before us and who came after us..

  16 DEC  2001

 Assigned  to the 173d Airborne Brigade and activated in Italy