“The Regimental designation of the 2nd Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry was changed by the War Department just prior to the North African invasion. News of the change reached us later in the campaign. For that reason the former designation, under which we operated has been retained throughout the book.”

Colonel Morton Katz (then a 2nd Lt.) joined the 2nd Battalion, 503rd PIR (Africa) during October 1942. He states,

“For the last half of my service with the 509th, I was Battalion Adjutant, and had access to all records.  When I was S-2 at the Venafro operation, the S-2 staff made up a V-Mail roll of the complete operation, and still have it.”

Colonel Katz had also stated,

“When the original 2nd Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry took off from the Land’s End, England under the command of (then) LTC Edson D. Raff, Jr. the night of 1 November 1942, the designation had not changed.

The designation was changed early in 1943 while the battalion was stationed at Maison Carree, Algeria, a small town outside Algiers. The battalion was redesignated the 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry (and there never was a 509th regiment) before moving to Boufarik, Algeria in late winter.”

Lt. General William P. Yarborough, who served much of the time with the 2nd Battalion, 503rd PIR/509th PIB (for a short time 2nd Battalion, 509th PIR) supports Katz.

“I have faith in Morton Katz’s version both because his memory has been reinforced by written material made by him contemporaneously.”

If there was some time lag between the change in designation of the 2d Bn 503d to 2d Bn 509th it was understandable in light of all the massive personnel actions that were part of the United States' unprecedented mobilization effort.  Yarborough further recalled,

“In my book ‘Bailout Over North Africa’ I included a copy of a letter from British Maj. General F. A. M. Browning to Lt. Col. Doyle Yardley addressed to the 2nd Bn., 509th Parachute Regiment. The letter was dated 6 June 1943. On the other hand, the French order allowing the wearing of the 3rd Zouaves Badge is dated 6 February 1944 and is directed to CO 2d Bn., 503rd Parachute Regiment. In my book I also state that order changing the designation of the 2d Bn 503rd PIR to 2d Bn 509th PIR did not reach England until after the unit left for North Africa.”

Charles H. Doyle, the historian of the 509th Parachute Battalion, recently said,

“I had many arguments with LTG Smiling Jack Tolson over the redesignation of the original 2/503rd. Finally I sent him, just before he died, the original order dated October 1942. That’s a month before the African jump. These orders did not catch up to the battalion until our rear echelon caught us at Maison Carrẽe. Since Col. Raff was at Fiad Pass with his task force he had no idea, hence his using the 503rd in his book.

So in all reality it was the 2/509th that took off from England and not the 2/503rd. Since we were under the command of the British 1st Airborne, I would seriously doubt that our report would be shipped to the 503d Regiment in the Pacific. In receiving the battalion records from the Achives from October 1942 those state 2/509th except for those records sent to the Pentagon from England - yet with an “*” at the bottom they say changed to 2/509 as of October 1943.

Since Marty Katz did not become the Battalion Adjutant until France he would not have been privy to any of the above, as I found out once I started the research for our history book.

The 2/509 was dropped in Italy once it became clear that two more battalions would not join."

“After the 2nd Bn., 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment move to England, it retrained the designation for a long time. In fact, just as soon as shipping could be made available, the remainder of the regiment was scheduled to join its 2nd Battalion in England during the summer, 1942. Because of this fact when the 3rd Battalion 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment was   formed in May – June 1942 it was accomplished by rushing to Ft. Bragg from Ft. Benning the 1st Battalion of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, less the Battalion commander, his staff, and the company commander to become the 3rd Bn. of the 503rd. I believe that the Battalion in England was still the 2nd Battalion of the 503rd. I believe that the Battalion in England was still the 2nd Battalion, 503rd parachute Infantry Regiment when it jumped in North Africa.”.

Several unit histories also detail the arrangements. The Office of the Commanding Officer , Headquarters 503rd REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM records the organizational change in organization in the following terms;

“2nd Battalion, 503rd PIR ordered POE Letter, AG 370.5 (3-12-42) MC-E-M, 22 May 1942, and 501st Parachute Battalion redesignated 2nd Battalion, 503rd by WD letter, AG 320.2 (11-3-42)."

“January 1,1943 by secret letter War Department A.G. 370.5 (11-16-42) dated November 17, 1942. Subject: Transfer of Prcht units, Hq Co, Co “A”, and “B” of the 501st Parachute Battalion were respectively redesignated Hq & Hq, Co “E”, and Co “F”. 503rd Prcht Inf. Regt.  “A” Co 504 Prcht. Inf. was redesignated Co. "D" 503d Prcht. Inf" ;

“31 December 42: “A” Company, 504th Parcht. Inf. redesignated as Company “D”, 503d Prcht. Inf. (Secret letter WDGO, file No. AG 320.2 (11-3-42) O-B-1-E-M dated November 8, 1942). Strength 8 Off. & 119 Em.”

“On the 31st of December, 1941, Secret Letter, WDAGO file Number AG 320-2-11-42 OB-1-E-M, dated November 8,1941, Subject: Transfer of Certain units, designated Company “B”, 501st Parachute Battalion as Company “F”, 503rd Parachute Infantry effective November 3, 1942. We have come into our own.”