551st Parachute Infantry Battalion

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      The 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion

      Overview and Activation

      The 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion (PIB) was an independent U.S. Army airborne unit raised during World War II. Nicknamed the “GOYAs” after their unofficial motto “Get Off Your Ass!”, the men of the 551st prided themselves on their maverick spirit and adaptability.

      The battalion’s origins trace to late 1942, when it was formed under the command of Major Wood G. Joerg, a young West Point graduate. Uniquely, the unit’s birth took place in two locations simultaneously: Fort Benning, Georgia, and Fort Kobbe in the Panama Canal Zone. On 8 December 1942, one year after Pearl Harbor, Joerg informed his roughly 450 paratroopers that they would soon deploy overseas to a then-unknown destination—Panama. Within days, the main body departed Fort Benning by train and ship for the Canal Zone, where a cadre drawn from Company C, 501st Parachute Battalion had already been tapped to form the nucleus of the new 551st at Fort Kobbe.

      The strategic rationale was clear: the Panama Canal, vital to Allied maritime operations, needed a rapid-reaction airborne force. Alongside the 550th Airborne Infantry (slated for glider operations), the 551st PIB was organized as an independent parachute battalion for Caribbean and Canal defense. From the start it was a standalone unit, not organic to any division, a fact that would later shape both its opportunities and its fate.

       

      Training and Deployment History

      Jungle Training in Panama (1943)

      Arriving in the Canal Zone in January 1943, the GOYAs began intensive jungle warfare training. Stationed at Fort Kobbe, they drilled six days a week, chopping through dense vegetation with machetes, practicing small-unit tactics in oppressive heat and humidity, and learning to live off the land. This period followed basic and airborne training and quickly forged a strong esprit de corps and a reputation for toughness.

      That spring, the battalion prepared for what might have been its first combat mission: Operation “Black Palm.” This operation envisioned a joint parachute and air-landing assault to seize the Vichy-controlled island of Martinique, suspected of supporting German U-boats. The 551st received live ammunition, grenades, medical supplies, and maps; aircraft loads were finalized; and a D-Day of 13 May 1943 was set. At the last minute, however, the mission was scrubbed when the French commander on Martinique fled and the island surrendered without a fight. The battalion lost its chance at an early combat jump, but gained confidence that it was ready.

      Camp Mackall and Experimental Training (1943–1944)

      With the Caribbean threat diminishing, the 551st rotated back to the United States. In August 1943, the unit sailed from Panama to the West Coast, then crossed the country by rail to Camp Mackall, North Carolina, the major airborne training center on the East Coast. After a short leave—their first real break since 1942—the GOYAs resumed rigorous training.

      At Mackall, the 551st took part in some of the most unconventional airborne experiments of the war. In October 1943, the unit helped test a radical concept: paratroopers jumping from a CG-4A Waco glider in flight at the same time that others exited the towing C-47. Despite the hazards—unstable jumps without propeller wash, and the anchor line sometimes tearing loose—the GOYAs successfully completed multiple test jumps. The experiment was ultimately deemed impractical, but it cemented the battalion’s reputation for aggression and professionalism.

      Leadership turmoil marked this period. In September 1943, Lt. Col. Rupert D. Graves replaced Joerg as battalion commander while Joerg departed for another assignment. Graves’s strict disciplinarian style clashed with the battalion’s independent ethos. AWOLs and disciplinary issues spiked as the men bristled under collective punishments and rigid controls.

      The crisis came during a night training jump in February 1944. A poorly planned exercise put one C-47 over a lake instead of the designated drop zone; several paratroopers were dropped into deep, icy water, and eight men drowned. A subsequent inquiry laid responsibility on Graves. He was quietly relieved, and in early 1944 Lt. Col. Wood Joerg returned to command the battalion.

      Joerg immediately moved to restore cohesion. He released several men from the stockade on the condition they return to duty and stop going AWOL. Under his leadership the unit regained its confidence and sharpened for combat.

      Movement to the Mediterranean and Italy (1944)

      In the spring of 1944, the 551st finally received overseas deployment orders—still as an independent parachute battalion. In April they embarked from Norfolk, Virginia, by troopship bound for North Africa and the Mediterranean. By May they were in Italy, encamped near Naples and later training at Camp Wright in Sicily.

      Through the summer they trained and stood by while Allied planners finalized a major airborne operation: the invasion of Southern France. In July the 551st was moved to Lido di Roma, an airborne staging area near Rome. Rumors suggested potential jumps into the Balkans or deep into occupied Europe, but ultimately the GOYAs were assigned to the newly formed First Airborne Task Force (FABTF). This provisional airborne division, commanded by Brig. Gen. Robert T. Frederick, included the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team, the veteran 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion, and the 550th (now glider infantry). Many of these units had trained alongside the 551st in Panama and Camp Mackall, making FABTF a tightly knit but temporary formation.

       

      Organizational Structure and Key Personnel

      The 551st PIB was organized as a standard parachute infantry battalion, consisting of:

      • Headquarters and Headquarters Company

      • A, B, and C Rifle Companies

      • Organic weapons platoons (light machine guns and mortars)

      At full strength the battalion fielded around 800 officers and men, though combat and attrition often kept numbers lower. Because it was non-divisional, the 551st did not have its own artillery, engineer, or service battalions. Instead, it relied on attachments and coordination with higher headquarters—something that worked well in some campaigns and disastrously in others. Over the course of the war, the battalion served under multiple commands, including the First Airborne Task Force, U.S. Seventh Army, XVIII Airborne Corps, and the 82nd Airborne Division.

      Lt. Col. Wood G. Joerg was the battalion’s founding and most influential commander. Charismatic and aggressive, he personally shaped the GOYAs’ identity and often led from the front. His favorite exhortation—“Get off your ass!”—gave the unit its GOYA nickname.

      Lt. Col. Rupert D. Graves briefly commanded during Joerg’s absence from late 1943 to early 1944, but his tenure ended after the fatal training accident at Mackall.

      Major William N. Holm took command after Joerg’s death in 1945, leading the remnants of the battalion through its final weeks before inactivation.

      A number of staff officers and company commanders also left their mark: Major “Pappy” Maurice J. Hermans (operations), Captain Harry “Zip” Kraus (intelligence), and many others whose leadership would be tested in the Alps and the Ardennes. The unit was notably diverse; veterans later recalled that nearly every ethnicity and background seemed represented in its ranks. The GOYAs even had a parachuting mascot—a dog named “Furlough”—who became emblematic of the battalion’s spirit and later featured on a memorial statue.

       

       

      Combat Operations in World War II

       

      Operation Dragoon – Southern France (August 1944)

      The 551st saw its first combat during Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Southern France. In the early hours of 15 August 1944, the First Airborne Task Force began its parachute and glider assault inland from the Riviera. That evening, around 1800 hours, the 551st jumped in the first large-scale daylight combat parachute assault carried out by U.S. forces. Roughly 826 men exited their C-47s over Drop Zone “A” near Le Muy, descending into the late-afternoon light.

      Despite typical airborne scattering, the battalion regrouped quickly and moved on its assigned objectives. Over the next two days, the GOYAs advanced on Draguignan, a German-held town of strategic importance. On 17 August, after close-quarters street fighting, the 551st captured Draguignan. In the process, they seized a major prize: German Major General Ludwig Bieringer, the local commander, along with his staff and hundreds of troops and officer candidates. It was the first time a German general was captured by American troops in the European theater.

      Having secured Draguignan and helped clear the Le Muy–Draguignan corridor, the battalion continued to push eastward along the coast. On 24 August they entered Cannes without opposition, and by 29 August they marched into Nice, helping complete the liberation of the French Riviera. These operations confirmed the battalion’s capabilities as aggressive light infantry and earned high praise from commanders.

      The Maritime Alps – Holding the High Ground (September–November 1944)

      With the coastal mission complete, Allied planners shifted the First Airborne Task Force to a new role: securing the French–Italian border in the Maritime Alps. From early September until mid-November 1944, the 551st manned a stretch of mountain front extending dozens of miles.

      Operating from rugged outposts above 5,000 feet, the GOYAs patrolled daily in snow and thin air, often on skis or snowshoes. They faced German mountain troops—elements of the 5th Fallschirmjäger Division—across high passes and ridgelines. Engagements were mostly small patrol skirmishes, but the environment was punishing: extreme cold, treacherous terrain, and constant risk of avalanches.

      This period saw relatively light combat casualties, but not without sacrifice. During one patrol in November, Pfc. John Chappell was killed covering his platoon’s withdrawal, an action later recognized with a posthumous Bronze Star. After 96 days of continuous front-line duty, the battalion was finally relieved from the Alps in late November 1944.

      The GOYAs boarded railcars—“40 and 8s”—and endured a frigid journey north across France. On 8 December 1944 they arrived in Reims, assigned to XVIII Airborne Corps in reserve. With Christmas approaching, many expected a long-overdue rest. The German Ardennes offensive would change those plans almost overnight.

      The Battle of the Bulge

      Deployment to Belgium

      On 16 December 1944, German forces launched a massive surprise offensive in the Ardennes, creating what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. At Reims, the 551st had just begun refitting; men were drawing passes for Paris when orders abruptly canceled all leave. Many still wore thin, battle-worn uniforms and boots from Southern France and had not received proper winter gear.

      On 20 December, the battalion was loaded onto trucks and rushed east toward Belgium. By the morning of 21 December, the GOYAs reached the area near Werbomont, entering the line alongside the 82nd Airborne Division, 30th Infantry Division, 3rd Armored Division, and others on the northern shoulder of the Bulge. Initially attached to the 82nd, the 551st was quickly shifted under the 30th Infantry Division and posted to defensive positions around Ster and Stavelot.

      For the next several days they dug into snow-covered fields and forests, with inadequate clothing and almost no hot food. The men suffered frostbite, trench foot, and exhaustion. One planned daylight attack for Christmas Day was canceled only hours beforehand, sparing the battalion from what many thought would have been a suicidal assault. Instead, the GOYAs spent Christmas huddled in foxholes, grateful simply to be alive and to receive a hot meal.

      Raid on Noirefontaine – 27–28 December 1944

      As the Allies prepared to counterattack, Maj. Gen. James M. Gavin of the 82nd Airborne sought a reconnaissance-in-force to gauge German strength. On 27 December he visited the 551st command post and ordered Lt. Col. Joerg to conduct a raid against the village of Noirefontaine, then behind German lines. Some officers feared the battalion was being used as expendable shock troops, but Joerg accepted the mission.

      Shortly after midnight on 28 December, the 551st launched one of the very few night attacks by U.S. forces during the Bulge. Advancing silently through snow and darkness, the GOYAs infiltrated Noirefontaine and struck with surprise. They overran the German regimental headquarters, destroyed an armored vehicle, and sowed confusion before withdrawing. The raid reportedly killed or wounded dozens of enemy soldiers while costing the battalion only a handful of casualties.

      The success at Noirefontaine convinced Gavin of the GOYAs’ capabilities—but also marked them as the unit to call upon for the most dangerous tasks ahead.

      The Bayonet Charge at Dairomont – 4 January 1945

      From 3–5 January, the 551st took part in attacks aimed at recapturing villages and high ground south of Stavelot. During fierce fighting near Dairomont on 4 January 1945, A Company became pinned down by multiple German machine-gun nests. With his men exhausted and morale wavering, 1st Lt. Richard “Dick” Durkee made a dramatic decision: he ordered a bayonet charge.

      At his command—“Fix bayonets and charge!”—the paratroopers rose from their snow-covered positions and rushed the enemy through open ground. In savage close-quarters combat they overran the German positions, killing dozens of defenders and silencing the machine guns. The action was one of the few documented bayonet charges by U.S. infantry in the European Theater and epitomized the GOYAs’ aggressive spirit. It also came at a steep price in casualties, further thinning the battalion’s already depleted ranks.

      The Assault on Rochelinval – 7 January 1945

      The decisive—and most tragic—engagement for the 551st was the attack on Rochelinval, a small village on the Salm River. By early January, Rochelinval contained the last intact bridge over the Salm in German hands along a ten-mile front. Allied commanders considered its capture essential to cutting off the enemy’s retreat and collapsing the bulge.

      On 6 January 1945, the 551st, now attached to the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, received orders to seize Rochelinval the following morning “at all costs.” Joerg and his officers protested that their men were exhausted, understrength, and lacked artillery support, but higher headquarters did not alter the plan. Artillery preparation was minimal, and the battalion would attack over open, snow-covered ground against dug-in enemy forces.

      At 0730 on 7 January 1945, the GOYAs stepped off. A Company advanced from the north, B Company from the south, while C Company provided support and reserve from the west. They were immediately met by intense fire from German machine guns, mortars, and artillery, including 88mm and 105mm guns. Within moments the battalion began taking heavy casualties. Scouts and machine-gun teams were cut down; platoons were shredded by crossfire. Still, the survivors kept moving forward.

      Fighting through woods, hedgerows, and finally into the village itself, the 551st closed with the enemy in brutal house-to-house combat. Lt. Durkee later found himself commanding only a handful of men still able to fight in A Company. Elsewhere, squads were reduced to two or three survivors. During the advance, Lt. Col. Joerg was mortally wounded by shellfire while directing his men.

      By late morning, the battered battalion succeeded in clearing Rochelinval and securing the bridge. The German defenders were killed, captured, or forced to flee. With the bridge in Allied hands, the last German foothold west of the Salm in that sector disappeared, contributing directly to the decision by German high command later that day to begin withdrawing from the Bulge.

      The cost, however, was devastating. Of roughly 643 officers and men who had entered the Ardennes, only a little over 100 combat-effective soldiers remained after Rochelinval. The 551st suffered one of the highest casualty rates of any U.S. unit in World War II. In a few weeks of fighting, the battalion had been virtually destroyed.

       

       

      Decorations and Awards

       


      Despite its relatively short combat record, the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion and its members earned significant recognition—much of it granted only decades after the war, after determined efforts by veterans and families.

      Presidential Unit Citation

      In 2001, more than half a century after the Battle of the Bulge, the U.S. Army awarded the 551st PIB the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) for its extraordinary heroism in the Ardennes. The citation recognized the battalion’s role spearheading attacks for XVIII Airborne Corps, emphasizing that although the 551st represented only a small fraction of the 82nd Airborne Division’s strength, during the first week of January 1945 it suffered a disproportionate share of casualties while inflicting heavy losses on the enemy and capturing large numbers of prisoners. The citation specifically highlighted the operations at Noirefontaine, Dairomont, and Rochelinval.

      The PUC ceremony, held at the Pentagon on 23 February 2001 and presided over by the Army Chief of Staff, served as a symbolic restoration of the battalion’s place in Army history.

      Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star

      Several GOYAs received high individual decorations:

      • Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) – at least two awards are associated with the battalion:

         

        • Pfc. Milo C. Huempfner, for extraordinary heroism near Leignon, Belgium, in December 1944, where he single-handedly assaulted enemy positions.

        • Sgt. Robert H. Hill, posthumously honored for his actions at Rochelinval on 7 January 1945, where he continued to attack and destroy enemy machine-gun nests despite severe wounds.

         

      • Silver Star and Bronze Star – numerous awards for gallantry and meritorious service were made to officers and enlisted men. Among them was Pfc. John Chappell, killed during a rear-guard action in the Maritime Alps, and many others recognized for actions during Dragoon and the Bulge.

      Foreign Decorations

      Veterans of the 551st later received foreign honors, including the French Croix de Guerre, the Belgian Croix de Guerre, and the Légion d’honneur for their role in the liberation of France and Belgium. These awards were often presented individually many years after the war, in ceremonies recognizing a lifetime of service and sacrifice.

       

       

      Inactivation and Redistribution of Personnel

      The assault on Rochelinval effectively ended the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion as a fighting unit. After the village was secured, the shattered battalion was withdrawn to the rear, eventually moving to the Belgian village of Juslenville. There, survivors tried to regroup and account for missing comrades.

      On 22 January 1945, Maj. Gen. James Gavin met with the officers and men of the battalion. In a brief, somber address, he informed them that the 551st PIB was being inactivated. The survivors would be reassigned as replacements to other units, primarily within the 82nd Airborne Division. Five days later, on 27 January 1945, the battalion was formally removed from the Army’s rolls.

      The surviving GOYAs were absorbed into units such as the 504th, 505th, and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments, as well as the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team. Many went on to fight in subsequent operations in Germany and elsewhere. The battalion’s colors were furled, and its records were filed under the 82nd Airborne Division. For decades afterward, the 551st’s remarkable story remained largely unknown outside the circle of its veterans.

       

       

      Postwar Recognition and Memorials

      For many years after World War II, the 551st PIB was sometimes referred to as “the Lost Battalion of the Bulge.” Its independent status, catastrophic casualties, and rapid inactivation contributed to its near-disappearance from popular histories. The renewed attention that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s—through books, articles, and the work of the 551st Parachute Infantry Association—sparked a sustained effort to recover the unit’s story.

      That effort has produced a number of memorials and monuments:

       

      • Fort Benning, Georgia (National Infantry Museum / Memorial Walk): A monument and plaque honoring the 551st PIB, including a statue of the battalion’s parachuting dog “Furlough.”

      • Arlington National Cemetery: A plaque in the Memorial Arboretum dedicated to the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion, ensuring the unit is remembered among the nation’s honored dead.

      • Rochelinval, Belgium: A stone monument dedicated to Lt. Col. Joerg and the men of the 551st stands near the village. Additional plaques added after the PUC recount the battalion’s actions there. Nearby markers honor individuals such as Sgt. Robert Hill and identify locations where the battalion fought.

      • Noirefontaine and La Chapelle (Dairomont), Belgium: Plaques commemorate the 551st’s raid on Noirefontaine and the bayonet charge near Dairomont.

      • Leignon, Belgium: A monument honors Pfc. Milo Huempfner and, by extension, the entire battalion.

      • Camp Mackall, North Carolina: A granite monument dedicated in 1992 remembers both the battalion’s wartime service and the eight paratroopers who drowned in the 1944 training accident at Lake Kinney Cameron.

      • Dairomont Bayonet Charge Memorial: Near the site of the 551st’s dramatic charge, a monument recalls that rare and desperate action.

      • Museum Exhibits: Artifacts and displays relating to the 551st can be found in museums such as the December 44 Museum in La Gleize, Belgium; the Airborne & Special Operations Museum; and the National Infantry Museum.

      The Presidential Unit Citation ceremony in 2001, coupled with these memorials, has transformed the battalion from a “lost” unit into one whose story is increasingly well known and honored.

       

       

      Legacy and Historical Significance

      The 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion occupies a unique place in World War II history. Its trajectory—from Panama’s jungles to the Alps and finally to the snows of the Ardennes—illustrates both the versatility and the vulnerability of independent airborne units.

      Operationally, the GOYAs made outsized contributions. In Southern France, they helped secure key towns, captured a German general, and liberated portions of the Riviera. In the Maritime Alps, they held a mountainous flank for months, preventing German incursions into southern France. In the Ardennes, they served as a shock battalion during the critical first weeks of the Allied counteroffensive, executing one of the few U.S. night attacks of the campaign, carrying out a bayonet charge at Dairomont, and finally seizing Rochelinval—the last German bridgehead over the Salm River. Their actions contributed directly to the collapse of Hitler’s final offensive in the West.

      Strategically, their story is also a cautionary tale. The 551st’s independent status and frequent reassignment meant they often lacked consistent support at higher levels. Their near-annihilation at Rochelinval, after a frontal assault ordered with minimal artillery and no reserves, illustrates the risks of misusing specialized units. Yet even under these conditions, the GOYAs accomplished their mission.

      Perhaps the strongest element of the 551st’s legacy is moral and symbolic. For decades, the battalion’s sacrifice went largely unrecognized. The eventual awarding of the Presidential Unit Citation and the erection of memorials in both Europe and the United States represent a belated but powerful acknowledgment that their service mattered. The GOYAs’ unofficial motto, “Get Off Your Ass,” has come to symbolize initiative, resilience, and refusal to quit even when the odds are overwhelming.

      Today, historians, descendants, and airborne veterans remember the 551st as a prime example of what a small, highly trained unit can achieve—and what it can endure. Their story, once nearly forgotten, continues to inspire new generations of soldiers and civilians alike.

       

       

      References

      • 551st Parachute Infantry Association website – primary historical narrative, unit rosters, and memorial information: https://551pib.us/

      • Lewis, Christopher G., CSM – “History of the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion and their Demise at the Battle of the Bulge” (hosted by the 551st PIB Association).

      • “Commanding Officers” – 551st PIB Association (biographical notes on Joerg, Graves, Holm).

      • Presidential Unit Citation text and supporting documentation, 551st PIB Association and U.S. Army Center of Military History.

      • Dillard, Douglas C. – PUC submission materials and personal accounts (via 551st PIB Association).

      • Orfalea, Gregory – Messengers of the Lost Battalion (1997).

      • O’Donnell, Patrick K. – Beyond Valor (2001) – interviews and vignettes involving 551st veterans.

      • ABMC (American Battle Monuments Commission) – interpretive articles on U.S. airborne operations in the European Theater, including coverage of the 551st PIB.

      • CRIBA (Centre de Recherches et d’Informations sur la Bataille des Ardennes) – listings of monuments related to the 551st PIB in Belgium.

      • December 44 Museum (La Gleize, Belgium) and National Infantry Museum/Airborne & Special Operations Museum – exhibit information and artifact descriptions related to the 551st PIB.

       

      Unit descriptions and history have been sourced from Army.mil, Wikipedia.org
      Any appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.