![]() Each Pathfinder team was assigned to a specific aircrew. Each Pathfinder team consisted of 9 to 14 signaling specialist with two Eureka sets and nine Holophane lights, plus a five man security detachment. Williams, IX Troop carrier command, opened the first Pathfinder school at North Witham, England. * Later Commanding General, 1st Cav Div (Airmobile) in Vietnam, 1966-67 The 509th PIB also attempted to employ their Pathfinders during a night drop east of Avellino, but high winds interfered with navigation of the Pathfinder aircraft, and terrain limited beacon effectiveness. The 505th PIR’s Pathfinders led the way for that unit’s successful drop the next night. Jones of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) was the first Pathfinder to jump in a combat operation (13 September is National Pathfinder Day). Shortly thereafter, these teams performed flawlessly in the highly successful night airborne reinforcement of the Salerno beachhead on the mainland of Italy on 13 and 14 September 1943. Pathfinder teams were organized in the 82d Airborne Division at Biscari Airfield in Sicily by Captain John Norton* and Lt. These elite groups would precede the main airborne force with visual and electronic signaling devices to guide aircraft to the designated DZs. The after-action report pointed to an immediate need for specially trained and equipped parachute elements that could enter an objective ahead of the main airborne force to locate and mark parachute drop zones (DZ) and glider landing zones (LZ), and provide positive guidance and control of the troop carrier aircraft. Some paratroopers were dropped more than 60 miles from their assigned drop zones. Landings of American and British airborne forces were widely dispersed due to high winds, navigation errors, friendly antiaircraft fire, and a lack of positive control of the inbound troop carrier aircraft. ![]() The airborne phase of the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 drove home the need for a U.S. Despite their efforts, the initial drop in North Africa in November 1942 was widely dispersed due to coordination difficulties and aerial navigation problems on the 12-hour flight route from England. The 2d Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment (later re-designated as the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion) borrowed ideas and equipment from the British airborne forces. Forces in England during preparation for the invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch) in 1942. The Pathfinder concept first appeared in U.S. Army Pathfinders trace their illustrious history and legacy back to the beginning of World War II.
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