Well, Wolf its story time, so put your feet up, sip some cocoa, and listen.
In January of 1944, the 3/504th was assigned to to seize the town of Borgo Piave in Northern Italy. After a grueling battle against a dug in German unit, the 3/504th was beaten back to the outskirts of the town, on the other side of a canal, the Mussolini Canal. There, they held thier ground and resisted the attacks of the German infantry and armor. For this defensive achievment, the 3/504th was the first parachute infantry division to recieve the Presidential Unit Citation.
The Germans dug in again and held the other side of the canal. It was a stalemate. So the 3/504th, bruised but not beaten, started to send small patrols into the German occupied side at night, causing strategic destruction and demoralizing the German troops. Eventually, the Germans were overrun by an all out assault. When the German commanding officer was captured, he cursed the "Devils in Baggy Pants" for beating his men (the patch in my sig is thier actual Regimental insignia). The name stuck and the 1st Battalion became the "White Devils, the 2nd, the "Red Devils", and the 3rd, the "Blue Devils".
I hope you enjoyed my presentation of WWII story time. Good evening and have a pleasent tomorrow.
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3rd Battalion
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
82nd Airborne Division
"The Blue Devils"
01-02-2002, 04:50 AM
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