13th Airborne Division (United States) - Formation

Formation

The 13th Airborne Division was the fifth airborne division to be formed in the United States during World War II, and was officially activated on 13 August 1943 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina under the command of Major General George W. Griner Jr. Only a few months after the activation of the division, however, Major General Griner was ordered to take command of the 98th Infantry Division, and was replaced by Major General Eldridge G. Chapman, who would go on to command the division for the rest of the conflict. Chapman was one of the early pioneers of the American airborne concept, commanding the experimental 88th Airborne Infantry Battalion in late 1941 when he was a Lieutenant Colonel, before going on to take command of the 13th Airborne Division. The 88th Airborne Infantry Battalion would be renamed as the 88th Airborne Infantry Regiment, and then finally become the 88th Glider Infantry Regiment on 21 September 1942, forming the core of the 13th Airborne Division. When it was activated, the division was initially composed of the 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the 88th Glider Infantry Regiment and the 326th Glider Infantry Regiment.