173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Spring Offensive
The position became untenable at mid-day, and 2/4th Bn and the French troops had to make a fighting withdrawal to the partly dug Green Line about 1500 yards back. With continued pressure on the open left flank, 173rd Bde was forced to withdraw again, beyond Viry-Noureuil. By now the fighting strength of 2/4th Londons was about 120 men, who came under the command of 8th Londons. However, the battalion's second-in-command, Major Grover, led up a scratch force of 280 clerks, cooks and drivers from the brigade's rear areas. By nightfall, 'Grover's Force' blocked the way to Chauny on the St Quentin Canal, with the combined 2/4th and 8th Londons to his left and the 18th Entrenching Battalion (formed from disbanded battalions of 18th Division) to his right astride the canal.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Spring Offensive
The mixed force under 173rd Bde held out on the fourth day of the battle until the afternoon, when they made a planned withdrawal, and by 16.30 had retired across the Oise to join the rest of 58th Division. Here a composite 'Fusilier Battalion' was formed under Lt-Col Dann of the 2/4th, with a company drawn from each of the 2/2nd, 3rd, 2/4th and 8th Londons, which held the river crossings until relieved on the night of 25/26 March. Out of the line, Grover's Force and the Fusilier Battalion were reorganised, so that the Fusilier Battalion now represented the whole of 173rd Bde, to which the 12th Londons (175th Bde) and the 18th Entrenching Bn were attached.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Villers Bretonneux
58th Division was relieved by the French on 2/3 April and was moved by rail to cover Villers-Bretonneux against the continuing German advance. The battalions were replenished with drafts, 2/2nd Bn receiving three companies of the disbanded 12th Bn Middlesex Regiment from 18th Entrenching Bn, and 2/4th Bn two companies from 16th Entrenching Bn (mostly from the disbanded 6th King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry from the 14th (Light) Division), Many of these drafts were very young recruits sent out from England. After a period working on defences, sometimes under fire, the brigade went back into the front line on 17–18 April.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Villers Bretonneux
The battered 173rd Bde was not involved with the rest of the division in the First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, but was holding the division's front line (3rd Bn right, 2/2nd Bn centre and 2/4th Bn left) when the German Second Army launched the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux on 24 April. The German barrage fell at 04.00, including a high proportion of gas shells, and caused serious casualties to the defending companies. The attack came at different times.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Villers Bretonneux
At Hangard Wood in the centre, 2/2nd Bn was attacked at about 06.00, and the SOS rockets calling for artillery support could not be seen due to the mist. When a message got through to the British guns their fire fell short, on the defenders. Nevertheless, the three front line companies held their position. 2/4th


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Villers Bretonneux
Battalion on the left was attacked out of the mist by six German A7V tanks and fell back, uncovering the flank of 2/2nd Bn. C Company of 2/2nd was sent up as reinforcements, carrying extra ammunition, but the infiltrating German infantry had almost cut off D Company and were working round behind 2/2nd Bn's HQ. However, the 2/4th quickly realised that the tanks were manoeuvring ineffectually, so they rallied at the company HQ line and then fell back slowly. They inflicted heavy casualties on the three following waves of German infantry, finally halting them at the Cachy Switch trench.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Villers Bretonneux
2/4th Bn's support company was almost cut off but also fought its way back to the Switch. An 18-pounder gun was manhandled to 2/4th Bn's HQ, where it drove back the remaining German tanks. 3rd Bn continued to hold its position. Once the mist cleared a second German attack was broken up by artillery fire. Further to the left, Villers-Bretonneux had been captured but a counter-attack the same night regained the ruins and most of the lost ground.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Villers Bretonneux
The brigade spent the summer of 1918 working on the defences in front of Amiens. Although its battalions received some drafts of recruits from home they were never made up to full strength. During spells in the line the battalions carried out a number of patrols into No man's land to train the young soldiers. At this period the 1918 flu pandemic caused more casualties than the Germans.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Chipilly
For the opening attack of the Hundred Days Offensive (the Battle of Amiens) on 8 August 1918, 174th Bde was given the initial objective of capturing Malard Wood, after which 173rd Bde would pass through to take the vital Chipilly Ridge overlooking a bend in the River Somme and flanking the battlefield. 173rd Brigade moved off in 'artillery formation' through the German barrage that fell behind 174th Bde, with 3rd Bn on the right, 2/4th Bn on the left, and 2/2nd Bn in reserve. During this advance the battalion HQ staff of 2/4th Bn were wounded by shellfire.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Chipilly
In the morning mist this battalion drifted to the left of its intended line of advance, followed by 2/2nd Bn. They also had to deal with isolated pockets of resistance, and their supporting tanks got lost in the mist. At 08.30, as the leading companies reached the far edge of Malard Wood, the mist began to clear and they were brought to a halt by machine gun fire across the gully in front of the wood. The CO of 2/2nd Bn, Lt-Col Miller, began to reorganise the mixed-up battalions and completed the clearance of Malard Wood.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Chipilly
Aircraft erroneously reported British troops on Chipilly Ridge, so when 2/2nd began the second phase of the attack at 15.00 no artillery fire was brought onto the ridge. Without artillery support the attackers could only reach the lower slopes of Chipilly Ridge. 2/2nd Londons were forced back to Malard Wood, where the brigade dug in. Casualties in this debacle had been very heavy.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Chipilly
The failure to take Chipilly Ridge resulted in heavy casualties to the troops to the left of 58th Division who were overlooked by this feature. The division therefore made a second attack on 9 August. Orders arrived late and 173rd Bde attacked from an assembly trench that turned out to be no more than a string of shell-holes, and behind a misdirected barrage. The attacking troops were controlled by Lt-Col Miller of 2/3nd Bn, who disposed them with 3nd Bn on the right, 2/4th in the centre and 2/2nd on the left, with 2/10th Londons (from 175th Bde) in reserve.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Chipilly
Supporting troops of the 131st US Infantry were rushed up on the left but were not yet in line when the creeping barrage began, so 173rd Bde was enfiladed from Chipilly village. Under heavy fire and taking serious casualties, the 2/4th dug in under the shelter of the Chipilly gully. Before nightfall, the 2/10th Londons and 131st US Infantry managed to clear Chipilly village and 173rd Bde finally dislodged the defenders from the ridge.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Chipilly
The battalions had lost heavily over the two-day battle, and at one point 2/4th Bn had five acting COs in 12 hours. Between 10 and 22 August they were brought up to strength with large drafts from various London battalions and some seasoned soldiers from 14th (Light) Division.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Bapaume
The Second Battle of Bapaume opened on 22 August and was continued with a night attack on 23/24 August, in which 173rd Bde supported 175th Bde and 47th Division. A dawn attack on 25 August found the German positions empty, and 2/4th Londons was sent forward with a Troop of the Northumberland Hussars and sections of the Royal Field Artillery and Machine Gun Corps as an advanced guard to re-establish contact with the enemy.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Bapaume
In these unusual conditions of open warfare, the battalion marched in column up a road until the cavalry contacted the enemy at Billon Wood, when the companies deployed and attacked, supported by 2/2nd and 3rd Bns. Despite intense shelling, the brigade was established on the far side of the wood by the end of the day.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Bapaume
The Brigade entered Maricourt the following day, but with its flanks 'in the air' it fell back to a line just short of the village. The attack was renewed on 27 August, with 2/4th Bn in support of 3rd Londons. The defence was sporadic, and the two battalions passed through the village, which 2/2nd Bn mopped up in the afternoon. The following day 2.2nd Bn led the attack with 3rd Bn in support, taking Clapham Farm by afternoon. The brigade was then rested until 1 September, when at short notice a dawn attack was made towards Bouchavesnes. 3rd Londons on the left and 2/4th on the right followed the creeping barrage, overcame some resistance at the edge of the village, and was on its final objective by 10.45. 58th Division was then relieved in the line.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Épehy
After a period in reserve, the 58th Division returned to the offensive, and on 7 September 173rd Bde was brought up by buses into divisional reserve. After an unsuccessful attack by 174th Bde the very weak 173rd Bde took over the attack on 10 September, towards the villages round Épehy on the last ridge before the Canal du Nord, forming the Hindenburg outpost positions. 2/2nd Bn led with the 2/4th in close support towards Pézières while 3rd Bn went for Épehy. 2/4th Londons were then to turn south and pop up between the two leading battalions.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Épehy
The brigade went forward behind creeping barrage at 05.15, in bad weather. The two villages were taken, but considerable opposition was met from the German Alpine Corps, and the attack lost cohesion in the ruined streets. The barrage had not dealt with machine gun nests and the brigade (now only about 900 strong) was too weak to mop them up unaided. 2/2nd Londons found themselves surrounded and had to fight their way back. A second attempt was made at 13.00 to establish a line between the two villages, using infiltration tactics and the brigade's light Stokes mortars, but with no better success.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Reorganisation
Despite the successes of the Hundred Days Offensive, the BEF's manpower crisis was now severe, and on 12 September 1918 the remnant of the 2/4th Bn was amalgamated into 2/2nd Bn and its place in the brigade filled by 2/24th Bn (Queen's), which had been brought back to the Western Front from the 60th (2/2nd London) Division in Palestine and had been attached to 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division since July.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Reorganisation
The Épehy position was now to be taken by deliberate assault (the Battle of Épehy). 173rd Brigade renewed the division's attack on Pézières, A, B, and D Companies of 2/2nd Bn and two tanks being detailed to take the first two objectives, with 2/24th Bn in close support for mopping up and 3rd Bn to take a small area on the right. The attack was scheduled for 16 September but postponed until the 18th. There was no preliminary bombardment, but the creeping barrage began with three minutes on the start line and then lifted 100 yards every four minutes.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Reorganisation
The pre-dawn attack in drizzle went well, despite the Alpine troops' resistance, and within an hour 2/2nd Bn had reached the railway embankment beyond Pézières (the first objective). At 07.00 the whole battalion moved on towards is second objective, which it took by 09.10, but 2/24th was held up by a number of strongpoints. These were cleared up by 2/2nd and 3rd Bns at 21.00, but the Germans in Poplar Trench held out until mid-morning the following day. 173rd Brigade was relieved on 20 September.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Pursuit to the Scheldt
58th Division returned to the line north of the Scarpe between Lens and Loos on 30 September. On 2 October it was found that the Germans had withdrawn on this front during the night and 173rd Bde was pushed forward through the day. After midnight it pushed on again until its patrols found the new German defences at the Oppy–Mericourt–Pont á Vendin Line.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Pursuit to the Scheldt
The Germans withdrew further to the Drocourt–Queant Switch Line on 9 October, but the village of Noyelles still held out, until 173rd Bde helped 37th Bde to capture it. On 11 October, the brigade received its orders late, but advanced about a mile with the support of the divisional artillery to take Harnes Fosses (coal-mines) without opposition. The following day 173rd and 175th Bdes took Harnes and the Annay Switch line, and on 13 October pushed on through Annay and advanced to within a thousand yards of the Haute Deûle canal. Patrols that night found the canal strongly held.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Pursuit to the Scheldt
The German withdrawal continued on 15 October and 2/2nd Londons established footbridges over the canal. 173rd Brigade was then in divisional reserve while the pursuit continued. By 20 October, German resistance was slight; the brigade's advance was only held up by fire from a small village to its flank. The following day it pushed on to the Scheldt and established posts in the villages overlooking the river. During the night the 504th Field Company, Royal Engineers, built a footbridge over a destroyed road bridge, but patrols were unable to cross until the morning, when a few of 2/24th


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Pursuit to the Scheldt
Londons got across supported by a field battery and machine guns. They were driven back. Next, 504th Fd Co made a raft of barrels and floorboards taken from the local brewery and two companies of 2/2nd Londons tried and failed to get across. Shelling drove the brigade's support battalion back out of its position. However, Brig-Gen Corkran had gathered valuable information about the terrain.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Western Front, Pursuit to the Scheldt
58th Division then thinned out its outposts along the river, leaving 174th Bde, plus one battalion from 173rd, in position. On 8 November, the enemy began to pull back from the Scheldt and 2/2nd Londons crossed with 174th Bde. The advance then continued until 11 November, when the Armistice with Germany came into force.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Disbandment
After the Armistice, 58th Division remained in the Péruwelz area of Belgium. Education and training courses were carried out for men preparing for demobilisation, and skilled tradesmen and miners were the first to be sent home. 2/2nd Londons were disbanded on 26 February. At the beginning of March 1919 the dwindling division concentrated round Leuze, and on 12 March the three brigade HQs were disbanded and amalgamated into a single 58th Division Group HQ.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, World War II
Second Line TF units and formations were not reformed after the war. However, the 58th Division and the 173rd Brigade were used during World War II for 'phantom formations' as part of Operation Fortitude. They were chosen on the basis of Ultra reports that showed the Germans believed a 58th Infantry Division existed in the vicinity of Windsor. This misidentification was then supported by simulated radio traffic and by fictitious reports from double agents working for the British Security Service, MI5.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, World War II
As part of Fourth Army's II Corps, the 'division' took the role of a mountain trained assault formation in 'Fortitude North' (HQ: Aberlour) and the role of follow up unit in 'Fortitude South' (HQ: Gravesend). It was disposed of by announcing that the division had moved to Hertfordshire and been disbanded in April 1945.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, World War II
The formation's insignia, a stag's face full on a black square was chosen to support the division's fictional back-story, that it had been formed in the Scottish Highlands around cadres from combat experienced Highland regiments.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Memorial
The 58th Divisional Memorial, depicting a wounded horse sculpted by Henri Gauquie, is at Chipilly. It was paid for from the profits of the divisional entertainment canteen and barber shop, the remainder funding a Territorial charity that still exists today.


173rd (3/1st London) Brigade, Commanders
The following officers commanded the 173rd (3/1st London) Brigade during its existence:


173rd Airborne Brigade
The 173rd Airborne Brigade ("Sky Soldiers") is an airborne infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe.


173rd Airborne Brigade
Activated in 1915, as the 173rd Infantry Brigade, the unit saw service in World War II but is best known for its actions during the Vietnam War. The brigade was the first major United States Army ground formation deployed in Vietnam, serving there from 1965 to 1971 and losing 1,533 soldiers. Noted for its roles in Operation Hump and Operation Junction City, the 173rd is best known for the Battle of Dak To, where it suffered heavy casualties in close combat with North Vietnamese forces. Brigade members received over 7,700 decorations, including more than 6,000 Purple Hearts. The brigade returned to the United States in 1972, where the 1st and 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, were absorbed into the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), and the 3rd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery was reassigned to Division Artillery in the 101st. The remaining units of the 173rd were inactivated.


173rd Airborne Brigade
Since its reactivation in 2000, the brigade served five tours in the Middle East in support of the War on Terror. The 173rd participated in the initial invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, and had four tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, and 2012–13. The brigade returned most recently from a deployment stretching from late 2013 to late 2014. 2/503rd 2014- 2015The 173rd Airborne Brigade has received 21 campaign streamers and several unit awards, including the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during the Battle of Dak To during the Vietnam War.


173rd Airborne Brigade, Organization
The 173rd Airborne Brigade serves as the conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe. It was a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army's V Corps and after June 2013, subordinate to US Army Europe.


173rd Airborne Brigade, Organization
The 173rd Airborne Brigade currently consists of 3,300 soldiers in seven subordinate battalions as well as a headquarters company:


173rd Airborne Brigade, Organization
All of these units are airborne qualified, making the 173rd Airborne Brigade the only separate airborne IBCT in the United States Army.


173rd Airborne Brigade, Organization
In August 2016 the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 143rd Infantry Regiment became part of the brigade under the Army's Associated Unit Pilot Program.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, World Wars
The 173rd Infantry Brigade was constituted on 5 August 1917 as an infantry brigade and organized on 25 August at Camp Pike, Arkansas, as an element of the 87th Division along with the 174th Infantry Brigade. The brigade deployed to France along with the rest of the division in September 1918, but it did not participate in any campaigns and never saw combat, instead being utilized as a pool of laborers and reinforcements for frontline units. Four months later, the brigade returned to the United States, and was demobilized with the rest of the division in January 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey. Commanders during the war included:


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, World Wars
On 24 June 1921, the unit was reconstituted as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 173rd Infantry Brigade, and was assigned to the Organized Reserve Corps and the 87th Division at Shreveport, Louisiana. It was reorganized in December 1921 at Mobile, Alabama, redesignated on 23 March 1925 as the HHC 173rd Brigade, and redesignated as HHC 173rd Infantry Brigade on 24 August 1936.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, World Wars
During World War II, brigades were eliminated from divisions. Consequently, the HHC 173rd Infantry Brigade was designated as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop in February 1942 and activated on 15 December 1942. Though the brigade in name did not exist during the war, the redesignation meant that it carried the lineage of the 87th Reconnaissance Troop, and when the brigade was reactivated, it would include the troop's lineage and campaign streamers. The troop entered combat in 1944 and fought in three European campaigns; central Europe, the Rhineland and Ardennes-Alsace operations.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, World Wars
The maneuver battalions of the Vietnam era 173rd trace their lineage to the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, which successfully assaulted the fortress island of Corregidor in the Philippines by parachute and waterborne operations, thereby earning the nickname "The Rock". After the war, the troop reverted to reserve status and was posted at Birmingham, Alabama from 1947 until 1951. On 1 December 1951, the troop was inactivated and released from its assignment to the 87th Infantry Division.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Re-creation as airborne brigade
From 1961 to 1963, the Army began reorganizing its force so that each division would have a similar structure, which would vary depending on the type of division it was. This move was called the Reorganization Objective Army Division (ROAD) plan. The plan eliminated regiments but reintroduced brigades to the Army's structure, allowing three brigades to a division. The reorganization also allowed for the use of "separate" brigades which had no division headquarters and could be used for missions that did not require an entire division.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Re-creation as airborne brigade
The 173rd Brigade was selected to become a separate brigade and a special airborne task force, which could deploy rapidly and act independently. It was then designed uniquely from other separate brigades. The 173rd was the only separate brigade to have support formations permanently assigned to it, though other separate brigades would receive support elements of their own a year later. The brigade was also the only separate brigade to receive its own tank company, in the form of Company D, 16th Armor.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Re-creation as airborne brigade
Consistent with regimental combat teams activated before them, these separate brigades were given their own shoulder sleeve insignia. The soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade created a patch with a wing on it to symbolize their status as an airborne unit, along with red, white, and blue, the national colors of the United States. The SSI would be given to them in May 1963.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Re-creation as airborne brigade
On 26 March 1963, the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) was assigned to the Regular Army and activated on Okinawa. Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson took command of the unit, which was chartered to serve as the quick reaction force for the Pacific Command. Under Williamson, the unit trained extensively, making mass parachute jumps. They earned the nickname Tien Bing (Chinese: 天兵), literally Sky Soldiers, from the Taiwanese paratroopers. During their time in Okinawa, they prided themselves as the "toughest fighting men in Okinawa, if not the entire U.S. Armed Forces". They took their theme song from the television series Rawhide. As the Pacific quick-reaction force, they were the first brigade to be sent to South Vietnam two years later when hostilities escalated there.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War
The brigade arrived in South Vietnam on 7 May 1965, the first major ground combat unit of the United States Army to serve in the country. Brigadier General Williamson boldly predicted on arrival that his men would defeat the Viet Cong (VC) quickly and that they "would be back in Okinawa by Christmas". The 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division; the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division; and the 1st Cavalry Division quickly followed the 173rd into Vietnam, the first of what would eventually be 25 U.S. Army brigades to serve in the country. As larger US Army commands were established in Vietnam, the brigade was assigned to the III Corps and II Corps tactical zone, which they would serve in for the next six years. The brigade was put under the command of II Field Force, Vietnam.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War
The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 503rd Infantry were the first Army combat units from the 173rd sent into South Vietnam, accompanied by the 3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery. They were supported by the 173rd Support Battalion, 173rd Engineer Company, Troop E/17th Cavalry and Company D/16th Armor. The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and the 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery were attached to the brigade for one year in 1965. Late in August 1966, the 173rd received another infantry battalion, the 4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry from Fort Campbell, Kentucky.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War
The 3rd Battalion, 503rd joined the brigade at Tuy Hòa Province in September 1967 following the former's activation and training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The 173rd was also assigned Company N (Ranger), 75th Infantry. At its peak of its deployment in Vietnam, the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) comprised over 7,000 soldiers.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War
The brigade was the first unit sent into War Zone D to destroy enemy base camps, introducing the use of small Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols. On 8 November 1965, the 173rd took part in Operation Hump, just north of Biên Hòa on the outskirts of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. They were ambushed by approximately 1,200 VC fighters, suffering 48 deaths. The unit fought in the Iron Triangle, a VC stronghold north of Saigon, seeing many engagements with VC forces during that time. In January 1966 they launched Operation Marauder, the first U.S. military operation in the Plain of Reeds. They participated in Operation Crimp in 1966, a failed attempt to root out VC forces from the Củ Chi tunnels.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War
The attached helicopter unit became the Casper Aviation Platoon, befitting a separate infantry brigade as the only separate aviation platoon deployed in Vietnam. Casper platoon was part of the HHC 173rd Airborne Brigade and its members wore the brigade patch. The attached Assault Helicopter Company, the 335th AHC, the "Cowboys", deployed with the brigade all over Vietnam into mid-1968 and comprised the Airmobile capability along with the Caspers.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War
Soldiers of the brigade became involved in Operation Attleboro in fall of 1966, an operation that started out as a small search and destroy mission north of Saigon, but eventually involved 22,000 troops from 21 battalions. Soldiers of the brigade also took part in smaller humanitarian missions in between major combat operations.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War
On 22 February 1967, the 173rd conducted Operation Junction City, the only combat parachute jump of the Vietnam War. The operation saw three brigades controlling eight battalions dropped by helicopters and US Air Force aircraft into War Zone C, in Tây Ninh Province. During the battle, the brigade operated out of the northeastern part of the war zone along with the 196th Infantry Brigade (Separate), as four other brigades from the 1st and 25th Infantry Divisions attempted to surround and destroy the 9th Division in the War Zone. The operation was a success, and the battered VC division fled.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War
In August of that year, the brigade received its distinctive unit insignia. The soldiers chose to have it contain a parachute and dagger to symbolize their participation in Operation Junction City and the other heavy fighting they had been through. The DUI was also inscribed "Sky Soldiers" as homage to the nickname that the Taiwanese soldiers had given them.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
In mid-1967, the 4th Infantry Division's 1st and 2nd Brigades conducting Operation Francis Marion in western Kon Tum Province were making heavy contact with People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces. These contacts prompted division commander Major General William R. Peers to request reinforcement and, as a result, on 17 June, two battalions of Brigadier General John R. Deane's 173rd Airborne Brigade were moved into the Dak To area to begin sweeping the jungle-covered mountains in Operation Greeley. The 173rd had been operating near Bien Hoa Air Base outside Saigon and had been in combat only against the VC.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
Prior to its deployment to the highlands, Peers' operations officer, Colonel William J. Livsey, attempted to warn the Airborne officers of the hazards of campaigning in the Central Highlands. He also advised them that PAVN regulars were a much better equipped and motivated force than the VC. These warnings, however, made little impression on the paratroopers, who were about to become victims of their own overconfidence.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
On 20 June, Company C, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry (C/2-503) discovered the bodies of a Special Forces CIDG unit that had been missing for four days on Hill 1338, the dominant hill mass south of Dak To. Supported by A/2-503, the Americans moved up the hill and set up for the night. At 06:58 the following morning, Alpha Company began moving alone up a ridge finger and triggered an ambush by the 6th Battalion of the 24th PAVN Regiment. Charlie Company was ordered to support, but heavy vegetation and difficult terrain made movement extremely difficult.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
Artillery support was rendered ineffective by the limited range of visibility. Close air support was impossible for the same reasons. Alpha Company managed to survive repeated attacks throughout the day and night, but the cost was heavy. Of the 137 men that comprised the unit, 76 had been killed and another 23 wounded. A search of the battlefield revealed only 15 dead North Vietnamese.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
In response to the destruction of Alpha Company, MACV ordered additional forces into the area. On 23 June, the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment (1st Brigade, 1st Air Cavalry Division) arrived to bolster the 173rd. The following day, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's (ARVN) elite 1st Airborne Task Force (the 5th and 8th Battalions) and the 3rd Brigade, 1st Air Cavalry Division (5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry; and an additional infantry battalion) arrived to conduct search and destroy operations north and northeast of Kon Tum.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
General Deane sent his forces 20 kilometres (12 mi) west and southwest of Dak To to search for the PAVN 24th Regiment. By October, the 173rd, the 4th Infantry Division, and six ARVN battalions were moved to Dak To. The PAVN, in turn, had moved almost 6,000 troops in four infantry regiments and one artillery regiment.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
The battle around Dak To became more costly as 4-503 of the 173rd was ordered to occupy Hill 823, south of Ben Het Camp, for the construction of Fire Support Base. Only the battalion's Company B was available for the attack, which was borne by helicopter. The company was able to take the hill but suffered 9 dead and 28 wounded. The following morning Bravo Company was relieved by Lieutenant Colonel David J. Schumacher's 1–503, which (against the admonitions of Colonel Livsey) was divided into two small task forces.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
Task Force Black consisted of Charlie Company supported by two platoons of Dog Company and Task Force Blue which was composed of Alpha Company and the remaining platoon of Dog Company. Task Force Black left Hill 823 to find the PAVN who had attacked B/4-503. At 08:28 on 11 November, after leaving their overnight laager and following a PAVN communications wire, the force was ambushed by the 8th and 9th Battalions of the PAVN 66th Regiment and had to fight for its life.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
Task Force Blue drew the job of going to the relief of the beleaguered task force; however, Task Force Blue ran into resistance and was pinned down by enemy fire on all sides. C/4-503 was then assigned the mission of relieving Task Force Black and they too encountered significant PAVN fire, but they made it, reaching the trapped men at 15:37. U.S. losses were 20 killed, 154 wounded, and two missing.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
Following an attack on the Đắk Tô Base, and actions on hill 882 by the 1-503rd that saw 7 men dead and 34 wounded, 330 men of 2-503 moved in to assault Hill 875. At 10:30, as the Americans moved to within 300 metres (984 ft) of the crest, PAVN machine gunners opened fire on the advancing paratroopers. The Vietnamese then unleashed B-40 rockets and 57 mm recoilless rifle fire on the Americans. The paratroopers attempted to continue the advance, but the PAVN, well concealed in interconnected bunkers and trenches, opened fire with small arms and grenades.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
At 14:30 PAVN troops hidden at the bottom of the hill launched a massed assault from the rear. Unknown to the Americans, they had walked into a carefully prepared ambush by the 2nd Battalion of the 174th PAVN Regiment. Soon, U.S. air strikes and artillery fire were being called in, but they had little effect on the battle because of the dense foliage on the hillside. Resupply became a necessity, because of high ammunition expenditures and lack of water, but was impossible to accomplish: Six UH-1 helicopters were shot down or badly damaged that afternoon trying to get to 2–503.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
The next morning the three companies of 4-503 were chosen to set out and relieve the men on Hill 875. Because of intense PAVN sniper and mortar fire (and the terrain), it took until nightfall for the relief force to reach the beleaguered battalion. On the afternoon of 21 November, both battalions moved out to take the crest. During fierce, close-quarters fighting, some of the paratroopers made it into the PAVN trench line but were ordered to pull back as darkness fell.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
The following day was spent in launching airstrikes and a heavy artillery bombardment against the hilltop, totally denuding it of cover. On 23 November, 2-503 and 4-503 were ordered to renew their assault while the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry assaulted 875 from the south. This time the Americans gained the crest, but the PAVN had already abandoned their positions, leaving only a few dozen charred bodies and weapons.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, Dak To
The battle of Hill 875 had cost 2-503 87 killed, 130 wounded, and three missing. 4-503 suffered 28 killed 123 wounded, and four missing. Combined with noncombatant losses, this represented one-fifth of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's total strength. For its combined actions during operations around Dak To, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. 340 of the 570 173rd Airborne troops who attacked the hill became casualties.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, 1968-1971
The intense fighting during the Battle of Dak To took a heavy human toll on the 173rd. While several of its units, including the 2-503rd and A/3-319th were ordered to Tuy Hòa to repair and refit, the 173rd was transferred to Camp Radcliff in An Khê and Bong Son areas during 1968, seeing very little action while the combat ineffective elements of the brigade were rebuilt. Company D, 16th Armor was engaged in a battle that took place on 4 March 1968 at North Tuy Hòa. During the day, the company lost 8 men killed and 21 wounded.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, 1968-1971
An estimated 2 enemy battalions, the VC 85th Main Force and the PAVN 95th Regiment, were rendered ineffective as they had 297 killed, with D/16 Armor receiving credit for killing 218. The company commander, Captain Robert Helmick, was awarded the DSC. One of the few combat operations that brigade conducted during this time was an amphibious assault against PAVN/VC forces as part of an operation to clear the rice-growing lowlands along the Bong Song littoral.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, 1968-1971
In mid-1968 at the instigation of II Corps commander General Lữ Mộng Lan, I Field Force, Vietnam commander General William R. Peers paired with the Brigade with the ARVN 22nd Division in Bình Định Province in what was almost a replica of Operation Fairfax. The participating US units brought substantial air, artillery, engineer, and other support to the combined endeavor from their parent units, and American and Vietnamese commanders generally colocated command posts, shared a common area of operation, and planned and carried out operations together.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, 1968-1971
In the process the American officers tried to increase pressure on local enemy forces through intensive patrolling and to encourage ARVN battalion, company, and platoon-level leadership through longer, more decentralized operations. Vietnamization, as later conceived in 1969, was not an objective, and, in fact, the entire effort represented a return to the old strategy of pacification, with American combat operations now tied much closer to the overall task of local security.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, 1968-1971
Several months later, encouraged by the apparent success of joint operations with the 22nd Division, Peers directed the organization of a Task Force South with two battalions of the Brigade "pairing up" these units with several Ranger battalions and the 44th and 53rd Regiments of the ARVN 23rd Division south of Bình Định. The success of the program varied greatly from unit to unit, but the programs of the 173rd and Task Force South were generally regarded as effective. In April 1969 Brigade commander Brig.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, 1968-1971
Gen. John W. Barnes officially ended the unit's pair-off program and replaced it with Operation Washington Green, an intensive area security effort with territorial and paramilitary forces in Bình Định Province. In essence, Washington Green was a second Operation Fairfax, but without the presence of ARVN regulars. Washington Green proved to be the final American campaign in Bình Định Province, and its greatest achievement may have been in training an impressive number of territorial and paramilitary forces.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, 1968-1971
However, in the long run the operation appeared no more successful than Fairfax's efforts to clean up Gia Dinh Province around Saigon prior to the Tet Offensive. Bình Định was not easily pacified by military action alone. American and Vietnamese local intelligence was poor, the area was a traditional VC stronghold, and province and district officials were never able to eliminate the local VC infrastructure. As Peers' successor in March 1969, Lt. Gen. Charles A. Corcoran, reflected, "Barnes may have just been keeping the lid on the situation." After the brigade finally left South Vietnam in 1971, the greater portion of the province reverted to VC control.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, 1968-1971
The unit then served in An Khê until mid-1969, seeing little in the way of heavy fighting. From April 1969 until its withdrawal from South Vietnam in 1971, the brigade served in Bình Định Province. During more than six years of continuous combat, the brigade earned 14 campaign streamers and four unit citations, the Presidential Unit Citation, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, a Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, and a Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal. Sky Soldiers serving in Vietnam received 13 Medals of Honor, 32 Distinguished Service Crosses, 1,736 Silver Stars and more than 6,000 Purple Hearts. The 173rd incurred 1,533 deaths and around 6,000 wounded.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Vietnam War, 1968-1971
After widely publicized reports by battalion commander Lt. Col. Anthony Herbert, investigators confirmed that military interrogators of the 173rd Airborne Brigade "repeatedly beat prisoners, tortured them with electric shocks and forced water down their throats". A U.S. Army report detailed a pattern of "cruelty and maltreatment" between March 1968 and October 1969. Interrogators also employed a technique called the "water rag", which involved pouring water onto a rag covering the captive's nose and mouth, which creates the sensatation of drowning and can lead to death by asphyxiation. Herbert was relieved of his command shortly after reporting to his superior the war crimes he had witnessed. A former counterintelligence officer gave a statement under oath that "he saw interrogators punch and kick prisoners, beat them with sticks, administer electrical shocks and urinate on them."


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Redeployment and inactivation 1971–72
From April until August 1971, the unit underwent the process of redeployment to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the first time that the 173rd Airborne Brigade in name had returned to the United States since 1942.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Redeployment and inactivation 1971–72
After Vietnam, the Army retained the 173rd Airborne Brigade as a quick deploying contingency brigade. However, with the ending of conscription following America's disengagement from Vietnam, many of the Army's formations had to be rebuilt for the volunteer force. One of these was the 101st Airborne Division, which had also been redeployed to Fort Campbell. It was decided that the 173rd would be used to help rebuild the division, which had been converted into an airmobile formation during the Vietnam War.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Redeployment and inactivation 1971–72
The brigade was inactivated on 14 January 1972 at the fort, and its assets were used to form the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, a parachute component within the airmobile 101st. The 3rd Brigade went off jump status on 1 April 1974, the same date on which the Airmobile Badge (Air Assault Badge as of 4 October 1974) was introduced.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Reactivation and preparation for Iraq
In the late 1990s, Army leaders including General Eric Shinseki began shifting the Army force toward brigade centered operations. All separate brigades had been inactivated in the 1990s as part of the U.S. Army's drawdown following the end of the Cold War. These inactivations, along with subsequent reorganization of U.S. Army divisions, saw several divisional brigades stationed in bases that were far from the division's headquarters and support units. These brigades had difficulty operating without support from higher headquarters.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Reactivation and preparation for Iraq
It was Shinseki's idea to reactivate a few separate brigades and assign them their own support and sustainment units, which would allow them to function independently of division-level headquarters. These formations were termed "brigade combat teams". Such units could be stationed in bases far from major commands, not requiring division-level unit support, an advantage in places like Alaska and Europe, where stationing entire divisions was unnecessary or impractical. The first of the separate brigades was the 172nd Infantry Brigade, activated in 1998.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Reactivation and preparation for Iraq
The 173rd Airborne Brigade was reactivated in 2000 at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy, using the assets of the SETAF Infantry brigade, primarily the 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry and Battery D, 319th Field Artillery. Not long after its reactivation, elements were deployed to Kosovo as part of Operation Rapid Guardian in support of Kosovo Force (KFOR).


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Reactivation and preparation for Iraq
In 2002, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (2-503rd) activated, providing a second infantry battalion. The unit finally reached "initial operating capability" on 14 March 2003, with all units ready for deployment. It would be in combat 12 days later.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Reactivation and preparation for Iraq
In 2003, as preparations were being made for Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was assigned to be a part of an assault from the north of Iraq. The original plan was for the 173rd to be attached to the 4th Infantry Division as a flexible force of airborne troops to complement the heavy weapons of the division's three brigades.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Reactivation and preparation for Iraq
Supported by the 1st Infantry Division and the 10th Special Forces Group, the 4th Infantry Division was to assemble in Turkey and use its heavy mechanized brigades to attack through Tikrit and eventually assist V Corps, which would attack from the south, in surrounding Baghdad. However, this plan fell through when the government of Turkey would not allow offensive operations to be conducted from its soil, and the entire 4th Infantry Division was left stuck on ships in the Mediterranean for the opening of the operation.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Reactivation and preparation for Iraq
This meant that the entire northern front of the war would be conducted by the 173rd Airborne Brigade and Army special forces operating with aircraft from Europe as their only supply line. As the brigade had no heavy or mechanized forces and only a few Humvees and an artillery battery, heavier forces were attached to it in the form of two companies of M113 Armored Personnel Carriers, M1 Abrams tanks, and M2 Bradleys from a task force of 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor, which was attached to the brigade. Task Force 1-63 consisted of HHC/1-63rd Armor, C/1-63rd Armor and B/2-2nd Infantry.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Reactivation and preparation for Iraq
The force also received force field artillery headquarters from the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery, which brought a Tactical Operations Center, a Q-36 counterfire radar and Combat Observation and Lasing Team (COLT)a pair of Dragoneye Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from the US Marine Corps, to be operated by the Brigades Ground Surveillance Systems (GSS) team.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Reactivation and preparation for Iraq
The 173rd Airborne Brigade was made part of Task Force Viking, a special operations task force that contained elements of the 10th Mountain Division and the 10th Special Forces Group. The use of the 173rd as a part of a special operations task force was a unique first in U.S. Army history. This force was assisted by Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and tasked with attacking key airfield and oil production positions deep in northern Iraq. The brigade would take off from Aviano Air Base in Italy, a 4½-hour flight from northern Iraq.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Reactivation and preparation for Iraq
As the preparations for the brigade were in their final stages, it moved 10 trains and 300 trucks worth of equipment to the air base, as well as 120 busloads of soldiers. Though the brigade's movement was impeded by Italian protestors, the Italian police provided escort operations to the brigade and ensured that it reached the Air Base without incident, and was not significantly delayed. Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 20 March with V Corps, consisting of the 101st Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne Division, and 3rd Infantry Division making a forceful push from the south, beginning the Iraq War. A few days later, the 173rd and 10th Special Forces Group departed for northern Iraq.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Iraqi Freedom I
On 26 March 2003, 954 soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted a combat jump from C-17 aircraft onto Bashur Airfield in Northern Iraq under the command of Colonel Mayville. The jump took a total of 58 seconds, though 32 paratroopers were unable to jump because they would have landed too far from the rest of the force. The force had been strung out over a 10,000-yard drop zone, and it took 15 hours before it was completely assembled. In the weeks before there had been heavy rain and the mud created problems for those doing the jump.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Iraqi Freedom I
The paratroopers secured the airfield, allowing the C-17s to land and bring in the heavy armor and the 1–63rd Armor contingents. They jumped from aircraft of the 62nd Airlift Wing, 446th Airlift Wing, 437th Airlift Wing and the 315th Airlift Wing ( this included the 728th Airlift Squadron), along with a Tactical Air Control Party of USAF Airmen from the 4th Air Support Operations Squadron and the 786th Security Forces Squadron. Over the next 96 hours, the wing landed in the remaining 1,200 soldiers of the brigade as well as their vehicles. By 29 March the entire brigade was in Iraq and ready to conduct offensive operations.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Iraqi Freedom I
The next day, American forces advanced to Kirkuk during Operation Option North, hoping to control oil fields and military airfields in and around the city. Controlling the oil fields had been a specific operational goal of the Task Force because they were viewed as the most valuable strategic asset in northern Iraq. Between 30 March and 2 April, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, along with the Special Forces detachment and the Kurdish forces, engaged and destroyed the 2nd, 4th, 8th and 38th Iraqi Infantry divisions as well as a force loyal to Ansar al-Islam.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Iraqi Freedom I
The brigade used field artillery assets, as well as coordinated airstrikes to attack Iraqi Republican Guard units defending the city. Within a week these units began to fall apart due to desertions. On 10 April the brigade was able to move into the city, securing it after a short urban battle. The entire battle for Kirkuk cost the brigade only nine casualties. During the operation, some of the troops discovered at least two caches of Iraqi gold, totaling more than 2,000 bars. The unit then took part in Operation Peninsula Strike, quelling Ba'ath party resistance and other insurgent groups.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Iraqi Freedom I
These operations, though successful, would have been more effective if the 4th Infantry Division's four heavy brigades were able to enter Iraq through Turkey as originally planned. 4th ID had to relocate their forces from Turkey to Kuwait and were subsequently slowed down in Baghdad. V Corps was not able to surround Baghdad as quickly as it had hoped because of a lack of available forces in the north. The resulting wear and tear of 4th ID's M1 Abrams and M2 Bradleys made them an ineffective unit in tight urban areas such as Jar Salah. Because their heavily armored tanks required so much maintenance, the 173rd incorporated much of 4th ID's area of operation into their own. The 173rd secured these areas with company sized detachments, often patrolling the 4th ID's sectors with two unarmored M998 cargo Humvees at any given time.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Iraqi Freedom I
After the end of major combat operations in summer of 2003, the 173rd Airborne Brigade did not engage in any major battles, though it was regularly involved in skirmishes with Iraqi insurgents.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Iraqi Freedom I
As Task Force Bayonet, the brigade included the: 503rd Infantry; 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry; 173rd Combat Support Company; 74th Infantry Detachment (LRS); Battery D, 319th Field Artillery; 501st Forward Support Company; and the attached 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor of the 1st Infantry Division from Rose Barracks, Germany; 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry of the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Carson, Colorado; and Company B, 110th Military Intelligence Battalion of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort Drum, New York. The brigade served mainly in Kirkuk for the next year.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Iraqi Freedom I
During its service, the brigade was involved in what later became known as the "Hood Event", arresting Turkish special forces soldiers, believing them to be plotting attacks against local civilian officials in northern Iraq. The Turkish forces were eventually released. The brigade also participated in Operation Bayonet Lightning in 2003, capturing weapons and materials that the Department of Defense claimed were possibly for use against coalition forces. On 21 February 2004, the brigade returned to Italy for a one-year rest before a new deployment.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2005–06
The 173rd Airborne Brigade deployed to Afghanistan in March 2005 under the command of Colonel Kevin Owens, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The brigade, organized as Task Force Bayonet, assumed control of Regional Command-South (RC South).


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2005–06
The 1-508th (minus Company B) conducted combat operations in eastern Afghanistan, attached to 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. The 2-503rd conducted combat operations in Zabul Province. The 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (3-319th) of the 82nd Airborne Division,  was attached to the brigade and organized as a maneuver task force (Task Force Gun Devil). It conducted combat operations in Kandahar Province.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2005–06
Task Force Gun Devil included Headquarters and Service Battery, 3-319th (including two provisional maneuver platoons); Company D, 2–504th; Company B, 1–508th; Company A, 1-325th; a military police platoon (4th PLT 13th MP Co.); a rotating Romanian mechanized infantry battalion; a Canadian dismounted infantry company (3rd Bn Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry); and an Afghan National Army company advised by French special forces. The 173rd Support Battalion and the 173rd Combat Support Company provided logistical support from Kandahar, while sending individual soldiers to assist at other forward operating bases.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2005–06
One of the most notable units to operate out of a FOB was the brigade's 74th Long-Range Surveillance (LRS) detachment. 74th LRS operated out of FOB Price near the town of Gereshk in the Helmand Province. LRS provided the 173rd Brigade command group with key recon and intel of the province, and held control of Helmand with a 5th Special Forces Group ODA element. Assisting the LRS and 5th Group ODA were elements of the 82nd Airborne, Iowa National Guard, and ANA.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2005–06
The LRS detachment and 5th Group ODA conducted many combined and individual operations to ensure the stability of the region. The LRS detachment was also tasked at times for recon and intel gathering for other brigade assets, and target acquisition and designation for U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and RAF aircraft. The brigade returned to Italy in March 2006. Seventeen soldiers from the brigade died during this deployment.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Transformation
On 11 October 2006, as part of the Army's "Unit of Action" modularized unit force restructuring that General Shinseki had originally envisioned the 173rd Airborne Brigade became the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team (an airborne IBCT). This was a significant change as it signified the ability for the brigade to deploy its forces and sustain itself with its newly integrated support teams. By integrating these support elements, the unit became able to maintain its fighting forces with all that is required to keep the ground soldiers supplied and moving.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Transformation
The infantry battalions and the brigade headquarters remained in Vicenza, Italy through the transition. Four additional battalions were activated or designated at Bamberg and Schweinfurt, Germany. These battalions were: the 4th Battalion (Airborne), 319th Field Artillery Regiment, the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne), and the Special Troops Battalion stationed at Warner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany, as well as the 1st Squadron (Airborne), 91st Cavalry Regiment, stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany. After the new units were integrated into the brigade, the preponderance of the forces within the brigade were stationed in Germany, apart from the brigade headquarters in Italy.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Transformation
This dynamic was intended to last only until additional facilities were constructed at the Dal Molin, now Del Din, airbase near Caserma Ederle at Vicenza. The 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry was reflagged as 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment to resume the Vietnam-era lineage of the 503rd Infantry battalions under the 173rd IBCT(A). The 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry colors were moved to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina to serve under the 82nd Airborne Division. Immediately after its transformation, the brigade began intensive training in both Germany and Italy to prepare itself for future deployments.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2007–08
In 2006, the brigade was notified for a second tour of duty in Iraq from 2007 to 2008, but its deployment plan was changed to Afghanistan in February 2007 when the Pentagon announced that it would relieve the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division along with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. In the spring of 2007, the 173rd again deployed to Afghanistan, as Task Force Bayonet, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF 07–09), their first deployment as a fully transformed brigade combat team. The brigade was dispersed throughout the east of the country, with units operating in Kunar, Paktika, and Laghman Provinces. The 173rd IBCT(A) officially relieved the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division on 6 June 2007.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2007–08
The 173rd participated in various operations with the objective of ensuring security and subduing Taliban insurgents in the mountainous regions along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, near the Hindu Kush. Throughout their 15-month deployment, the brigade participated in more than 9,000 patrols throughout the region. Journalist Sebastian Junger and photographer Tim Hetherington were embedded with Battle Company of 2nd Battalion which saw extensive action in the Korengal Valley. Junger later wrote a highly acclaimed book, War, and, with Hetherington, produced the award-winning documentary, Restrepo, about the deployment.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2007–08
Only two weeks before the brigade was to return to Europe, a platoon of 45 soldiers from the brigade stationed in the Dara-I-Pech district was attacked by a large force of insurgents during the Battle of Wanat. Though the platoon was able to drive the insurgents back with air support, the fight resulted in 9 soldiers killed and 16 wounded; the deadliest attack on troops in the country since 2005. The brigade repositioned the base three days later.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2007–08
The 173rd's tour ended in July 2008, and the last redeploying paratrooper from the brigade returned to Europe by the beginning of August 2008. 42 soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment. The brigade returned to Europe and home station after once again proving itself in combat throughout the eastern mountains of Afghanistan.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2007–08
On 14 June 2009, the 173rd IBCT(A) was announced as one of the brigade combat teams deploying to Afghanistan, and the unit prepared to once again return.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2009–10
From November 2009 until November 2010, the 173rd IBCT(A) once again returned to Afghanistan, this time to the provinces of Logar and Wardak. With combat experience already earned in other similar mountain regions in 2007 and 2008, the Brigade distinguished itself in combat regularly against the Taliban and fought tenaciously against them, while still promoting and attempting to legitimize the Afghan government. 2nd Battalion was initially attached to 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and conducted stability and combat operations in Kunar Province for the first half of the deployment.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2009–10
In May 2010 2nd Battalion returned to 173rd IBCT(A) and was responsible for security and stability in northern and western Wardak Provinces. The 1st and 2nd Battalions saw extensive action in eastern Logar and Wardak. The 1/91st Cavalry was given a mission to transform western Logar province into a secure environment; a mission that was not greeted as an easy task.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2009–10
Given the province and its three major districts saw a massive influx of both foreign and domestic fighters due to the relatively calm winter prior to the brigade's arrival, its company-sized and platoon-sized elements found themselves in combat against anti-Coalition forces almost daily from the start of March 2010 until its relief. The brigade returned to its home station in Europe in November 2010. Seven soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2012–13
In July 2012, the 173rd IBCT(A) once again deployed to Afghanistan as part of Task Force Bayonet to relieve the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Task Force Bulldog in the Logar and Wardak Provinces. This was the brigade's fifth deployment since 2003, their fourth to Afghanistan as they prepare for a complete transition of the security of Afghanistan to the Afghan National Security Forces. The brigade returned in early 2013. Nine soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Afghanistan, 2012–13
In the summer of 2013, some of the returning forces reorganized and re-designated the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The reorganized brigade consolidated at a single location in Vicenza, Italy. A second base was opened in Vicenza called Del Din and is the current headquarters of the 173rd. Del Din hosts 173rd Brigade Headquarters, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, the Brigade Support Battalion, and the Brigade Special Troops Battalion. The unit did this to cover some of the spaces in Southern Europe that have opened up with the withdraw of other American forces from the area. Also during the summer of 2013, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (ABN) moved from Schweinfurt, Germany to Grafenwoehr, Germany.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Atlantic Resolve
On 23 April 2014, four paratrooper companies of the 173rd were deployed to Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to reassure America's NATO allies threatened by Russian military maneuvers along the borders of eastern Ukraine during the 2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Atlantic Resolve
In September 2014, about 200 soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Regiment, 173rd BDE participated in the Rapid Trident exercise near Lviv in western Ukraine.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Atlantic Resolve
In February 2015, 750 soldiers from the brigade and from units of the Hungarian Armed Forces, namely 24th Bornemissza Gergely Reconnaissance Battalion, 34th Bercsényi László Special Operations Battalion, and the 25/88th Light Mixed Battalion participated in the exercise "Warlord Rock 2015". The goal of the activity was to exercise the combat, combat support and combat service units of both armies and to achieve a higher cooperation level in airborne operations planning, organization and management tasks.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Atlantic Resolve
In March 2015, a 173rd Airborne battalion of around 600 American paratroopers headed to Ukraine to train Ukrainian national guard troops. The training took place at the Yavoriv training center near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. The 173rd Airborne paratroopers trained the Ukrainians on how to better defend themselves against Russian and rebel artillery and rockets. Training also included securing roads, bridges, and other infrastructure and treating and evacuating casualties. This program was known as Fearless Guardian which was congressionally approved under the Global Contingency Security Fund. Under the program, the United States trained three battalions of Ukrainian troops over a six-month period.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Atlantic Resolve
In 2017, some 600 personnel (1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment) were deployed to the Baltic countries to be positioned in Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia for six weeks to coincide with the duration of the joint Russian/Belarusian strategic Zapad 2017 exercise that began 14 September 2017.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Operation Atlantic Resolve
In November 2017, 2-503rd Infantry Regiment (The Rock) traveled in US Air Force C-130s to Belgrade, Serbia to conduct training with the Serbian Airborne Forces where they conducted two combined jumps at drop zones near Belgrade.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Planned ambush uncovered
A paratrooper in the 173rd Airborne Brigade's Sky Soldiers, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, in Vicenza, Italy, in 2019 through 2020 plotted an ambush on his unit, "to result in the deaths of as many of his fellow service members as possible." He was charged in June 2020 with conspiring and attempting to murder military service members, and providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists.


173rd Airborne Brigade, History, Planned ambush uncovered
The paratrooper was charged with leaking classified information (including the unit's location) to the RapeWaffen Division and the Order of the Nine Angles (O9A), a European Satanic occult-based neo-Nazi and white supremacist group that is also anti-Semitic, and has expressed admiration for Nazis such as Adolf Hitler and Islamic jihadists. He  faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.


173rd Airborne Brigade, Legacy
The 173rd's service, particularly in Vietnam, has been featured several times in popular culture. The most prominent of these is the 2006 single released by the country music duo Big & Rich, entitled "8th of November". The song was based on the story of Niles Harris, a member of the 173rd, during Operation Hump. On 1 July 2006, a documentary inspired by the song and based on the brigade's actions during the operation premiered on the GAC Channel.


173rd Airborne Brigade, Legacy
Illinois Route 173, which runs for 66 miles along the Illinois/Wisconsin border was designated the "173rd Airborne Brigade Highway" in 2008.


173rd Airborne Brigade, Legacy
Captain Willard, a fictional character portrayed by Martin Sheen in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, was a member of the 173rd assigned to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group. He was depicted as being in "the 505th battalion", although no such unit was ever part of the 173rd. Throughout the movie, he wears the Vietnam-era, mustard yellow, "subdued" shoulder sleeve insignia worn by 173rd paratroopers on their jungle fatigues during the Vietnam War.


173rd Airborne Brigade, Legacy
In the 1987 movie Lethal Weapon, the patch worn by Danny Glover's fictional character Roger Murtaugh during a retrospective of his time in Vietnam was that of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. In the 1998 movie The Siege, fictional Major General William Devereaux, played by Bruce Willis, states that he was in the 173rd Airborne Brigade at the same time that character Anthony Hubbard was in the 82nd Airborne Division.


173rd Airborne Brigade, Legacy
Numerous servicemen from the 173rd, mostly from the Vietnam era, gained notability after their military careers ended. These include Congressmen Duncan Hunter and Charlie Norwood, Archbishop of Baltimore Edwin Frederick O'Brien, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert M. Kimmitt, business owner Barney Visser, activists Stan Goff and Ted Sampley, and Sergeant Major of the Army Gene C. McKinney.


173rd Airborne Brigade, Legacy
Sixteen soldiers have been awarded the Medal of Honor for service with the 173rd IBCT(A) and its subordinate units. Lloyd G. McCarter and Ray E. Eubanks earned the medal while fighting with the 503rd Infantry in World War II, while 13 other soldiers earned medals fighting under the 173rd in Vietnam; John A. Barnes III, Michael R. Blanchfield, Glenn H. English Jr., Lawrence Joel, Terry T. Kawamura, Carlos J. Lozada, Don L. Michael, Charles B. Morris, Milton L. Olive III, Larry S. Pierce, Laszlo Rabel, Alfred Rascon, and Charles J. Watters.


173rd Airborne Brigade, Legacy
Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta received the Medal of Honor for heroic actions as a rifle team leader in Company B, 2–503 INF (Airborne) when his squad was caught in a near-ambush the night of 25 October 2007 during Operation Rock Avalanche in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. He was the first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War. On 13 May 2014, former 503rd Infantry Regiment Sergeant Kyle White received the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia)
The 173rd Aviation Squadron is an Australian Army helicopter squadron equipped with S70A Black Hawk helicopters and provides support to the Special Operations Command. The Squadron is based at Luscombe Airfield, Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney and forms part of the 6th Aviation Regiment.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia)
The Squadron originally operated fixed-wing aircraft designated as the 173rd General Support Squadron and was later renamed the 173rd Surveillance Squadron. In 2010, the Squadron was re-designated as 173rd Aviation Squadron when it transitioned to rotary aircraft.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia), History
On 17 February 1974, the 173rd General Support Squadron was formed as part of the 1st Aviation Regiment based at Oakey and initially operated 6 Pilatus PC-6 Porters. In 1978, the Squadron also received 11 GAF Nomad aircraft. During this time, the Squadron undertook a variety of Army co-operation roles utilising the short take-off and landing characteristics of its aircraft. These included: artillery spotting, troop transport, field resupply, medevac, ground-air liaison. It was also used for survey work in the South Pacific and flood relief in Australia. In 1978, the Squadron was involved in Operation Cenderawasih a mapping program in Irian Jaya in Indonesia with the Indonesian Army.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia), History
With the retirement of the Porters in October 1992, the following year the Squadron adopted the title of "173rd Surveillance Squadron" under this guise it undertook the aerial surveillance and survey roles and was also used as a vehicle to deliver parachute troops. In 1993, it acquired 12 more Nomads, mainly unsold civilian variants which had been kept in storage, to replace the Porters.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia), History
In August 1995, following the fatal crashes involving Nomads from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the School of Army Aviation, the aircraft were withdrawn from service. Most of the Nomad fleet was sold to the Indonesian Navy but two were retained as unflyable training aids.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia), History
As a consequence, the Squadron operated 4 Embraer EMB 110P1 Bandeirante aircraft leased from Flight West Airlines temporarily while a replacement for the Nomad was found. From 1996, these aircraft were replaced with 3 Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft leased from Hawker Pacific to be based at Oakley and 3 de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 320 aircraft leased from Hawker Pacific to be based in Darwin. On 9 November 1997, Twin Otter VH-HPY was lost in a tropical mountainous training accident in Papua New Guinea, resulting in serious injuries to the three trainees and instructor onboard.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia), History
The Squadron served in several East Timor operations including INTERFET, UNTAET, UNMISET and Operation Astute. A Squadron King Air was the first ADF aircraft to land in Dili ahead of the INTERFET peace-keeping taskforce in 1999.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia), History
By 2004, the remaining Twin Otter aircraft based in Darwin had been withdrawn from service, while the King Air B200 was replaced by the more modern King Air B350 variant leased from Hawker Pacific. Restructuring of Army's aviation capability saw the Squadron separated from 1st Aviation Regiment and placed under the command of 16th Aviation Brigade as an independent unit.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia), History
By 2007, further re-organisation assigned all fixed-wing military aircraft to the RAAF and the Squadron was to relocate to Sydney as a helicopter training and surveillance squadron under the newly raised 6th Aviation Regiment. In March 2008, the Squadron became part of the 6th Aviation Regiment. On 20 November 2009, the Squadron handed the King Air over to the RAAF.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia), History
On 11 February 2010, the Squadron was re-designated as the "173rd Aviation Squadron" converting to rotary aircraft based with the 171st Aviation Squadron at the recently redeveloped Luscombe Army Airfield operating a fleet of Bell 206B-1 Kiowa helicopters. The Kiowas were operated to provide training for graduate pilots unable to undertake operational conversions to the delayed MRH 90 Taipan and Tiger ARH helicopters. The Kiowa had been retired on 26 October 2009 from the 1st Aviation Regiment.


173rd Aviation Squadron (Australia), History
In 2013, the Squadron transitioned to the Black Hawk helicopter with the role of providing support to the Special Operations Command and returned the Kiowa to the Army Aviation Training Centre at Oakey.


173rd Battalion (Canadian Highlanders), CEF
The 173rd (Highlanders) Battalion, CEF, was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. One of a number of Highlander battalions in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, it was based in Hamilton, Ontario, and began recruiting during the winter of 1915/16.


173rd Battalion (Canadian Highlanders), CEF
The unit sailed for England on November 14, 1916, on the RMS Olympic, with 32 officers and 950 other ranks. Of the 950 other ranks, 741 had attested with the 173rd, 145 with the 213rd Battalion, CEF, and 32 with 23 different units.


173rd Battalion (Canadian Highlanders), CEF
On January 17, 1917, the 173rd arrived at Bramshott where on January 19 it became part of the 2nd Reserve Battalion of the 6th Reserve Brigade. The 2nd Reserve Battalion was designated to supply drafts for the 125th and 116th Battalions, CEF. The 173rd (Highlanders) Battalion had one Officer Commanding: Lieut-Col. W. H. Bruce.


173rd Battalion (Canadian Highlanders), CEF
The battalion has been perpetuated by the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada since 1920.


173rd Division (People's Republic of China)
The 173rd Division (Chinese: 第173师) was created in February 1949 under the Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army, issued by Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948, basing on the 3rd Sub-district of Tongbai Military District. Its history could be traced to 5th Independent Brigade of Jinan Military District formed in August 1947.


173rd Division (People's Republic of China)
The division was composed of 517th, 518th and 519th Infantry Regiments. As a part of 58th Corps, during the Chinese Civil War the division took part in the creation of Tongbai base area and Xiangfan Campaign.


173rd Fighter Wing
The 173d Fighter Wing (173 FW) is a unit of the Oregon Air National Guard, stationed at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, Klamath Falls, Oregon. If activated to federal service, the wing is gained by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) of the United States Air Force.


173rd Fighter Wing, Overview
Kingsley Field ANGB, which is located in Klamath Falls, Oregon, is home to the 173d Fighter Wing. The 173d Fighter Wing is responsible for training combat pilots and support personnel on the F-15C and F-15D Eagle for the active duty Air Force and the Air National Guard. In addition, as part of the Air National Guard, the 173 FW serves the state of Oregon and the United States in times of peace and war.


173rd Fighter Wing, History
On 1 April 1996, the 173d Fighter Wing was formed at Kingsley Field ANGB as a host organization and parent unit for the 114th Fighter Squadron (114 FS) when the unit was authorized to expand, with the 114th being transferred from the 142d Fighter Wing at Portland to the new wing at Kingsley ANGB. The 173d Fighter Wing consists of the 173d Operations Group; 173d Maintenance Group, 173d Mission Support Group and 173d Medical Group.


173rd Fighter Wing, History
Initially flying early versions of the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft as a formal training unit (FTU), the F-16As and F-16Bs were retired in the late 1990s as their service life was ending. The squadron began receiving F-15A and F-15B Eagles in 1998, upgrading to the F-15C and F-15D Eagle in 2004 as the A and B series aircraft were retired and continuing its mission as a fighter-interceptor training unit for the Air Force and the Air National Guard.


173rd New York Infantry Regiment
The 173rd New York Infantry Regiment (a.k.a., "4th Metropolitan Guard" and "4th National Guard") was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


173rd New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The 173rd New York Infantry was organized at Brooklyn, New York beginning September 22, 1862 and mustered in for three-years service November 10, 1862 under the command of Colonel Charles B. Morton.


173rd New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The regiment was attached to Grover's Division, Department of the Gulf, to January 1863. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XIX Corps, Department of the Gulf, to September 1863. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, XIX Corps, to February 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, XIX Corps, Department of the Gulf, to July 1864, and Army of the Shenandoah, Middle Military Division, to February 1865. 3rd Brigade, 1st Provisional Division, Army of the Shenandoah, to April 1865. 3rd Brigade, Dwight's Division, Department of Washington, to June 1865. District of Savannah, Georgia, Department of the South, to October 1865.


173rd New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The 173rd New York Infantry mustered out of service October 18, 1865.


173rd New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Left New York for New Orleans, Louisiana, December 9, 1862. Occupation of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, December 17, 1862, and duty there until March 1863. Operations on Bayou Plaquemine and the Black and Atchafalaya Rivers February 18–28. Operations against Port Hudson, Louisiana, March 7–27. Moved to Algiers April 3, thence to Brashear April 8. Operations in western Louisiana April 9 – May 14. Bayou Teche Campaign April 11–20. Fort Bisland, near Centreville, April 12–13. Expedition from St. Martinsville to Breaux Bridge April 17–21. Expedition from Opelousas to Chicotsville and Bayou Boeuf April 26–29. Expedition to Alexandria, on Red River, May 4–12.


173rd New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Marched to Port Hudson May 19–26. Siege of Port Hudson May 26 – July 9. Assaults on Port Hudson May 27 and June 14. Surrender of Port Hudson July 9. Moved to New Orleans July 15, and duty there until August 28. Sabine Pass Expedition September 4–11. Moved to Brashear City September 16, then to Berwick. Western Louisiana Campaign October 3-November 30. Vermillionville November 11. At New Iberia until January 7, 1864. Moved to Franklin January 7, and duty there until March. Red River Campaign March 10-May 22. Advance from Franklin to Alexandria, March 14–26.


173rd New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Battle of Sabine Cross Roads April 8. Pleasant Hill April 9. Monett's Bluff, Cane River Crossing, April 23. At Alexandria April 26 – May 13. Construction of dam at Alexandria April 30 – May 10. Retreat to Morganza, May 13–20. Mansura May 16. Duty at Morganza until July. Moved to Fort Monroe, Virginia, then to Washington, D.C., July 2–31. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 7 – November 28. Served with the brigade, detached as supply train guard for the army, from August 14 to October 27.


173rd New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Duty near Middletown and Newtown until December, and at Stevenson's Depot and Winchester until April 1865. Moved to Washington, D.C., and duty there until June. Grand Review of the Armies May 23–24. Moved to Savannah, Georgia, June 30 – July 7. Duty there and in the Sub-District of Ogeechee, District of Savannah, until October.


173rd New York Infantry Regiment, Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 175 men during service; 6 officers and 38 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, two officers and 129 enlisted men died of disease.


173rd New York State Legislature
The 173rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4, 1961, to March 31, 1962, during the third and fourth years of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, in Albany.


173rd New York State Legislature, Background
Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1938, re-apportioned in 1953, 58 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts for two-year terms. The senatorial districts consisted either of one or more entire counties; or a contiguous area within a single county. The counties which were divided into more than one senatorial district were Kings (nine districts), New York (six),  Queens (five), Bronx (four), Erie (three), Nassau (three), Westchester (three), Monroe (two) and Onondaga (two). The Assembly districts consisted either of a single entire county (except Hamilton Co.), or of contiguous area within one county.


173rd New York State Legislature, Background
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Liberal Party also nominated tickets.


173rd New York State Legislature, Elections
The 1960 New York state election, was held on November 8. The only two statewide elective offices were two seats on the New York Court of Appeals. Two Republican judges were elected, Stanley H. Fuld with Democratic and Liberal endorsement; and Sydney F. Foster with Liberal endorsement. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the average vote for the judges on the different tickets, was: Republicans 3,281,000; Democrats 3,247,000; and Liberals 413,000.


173rd New York State Legislature, Elections
Four of the seven women members of the previous legislature—State Senator Janet Hill Gordon (Rep.), a lawyer of Norwich; and Assemblywomen Bessie A. Buchanan (Dem. ), a retired musical actress and dancer of Harlem; Dorothy Bell Lawrence (Rep.), a former school teacher of Manhattan; and Aileen B. Ryan (Dem. ), a former school teacher of the Bronx—were re-elected.


173rd New York State Legislature, Elections
The New York state election, 1961, was held on November 7. No statewide elective offices were up for election. Three vacancies in the Assembly were filled.


173rd New York State Legislature, Sessions
The Legislature met for the first regular session (the 184th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1961; and adjourned on March 25.


173rd New York State Legislature, Sessions
Walter J. Mahoney (Rep.) was re-elected Temporary President of the State Senate.


173rd New York State Legislature, Sessions
The Legislature met for a special session at the State Capitol in Albany on August 21, 1961; and adjourned after a session of six hours. This session was called to consider legislation concerning New York City's school system.


173rd New York State Legislature, Sessions
The Legislature met for another special session at the State Capitol in Albany on November 9, 1961; and adjourned on the next day. This session was called to consider legislation concerning the creation of fallout shelters at schools and colleges, and the re-apportionment of New York's congressional districts under the 1960 U.S. census.


173rd New York State Legislature, Sessions
The Legislature met for the second regular session (the 185th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 3, 1962; and adjourned on March 31.


173rd New York State Legislature, State Senate, Senators
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Ivan Warner changed from the Assembly to the Senate at the beginning of this Legislature.


173rd New York State Legislature, State Senate, Senators
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."


173rd New York State Legislature, State Assembly, Assemblymen
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.


173rd New York State Legislature, State Assembly, Assemblymen
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."


173rd Ohio Infantry Regiment
The 173rd Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 173rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 173rd OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


173rd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The 173rd Ohio Infantry was organized in Gallipolis, Ohio, and mustered in for one year service on September 18, 1864, under the command of Colonel John R. Hurd.


173rd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The regiment was attached to Post and Defenses of Nashville, Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, to March 1865. 3rd Sub-District, District of Middle Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, to June 1865.


173rd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The 173rd Ohio Infantry mustered out of service July 12, 1865, at Nashville, Tennessee, and was discharged at Camp Dennison near Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 5, 1865.


173rd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Left Ohio for Nashville, Tenn., September 18, arriving there October 1. Assigned to guard duty at Nashville, Tenn., until February 1865. Occupation of Nashville during Hood's investment December 1–15, 1864. Battle of Nashville December 15–16. Guarding prisoners at Nashville until February 1865. Moved to Columbia, Tenn., February 15. Duty there and at Johnsonville until June 20. Moved to Nashville June 20, and there mustered out June 26. Disbanded at Camp Dennison, Ohio, July 5, 1865.


173rd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 108 enlisted men during service, all due to disease.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery
173rd Siege Battery was a unit of Britain's Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) formed during World War I. It served on the Western Front, including the Battles of Vimy Ridge, Third Ypres and Cambrai, and the crushing victories of the Allied Hundred Days Offensive in 1918.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Mobilisation
173rd Siege Battery was formed at Falmouth, Cornwall under Army Council Instruction 1239 of 21 June 1916, based upon a cadre of 3 officers and 78 other ranks (the establishment of a TF garrison company) supplied by the Cornwall (Duke of Cornwall's) Royal Garrison Artillery, a coast defence unit of the Territorial Force based in Falmouth. It went out to the Western Front on 3 October 1916, manning four 6-inch 26 cwt howitzers, and joined 48th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) in Third Army on 10 October.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Ancre Heights
The practice was to move batteries between HAGs as required, and 173rd Siege Bty rapidly transferred to 40th HAG with Fifth Army on 18 October. Fifth Army was engaged in the Battle of the Ancre Heights, the last phase of that summer's Somme Offensive. The fighting ground on despite increasingly bad weather, culminating in the Battle of the Ancre (13–18 November). 173rd Siege Bty remained with Fifth Army during the winter, switching to 10th HAG on 11 December, and back to 40th HAG on 2 February, while Fifth Army carried out a series of small Operations on the Ancre, January–March 1917.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Vimy
On 21 March 1917, 173rd Siege Bty was transferred north to join 63rd HAG with First Army, which was preparing for the Battle of Vimy Ridge. 63rd HAG was assigned to I Corps. The artillery plan for the heavy guns before the attack emphasised counter-battery (CB) fire. At Zero hour, while the field guns laid down a Creeping barrage to protect the advancing infantry, the heavy howitzers fired 450 yards (410 m) further ahead to hit the rear areas on the reverse slope of the ridge, especially known gun positions.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Vimy
The attack went in on 9 April with I Corps and Canadian Corps successfully capturing Vimy Ridge while Third Army attacked further south near Arras. The only hold-up on 9 April was at Hill 145, near the north end of the Canadian attack, and the capture of this position was completed the next day. Fighting in the southern sector (the Battle of Arras) continued into May.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Ypres
173rd Siege Bty switched to 79th HAG on 16 April and 15th HAG on 5 May, while remaining with First Army. Then on 10 July 1917 it moved to 56th HAG which was joining Fifth Army for the forthcoming Third Ypres Offensive. Gun batteries were packed into the Ypres Salient where they were under observation and CB fire from the Germans on the higher ground. Casualties among guns and gunners were high, even before the offensive opened with the Battle of Pilckem Ridge on 1 August, when Fifth Army failed to make much progress.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Ypres
A second push on 16 August (the Battle of Langemarck) suffered from rushed artillery planning and was unsuccessful. The offensive continued through the summer and autumn of 1917, but after a short spell with 55th HAG (8–17 September) 173rd Siege Bty was relieved and sent back to Third Army, where it joined 17th HAG, changing to 4th HAG on 14 November.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Cambrai
Third Army was preparing for its surprise attack with tanks at the Battle of Cambrai. There was to be no preliminary bombardment or registration shots, and the guns were to open fire at Zero hour firing 'off the map' at carefully surveyed targets. When the battle began with a crash of artillery at 06.20 on 20 November the German defenders were stunned, and the massed tanks completed their overcome. In most areas the attack was an outstanding success. Exploitation over succeeding days was less spectacular, though some bombardments were set up to help the infantry take certain villages. On 30 November the Germans put in a heavy counter-attack against the weakened troops in the ill-organised captured positions, which they quickly overran, and Third Army had to scramble to set up a defensible line for the winter.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Cambrai
173rd Siege Bty continued to change command within Third Army, to 32nd HAG on 14 December and then 54th HAG on 29 December. However, by now HAG allocations were becoming more fixed, and on 1 February 1918 they were converted into permanent RGA brigades. 54th Brigade was defined as an 8-inch Howitzer Brigade, though  most of the batteries like 173rd were equipped with 6-inch howitzers. 173rd Siege Bty remained with this brigade until the Armistice.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Spring Offensive
When the German spring offensive began on 21 March 1918, part of Third Army was engaged in the desperate fighting, but overall it was not obliged to retreat as far or to abandon as many heavy guns as Fifth Army further south. The German offensive had been halted on Third Army's front by 5 April.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Hundred Days
Third Army joined in the Allies' victorious Hundred Days Offensive with the Battle of Albert on 23–24 August, and continued with the Battles of the Scarpe (26–30 August), the Drocourt-Quéant Switch Line (2–3 September) Havrincourt (12 September), Épehy (18 September), Canal du Nord (27 September–1 October) and Second Cambrai (8–10 October).


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Hundred Days
By 17 October, Third Army had closed up to the River Selle ; now it prepared to seize a substantial bridgehead for further advances. 54th Brigade was assigned to V Corps for the assault crossing on 20 October (the Battle of the Selle), which was to be carried out as a surprise, with no preliminary bombardment, with a Zero hour of 02.00, when the moon would be full. Half of the corps' heavy artillery fired a creeping barrage, halting at each objective in turn, while the remainder carried out CB fire and bombarded specific targets.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Hundred Days
The infantry of 17th (Northern) and 38th (Welsh) Divisions crossed their footbridges, fought their way over the railway, through the village of Neuvilly and up onto the second of three successive ridges. The third ridge, the final objective for the day, proved troublesome, so a fresh barrage as put down on it at 16.00 and it was taken without further problems.


173rd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Service, Hundred Days
After the crossing of the Selle, and shortly afterwards of the Sambre Canal, the offensive turned into a pursuit, and most of the siege batteries had to be left behind. Fighting was ended on 11 November by the Armistice with Germany. Demobilisation began early in 1919. In the interim order of battle for the postwar army the battery was supposed to form 128th Bty RGA, but this was rescinded after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, and the battery was disbanded in 1919.


173rd Support Battalion (United States)
The 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne) is a subordinate unit of the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) in the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy.


173rd Support Battalion (United States), Organization
The 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne) serves to support the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne). The battalion currently consists of 475 soldiers in a headquarters and headquarters company (HHC), a supply company, maintenance company, medical company, parachute rigging company, and an aerial delivery detachment. Five additional forward support companies are detached in support of the Brigade's other subordinate units.


173rd Support Battalion (United States), History of the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne)
The 173rd Support Battalion was constituted on 26 March 1963 in the Regular Army and assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Officially activated on 25 June 1963 in Okinawa, the Support Battalion participated and logistically supported hundreds of Brigade operations in a dozen different countries in the Pacific. In May 1965, the Support Battalion was sent to Vietnam with the Brigade. For its time in Southeast Asia, the 173rd Support Battalion is recognized as having participated in 15 separate campaigns in Vietnam. The Battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation, two Meritorious Unit Commendations, and a Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm streamer and a Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal. On 14 January 1972, the Support Battalion was relieved from assignment to the 173rd Airborne Brigade and subsequently deactivated.


173rd Support Battalion (United States), History of the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne)
In July 2004, LTC Cynthia L. Fox was tasked to quickly combine the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 51st Maintenance Battalion located in Mannheim Germany and 501st Forward Support Company & Headquarters located in Vicenza Italy to begin the activation of the 173rd Support Battalion, achieved on 16 March 2005. Eight days later, the 173rd Support Battalion deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan to provide combat service support to Combined Task Force Bayonet. The Battalion redeployed on 24 February 2006 after spending twelve months supporting combat operations in southern Afghanistan.


173rd Support Battalion (United States), History of the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne)
As a part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's transformation, the 173rd Support Battalion transitioned into a Brigade Support Battalion (BSB) and moved to Bamberg, Germany on 16 September 2006 to begin training for their deployment to Afghanistan. On 17 May 2007, the newly transformed 173rd BSB (Airborne) deployed to Bagram and Jalalabad Airfields in northeastern Afghanistan. The Battalion redeployed on 4 August 2008 after spending 15 months supporting combat operations throughout Regional Command East in Afghanistan.


173rd Support Battalion (United States), History of the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne)
On 22 February 2009, the Battalion was notified of a change to their deployment from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation Enduring Freedom. In November 2009, the Sky Soldiers of the 173rd BSB were deployed to Forward Operating Base Shank, Logar, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom X and The Global War on Terrorism. The unit performed its mission of manning, arming, fueling, fixing, moving and sustaining over 10,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, civilian contractors, and other government agencies throughout Logar and Wardak provinces of Regional Command-East (RC East), Afghanistan. The Battalion redeployed from combat operations in November 2010.