The Paratrooper Database was created to honor those men who served in the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team during WWII.
The 503rd PRCT was created by combining the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 462nd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion and Company C of the 161st Parachute Engineer Company in late August, 1944.
Per Bennett Guthrie, in his book Three Winds of Death, "The 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment initially contained nearly two thousand men; more than three thousand others eventually joined the ranks as replacements for casualties or other unit components that made us a parachute regimental combat team, unattached in the Southwest Pacific area theater of war."1
The initial database contains the names of over 2700 men who served in the 503rd PRCT, who were listed on what is commonly referred to as the Templeman Corregidor Roster as found in, The Return to Corregidor, by Harold Templeman. The book contains a roster, as furnished by the 503rd PRCT Headquarters,
of those men who participated in the recapture of Corregidor. The book was published in 1945.
Don’t be alarmed if the veteran you’re looking for is not contained in the database or is listed incorrectly. As stated above, the initial database consists of those men listed on the roster found in The Return to Corregidor. While the Templeman Corregidor Roster is an excellent source, it is not 100% perfect. Also, the initial
database does not account for those men who were with the unit prior to or after the Retaking of Corregidor. There are still some 2000 men that need added to the database.
As documents are found and reviewed for information that may contain the names and personal details of those men who served in the unit, they will be listed below. If you are in possesion of any documents or images that may aid in identifying those men who served in unit or help tell their story, please
contact me.
Guthrie, Bennett M. Three Winds of Death: The Saga of the 503d Parachute Regimental Combat Team in the South Pacific. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press, 2000.
Templeman, Harold. The Return to Corregidor. Reprinted by Battery Book Shop and Press, Nashville, 1977.
The Return to Corregidor
Published Document
Published in 1945, this book chronicles the 503rd PRCT’s retaking of Corregidor. It includes a roster and images of the men who participated in the battles to secure “The Rock”.
Three Winds of Death
Published Document
Published in 1985, this book chronicles the 503rd PIR from its creation, the formation of the 503rd PRCT and its deactivation. It includes a casualties list, as compiled by Don Abbott, of the men of the 503rd PRCT who died during WWII.
American Battle Monuments Commission
Published Document
ABMC administers, operates and maintains 26 permanent American burial grounds and 29 separate memorials, monuments and markers, on foreign soil. Their database contains the names of more than 218,000 individuals buried or memorialized at ABMC sites.
462nd Circular
Unpublished Document
Published in April 1944, this partial circular created by the 462nd Battalion HQ, while the unit was in Brisbane, Australia, has two partial articles dealing with the death of Thomas J. Patrick of Battery A and the unit's participation in the Anzac Day Parade in Brisbane.
Document was photographed in at the 2015 National Reunion in Dayton, Ohio. It is from the scrape book of Ken G Lyle, Battery C, 462nd.
2015 503rd PRCT Association, WWII Membership Directory
Unpublished Document
Published every few years, this directory lists all current members of the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team Association. It includes veterans, widows, associate and honorary members.
Data currently being processed.
2002 503rd PRCT Association, WWII Membership Directory
Unpublished Document
Published every few years, this directory lists all current members of the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team Association. It includes veterans, widows, associate and honorary members.
Data currently being processed.
Personal Documents
Unpublished Document
Many families, organizations, and individual collectors have documents that verify the individual was a member of one of the units that comprised the 503rd PRCT.
Obituaries
Published Document
Obituaries will usually list an individual's military service and unit, along with a short account of the person's life. Keep in mind that obituaries are often written by family members and the military details of the individual my not be 100% accurate.
503rd Parachute Battalion Historical And Pictorial Review
Published Document
Published in early 1942, this "yearbook" contains unit rosters, individual images of each paratrooper and a short history of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Battalion. The book also includes unit information on the 502nd Parachute Battalion and the 504th Parachute Battalion.
The original owner of this book was Emil R. Kelly, Commanding Captain of Company A, 503rd, Parachute Infantry Battalion. Upon us death, his wife gave the book to Colonel John B. Pratt, then a 2nd Lieutenant, who served on the 503rd's Battalion staff as the S2 officer in 1942. Having had his own copy, in 1993, John gave the book to John D. Reynolds, who served in D Company, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Data is currently being processed.
USS Talbot (APD-7) Muster Roll, Embarked Troops
Unpublished Document
Muster roll list for troops embarked on board the USS Talbot (APD-7) on February 17th, 1945. The document contains the names of the men in the Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry, who arrived on Corregidor by ship.
The Static Line - Three Winds of Death
Published Document
A monthly column that was written for the Static Line, an Airborne newsletter for the Airborne community. The column dedicated to the 503rd PRCT was called “Three Winds Of Death” and was authored by John D. Reynolds, a rifleman in D Company. John's monthly articles help keep past members of the 503rd PRCT connected for over a decade. His first column appeared in November 1990.
Data is currently being processed.