511th Infantry Regiment (United States)

511th Parachute Infantry Regiment
511th PIR's coat of arms
Active1943–1958
1963-1965
1993–1995
1997–2005
Disbanded2005
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeAirborne forces
RoleParachute infantry
SizeRegiment
Part of11th Airborne Division
Motto(s)Strength From Above
AnniversariesFormed: January 1943
EngagementsWorld War II
DecorationsThe Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Badge
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Orin D. Haugen Edward H. Lahti
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
511th's Airborne Background Trimming

The 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment (511th PIR) was an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, first activated during World War II under Colonel Orin D. "Hard Rock" Haugen. It formed the parachute infantry element of the 11th Airborne Division. The full history of the regiment is the subject of the book, When Angels Fall: From Toccoa to Tokyo, the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II (2019)[1] by author and historian Jeremy C. Holm whose grandfather served in the regiment's Company D during the war.

  1. ^ Holm, Jeremy (2019). When Angels Fall: From Toccoa to Tokyo, the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II. ISBN 978-1087303185.