The 2nd Battalion of the 401st Glider Infantry Regiment in WWII

People become very confused when they start researching the 401st Gli Inf (401st Glider Infantry). The term Regt (Regiment) isn’t used when a unit is organic or attached to a Division.

Here is a short history for the 401st Gli Inf. They came into existence as part of the 101st Abn Div (Airborne Division) in 1942 along with the 327th Gli Inf. Both the 327th and the 401st Gli Inf were comprised of two Battalions. Fast forward to March 10, 1944 in England.

The 82nd Abn Div had the 325th Gli Inf and it was decided that to even up the 82nd and the 101st Abn Div they would take the 1st Bn (Battalion) from the 401st and attach them as the 3rd Battalion of the 327th Gli Inf. The 2nd Bn of the 401st Gli Inf became permanently attached as the 3rd Battalion of the 325th Gli Inf. The 2nd Bn left the 101st Abn Div on March 10, 1944 and moved to the 82nd Abn Div area in England.

So now the 82nd and the 101st Abn Div had one Regt of Gli Inf soldiers with three Bns. The 401st Gli Inf only existed on paper from that point. On the Morning Reports they were still listed together but below is what they had become.

101st Abn Div 327th Gli Inf 3rd Bn was the 1st Bn of the 401st Gli Inf
401st Gli Inf Regtl Hq
401st Gli Inf Hq Co (less Det A)
401st Gli Inf Serv Co (less Det A)
401st Gli Inf Hq 1st Bn
401st Gli Inf Hq Co 1st Bn
401st Gli Inf Co A
401st Gli Inf Co B
401st Gli Inf Co C
401st Gli Inf Med Det (less Det A)

82nd Abn Div 325th Gli Inf 3rd Bn was the 2nd Battalion of the 401st Gli Inf
401st Gli Inf Det A Hq Co
401st Gli Inf Det A Serv Co
401st Gli Inf Hq Co 2nd Bn
401st Gli Inf Co E
401st Gli Inf Co F
401st Gli Inf Co G
401st Gli Inf Det A Med

They were listed like that because as always the Army was slow as hell. Both the 401st official became organic to the 101st and 82nd Abn Div on March 1, 1945. It took one year for the paperwork to catch up. The 3rd Bn became Hq Co 3rd Bn, Company I, Company K, Company L and Company M for the 325th Gli Inf and the 327th Gli Inf. The 401st Gli Inf ended on that day.

Until March 1, 1945 the 325th Gli Inf units were listed as follows;

Hq Co & Hq Co

1st Bn
Hq Co 1st Bn
Co A
Co B
Co C
Co D

2nd Bn
Hq Co 2nd Bn
Co D
Co E
Co F
Co G

3rd Bn
401st Gli Inf Det A Hq Co
401st Gli Inf Det A Serv Co
401st Gli Inf Hq Co 2nd Bn
401st Gli Inf Co E
401st Gli Inf Co F
401st Gli Inf Co G
401st Gli Inf Det A Med

As of March 1, 1945 it became this;

Hq Co & Hq Co
Service Company

1st Bn
Hq Co 1st Bn
Co A
Co B
Co C
Co D

2nd Bn
Hq Co 2nd Bn
Co D
Co E
Co F
Co G

3rd Bn
Co I
Co K
Co L
Co M

Med Det

Yes, this is very confusing at tines. Basically the 2nd Bn 401st Gli Inf was the 3rd Battalion of the 325th Gli Inf and were referred to that way until March 1, 1945. There were two Companies’ for Co E, Co F and Co G. They were always listed as Co E 325th Gli Inf and Co E 401st Gli Inf in all of the paperwork.

Everything including payroll, replacements, Awards and Decorations for the 2nd Bn of the 401st Gli Inf came from the 325th Gi Inf 82nd Abn Div.

The 401st Gli Inf were only attached to the respective units the 325th and 327th Gli Inf until March 1, 1945 as mentioned. In all of the After Action Reports the 2nd Bn 401st was listed as 82nd Abn Div. The 101st Abn Div patch came off and they put on the 82nd Abn Div on March 1, 1944. They wore those for the rest of the war. The men who were killed were buried with the 82nd Abn Div patch and all of the paperwork showed them to be the 82nd Abn Div.

Until the soldiers were moved from the Temporary graves in Europe in 1947 and 48 there wasn’t an issue. By the way the 506th Prcht Inf was also just attached to the 101st Abn Div until March 1, 1945. They became organic to the 101st Abn Div at that time as did the 1st Bn of the 401st Gli Inf. The 2nd Bn of the 401st Gli Inf because organic to the 82nd Abn Div.

The move is where it got confusion for a paper pusher in Washington, D.C. When the Headstones were ordered the 2nd Bn 401st Gli Inf who had become organic to the 82nd Abn Div on March 1, 1945 had the 101st Abn Div on their Headstones. That shouldn’t have happened as these men were part of the 82nd Abn Div starting March 10, 1944.

The same issues occurred at that time as well where they had the 507th and 508th Prcht Regts listed by their Regts only and not the 82nd Abn Div. Here is a link to that SNAFU.

This is a huge problem when a relative or a researcher looks at the Headstones for the 2nd Bn 401st Gli Inf soldiers and think they must have been fighting with the 101st Abn Div. That wasn’t true as they were always with the 82nd Abn Div. They fought in completely different areas and fought totally different battles.

The bottom line is that the 2nd Bn of the 401st Gli Inf was part of the 325th Gli Inf 82nd Abn Div from March 10, 1944 to the end of the war in Europe.


BN Siddall
February 2, 2020