The Roman Ruins at Paesteum. The 504th would have seen these ruins while descending

On September 13,1943 the troopers of the 504th were marched to the parachute shed and then to waiting planes in the North African Desert. Gen. Mark Clark's invasion at Salerno was in danger. A German counter attack had penetrated to within 600 yards of the beach. The 5th Army was in danger of being pushed into the sea. A call came out by messenger from Gen. Clark to General Ridgeway (82nd Commanding). Clark explained to Ridgeway that the fighting at Salerno had "taken a turn for the worse" and the situation was now "Touch and go". "I realize the time normally needed to prepare for a drop, but this is an exception. I want you to make a drop within our lines on the beachhead, and I want you to make it tonight. This is a must."

Three planes carrying pathfinder teams equipped with Krypton lamps, and Rebecca-Eureka radar devices would precede the main body by fifteen minutes. Also on the beachhead troops would place cans filled with sand and gasoline to the shape of a letter T. Each leg of the T would be a half-mile long. The 1st and 2d Battalions of the 504th were going to jump at the well lit drop zone while the 3rd Battalion was going to come in by boat.

Battalion and Company commanders were given very quick briefings and advised that the altitude jump would be 600 feet. The briefing by the time it got down to the squad level went something like this: "The Krauts are kicking the shit out of our boys over at Salerno. We're going to jump into the beachhead tonight and rescue them. Put on your parachutes and get on the plane. We're taking off in a few minutes for the gates of hell."

The pathfinders landed perfectly on the drop zone. They went to work getting the radar sets and lights working. Almost all of the 504th landed within two hundred yards of the drop zone. The exception was 1st Battalion's B Company that jumped nearly 10 miles from the lighted T. Before the jump, Colonel Reuben Tucker had halted at every plane and yelled "men its open season on Krautheads. You know what to do." The troopers landed at 3:00 AM on September 14th in and around the famous ancient Ruins of Paesteum. The troopers marched to the area of hill 424 and 415.

The town of Altavilla was on Hill 424. The 36th Division had had a tough time taking and holding this hill. Men of the 1st Battalion stormed this hill and overran the German defenders reinforced by a tank destroyer company and captured the high ground around Altavilla. Particularly important was hill 424 which dominated all approaches to the town. Once taken the troopers dug in for a siege. The area around Altavilla had been a firing range for a German Artillery School. As a result, the enemy had solved all problems of range and deflection. This made the German artillery deadly accurate.

The 504th held back the last major attack of the Germans on the morning of the Seventeenth. It was at this time when it looked like the paratroopers might be overrun that Commander of 6th Corps, General Dawley, suggested the unit withdraw. Colonel Tucker vehemently replied, "Retreat, Hell! -- Send me my other battalion!" The 3rd Battalion then rejoined the 504th, the enemy was repulsed, and the Salerno beachhead was saved.

The quickly organized Cavalry, type Airborne operation of the 82nd reinforced the beachhead and boosted the moral of the other troops. As a result of the operation, many troopers would not be coming home. Thirty paratroopers killed, 150 wounded and 1 MIA in the action around Altavilla.