Major General E. G. Chapman, Jr., Commanding General of Airborne Command, put out orders for the formation of the 11th Airborne Division. Major General J. M. Swing became it's first Division Commander on February 25, 1943.

The Division was to be made up of men from all walks of life. In addition to those raw recruits, troops and the cadre from other units, which had been previously set to join in the formation of the Division, were all joined together.

The 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment had been called out of Toccoa, Georgia in November of 1942.
The 457th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion had been called out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina in January of 1943, shipped to Toccoa, Georgia and on to Camp Mackall to become a part of the Division.
The 711th Airborne Ordinance Maintenance Company, with the 408th Airborne Quartermaster Company, were also called before the February 25th, 1943 formation.
The Division Artillery Band and the 511th Parachute Infantry Band had both entered the service with the National Guard, playing for the Field Artillery at Fort Bragg just before being shipped to the Division.

The 76th Infantry Division, supplied the officer cadre. The 88th Infantry Division suppling the enlisted cadre came from Camp Gruber, Oklahoma.

General Swing came to the Division from the 82d Airborne Division, and Generals Pierson and Brown shipped in from Washington, D.C.

The opening of the 11th Airborne Division Headquarters at Camp Mackall, North Carolina was on February 25, 1943. Taking Division command was General Swing, Brigadier General Wyburn D. Brown took command of Division Artillery and Brigadier General Albert Pierson was assigned to Assistant Division Commander. Colonel Francis W. Farrell's job was Chief of Staff, and the other staff officers were as follows: Lieutenant Colonel James W. Smyly, Jr, G-1; Major Clifford L. Dier, G-2; Major Robert A. Ports, G-3; and Lieutenant Colonel Glenn A. Ross, G-4.

The basic units of the 11th Airborne Division were defined:

Headquarters, 11th Airborne Division
Headquarters Company, 11th Airborne Division
Military Police Platoon, 11th Airborne Division
408th Airborne Quartermaster Company
511th Airborne Signal Company
711th Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company
221st Airborne Medical Company
127th Airborne Engineer Battalion
152d Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
11th Airborne Division Artillery including the Band
457th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion
674th Glider Field Artillery Battalion
675th Glider Field Artillery Battalion
187th Glider Infantry Regiment
188th Glider Infantry Regiment
511th Parachute Infantry Regiment including the Band

The above units made up the 11th Airborne Division throughout it's active service with the Army Airborne Command.
Training of the Division in it's early days of conception, General Joe Swing altered the troop organization so the specification of units as parachute and glider became a misidentification. Joe Swing believed that all troops of an Airborne Division should be able to jump or glide, and that no one person or unit should be solely parachutist or gliderman. Therefore, each member of the Division was asked to volunteer for parachute duty, and over the years the Division was better than seventy five per cent "paraglider."

© Copyright C. J. Johnson & Associates 1997
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