Chapter IIIOccupation
June 10, 1945 to November 24, 1946
The Reims-Sissonne area was over-crowded. It had become a reconstitution center for the divisions badly mauled during the Battle of the Bulge. A general hospital had occupied the French Artillery Post the 508th PIR had vacated when it left to go fight in Belgium. Therefore, when the regiment returned to Sissonne it had to occupy tents.
The initial weeks in Sissonne were reasonably pleasant. For example, as the 508 men had existed on emergency rations during the Ardennes Campaign, everyone was authorized an additional ration.
Several regimental reviews (parades) and memorial ceremonies were conducted to honor lost comrades and to decorate heroes.
Replacements were welcomed into Hq1 and schooled in the processes and procedures unique to the operations of the company.
Fortunately, many of the replacements were experienced veterans from the 509th Airborne Battalion that had been depleted during the Battle of the Bulge.
The 508th PIR was still attached to the 82nd Airborne Division. However, it hadn’t made a parachute jump since it parachuted into Holland on September 17, 1944. Therefore, a program of battalion sized jumps was implemented.
On March 14, the First Battalion combined with the Regimental Headquarters Company parachuted into an outstanding drop zone. However, as the parachutists in the lead planes of the formation were jumping, disaster struck. A plane at the rear of the formation threw a propeller and quickly lost altitude. | 
