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Video by Staff Sgt. Jacob Sawyer

Corregidor

173rd Airborne Brigade

Feb. 19, 2020 | 2:35

Leaders and Paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade helped honor their lineage last week in Corregidor Island, Philipines. The two serving infantry battalions of the historic 503rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment and 2D Battalion (Airborne) 503D Infantry, traveled to "the Rock" to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Operation Topside.

During WWII the island was taken over by the Imperial Japanese Army and was projected to have roughly 800 Japanese soldiers ready to repel an amphibious assault, however there were in reality over 6000. On Feb. 16 1945, the 503rd and 317th Airlift Wing conducted their airborne assault into Corregidor Island. This operation was considered extremely dangerous due to limited space of the dropzones, high winds, cliffs, and the ocean. The surprise of the attack led to the victory of the assault. Operation Topside was one of the culminating successes early on into the Pacific Theater that set the foothold for many operations that followed.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army’s Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States Europe, Africa and Central Commands areas of responsibilities. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance.