Unit
By-Laws
The
WWII 509th PIB Re-enactors will abide by all 20th Century Tactical Studies
Group, Inc (20th CTSG) by-laws, as well as safety and authenticity rules.
Any and all future changes to the 20th CTSG bylaws and/or safety and authenticity
rules, approved by the 20th CTSG Board of Directors, will be adhered to
by all members of the unit.
Organization:
The
unit will be organized as a WWII Parachute Infantry Company, with HQ element
personnel. Subordinate sections will be commanded by an Officer or Noncommissioned
Officer. Medical personnel are also authorized, but will only be portrayed
by personnel with formal/certified medical training, I.E.; Special Forces
Medics, Pararescuemen, Navy Corpsmen, civilian EMT/Paramedics, etc.
Rank
in the unit will closely follow the rank structure seen in WWII Units,
with few exceptions based on unit size.
The
unit staff will consist of a commander (CO), executive officer (XO), first
sergeant (1st Sgt) and medical personnel. Additional personnel will be
added when or as necessary.
The
Charter members of the unit are portraying an as-yet undesignated 509th Parachute
Infantry Battalion Company. Once the unit grows to multiples of more than
14 personnel, 2nd Platoon will be activated, then 3rd Platoon. Each platoon
will consist of a minimum of 10, and a maximum of 18 personnel.
Promotion
Criteria:
Charter
members shown below are assigned to the following
positions:
Company
CO - Capt Eldred, W..
XO
- VACANT
1st
Sgt - VACANT
Medic
- VACANT
1st
Plt Leader- VACANT
1st
Plt Sergeant - Cpl Burris, B.
1st
Plt - PFC Aldrich, PFC Burris
2nd
Plt - VACANT
3rd
Plt - VACANT
All
future promotions will be based on unit vacancies or exceptionally outstanding
performance in the field. A majority vote of the Unit Commander, Safety
Officer, Authenticity Officer, and Public Relations officer is required
for promotion. Criteria for promotion eligibility will be as follows:
- Candidates
for unit vacancy promotions must have purchased all mandatory combat
uniform items. Additional consideration will be given to those who have
purchased dress uniform items.
- Candidates
for unit vacancy promotions must have attended at least 75% of mandatory
events, as designated by the unit CO. Additional consideration will
be given to those who have made active contributions to the unit.
- Candidates
for unit vacancy promotions must have learned the paratroopers song,
"Blood on the Risers."
- Unit
members who have demonstrated exceptionally outstanding skills, and/or
bravery in the field, may be recommended for an Exceptional Performance
promotion by any two (2) unit members who witness the action. Regardless
of performance, no soldiers will be promoted higher than one grade above
their currently authorized position.
Authorized
Uniforms and Equipment:
Dress
Uniforms - Each member is encouraged to
purchase dress uniforms for wear during living history demonstrations,
and other occasions as appropriate. Dress uniforms, when worn, will depict
those normally worn by WWII 509 PIB soldiers during May 1944, and will
consist of the following:
- Eisenhower
("Ike") or 4-pocket dress jacket
- Mustard
wool shirt
- Mustard
wool trousers
- Cotton
khaki tie
- Olive/Khaki
tank top undershirt - Dutch or original
- Standard
Overseas Cap with Blue (Infantry), Orange/White (Signals) or Brown/White
(Medical) piping and early-war cap patch
- Standard
khaki/tan web trouser belt with polished brass buckle
- Brown
Cap Toe Jump Boots - Dutch jump boots are NOT acceptable in lieu of
US made brands
- US
and branch insignia
- Cut
edge WWII type 5th Army shoulder sleeve insignia
- Stripes
or officer rank insignia, as appropriate
- Leather
A-2, Flyers B-10 (Officers) or Tanker Jacket (NCOs and EM) with 509th
"Gingerbread Man" patch and parachute wings on chest. Tanker
Jacket will be worn with shoulder sleeve insignia as authorized.
Notes:
- Khaki
uniforms are authorized, and encouraged for wear during all Italy and
Africa reenactment scenarios.
- US/branch
insignia, rank insignia and shoulder sleeve insignia will be worn in
accordance with WWII uniform regulations.
- Additional
equipment items are authorized, if approved by the CO, XO, or 1SG and
the unit authenticity officer.
Combat
Uniforms - Each member, must provide his
own combat uniform and equipment. Combat uniforms will depict those normally
worn by WWII PIB members in May 1944, and will consist of the following
as a minimum:
- M1942
Paratroop Jump Suit, or M1943 Combat Suit
- Stripes
or officer rank insignia, as appropriate
- Olive/Khaki
tank top undershirt - Dutch or original
- Brown
Cap Toe Jump Boots - Dutch jump boots are NOT acceptable in lieu of
US made brands
- M1C
Jump Helmet complete with airborne liner. Standard M1 Steel helmets
are not acceptable. Helmet will be camoflaged with paint according to
unit specifications. Painted "Gingerbread Man" tactical symbol
is authorized and encouraged.
- Standard
Overseas Cap with Blue (Infantry), Orange/White (Signals) or Brown/White
(Medical) piping and airborne cap patch (early war version)
- Standard
khaki/tan web trouser belt with open black buckle
- M1938
or M1942 Leather Riding Glove
- M1941
Knit Wool "Jeep Cap"
- M1936
Pistol Belt with rigger pouches or M1923 10 pocket cartridge belt
- M1936
Suspender
- M1936
Musette Bag
- M1910
Canteen, Cup and Carrier
- M1942
First Aid Pouch with metal Carlisle bandage tin and contents
- M1910
T-handle or M1943 Folding Entrenching Tool
- M1918
Trench Knife or M3 Trench Knife
- WWII
type brown plastic Corps of Engineers wrist compass
Notes:
- Rank
insignia and shoulder sleeve insignia will be worn in accordance with
WWII uniform regulations.
- Use
of olive drab equipment will be kept to a minimum.
- Additional
uniform and equipment items are authorized, if approved by the CO, XO,
or 1SG and the unit authenticity officer.
- Rigger-modified
field equipment (as shown in the books American Warriors, At
The Point Of No Return, and First Airborne Task Force, all
by Michel De Trez) is encouraged, but must be approved by the CO, XO,
or 1SG and the unit authenticity officer prior to use.
- Reinforced
and camoflaged M1942 Jump Suits will conform to 509 PIB unique specifications,
and must be approved by the CO, XO or 1SG and the unit authenticity
officer prior to use.
- Wear
of berets will
conform to 509 PIB unique specifications, and must be approved by the
CO, XO or 1SG and the unit authenticity officer prior to use.
- Vehicles,
if used, will be of period design and/or manufacture, and will conform
to all 20th CTSG requirements prior to use at any re-enacting event.
Authorized
Weapons:
Each
member must provide his own weapon, which will consist of at least one
of the following:
- M1903-A3
Springfield
- M1
Garand
- M1
Carbine
- M1A1
Carbine
- M1928
or M1 Thompson Submachinegun
- M3
Greasegun
- M1917-A1
BAR
- M1919
Browning
- M1911
Colt (Only as a secondary weapon)
Notes:
- Semi-automatic
versions of the automatic weapons listed above are authorized.
- Use
of "captured" weapons is authorized, but will be kept to a minimum.
- Use
of gas-powered machine guns is authorized, but if they are used, care
will be taken to adhere to realism. Members using gas-powered machine
guns will use realistic rates of fire, and periodically simulate both
the belt and barrel changes normally seen when using the actual weapons.
Use of a second gunner/ammo bearer with appropriate ammunition containers
will be utilized with crew serviced weapons when not in fixed positions.
Award
Criteria:
There
will be no awards given to individuals in this unit. Dress uniforms, when
worn, will depict those normally worn by 509 PIB soldiers during May 1944,
and will therefore include only those awards normally worn by the average
soldier.
Unit
members will wear the following awards on their dress uniforms:
US
Parachute Badge (509 PIB oval optional)
European-African-Middle Eastern (AKA "ETO") Campaign Medal with 4
bronze campaign stars (Algeria-French Morocco, Tunisia, Naples-Foggia
and Anzio)
Presidential Unit Citation (above right pocket)
French 3rd Zouaves Badge (on right pocket)
Unit
members who have earned a US or foreign military Good Conduct Medal of
any type (documented) will also wear the following:
US
Army Good Conduct Medal
Charter
unit members (those who joined when the unit chartered, or within one
year of official recognition by the 20th CTSG) will also wear the following:
American
Defense Medal
Unit
members who have completed the US Army Pathfinder course, the US Army Drop Zone Support Team Leader (DZSTL) course or the US Air Force
Combat Control School (documented), will wear the following on the lower
left sleeve of the dress jacket:
Pathfinder
Torch
Unit
members who have earned a US or foreign military airborne
badge (documented) will wear the following tab, above the 5th Army shoulder
sleeve insignia:
Parachute
Unit
members who have earned a foreign military airborne badge (documented)
will wear the following on the wearer's right side, above the Presidential
Unit Citation:
British
Parachute Wings
Unit
members who have successfully completed one parachute jump of any type
(documented) will wear the following on ETO ribbon, to the the wearer's
right side of the campaign stars:
Bronze
Arrowhead
Unit
members will only wear Service Stripes ("Hash Marks") and Overseas Bars
("Hershey Bars") as directed by the Unit Commander and Authenticity Officer.
Service Stripes and Overseas Bars, when worn, will correspond to the unit
member's rank.
Unit
members will only wear additional uniform accouterments when those items
are approved by the Unit Commander and Authenticity Officer.
Note:
Wear of combat and/or valor awards, I.E.; Combat Star to the Parachute
Badge, Combat Infantryman's/Combat Medical Badge, Silver or Bronze Star,
Purple Heart, etc., will be restricted to those who have earned them during
actual service in the US military, as per 20th CTSG bylaws. Verification of combat awards must be performed by BOTH the Unit Commander and Authenticity Officer prior to wear on the uniform. Copies of unit member's combat awards will be kept in unit records for verification, when necessary. Individuals must be prepared to produce official award documentation at all times when they are wearing combat awards.
Additional
Requirements:
At
all times when in uniform, members are expected to adhere to proper customs
and courtesies, conduct themselves as professionals, and remember we are
representing some of the finest warriors in the history of the US military.
All
members are highly encouraged to learn the paratroopers song "Blood on
the Risers." Words and music will be made available to all unit members,
and should be rehearsed prior to and during any and all re-enacting events.
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