The US 101st Airborne Division has become a household name in China because of the American drama "Brothers Company", and many vivid and vivid characters such as Company Commander Winters, Company Commander Spears, Nixon, Lipton, and Randallman have also made the 101st Division the most familiar US army unit in China. In the impression of many people, the 101st Airborne Division is the strongest and most effective unit of the US army, and this is basically the case. However, it was such a strong unit that its armbands were captured by the volunteers and displayed in military museums.
[There can be no such scene in the museum of any other country, 32 armbands, 16 badges, note the third row, the second from the left]
In the exhibition area of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in the Military Museum, there is a display case with a total of 32 armbands and 16 badges, which were captured by the Volunteer Army after capturing coalition soldiers during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. In the third row of armbands, the "Howling Eagle" armband of the US 101st Airborne Division appeared impressively, which made people wonder: Did the "Brother Company" also participate in the Korean War? And let the volunteers take prisoners?
Those familiar with the history of the 101st Division know that in November 1945, shortly after the end of World War II, the 101st Airborne Division retired from service in Fort Auxerre. The retired 101st Airborne Division retained only one airborne regiment stationed in Kentucky, and the remaining officers and men were either transferred to other units or discharged home. For example, Company Commander Winters chose to retire (he was a battalion commander at the time of his discharge) and joined Nixon's family business. Company Commander Spears also chose to retire from the army and married a British "widow", only to be cheated out of money and had to join the army again to earn a living.
The number one ruthless man in "Company of Brothers" and the fourth company commander, Spears
By 1954, the remaining airborne regiments had returned to active service at Fort Jackson, and the 101st Division had returned, but by this time the Korean War had been truncated for almost a year. It can be seen that the 101st Division did not participate in the Korean War as a structure, so why was the armband captured by the volunteers? This is related to a provision in the US military.
In the U.S. military, officers and soldiers, whether they are in regular clothes, dresses, or combat uniforms, must sew the armband of their unit above the left arm near the shoulder as a logo, and the right arm can be vacant in the same position. In one case, however, if the person has served in another unit, the armband of the unit that he or she has previously served can be sewn on his right arm. If you have previously served in more than one of the troops, you can choose one of the most powerful troops whose armband is sewn on the right arm of the uniform, which is a sign of seniority. For example, Ridgway's right arm retains the armband of the 82nd Airborne Division, and if the Volunteers capture Ridgway, the armband of the 82nd Airborne Division can be captured.
[Ridgway inspecting the front line, a friend with good eyes can see what armband his right arm is]
It is not difficult to understand why the volunteers were able to capture the armbands of the 101st Airborne Division on the Korean battlefield. After the 101st Division retired from active service, some of its men were transferred to other units, such as the 11th Airborne Division in Japan. Its 187th Airborne Regiment participated in the Korean War. For example, the company commander Sbils in "Brotherly Company" later participated in the Korean War, and his position was still company commander. If he had joined the 187th Airborne Regiment, the 101st Division's "Howling Eagle" armband would have been kept on his right arm.
Although the 187th Airborne Regiment was stronger than the average American force, it was still severely damaged by the Volunteer Army. Especially in the Battle of Shangganling, the red-eyed Van Vliet used the 187th Airborne Regiment as infantry and ordered them to charge at Height 597.9. However, before they could launch an attack, their assembly area was found by Li Changsheng, the commander of the 91st Regiment of the Volunteer Army, and called for artillery to cover it, and the 187th Airborne Regiment suffered heavy losses and had to withdraw from Korea overnight to return to Japan for rest. It was in several encounters with the 187th Airborne Regiment that the Volunteers captured the enemy and captured their armbands. Think of what it would be like for someone as strong as Spears to be captured by the volunteers.
The 32 medals are: U.S. Air Defense Command, U.S. European Area Command, European Theater Forward Command, U.S. Alaska Army Command, U.S. Aleutian Islands Forces, U.S. Marine 1st Division, U.S. Philippine Command, 1st Army, 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Infantry Division, 20th Army, 24th Army, 15th Army, 8th Army, 5th Army, 6th Army, 7th Infantry Division, 101st Airborne Division, U.S. 5th Air Wing, British 29th Brigade, British Claust Infantry Regiment, The Royal Oster rifle regiment, leicestershire rifle regiment, black guard infantry regiment, commonwealth first division, royal heavy tank battalion, Turkish brigade, as well as the armbands of the netherlands, Canada, the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea and other five countries. At first glance, a 101 airborne division is really nothing.