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"THE 463rd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion was organized on February 21, 1944, near the small Italian village of Borgo Bainsizza on the Anzio beachhead. It was formed from the 82nd Airborne Division's 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, less Batteries "C" and "D", and commanded by Maj. Hugh Neal, the first of only three men to lead the battalion in combat in World War II. The 456th designation was transferred with the 82nd to the European Theater.
Officer and men of the newly organized unit were veterans of the 82nd drop into Sicily in July 1943, campaigns on the southern Italian front near Casino, and weeks of bitter fighting at Anzio in support of the First Special Service Force along the Mussolini Canal. Many had been members of the Army's original Parachute Field Artillery Test Battalion.
The Ardennes - Battle of the Bulge
As the 101st prepared to depart for Belgium, Cooper, by how a Lieutenant Colonel, offered the services of the battalion to Gen. McAuliffe, who said the 463rd was outside his command; but he suggested that Cooper talk with Col. Joseph H. Harper, commanding the 327th Glider Infantry. Harper readily accepted Cooper's offer, and the 463rd was off to Bastogne "attached" to the 101st although technically A.W.O.L.
During most of its existence, except for the airborne drop info Southern France, the 463rd, unlike most airborne units, had been utilized as a ground-equipped unit provided with its own transportation. It had arrived in Mourmelon with 27 2 1/2-ton trucks, 26 1/4-ton trucks, and a sizable supply of 75mm ammunition, including more than 200 anti-tank rounds, a factor to be of significance at Bastogne.
With the addition of 12 2 1/2-ton trucks attached from the 645th Quartermaster Company, the 535 men of the 463rd headed north from Mourmelon at 9:30 p.m. December 18. 1944. Although the destination listed on the Unit Report dated 11 p.m. of the same date reads "now enroute to Werboment, Belgium," the 101st would instead be shifted to Bastogne, Belgium, an important road center.
At 9 a.m. on December 19, the unit reached an assembly area near Flamizoulle, Belgium, and moved on later the same day to establish positions around Hemroulle in support of the 327th. By December 20, the 101st Airborne Division, including the 463rd, was completely surrounded in the three-mile wide Bastogne "doughnut", by at least five German divisions. The fighting was intense. On December 22, the Germans delivered a note demanding the 101st surrender, to which General Anthony McAuliffe issued his famous reply, "NUTS". With the weather clearing on December 23, C-47 transport planes dropped badly needed ammunition and supplies. Finally, on December 26, General Patton's 4th Armored Division broke through from the south to relieve the besieged city.
During the Battle of Bastogne, the 463rd howitzers conducted fire missions over a 360- degree sector. From December 19 through January 17, its 16 howitzers fired 21,748 rounds. When the first aerial re-supply mission was flown on December 23, the battalion was down to nine rounds of high explosive shells, a small supply of anti-tank rounds, and no rations. The battalion casualty report for the Ardennes campaign was 11 killed, 24 wounded, and one missing.
During the Bulge, Lt. Col. Cooper and Sgt. Joseph F. Rogan were awarded the Silver Star. Cooper for action during the encirclement and Rogan for action as a forward observer on December 25 and 26. In addition, seven men received the Bronze Star, two posthumously. Thirty-two received the Certificate of Merit, 29 of them for action during the German attack on Christmas morning" * Source
* https://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/463/463.html