Scions of the 17th Airborne Division, Inc.

The 17th Airborne Division was activated 15 April 1943 at Camp Mackall, North Carolina. The 155th Anti-Aircraft Battalion was activated on 15 April 1943 under the command of Lt. Colonel John W. Paddock and assigned to the 17th Airborne at that time. After completing basic training, specialist training, and a variety of training maneuvers, the unit left with the Division for England on 17 August, 1944.

When the 155th arrived in England, the Battalion was sent to a tented camp at Lydiard Millicent, near Swindon, on 27 August, 1944. On 27 October 1944 they were moved to Ashdown Park in Berkshire. Flight and tactical training continued and night maneuvers were added to the training schedule.

As part of the Division, the 155th engaged in the Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe Campaigns. During the Ardennes Campaign, as the mission of the 155th was not to fight as an infantry battalion but to support other divisions' infantry regiments and sub-units as necessary.

The six batteries of the battalion were assigned across the 193rd GIR, the 194th GIR, the 507th PIR and the 513th PIR during the first days of combat west of Bastogne. During the Rhineland Campaign, Antitank Batteries were attached to Divisional Combat Teams, while the Antiaircraft Batteries remained with the battalion. During Operation Varsity, the 155th was again attached to the regimental combat teams. During the Central Europe Campaign, the 155th was attached to the 507th PIR. In the early part of May, 1945, the Regiment helped coordination of Displaced Persons (DPs).

Military government duties began 12 April, and active contact with the enemy ceased 18 April 1945. The division came under the XXII Corps on 24 April. It continued its occupation duties until 15 June, 1945 when it returned to France for redeployment. Many troopers were then transferred to the 82nd and 101st Airborne and for occupation duty in Berlin and Austria. Others joined the 13th Airborne Division, which returned to the US to be readied for the Pacific. The remainder of the division was deactivated on September 15, 1945 at Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts.