OK, this is very simple, what 5 to 10 units would you like to have served in if you could be magically transported back to WWII, young and fit? Mine are as follows:
1st Special Service Force (US/Canada)
82nd Airborne Div. (US)
101st Airborne Div. (US)
1st Infantry Div. (US)
Alamo Scouts (US)
2nd Armored Div. (US)
4th Armored Div. (US)
6th Airbourne Div. (UK)
1st Airbourne Div. (UK)
7th Armoured Div. (UK)
I’d of initially said the 1st SSF for one. But after reading of some of their experiences in Italy in 1944 (like losing 40% of their strength in the opening minutes of one battle as they were inappropriately used as regular infantry), I’m not so sure now…
Which other 4 to 9 units would you have served in.
101 PID
82nd PID
17thPID
2nd Ranger Batt.
I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be in anything on the eastern front or in the Wehrmacht, and although i would want to serve with a unit that knows what their doing, and for me thats the paratroops, i wouldn’t want to be in one of the units that Monty pushed to oblivion as regular infantry like the british 6th and 1st airborne divisions. Also the US 4th and 28th divisions which were all but decimated in the Heurtgen forest seem very unappealing
For those Allied units you list, it was the combat elements of the units that were decimated, not the combat support or rear echelon troops.
The proper designation for a U.S. Airborne Division would be 82 A/B Div., 101st A/B Div. or 17th A/B Div. Individual Parachute Infantry Regiments would be listed as 506th PIR, 508th PIR or 505th PIR. There is no such thing as a PID.
Oh, I’m not much for these threads, but:
The OSS
The Marine Corp ‘Raiders’ to 1st Marine Div
101st or 82d Airborne Div
The 10th Mountain Div
Pre-War volunteer to the British Army- 6th Paras
Volunteer to the RAF
The 1st Inf. Div
3rd Armored Div
USAAF 8th Air Force flight crew/pilot
Vounteer to Canadian Army - Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry
I think in any of those units I’d be just as dead. 
The REME, being as I’m currently in them. Funny, that.
In reality of course I suspect I’d be straight onto the reserved occupations list, but never mind…
I’d aim for that, or a medical deferment, but if I was forced to join up I’d go for something like the Pay Corps with a "not to serve outside Australia or be sent anywhere he might get hurt or be made to work outside 9 to 5’ endorsement.
Then how’d you end up firing machine guns? 
You’d of been a Chindit…
It was an accident.
I got confused.
The army deceived me.
I never meant to do it.
I thought I was joining the women’s army [Reference my avatar, my ideal unit, the WWII Women’s Land Army. Not real army. All women, except me. Couldn’t serve outside Australia. On farms where you could beat the food rationing.], where I’d be safe. And get lots of sex.
<shrugs> It isn’t like I’d have much of a choice - I’m a qualified Aeronautical engineer, and IIRC that was enough to put you straight on the reserved occupations list whether you liked it or not…
How about the Women’s Auxiliary Balloon Corps?
I don’t think some of the respondants have quiet caught the spirit of the question. :shock:
Welcome to WW2incolor…
Quite a number of us are young, fit, and in the military in wartime. Funnily enough we tend to have short shrift for questions like that…
The women I’m interested in won’t need auxiliary balloons.
Standard issue of two is enough for me.
Some of us are old, unfit, and were in the military when there was a bit of international unpleasantness going on.
i dont know, when i saw what unit you would serve in then i just assumed combat was a give, and in response to nickdfresh’s post, i would have chosen the raiders but i wo0uldnt want my unit to be disbanded and to be folded into regular infantry
I am a veteran myself. This question was not meant to be insulting. It was an effort to see which units the members of this board might have liked to serve in had they been able to. I do not mean to be insulting but the fact you are not amused does not impress me in the least.
I am a veteran myself. This question was not meant to be insulting. It was an effort to see which units the members of this board might have liked to serve in had they been able to. I do not mean to be insulting but the fact you are not amused does not impress me in the least.
I am pretty sure that neither of the responses to you request intended to be insulting either, is just that some of the people here have an odd sence of humour ( and some a very odd one) . But just stay some months with us and you ll be fine 