Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 376:
Description
RARE WWII T-5 Parachute – 501st G Company / Geronimo – D-Day. Exceptional and historically significant WWII U.S. Army airborne T-5 parachute rig identified to the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, retaining its original main pack, harness, reserve pack, parachute components, fittings, hardware, unit markings, and original War Department parachute log. Also contains the original camo pattern silk parachute as originally packed. The lightning bolts are associated with the 501st. The T-5 was the standard combat parachute system of American airborne forces during the first half of World War II and is inseparably associated with the Normandy airborne assault. The 501st PIR was one of the principal parachute regiments of the 101st Airborne Division and jumped into Normandy during the early hours of June 6, 1944, with objectives centered north and east of Carentan, including seizure of the La Barquette locks and crossings over the Douve River.
Of particular importance is the original parachute log accompanying this rig, which documents its wartime inspection and repacking history and records a practice jump in the Scottish Highlands prior to D-Day, providing an unusually strong documentary connection to the intensive airborne training conducted before the invasion of Europe. The presence of the original log is especially desirable, as these records were intended to remain with individual parachute assemblies and are frequently missing from surviving examples. The pack bears wartime serial and stencil markings, while the harness retains the characteristic heavy white webbing, black tracer stitching, original metal hardware, reserve attachment fittings, risers, and related components. The assembly also exhibits numerous period inspection, rigger, and identification markings throughout.
The rig shows substantial wartime use and field modification consistent with an operational airborne parachute. The backpad is a period replacement and should not be considered original to the initial assembly, an important distinction preserved here for accuracy. The remainder of the group presents as a remarkably complete and evocative combat-era parachute system. Original T-5 assemblies with documented wartime logs are scarce in any configuration; an example bearing 501st PIR association and a surviving pre-invasion practice-jump record represents a particularly desirable piece of American airborne history. The 501st participated in the 101st Airborne Division’s assault into Normandy on D-Day, part of the airborne force tasked with securing routes inland from Utah Beach and disrupting German reinforcement of the coastal defenses.
Condition is consistent with extensive wartime service and age, with wear, staining, fraying, repairs, replaced components, and oxidation to hardware visible throughout. All components and markings should be carefully reviewed in the accompanying photographs. A rare, substantially complete and documented WWII T-5 parachute rig with 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment association and extraordinary pre-D-Day provenance.
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