Original U.S. WWII Airborne Named Corregidor 503rd PIR Jump Jacket, Trousers, and Uniform Grouping - Sergeant Robert L. Lenhart, Grenade & Rocket Launcher

Original Items. One-of-a-Kind Group. This is the outstanding Airborne Jump Jacket & uniform grouping of Sergeant Robert Leroy Lenhart, Company G, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. Lenhart spent 27 months in the Asiatic-Pacific theater, seeing heavy combat as a rifleman, Thompson machine gunner, grenade launcher, rocket launcher, and hand grenade thrower. He is recorded as having made the jump at Corregidor, and was awarded three campaign stars on his Asiatic campaign medal and one star and an invasion arrowhead on his Philippine Liberation medal. The grouping consists of his jump jacket, trousers with suspenders, and uniform jacket with his ribbon bar. 

This outstanding group consists of:

- Lenhart’s M1942 Airborne Jump jacket in Olive Drab #3 without reinforcements, with an Airborne Command patch and separate rocker stitched on the left shoulder, Sergeant chevron on both sleeves, and a correct period CONMAR zipper. Lenhart’s serial number, 33504500, is written under the collar. The jacket features four front patch pockets with two button snaps on each top flap, arranged in 2 rows to secure different sized items. The right waist pocket is torn through on its right side and is held in place by a pin. There are various small holes in the jacket as shown, and the original belt is intact though it is very worn. There is heavy wear across the jump jacket and it has a great combat-worn look! 

- Lenhart’s M1942 Airborne Jump trousers with period suspenders in good similar service-worn condition with all buttons and snaps retained. There is a tag on the underside of one pocket on the interior but it is void of any information due to having been washed out. The original suspenders are still attached to the trousers and display very well with them!

- Lenhart’s Army Enlisted uniform jacket with an Airborne Command patch and rocker stitched on the left shoulder, Sergeant chevron on both sleeves, four overseas stripes on the left cuff, US & Infantry collar discs, a Ruptured duck discharge patch over the right breast pocket, and a Presidential unit citation ribbon below that. Over the left breast pocket is a Sterling Combat Infantryman Badge, and under this is a four-place ribbon bar with the WWII Victory Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal with one star and an invasion arrowhead, and the Asiatic-Pacific campaign medal with three campaign stars. On the pocket is a set of Sterling Paratrooper wings with a correct wartime pinback. Lenhart’s serial number, 33504500, is written over the left sleeve on the interior lining. There is a size marking, 42L. 

- Lenhart’s WWII Victory medal in its original box (now crushed and in pieces) found in his uniform pocket. 

- Printed copies of Lenhart’s official discharge and report of separation which gives all context to his service and medals! Great to have!

Robert Leroy Lenhart was born on May 1st, 1924 in Rockwood, Pennsylvania. As a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps, Bob came to Lancaster in 1940 to attend the Hamilton Watch Makers School. He was inducted into the draft on March 17th, 1943, and entered active service on March 24th, 1943. He was assigned to Company G, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, the first airborne regiment to fight in the Pacific, and as an independent unit. Lenhart left for the Asiatic-Pacific Theater on September 20th, 1943, spending 27 months there. He served as a rifleman, Thompson SMG gunner, grenade launcher, rocket launcher, and hand grenade thrower, and made a combat jump at Corregidor. He was also trained in the art of camouflage and concealment. Sgt. Lenhart wears the Good Conduct medal, Distinguished Unit badge, Philippine Liberation ribbon with bronze star and invasion arrowhead, and the Asiatic-Pacific campaign medal with three bronze campaign stars, for New Guinea, South Philippines, and Luzon. He returned home on December 5th, 1945, and was discharged on January 2nd, 1946. After returning home, he returned to his work as a machinist at the Hamilton Watch Company, and would retire in 1984 after 42 years. He passed away on December 30th, 2012 at the age of 88.

This is an outstanding 503rd PIR jump jacket and uniform grouping, ready to become a centerpiece in any WWII collection!

Unlike many other airborne units, which were deployed in the European Theater of Operations (ETO), the 503rd was the first airborne regiment to fight in the Pacific, and as an independent unit.

On 2 November 1942, the former 501st Parachute Battalion was inactivated on paper so that a new regiment (the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment) with a lineal connection to its parent parachute battalion could be activated at Fort Benning.

The 503rd's first operation was an unopposed landing at Nadzab, in the Markham Valley, New Guinea, on 5 September 1943. Although the landings were unopposed, the troops were later attacked by enemy bombers from the air. The 503rd's deployment helped force the Japanese evacuation of a major military outpost at Lae. During their overland withdrawal, the third battalion of the 503rd had a major skirmish with the Japanese rear guard.

On 3–4 July 1944, 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 503rd were delivered by parachute to Kamiri Airfield on the island of Noemfoor off the coast of Dutch New Guinea, sustaining significant casualties from the jump. To reduce further casualties, the 2nd Battalion was delivered amphibiously. At the Battle of Noemfoor, the 503rd played a major role in the elimination of the Japanese garrison on that island. As a result of his heroic actions during the battle, paratrooper Sergeant Ray E. Eubanks was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Airfields constructed on Noemfoor after its capture enabled the advance of Allied troops from New Guinea to the Philippines.

Following a non-combat landing on the island of Leyte in the Philippines, the 503rd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) made a major amphibious landing on Mindoro Island in the central Philippines on 15 December 1944. Originally, it was intended for the 503rd to jump on Mindoro, but due to inadequate airstrip facilities on Leyte, an airborne landing was not possible. During the Battle of Mindoro, the 503rd was subjected to intense air and naval actions, at one point being shelled for 25 minutes by a Japanese naval task force. One company of the 503rd RCT engaged in a fierce battle against a company-size Japanese force defending an enemy air raid warning station on the north end of the island. The success of the Mindoro operation enabled the United States Army Air Forces to construct and operate air strips and forward air bases to support later landings in the Philippines at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. During combat in the Philippines, Lieutenant Colonel Joe S. Lawrie, former regimental S-3 and executive officer, and former 1st Battalion commander, succeeded to regimental command.

On 16 February 1945, the 503rd RCT jumped on Fortress Corregidor ("the Rock") to liberate that island from occupying Japanese forces. Braving intense fire, the paratroopers rushed forward and overcame the heavy blockhouse defenses, dropping explosives into embrasures to kill hidden Japanese gunners. For its successful capture of Corregidor, the unit was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation and received its nickname, "the Rock Regiment" from it. The regimental insignia was designed by Private First Class Thomas M. McNeill while recuperating from his injuries and dengue fever, hepatitis, and malaria on Mindoro Island, following the battle of Corregidor.

After returning to Mindoro, the 503rd was alerted for another combat jump, this time in the central Philippines to reinforce the 40th Infantry Division in its fight on Negros island. However, the jump was canceled and the combat team landed amphibiously on 7 April 1945. It would spend the remainder of the war conducting mopping up operations on the island, often against fanatical enemy resistance; notably, one of the Japanese units the 503rd fought was the remnants of the battered 2nd Raiding Brigade of Japanese paratroopers. After Japan's surrender in August 1945, over 6,150 Japanese soldiers surrendered to the 503rd, although some continued to hold out until October.

Approximate Measurements
Collar to shoulder: 10"
Shoulder to sleeve: 22”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15.5"
Chest width: 19.5”
Waist: 16"
Hip: 21.5"
Front length: 30.5"

Pants:
Waist: 15"
Inseam: 28"