US Army

Pathfinders

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Pathfinders, drop zone markers of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division; 1944. The pathfinder teams dropped approximately thirty minutes before the main body in order to locate designated drop zones and provide radio and visual guides for the main force in order to improve the accuracy of the jump. These navigational aids included compass beacons, colored panels, Eureka radar sets, and colored smoke. When they jumped, the pathfinders often would encounter less resistance than the follow up waves of paratroopers, simply because they had the element of surprise on their side; Once the main body jumped, the pathfinders then joined their original units and fought as standard airborne infantry.