Originally, this command was tasked with planning and executing the destruction of Axis forces on the European Continent. After American forces were established in Europe; this group became increasingly involved with the administration of service and supply. Reflected in the insignia at top center.
Originally the Services of Supply, The Army Service Forces managed the army's logistics. The scope of this responsibility is beyond comprehension. The Command trained, transported, and supplied millions of soldiers all over the world.
The 506th PIR took off for their first combat jump at 0100hrs, 6 June 1944. In the predawn hours of D-Day a combination of low clouds, and enemy anti-aircraft fire caused the break-up of the troop carrier formations. The scattering of the air armada was such that only nine of the eighty-one planes scheduled to drop their men on the Drop Zone (DZ) found their mark. Consequently, the sporadic jump patterns caused most of the troopers to land far afield of their designated DZ. Some of the sticks landed as far away as 20 miles from the designated area. (https://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/506/506.html)
