The 460th PFAB was formed at
Camp Toccoa, Georgia, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James B. Anderson and utilizing cadre from the
377th PFAB. After training at Camp Toccoa and
Camp Mackall, North Carolina, the battalion conducted jump training at
Fort Benning, Georgia, completing its fifth training jump on 18 September 1943. Further training at Camp Mackall culminated in training maneuvers in Tennessee in January–February 1944, where the battalion participated in the "annihilation" of the 26th "Yankee" Division during a 64-mile forced march with its supported infantry. Returning to Camp Mackall, the battalion was relieved from the 17th Airborne Division and attached to the
517th Parachute Infantry Regiment to form the
517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team (PRCT). In early May 1944, Lieutenant Colonel Anderson and his staff were relieved, replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Raymond L. Cato and officers selected from the
466th PFAB. During this short period before deployment, Lieutenant Colonel Cato ordered Battery D, originally organized as an anti-tank and anti-aircraft unit with 37mm guns and .50 caliber machine guns, converted to a fourth 75mm pack howitzer battery. After final preparations at
Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, the battalion departed Hampton Roads, Virginia on 17 May 1944, aboard the USS "Cristobal". Arriving in Naples, Italy, on 31 May 1944, the 460th staged at "The Crater" outside the city for two weeks, waiting the arrival of the unit's equipment. After moving north aboard an
LST to Civitavecchia, the 460th entered combat, supporting the
36th Infantry Division's attacks toward Follonica for 12 days. Throughout July 1944, the battalion staged at Frascati, near Rome. While preparing for
the invasion of southern France, the Paratroopers were also able to relax with passes to Rome, the establishment of an NCO club, and other amusements. Some non-jumpers were also qualified at the Airborne Training Center south of Rome. ==Notable members==