Figure 1.--This World War II photograph showing a group of German Fallschirmjäger (paratroops) in front of thier Junkers JU-52 transport plane. The Germans invented airborn operations. The photograph is undated, but was likely taken in 1941. They are perhaps part of the Crete invasion force. The JU-52 was based on the Ford Tri-Motor amd largely obsolete by the time of World War II. The Germans were able to use it because they had such overwealming air superiority during the early phase of the War. Notice the assault rifles and the old-fashioned open machinegun on the plane.

A variety of different specialized units appeared during World War II. Probably the most innovative were airborn assault units (paratroops and gliders). Airborn units (the Fallschirmjäger) were introduced by the Germans. They were most notably used in their Western Offensive (May 1940). They proved successful, the greatest achievement was taking the Belgian fort at Ebon-Emal (1940). While the performance of the Luftwaffe and Panzers was the key factors in the German success, the world was starteled by the new airborn soldiers. The German paratroops were used in the conquest of Crete (1941), although at great cost. If the Germans had used their airborn to assault Malta it could have significantly affected the North African campaign. The losses on Crete horrified Hitler and he never used them again in an aerial assault. The Germans were unable to used their airborn units once the Allies won air superority. America and Britain, after the appearance of the German paratroops, decided to create their own airborn troops. The units became some of the most storied in the European campaign. They played a major role in both the invasion of Sicily (July 1943) and D-Day (June 1944). The Germans continued using the paratroops as infantry, but no longer conducted air drops. German paratroops played a key role in the fighting around the Arnhem Bridge which stopped the Allied Market Garden offensive (October 1944). The Americans used airborn units as infantry and they played a key role in blunting the German Bulge offensive (December 1944). The last important air drop in Europe occurred to support the crossing of the Rhine (March 1945). The Japanese also had paratroop units which they used in the Dutch East Indies. The Japanese like the Germans were unable to use their airborn units once the Allies won air superority. America used paratroop units effectively in the Pacific during the New Guinea campign (1943). There was also a difficult jump on Coreegidor.

Background

The first known allusion to to parachutes was depocted by none other than Leonardo Da Vinci, the supreme Renaissance Man (16th century). It was not for some time, however, for someone to actually attempt a parachutte jump. That was perforned by the Frenchman Andre Jacques Garnerin (1797). The French were fascinated by hot air ballons (1780s). And Ganerin humped from one at the anazing height of 3,200 ft (1797). Others followed, but it was basivally a diverting amusement. There was no practical use for it. Most jumpers did so from hot air baloons with parachutes packed in the ballons which took time and effort to deploy. This began to change with the Wright Brothers invention of a heavier than air flying macjime (1903). As planes became increasingly capable planes which could higher and faster and than World War I when young men began engaging in aerial combat. A Russian inventor, Gleb Kotelnikov just before World War I invented a hard case knapsack parachute that a flyer could wear (1911). Attitudes toward the parachuttes a varied. American flyers during the War would not allowes to wear them. Commanders believed that it would dull their fighting spirit. Kotelnikov invented a soft case after thevWar (1924). Aemies began thinking of dropping airborn soldiers behind eneny lines Winstrin Churchill atuned to minovation proposed the idea. American air advocate, Col. Billy Mitchell, proposed a similar concept. It would be Soviets and Germans in the Winter-War era that would actually take the idea seriously.

Countries

The Soviet Red Army led the way in developing airborn units. The first military parachutist drop was conducted by the Red Army after the development of knapsack parachutes (1930-33). Ot was a small drop from the wings of a plane -- some 62 parachutists. This was followed by a much larger operation with 1,000 parachutists. Other countries took note, but only the Germans, not the French, Japanese, and Italians, but notably the Americans and British did not take it seriously. It would be the Germans that would deploy the first airborn troops in combat--the Fallschirmjäger. They performed brilliantly in the Western Offensive (May 1940) and the success on Crete (May 1941) Hitler was horrified by the high casulaties on Crete and decided against any furher drops. It is fascinating that some 6,000 casulaties on Create affected him so severly when the Barbarossa a few months later resulted in 1 million casualties -- and had no impact on him. The Japanese would be the next countru to employ airborn troops, using them to secure the vital oilfieds in the Dutch East Indies (April 1942). It was the German operations that changed minds in both America and Britain. This led to the development of both parchutte and glider forces in America and Britain. The gliders offered the ability to land ar least some supplies and heavy equipment with the parachusettes. They would be first used in combat durung the Allied invasion of Sicily (July 1943) and play a vital role in the Normandy D-Day operations (June 1944). Theu were also used in Market Garden and the Rhine crossing, but it was in the all-imprtant D-Day operations in which they played the most vital role. The Soviets did not conduct airborn opoeration on the Eastern Front against the Germans (1941-45). They did use them at the end of the War againsr the Jaoanese as they invaded Manchuiria (August 1945).

Air War

The overall air war proved vital in the use of airborn troops. Airbirn troops could not be safely dropped without command of the air. And they were only iseful in offensive operations. The Germans used them when they had command of the air and were on the offensive (1939-41). There were no airborn operation in 1942 as the Axis and Alklies fought cricial battles that changed the course of the War. This only changed as command of the air and the offensive changed over to the Amerivamns and Brirish (!943-45).

Campaigns

The first imprtmat use od airborn troops was in the German Western Offensive (May 1940). They proved successful, the greatest achievement was taking the Belgian fort at Ebon-Emal (1940). While the performance of the Luftwaffe and Panzers was the key factors in the German success, the world was starteled by the new airborn soldiers. The German paratroops were used in the conquest of Crete (1941), although at great cost. If the Germans had used their airborn to assault Malta it could have significantly affected the North African campaign. The losses on Crete horrified Hitler and he never used them again in an aerial assault. The Germans were unable to used their airborn units once the Allies won air superority. America and Britain, after the appearance of the German paratroops, decided to create their own airborn troops. The units became some of the most storied in the European campaign. They played a major role in both the invasion of Sicily (July 1943) and D-Day (June 1944). The Germans continued using the paratroops as infantry, but no longer conducted air drops. German paratroops played a key role in the fighting around the Arnhem Bridge which stopped the Allied Market Garden offensive (October 1944). The Americans used airborn units as infantry and they played a key role in blunting the German Bulge offensive (December 1944). The last important air drop in Europe occurred to support the crossing of the Rhine (March 1945). The Japanese also had paratroop units which they used in the Dutch East Indies. The Japanese like the Germans were unable to use their airborn units once the Allies won air superority. America used paratroop units effectively in the Pacific during the New Guinea campign (1943). There was also a difficult jump on Coreegidor.

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Created: 2:30 AM 8/16/2013
Last updated: 1:01 AM 4/17/2020