Knowing we have Russian experts and Paratrooper Aficionados on this site, I thought I would ask a question which covers both (can't see any obvious threads on this subject). Stunt men had been leaping off the wings of aircraft for some time but the Red Army was the first to use paratroopers in a military role - in 1930. Apparently the extremely brave souls would clime out of a hatch on the top of the plane across the wing and launch themselves, remembering to pull the ripcord after they had missed the wheels, tail-fin and all. In 1935, British and German observers were invited to view Russian manoeuvres where drops of paratroopers from fixed lines, light tanks, field guns and armored cars were a notable feature. Predictably the British thought there was no merit in this idea but the Germans were transfixed. Berlin immediately ordered the formation of the first German parachute battalion. There is the history, as I understand - but I have not noticed any operation with Soviet paratroopers - so the question is were Soviet paratroopers used and if so where and what was the result.
One of the observers was Basil Liddel-Hart...who reported that it took the Soviets three days to police up all their paratroopers! And that's when it wasn't hostile territory!
In the mid ‘70’s I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC (“Home of the Airborne”) and read a paper that made a strong case that large scale airborne ops have never been cost effective (especially in the loss of very high quality soldiers), even the successful ones. Understandably this theory did not go over well in the airborne community. But, like scipio, I would be interested to read more about Russian airborne ops in WWII.
If memory serves me right there were just a few very small scale operations, mostly in support of partisans.
4,575 men dropped (seventy percent of the planned number) in the Lower Dneiper Offensive Lower Dnieper Offensive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thanks pillboxes - seems that the Lower Dneiper and earlier Viaszma drops were the only large scale para efforts and both a mess.
Perhaps, in addition to these maneuvers, the interest in this theme came from the Suvorov`s "Icebreaker". He wrote: "The airborne forces intended to offensive. Before WWII, few contemplated aggression. Therefore, in many countries the airborne troops did not develop. There were two exceptions. Hitler was preparing for a war of aggression. In 1936 he created the airborne troops. By the beginning of the war their number was 4,000. Another exception - Stalin. He created the airborne troops in 1930. By the beginning of the Second World War, the Soviet Union had more than one million well-trained commandos - paratroopers. " I do not know how many commandos were in the Wehrmacht. For the rest part of this quote I can only agree with the first sentence: "The airborne forces intended to offensive." So, facts: The first military unit of paratroopers - a motorized aircraft landing squad was formed in the summer of 1931. It consisted of 160 people. This is including the crews of 22 aircraft. Beginning in 1932 the Air Force began to form battalions of special purpose. By 1934 there were about 30 these battalions with total number - about 5000 (again, along with the crews of aircraft and their technical staff) In 1934, 1935, 1936, paratroopers participated in military maneuvers. In the training in 1936 there were 3000 men (only the paratroopers who jumped with a parachute). Another 8,000 people landed from the plane, when it was on the ground ("landing mode"). That is, they were not "commandos." The foreign military delegations have been invited for a reason. The Soviet Union wanted to show a great power. It wanted to be considered in world politics. Therefore, these exercises have shown maximum (and even that was not there, I mean - exaggerated). Further, before 1938 there were created separate battalions, regiments, brigades paratroopers. That is, were experimenting with their organizational structure. Finally, in 1938 it was decided to create six separate Airborne Brigades. All six teams had the same organizational structure(one parachute battalion, one mechanized battalion, one artillery battalion, the rest - part of the service and support). Each Brigade had about 1,700 people. In total little more then 10 000 people. Paratroopers became a part of the Army (not Air Force). Aviation was excluded from airborne units. Three Brigades stationed in the Far East, and three - in the European part of Russia. In this state airborne forces lasted until November 1940. In November 1940 it was decided to increase the size of the Brigades. Under the new organization it included five battalions and five separate companies. Finally, in March 1941, the last prewar major change has begun. The size of Brigades were decided to cut. The number of it have decided to increase to 15. Every three Brigades were to form the Airborne Corps. The number of each Corps about 10,000 people.What problems have arisen? Forming a new teams - it was not a problem. Part of the airborne brigade emerged from mechanized infantry divisions. They just changed the name. For example, the 1st or the 9th Brigade. The problem was with weapons, and another ammunitions. Paratroopers have a different, more lightweight and mobile weapons and stuff (including guns). They needed a parachute. And most importantly - to have had more military transport aircraft. And the aircraft was not enough even for a smaller number of airborne brigades. I have witnessed in the Archives of the document dated June 10, 1941, where it was ordered to transfer all military transport aircraft in the subordination of the Office of the Airborne Troops. And this Office was also created by order of June 10. So, on June 22 paratroopers met the war while in the process of reformation. During the retreat, they were used as a regular infantry. They stop up holes on the most - dangerous directions, which led to their rapid decline. Nevertheless, there were several attempts to use tactical paratroopers. The first such operation was July 14, 1941. 70 commandos were dropped by parachute near the Mogilev city. There had been concentrated German panzers, which ended with fuel. Commandos were ordered to destroy the tanks. They were dropped from TB-3, directly in the afternoon. I do not know all the details of this battle. They write that they were able to destroy 20-30 tanks, but then they were forced to retreat. Only about 30 men came back, other were died or captured . So, tactical actions, like this, continued throughout the war. One source I found the information about over 50 tactical assault (ie, to solve local problems). 20 of them were carried out at the end of the war. But there were only two large-scale, strategic operations: Vyazemskaya and the Dnieper. About the Dnieper operation, I wrote here: http://www.ww2f.com/eastern-europe/53121-they-also-were-heroes.html A few words about Vyazemsk operation. Stalin and Zhukov believed that the December 1941 attack near Moscow will be developed. They mistakenly believed that the Germans were exhausted. Maybe you know that in January 1942 Stalin was set the goal to drive the Germans out of Russia before the end of this year. Therefore, it was preparing a big blow to the Germans from the front and at the same time a major assault in the rear to cut off the retreat. In principle, all the details are written on Wikipedia truthfully and in detail. Why of these strategic operations were so few? After the loss of commandos in Crete, Hitler spared and protected them from needless losses. In my opinion, the Red Army had other reasons. First it was not necessary. It's one thing the operation in Normandy (there was no catch the bridgehead without paratroopers), other - sequential offensive operations on land, on a broad front. Secondly, I think that the Red Army Command was aware that a big paratroopers operation had little chance of success. Again, the problem was in aviation, in a small but important details as the ability of the crew to navigate, the presence in the aircraft navigation system, good communication and a clear interaction between all services. This was the main problem of the Red Army. And Vyazemskaya and Dnieper operations troops dumped scattered in unexpected places, non-simultaneous and disorganized. Only thanks to the courage commandos it was managed to make the problem to the enemy. Haider admitted this in his diary in January-March 1942. And at the end a little funny story about the Russian paratroopers. The fact that I finished Higher Military School of Communications in Ryazan city. At 500m from my School were a Higher Military School of Commandos - the only one such school in Russia. Our Military School was the faculty of signalers for airborne. So we were close, we met often, we talked a lot, sometimes quarreling and even fighting thro the Ryazan girls. But I wanted to say something else: we had similar principles and have very different principles in our education and everyday military life. Only one example. In our school and school paratroopers was the same "entertainment". You must break a rule, cunning and dexterity to cheat on duty at the school canteen duty and other commanders and secretly sneak into the dining room before the other cadets and to eat. If you managed it - you're a hero. But there was one small difference. In our school, you could eat only part of yours meal. To take food from someone else was not polite. But in paratrooper school, if you was in the dining room before the others, you could ate as much as you want. And then no one was offended: "He was first - he is a hero. Tomorrow I may be the first. Or tomorrow, will not do." And so the paratroopers came around. They lived only by one day. They said: "We understand that when we destroy an airfield or a headquarters there, then none of us will fly - we'll get out themselves, or perish." That is, Russian paratroopers - people who are willing to die easily. I am sure that it is their tradition since the war. P.S. In the photo below my friends at the Museum of Paratroopers (in front of their school). In the background air landing gun ASU-57. P.S.P.S. In addition to air assault operations were several amphibious operations (mainly in the Crimea). Sometimes they occur successfully. View attachment 16114
