It is interesting to note that parachute units were least successful in the assault role (Crete, Holland (twice...1940 then Market-Garden), even Normandy to a good degree. They were most successful in taking and holding ground in advance of ground troops (sort of very mobile infantry). They also had success in smaller special operations like Eben Emael and Bruneval. When used as reinforcements by air, Sicily and Salerno for example, they were really just an expensive waste of effort. So, what changes could the various nations that used paratroops have done to make them more effective operationally and tactically?
I'd have to argue as to the effective level of the paratroopers in both Normandy and Markey-Garden. The paratroopers, when considering what they were up against, performed very well. Consider that they are vastly outnumbered, in Normandys case many landed with no weapons, and massive misdrops made cohesion near impossible. Market-Garden failed simply because Airborne troops are not meant to handle panzer divisions.Also take into account Market-Garden was expected to be young boys and old men, and turned out to be Elite Waffen SS units. Granted, Paratroopers themselves are often considered elite as well, but without armor/artillery they can only do so much. As far as ways to make them better..there is only so much. Simple things like a leg bag that DIDN'T fall off when you jumped certainly help in the short term. The problem is, they are greatly limited by what they are doing. There is only so much you can bring with you to jump out of a plane. I feel that paratrooper tactics were sound in themselves..but situations out of their control greatly effected said tactics. In the case of Normandy, dropping (in many cases) miles from where you are supposed to be, has a profound effect on accomplishing your objectives, and in most cases the Paratroopers did the best possible job considering their situation.
Well gliders generally performed well in an assault role for 'Take & Hold' style operations... Crete excluded. Operation Deadstick was an excellent success as was Eben Emael and even the Corinth Canal, till the bridge blew up! The problem with large scle strategic drops was that the limited technology of the time played havoc with the dropping of troops accurately. Hence the preference for daytime drops. On the German side one main hinderance was the use of drop canisters for personal weapons. Why they did this is still a mystery to me as they dropped with weapons later in the war. I have pics from the Wittstock training ground of guys landing with the RZ series chute carrying rifles, MP40s and in one case an MG34... I guess the theory was in relation to the nasty opening shock of the RZ chute and the low level drops. Added to this was the lack of any control over his chute for the GErman para. Once he was out of the plane he was at the mercy of the wind. Also the German reliance on capturing airfields as they did not possess enough paras further limited their strategic value. Bruneval was a great validation of paras in a specialist role. I think on the whole the airborne forces performed very well all things considered. Little more could have been done given the limited technology. Although they certainly tried with beacons and gliders. Perhaps a greater reliance on gliders may have allowed the GErmans to perform better. It would certainly have allowed them to land combat ready! After Crete all Fallschirmjager trained for both parachute insertion and glider insertion. I think the airborne troops are rather underrated if anything as they laid part of the ground work for SF ops and airmobile doctrine. In ww2 you have anti-partisan airborne ops, at Drvar and Bordeaux, 'Hostage Rescue' at the Gran Sasso, 'Airborne Raids and Sabotage' at Brunval and Tragino and Norway, countless bridge seizures and attempts at mass airborne landings. Not bad going considering it was their first use in a war... Now if they had Helicopters...
I was thinking more along the lines of operations like Nadzab airfield in the Pacific where the paras jumped into an area suitable for an advanced airfield. There was no initial opposition to their landings. They set up an airhead and reinforced it faster than the Japanese could respond. An idea I toyed with on this would have been to use the paras on D-day differently. First, only small specialist units would land in advance of the amphibious operation to take critical points. These would more resemble commando raids than massive airdrops. Gliders or paras could be used as required. Then, on D-day itself, the paras drop early in the day (after daylight is available) on like three large airfields that the tactical airforces thoroughly shoot up just ahead of the drops to minimize ground resistance. Rebeccas are used liberally to ensure accurate drops are made. Once on the ground each airfield, now held by a parachute division establishes a perimeter and makes the airfield ready for air landings. The Allies now simply begin flying in huge masses of reinforcements to bolster each air head. Given adequite numbers of mines, artillery and anti-tank guns they could hold out aganist any but the largest and most determined German attacks. This creates two problems for the Germans in short order. First, now they must deal with these airheads 30 to 50 miles inland from an invasion front that have the potential to interdict their supply routes. Second, they now must detrain and road march even further to get to the front. All the while, their meger forces in Normandy are being crushed by the invasion. So, do they now act against the airheads in strength, or do they bypass these in an attempt to rescue the front in Normandy itself? Market-Garden shows us that a well placed parachute division can hold off serious counterattacks, even by armor, for a relatively extended period. With the advantage of an airfield to allow reinforcement and supply this advnantage is mulitplied greatly. Given that each parachute division would have several days to entrench before the Germans could mount serious opposition it looks to me like a workable plan. But, then again, the Allies were risk adverse most of the time in their planning so the option is unlikely to be taken.
Well thats basically what they did do in Normandy... The 6th Airbornes perimeter allowed a massive glider wave to come in the evening of the 6th bringing lots of equipment.
First of all, they need more intellegince. Then they have to have speed and power, witch wern't accomplished during WWII most of the time. Then they need quick reinforcefents, because of their light weapons, they wern't very powerful and normally accomplished by sheer numbers. They also need to look at their options. If they are able to invade from land or sea, use that option. They also need air supremacey or superiortey. In Vietnam, the Koreans had no air force, so paratroopers were used a ton. In WWII, the allies had air superotiey, so they did have a little risk. In concluision, you really shouldn't use the paratrooper option unless you have superior technolgy and numbers, something the aliies simply didn't have during Market Garden.
Is this what the school system is teaching now? "Korean air force" in Vietnam "paratroopers used a ton in Vietnam" Maybe Otto should install a spell-checker option,too.
well i must argue with you T.A. some of the best commanders where from 1 parratropers bat. alone. Lt. Col. Cole. the congrashenal meadal of honnor for the battel "cole's charge" and one more co but i cant remeber his name... but there where some good co's, my friend.
If I remember correctly, the Japanese used paratroopers successfully during the Dutch East Indies campaign of 41-42.
Japanese 2nd paratroop regiment was used at Palembang in the Dutch East Indies in February 1942. Landed one group between the town and airfield and another group at the oil refinery. These troops set the stage for the invasion force that landed the following morning however the force at the refinery wasn't strong enough to hold on after seizing it and the force at the airfield suffered almost 80% casualties.
Not a problem Fried, one other thing that I forgot in my haste this morning was that while the Japanese paratrooper force was not strong enough to hold onto the oil refinery they had sufficient strength to hold on long enough to disable the demolition charges.
