Airborne Troop

The airborne troops are, in general, of the units of the Army which are transported to the combat by air means and are released in Parachute in airborne Opérations. They are called usually the commandos parachutists or the paras . During the Second world war, Planeur S were also used like vectors, in particular at the time of the unloading of Normandy, making it possible by their capacity of carrying to unload average more important materials: jeep, armoured tanks light…

History

Before 1940

The Parachuting, already invented by Léonard de Vinci, is tested only in 1797. It finds its first application military only during the First World War, in the Aviation: the pilots jump their planes before being crushed on the ground.

In France, the Air force does not develop any concept starting from the Parachute until in 1937, except the safety equipment for the crews of its apparatuses. In 1935 is created a center of instruction for this personnel flying personnel; certain observations pushed with the creation of the infantry of the Air at the end of two years. However, the selected defensive strategy in 1940 did not allow their use, and the two groups of infantry of the Air were dissolved.

The Germany on the contrary, had very to gain within the framework of a spirit Revanchard, with the use of shock troops released at an unexpected place for the enemy. It is it which earliest made great use of these troops.

The Red Army , which was the first to create great units airborne dice the years 1930 and massively used them in particular during the counter-offensive of winter 1941/42. The Soviet parachutists, badly trained, showed themselves relatively not very effective and the units were reconverted in infantry.

Second world war

The Second world war, with its great offensives based on ruptures of face, multiplied the use of the airborne units. The first great coordinated airborne operation is organized in spring 1941 by the Germans, who seize the Crete thus. Certain lacks in the preparation of this operation caused strong losses, and the Germans did not use any more these troops but with parsimony.

The end of the war saw the use in great operations of troops airborne and air-transported on behalf of the Allies, in Normandy, and for the operation '' Market Garden '', always in these roles of light troop: taken of force of limited objectives (bridge, road junction) or cover of the beaches Normans (to slow down the advance of the German reinforcements).

Post-war period

One saw very few great airborne operations since 1945, the anti-aircraft defense and the imposing forces mechanized in Europe during the Cold war reduced the interest of great units parachutists on this continent. They, in the French Army , were especially used in an intensive way during the wars of Décolonisation (Guerre of Indo-China, Guerre of Algeria, Campagne of Suez) but these operations did not have, far from there, the scale of those of the Second world war; they were primarily employed like Infanterie of shock.

As from the years 1960, the parachutists were more and more used like héliportée infantry , initially in the French Army then primarily by the US Army during the Guerre of Vietnam.

In 1978, the Sauvetage of Kolwezi was the last great parachuted attack carried out by the French forces.

Nevertheless, in November 2004, the 8th regiment parachutist of marines was parachuted with the Kosovo in preparation for the elections from a point of view of dissuasion.

US Army carried out in 2003 during the Opération release of Iraq the greatest parachuting of attack since the war of Indo-China with the 173rd Airborne Brigade but this operation was especially an operation of diversion.

has to supplement

Doctrines

The airborne operations of the Second world war until Kolwezi bring some principal elements to the doctrines of the use of airborne troops:

  • need for the surprise;
  • need for the collection of the best possible information before the action;
  • the precise definition of clearly limited objectives, at the same time in space and time (of the light troops being able only with difficulty to resist a counter-offensive of scale, they are there to only seize the objective and to preserve it little time before the arrival large the troops);
  • a dropping close to these objectives, and more concentrated possible, at the same time in time (in once: carpet of troops , or on less the ways possible) and in space (to avoid the dispersion of the units, the disastrous loss of material to the units of US Army in Normandy);
  • a good general coordination.

The airborne operations allow, by the use of shock troops, to seize objectives limited and to hold them vis-a-vis the enemy. However, these troops light, are even transported by air (sailplanes or planes landing); their impact is thus primarily related to the effect of surprise, and their resistance cannot last in time without a fast support of heavy elements. The difficult withdrawal is also a limit compared to the operations amphibians.

Some famous Paras

  • the commander Sauvagnac, French precursor of the use of parachutists, with the Berger captain who convainquit de Gaulle to create companies of infantry of the air in September 1940; whose 601° and 602°encêtre of the commandos parachutists of the air created for pacification in Algeria by the Maricourt General at the request of the General of Gaulle.Leur first owner was the Commander François Coulet, named L/Col replaced by Lt/Col Emery in 1960 because it was not agreement with the General on the action to be taken in Algérie.Le first commando created was the CPA 10 pennies the orders of the cne Meyer deceased in 2006 with the guard of general.

  • the colonel Frederic Geille was, as captain, the first in France with becoming instructor of parachuting at the conclusion of a training course carried out in Soviet Union in 1935. On its return, it was at the origin of the companies of infantry of the air force (to which it belonged as fighter pilot) and was charged to organize the first training center of parachutists, the center of instruction of parachuting of the air force, of which it took the command on September 9th, 1935. It was named permanent controller of the technical instruction of parachuting in the futures 601e and 602e group of infantry of the air.
  • the general Falley (91e DA German, killed in an ambush set-up by the paras of the 82 {{E}} Airborne in Normandy in 1944);
  • the general Ridgway (82e Airborne in 1944);
  • the general Massu, French general;
  • the general Bigeard former media chief of police of the 6 {{E}} battalion of colonial parachutists then 3rd regiment of colonial parachutists;
  • Otto Skorzeny, colonel of a unit of Special forces of the S, which was made famous while delivering Benito Mussolini to give it to the capacity of the transitory republic of Salo. It then took part in the Bataille of the mount Cassin.

Airborne units

Units airborne history

Regiments parachutists Belgian

French units parachutists

Army

the 11th BP (11 {{E}} brigade parachutist)

Others

National marine

  • the 5 commandos marinades

Air force

  • the commandos parachutists of air (CPA 10,20 and 30)

National police

Units airborne of the US Army

  • XVIIIe airborne body American
  • 82e American airborne division
  • 101e American airborne division
  • 173rd Airborne Brigade Fights TEAM

Units airborne of the Russian Armed (ex- Red Army)

  • Vozdushno-Desantnye Vojska or VDV
    • the 7th airborne Division
    • 76e Division of air attack
    • 98e airborne Division
    • 106e airborne Division
    • 31e airborne Brigade

See too

External bonds

  • airborne Liste of the operations military of the origins with 2004
  • Normandy Mémoire Spaces Historical: The sector of the airborne troops ''' British '''
  • Normandy Mémoire Spaces Historical: The sector of the airborne troops ''' American '''
  • Personal site on the history of the regiments parachutists Frenchwoman
  • Commandos Parachutists of the Air

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