Evolution Of Airborne Operations 1939 1945

The development of air transport in the early 20th Century led military strategists to examine the concept of inserting light infantry at key points behind enemy lines by air landing and air drop.The Germans were first off-the-mark with assaults in Norway and at Eben Emael in 1940. Crete saw a larger scale attack but while ultimately victorious the cost of men and equipment involved deterred any further Axis operation.The Allies on the other hand developed the concept dramatically with the large scale operation HUSKY in Sicily. While only partially successful there was massive loss of life and aircraft airborne operations were a key, if relatively minor, element of Op OVERLORD The D-Day Invasion.The most famous airborne operation was the large scale but ill-fated MARKET GARDEN. Almost successful the Arnhem battle goes down as a heroic defeat. The culmination of WWII airborne operations was the multi-division Rhine Crossing VARSITY.Expert author and collector Roy Stanley traces the history of airborne landings in words and pictures.

On 10 May 1940 German Fallschirmjäger stormed the Dutch fort of Eben-Emael, south of Maastricht. The brilliantly executed operation was the first signal success by airborne troops in the Second World War and it made the military world sit up and take notice. Improved parachutes and the creation of gliders that could carry troops meant that assault forces could be dropped or landed behind enemy lines. This was a significant new tactic which had a dramatic impact on several of the key campaigns, and it is the subject of Simon and Jonathan Forty’s in-depth, highly illustrated history. They tell the story of the development of airborne forces, how they were trained and equipped, and how they were landed and put into action in every theatre of the global conflict. The results were mixed. German airborne forces were victorious on Crete, but the cost was so great that Hitler vowed never to use them in the same way again. The Allies saw things differently. After Crete they built up elite units who would play important roles in later battles – in Normandy, for example, where the British 6th Airborne Division took vital bridges prior to the D-Day landings. These are just two examples of the many similar operations on the Western and Eastern Fronts and in the Pacific which are covered in this wide-ranging book. It offers the reader a fascinating insight into airborne warfare over seventy years ago.

Classified 'CONFIDENTIAL' post-war publication compiled by the authority of the Army Council, the object of which was to preserve the experience gained during WW2. This is a valuable volume that covers matters not considered in great detail in the main Military series. Very rare in its original printing, with 400 copies issued. Excellent official War Office account of all airborne operations undertaken by the Allies in WW2, including Arnhem, D-Day and Bruneval. The author was best known for his role as commander of the parachute assault on the Merville Battery on D-Day.

In 1939, the U.S. Army had no formal combat formation capable of reaching the battlefield by air. In response to the success of German airborne operations, the U.S. Army formed a small unit of volunteers which was to experiment with airborne equipment and develop techniques. In the span of six years, the fledgling airborne concept expanded from a small platoon of parachute volunteers into five deployed airborne divisions composed of parachute and glider forces with a formal doctrine. This thesis examines the development of the airborne division through its employment in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of Operation, as these theaters employed four of the five U.S. airborne divisions during World War II. The doctrine, organization, and equipment of the airborne division changed significantly from its inception through the end of WWII. Personal influence, lessons learned from combat, and logistical limitations significantly affected the evolution of the airborne division.

This monograph describes the planning and execution of airborne operations by the Army Air Forces in the European Theater during World War II. Intended to serve as a case history of large-scale airborne operations, it seeks to analyze and evaluate them as a basis for doctrine and for the benefit of future planners. Chapters are as follows: (1) The Airborne Invasion of Normandy - Plans and Preparations, including the COSSAC Phase, deployment and training, final preparations, and deception and diversion; (2) The Assault, including various paratroop and glider missions; (3) From Neptune to Market, which focuses on organizational changes, plans and campaigns during the Campaign in France, the planning of Operation Market, and preliminary support operations; (4) Market - The Airborne Invasion of Holland, which includes descriptions of operations in various sections of Holland; (5) Varsity - The Airborne Assault Across the Rhine, including planning, training, security measures, auxiliary air operations, and lift and initial operations of the British Airborne Division, American Paratroops, and American Glider Troops; and (6) Conclusions Regarding Large-Scale Airborne Operations.

This book explores the design and deployment of American airborne tanks from the earliest concepts to their actual use. From their first introduction at the Battle of the Somme in the First World War, tanks proved to be one of the most important military developments in the history of warfare. Such was their influence on the battlefield, both as infantry support and as an armored spearhead, their presence could determine the outcome of any battle. Another significant development during the 1930s was that of airborne forces, with a number of countries experimenting with air-dropped troops. Such a concept offered the possibility of inserting soldiers behind the front lines to sow fear and confusion in the enemy’s rear. However, such troops, parachuting from aircraft, could only be lightly armed, thus limiting their effectiveness. It is understandable, therefore, that much thought was given to the practicalities of airlifting tanks that could be dropped, or deposited, alongside paratroopers. Tanks, though, are heavy, cumbersome vehicles and before there could be any thought of carrying them by air, much lighter models would have to be produced. Charles Roberts’ fascinating book opens with an investigation into the efforts in the 1930s by Britain, the Soviet Union and the USA into the development of, or adaptation of, light tanks for airborne operations. It was, inevitably, the start of the Second World War which accelerated efforts to produce an airborne tank and the means of delivery. The use of conventional powered aircraft to carry the tanks, limited their use to existing airfields which negated their employment with airborne troops landing in the open countryside. Another method of delivery had to be found, and this took the form of the glider, which could be landed in a field behind enemy lines. The combination of light tank and glider made the aim of airborne forces being supported by armor a realistic proposition – and as a result, the 28th Airborne Tank Battalion was born. This detailed and comprehensive study deals with every aspect of design and deployment of American airborne tanks from the earliest concepts to their actual use, by British units, on D-Day and during Operation Varsity, the Rhine crossing.

Beginning with a case study of the greatest airborne operation of the war, the 1944 invasion of Holland, Huston examines the inception, organization, training, equipment, strategies, Allied cooperation, and overall effectiveness of the airborne in the total war effort. Operations in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Southern France, the Pacific, and the Far East are discussed.

During World War II, it quickly became apparent that the physical and tactical demands placed upon paratroopers required men of exceptional stamina, courage and intelligence. To create these soldiers, levels of training were unusually punishing and protracted, and those who came through to take their “wings” were a true elite. The Paratrooper Training Pocket Manual 1939–1945 provides an unusually detailed look into what it took to make a military paratrooper during the Second World War, and how he was then utilized in actions where expected survival might be measured in a matter of days. Using archive material from British, U.S., German and other primary sources—many never before published—this book explains paratrooper theory, training, and practice in detail. The content includes: details of the physical training, instruction in static-line parachute deployment, handling the various types of parachutes and harnesses, landing on dangerous terrain, small-arms handling, airborne deployment of heavier combat equipment, landing in hostile drop zones, tactics in the first minutes of landing, radio comms, and much more. Featuring original manual diagrams and illustrations, plus new introductory text explaining the history and context of airborne warfare, The Paratrooper Training Pocket Manual 1939–1945 provides a detailed insight into the principles and practice of this unique type of combat soldier.