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sink-me
It's Raining Soldiers
The rain begins! Over Africa and New Guinea and the Solomon Islands,
Yankee paratroopers like this man are pouring out of the skies to establish advance
footholds for the ground forces and seize air bases
By Julian P. Leggett
Major, Air Corps
When American parachute troopers "hit the silk" and floated to earth, then seized
important airfields in North Africa a short time ago, military experts sat back
and said, "I told you so."
For these experts, including commanding generals of various divisions of the
Army Air Forces, had predicted that one of Uncle Sam's most powerful striking forces
would be an air-borne army. And the invasion of Africa provided the occasion for
the first real test of this force.
Not too many details of the North African campaign have been revealed, but hints
of the paratroopers' role in the swift advance from the coast to the very gates
of the Axis' last stronghold on that continent have appeared from time to time in
communiques. Right from the start, it is evident, the paratroopers leaped from aircraft
and quickly encircled a number of landing fields from which the defenders might
have launched warplanes. So rapidly did these Yankee "Commandos of the sky," working
in conjunction with the British, perform their missions, not a single defending
plane rose from the ground. The paratroopers landed from their carrier planes, assembled
their weapons and attacked "on the double." With the airport in their hands, the
Yankee and British forces then waited until fighter and bomber aircraft began to
land and ground troops moved up to relieve the paratroopers.
Looks easy - and at this stage, it is. Before a parachutist makes his
first real jump, he goes through all the motions in a four-foot leap from the open
door of a "mock-up" of a transport plane
This is how a glider pilot cuts loose from his tractor plane, releasing
the tow line when his craft is ready for a glide to earth. Below, beginners get
the feel of parachute and harness before they start the rigorous aerial course at
Fort Benning, Ga.
In the same manner, the paratroopers are employed in the seizure of important
objectives behind the enemy lines. Dropped from the sky in advance of the Allies'
ground forces, they can surprise a small defending unit, then hang on to the objective
until their own men arrive.
Many details must be kept secret concerning the exact size, composition, tactics
and objectives of these commandos of the sky, but it is a safe guess that many an
American attack in the next few months will find them leading the way. Further,
it can be told that in size, equipment and firepower, this air-borne army ultimately
will exceed anything of the kind that the world has ever seen.
This army-on-wings includes more than paratroopers. According to General Henry
H. Arnold, Commanding General, Army Air Forces, it eventually will be composed of
glider pilots and combat troops transported by aircraft, both airplanes and large
gliders, as well as the already famous parachute soldiers. It is contemplated that
the paratroopers frequently will be transported in large airplanes which will tow
troop- and equipment-carrying gliders in battle areas.
In announcing formation of the air-borne force not long ago, General Arnold said:
"Glider pilots and air-borne combat troops will be in the forefront of attacks;
the importance of these swiftly moving fighting teams cannot be over-estimated.
This will be a self-contained force whose soldiers, equipment and supplies all are
transported by air. It will be able to strike the enemy where he is least prepared."
Tactical training of the aerial commandos for lightning offensive action has
been in progress for many months at a number of stations, which were set up to augment
preliminary and advanced glider pilot schools and paratroop training establishments.
Upon graduation, the new glider pilots join other units of the air-borne" army forces
at the tactical stations to complete their training coordination with the combat
groups.
One a second, they pour into the sky while the jump-master stands by
watchfully. Boots of one paratrooper are still visible outside the door as the next
man is halfway out. Notice ripcords still attached to cable
Marine paratroopers training at a Naval Air Station hook ripcords to
cable and are ready for the plunge
Three big army transport planes pour out chutists in an aerial parade,
precise as if hung from one string
The Yankee Commandos of the air are forming a huge glider army, too.
Here air-borne troops leap from glider to attack
Reactions of student paratrooper are tested on tower from which jumper
falls for 20 feet before harness checks him
When formation of this force was first announced, two complete air-borne divisions
had been organized. These air units included parachutists, transport-borne troops
and glider-riding soldiers - all formed into a powerful striking force similar to
the infantry and with approximately the same fire power.
Of the various phases of this program, which has progressed with even greater
speed than its creators had anticipated, the glider development is the newest, as
well as the fastest-moving. Not many months ago, the glider had no place in the
American air forces; few glider pilots were to be found among the nation's flying
officers. But the picture has changed at a dizzy rate. Its outlines had been laid
prior to the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese and today every detail is in sharp
focus. Hundreds of pilots have been trained and hundreds more are in training; many
gliders have been built and hundreds more are in the building. Even the actual size
of the glider has been increasing. First, there were only one- and two-place ships,
useful only for training purposes. Next came a glider capable of carrying nine fighting
men of average weight; needless to say, it could be employed to advantage in transporting
soldiers. Latest of the gliders to be announced is a 15-place ship; not only will
it carry 15 aerial Commandos, but its weight-carrying ability is sufficient for
transporting certain equipment as well.
Parachutes are still billowing on the ground as the troopers from the
sky consolidate quickly into fighting teams, seize the equipment and supplies dropped
with them, and rush into position. Below, air-borne infantry march up the ramp to
board a Curtiss "Commando," the C-46. This twin-engine cargo plane is one of the
largest aircraft in the world, being mass-produced for the Army Air Forces for transport
service
Marines watch the terrain as they come in for a landing. Their transport
plane carries a new type midget car and a 37-millimeter antitank gun
And beyond the 15-place glider probably are ships of still greater capacity.
Dispatches from the fighting fronts have told of German gliders large enough to
transport "baby" tanks, five- or six-ton machines, in all likelihood. American engineers
have not even hinted that any of their efforts may be pointed in this direction;
the practicability of moving tanks of any size by this means may be questioned.
But it is a safe bet that if "super-gliders" can be used to advantage, Uncle
Sam's engineers will provide them and they'll outperform anything the enemy can
produce.
General Arnold further revealed that that the air-borne army is being equipped
to perform missions of the now-familiar British Commando type. One phase of this
development is the working out of some means by which army airplanes, while in flight,
can pick up gliders from the ground. One has only to exercise the imagination a
bit to realize the usefulness of such a development. It can be accomplished by a
hook, which extends from the airplane in a downward direction, for engaging a pick-up
device, similar to that used in airplane mail pickup service. Attached to the pick-up
device is the tow line of the glider. Making the connection and hauling the glider
into the air is only a matter of seconds, in contrast to the amount of time required
for landing the plane, making the tow line connection and then getting both the
airplane and the glider into the air. Too frequently, there is insufficient space
for an airplane to land or take off, yet enough for the glider to be lifted into
the air by means of this pickup system.
A circle of parachute students hook on to the practice "flyaway" chute
at naval air station
Of more appeal to the imagination of the layman is the parachutist's role in
the aerial Commando force. Youth's never-ending quest for thrills is fully satisfied
in the paratrooper's daily routine. Using newly developed equipment and launching
technique, the 'chute troops drop from carrier aircraft at a rate of one per second;
then additional supplies of ammunition, guns, food and water can be dropped at will
in aerial delivery containers developed and tested at Wright Field. Leaping, one
after another, in a form of split-second aerial marching, the paratroopers land
with almost uncanny precision on a predetermined area adjacent to a military objective.
Often this is accomplished with. no more than a few hundred feet of altitude in
which to clear the carrier plane, open the 'chutes fully and maneuver them to the
landing area.
Speed, surprise and controlled mobility are attained only after long, hard periods
of practice formation jumps with full field equipment. After a period of learning
how to pack his own parachute - highly important because his very life depends upon
his skill - the student is physically conditioned for the rough-and-tumble work
of parachute jumping. He is given 30 minutes of "double time" - twice the regular
marching rate - each day, plus morning exercises which strengthen and toughen him
for the job ahead. Next he places a dummy parachute on his back, to get the feel
of it, and practices "landing" from a dummy airplane on the ground; he slides down
an inclined beam on a suspended harness which releases him above the ground, thus
accustoming him to landing from a height. Next, the student learns to tumble and
fall correctly so as to avoid fractures or sprains; also how to come to his feet
instantly after landing. He climbs ropes hand-over-hand and is taught balance and
coordination.
The drag line from a tractor plane has hooked a tow-line and in a few
seconds will pull glider into air
Tower training is the next phase and here the student's reaction to "falling
free" through the air for 20 feet are noted before he is allowed to descend from
a 25-foot tower. First, he makes a controlled jump, with wires guiding his 'chute
safely to earth, and then a "free" jump, in which the 'chute floats to earth with
no control other than the student's manipulation of the shroud lines.
The fourth, and final phase is actual jumping. The student makes five classification
jumps and must participate in at least two mass jumps of 12 men each. During this
phase, the men are graded on their work. If the student declines to go aloft or
to jump, he is disqualified. The paratroopers are volunteers.
Signaling with the "biscuit gun" at a glider school
Defenders were too quick for paratroopers in this army game and a chutist
is stopped by a rifle behind his back as he lands in North Carolina below the exact
spot
Knowing how to handle a wind-filled parachute after landing will save
bruises and broken bones. Trick is to spill air immediately on landing
Of his work a paratroop officer said recently:
""In our Army, a parachutist is not one who merely parachutes. Parachuting is
a great sport. The tedious preparation preceding the actual descent comes closer
to being work. We parachutists are fanatically fond of our particular branch of
the service; there has grown up among us a bond which the layman probably wouldn't
understand."
Only a few short years ago, a handful of infantry officers and enlisted men gathered
at Fort Benning, Ga., to form the nucleus of the first parachute group. Today, almost
below the exact spot where these inexperienced but willing pioneers first stepped
to the open door of their airplane and jumped out into "nothing," a huge parachute
school is in operation, training paratroopers by the hundreds for Uncle Sam's powerful
aerial army.
But what about the danger? That is a question that the layman poses frequently,
but one easy to answer. Fort Benning records show that in two years of training,
approximately 100,000 jumps were made with only three fatalities - all the result
of mistakes made by the men. And that record is better than most sports - baseball,
football and basketball - can boast.
It's apparent that the paratroopers themselves think little of that side of their
job. Not long ago, a group of these aerial commandos participated in a large-scale
mock invasion of an airport. On the transport carrying them to the "jumping off
place," there was a marked absence of glumness; in contrast, they devoured oranges
and cookies, cracked jokes and ribbed one or two of their group about landing on
tree stumps or in a lake.
This same group had double-timed for two miles the day before in a bit of "warming
up." And the day before that, they had marched 35 miles in less than eight hours
at night under blackout conditions while carrying complete equipment.
Jumping from their aircraft and landing in a particular area is far from being
the paratrooper's entire job. They are specialists of the first order, being trained
in aerial photography, map reading, radio communication, compass orientation and
the use of virtually every type of weapon, from the Garand automatic rifle to the
trench mortar. And they know how to use some new - and still secret - weapons.
Being of the Commando type, the paratrooper also is taught how to operate all
kinds of vehicles - armored equipment, trucks and motorcycles - as well as railroad
trains. Such knowledge may be highly valuable in enemy territory. All this training,
plus careful planning of each particular mission, makes the paratrooper one of the
deadliest fighting men on earth.
Then there are the air-borne troops in this aerial striking force. They are transported
to destination by glider and airplane, following closely on the heels of the paratroopers
whose job it is to seize an airport where the aircraft may land. Their training
is directed upon the importance of swift loading and unloading of their planes.
One of the latest airplanes useful for this purpose is the Curtiss C-46, the Commando,
which is capable of carrying some 50 men with full equipment. The Commando has a
wide side door through which a jeep or a large gun can be loaded.
This, then, is the force which our military experts are confident will prove
one of the most important in America's scheme of attack leading to victory.
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