The first 50 years of the US Army airborne arm is a story of continuing battles with the nation's enemies, of battles within the Army's hierarchy, of change, and of adaptation. If there is any single attribute the airborne soldier can claim as his most sterling, it is his uncanny ability to adapt – his flexibility. The very nature of a paratrooper demands this ability to adapt. The motivation and ésprit de corps it develops within these units is something not to be taken lightly. The first class pairing of Gordon L. Rottman and Ron Volstad bring to life the history of these remarkable troops.
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Publisher: Osprey Publishing Pub. Date: 27th September 1990 Catalog: Book Media: Paperback Number Of Pages: 64 Ean: 9780850459487 Isbn: 0850459486
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A fine general history of American paras (008) ~ Written on Jun 18, 2006. 3 out of 3 users found this review helpful.
I had read a fair bit on the German airborne arm, the legendary Fallschirmjägers, but I had read very little on the American version until this book by Gordon Rottman. It contained a number of surprises for me, first and foremost the debt owed to the famous Billy Mitchell. In October 1918, as a Colonel in the US Army, he put forward the plan to train the US 1st division in parachuting techniques, and to be dropped behind German lines by heavy bombers as part of the planned 1919 Spring offensive. The end of the war in November 1918 put paid to this plan, however the seeds were planted for the future. Colonel Mitchell had the forward looking idea to supply these men by air-dropping supplies, and using ground attack aircraft to prevent German use of approach roads to the drop zones, enabling the 1st US division to fortify their bases.
It was Mitchell again, now a Brigadier General, who conducted the first US Army airborne experiment, on 29.4.28. He had three volunteers from the 2nd Division parachute onto Kelly Field in San Antonio Texas, where they set up and fired a machine gun as part of the demonstration. Progress was slow, however, and it was not until 1933 before an entire battalion was air-lifted. With the stunning success of the German parachute, glider and air-landed troops at the start of the campaign in the West in 1940, the Army activated it's first parachute unit, the Parachute Test Platoon, on 25.6.40. On 16.9.40, the first US Army parachute battalion was activated, the 501st Parachute Battalion. The Army Air Corp began glider trials in July 1941, and the book describes the wrangling within the Army about the structure and function of the airborne units, leading up to the declaration of war on 8.12.41
The book then runs through the creation and formation of the various US Army and Air Corp airborne units, the success' and failures of these units in North Africa, Sicily and the Pacific, leading up to D-Day and Market Garden, followed by the Ardennes and through to Germany's surrender on 8.5.45. Next comes the years after the war, followed by Korea, Vietnam and beyond. The photographs are excellent, and as usual, Ron Volstadt has provided high quality colour plates. A great book for the casual and dedicated reader of military matters.
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