After
World War I, General Billy Mitchell introduced the concept of parachuting troops into combat. At Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, six soldiers successfully demonstrated his concept. Within three minutes of being dropped from a Martin Bomber, they landed safely, had their weapons assembled and were ready for action.
At first the U.S. did not embrace the concept. However, observers from Russia and Germany were impressed with the demonstration and quickly made plans to incorporate what they saw into their military organizations.
In
August 1930, at Veronezh, Russia, Soviet paratroopers participated in maneuvers for the first time. They gave a repeat performance in Moscow a month later.
The
German development of their airborne forces was so effective, that at the start of World War II, parachute troops were used in spearhead assaults.
After witnessing the success of the German airborne troops in the invasion of the Low Countries, U.S. military branches began an all-out effort to develop this new form of warfare. In April 1940, the War Department approved plans for the formation of a test platoon of Airborne Infantry. This platoon would form, equip, and train under the direction and control of the Army's Infantry Board. Formation of a test platoon of volunteers from Fort Benning's 29th Infantry Regiment was ordered in June. In July, the task of organizing the platoon began. First Lieutenant William T. Ryder from the 29th Infantry Regiment volunteered and was designated Platoon Leader. Lieutenant James A. Bassett was designated Assistant Platoon Leader. Based on high standards of health and rugged physical characteristics, forty-eight enlisted men were selected from a pool of 200 volunteers. The platoon moved into tents near Lawson Field, and an abandoned hanger was obtained for use as a training hall and for parachute packing.
Within three weeks of their organization, the platoon was moved to Hightstown, New Jersey. There they trained on 250-foot high parachute drop towers that had been used during the New York World's Fair. This training was very effective. It also gave the troopers confidence that their parachutes would function safely. The Army was so impressed with the tower drops that two were purchased and erected at Fort Benning on what is now Eubanks Field. Later, two more were added. Three of the original four towers are still in use training paratroopers at Fort Benning.
On August 16, less than forty-five days after organization, the first jump from an aircraft in flight by members of the test platoon was made. They were dropped from a Douglas B-18 over Lawson Field. Before the drop, the platoon held a lottery to determine who would follow Lieutenant Ryder out of the airplane. Private William N. (Red) King became the first enlisted man to make an official jump as a paratrooper in the United States Army. On August 29, at Lawson Field, the
platoon made the first platoon mass jump held in the United States.
The first parachute combat unit to be organized was the 501st Parachute Battalion. Major William M. Miley commanded the battalion. Miley later achieved the rank of Major General and was Commander of the 17th Airborne Division in which the original test platoon members formed the battalion cadre. The traditional paratrooper cry "GERONIMO" was originated in the 501st by Private Aubrey Eberhart to prove to a friend that he had full control of his faculties when he jumped. That cry was adopted by the 501st and has been widely used by paratroopers since then.
The 502nd Parachute Infantry Battalion was activated on July 1, 1941. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William C. Lee and had men from the 501st as cadre. The 502nd was far below strength so 172 prospective troopers from the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina were needed. The response to Lieutenant Colonel Lee's call for volunteers was startling; more than 400 men volunteered. Among the volunteers were many noncommissioned officers who were willing to take a reduction in rank to transfer to the new battalion.
On October 12, 1941, airborne experimentation of another type was initiated. The Army's first Glider Infantry battalion (officially designated as the 88th Glider Infantry Battalion) was activated. Lieutenant Colonel Elbridge G. Chapman, Jr commanded the battalion. Chapman later became a Major General and commanded the 13th Airborne Division.
Through the years, several types of headgear insignia have been worn by parachute and glider organizations. An insignia peculiar to the Airborne was not authorized until 1949 and did not appear in Army Regulations until 1956. The insignia approximately 2 ΒΌ inches overall, consists of a white parachute and glider on a blue disk with a red border.
In December 1943, the all black 555th Parachute Infantry Company, later redesignated Company A, 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (remembered by many as the "Triple Nickel"), arrived at For Benning for airborne training. This training marked a significant milestone for black Americans in the combat arms. The first troops in the unit were volunteers from the all black 92nd Infantry Division stations at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. After proving their skills, the battalion was not sent overseas, but was deployed to the western United States for "Operation Firefly," dropping in to fight forest fires set by Japanese incendiary balloons in the Pacific Northwest. During this mission, the 555th earned the nickname the "Smoke Jumpers." In 1948, after full integration of the Armed Forces was finally effected, black Americans were finally given their full rights as American combat paratroopers. They made their first combat jump, while attached to the 187th Regimental Combat Team, during the Korean War.
On December 14, 1973, another milestone in Airborne history was established when Privates Joyce Kutsch and Rita Johnson became the first women to graduate from the Basic Airborne Course. Following graduation from a modified, but rigorous, airborne course, the two women successfully completed the U.S. Army Quartermaster School Parachute Rigger Course and were assigned to Aerial Delivery Companies at Fort Bragg. Since then, women do not attend a modified airborne course but complete the full course and meet the same standards as their male counterparts.
Airborne unit combat records tell stories of extreme valor. From the first combat jump during World War II in North Africa, paratroopers have fought with a spirit, determination, and tenacity that captured the respect of the world.
Although the road to the development and commencement of airborne combat was paved by the Army, airborne units have spread throughout all four branches of the United States Military and have become a vital part of our nation's defense.
"Perhaps no military development has been so revolutionary as the employment of paratroopers. Certainly, none has been so spectacular!"
