First Paratroopers

[Joseph D'Errico]

Hi Guys

Would someone please help settle a question for me Which country had the first Paratroopers,not the first to see action.........who had the first idea.

Thank you in advance

Best,
Joe

PS I know this is a silly question

[Eric Queen]

The concept of the parachute dates back to da Vinci's time. The first country to realize the military applications of the parachute, and create an organized military force based on this idea, were the Russians.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Joe, the Italian Army experimented with paratroops as early as 1927, but generally it is accepted that the Red Army were the first country to have an airborne force proper. Throughout the early 1930's more and more men were trained and by 1936 a battalion had been dropped en masse.


Cheers, Ade.

[Joseph D'Errico]

Thanks Guys,

@ Eric ,Hmmmm..........I thought it was Colonel "Billy Mitchell" for the US in 1918 he devised a plan to drop Paratroopers into Metz ,but the Armistance was signed Then the Russians in 1936ish in Kiev. The French in 1939 (Why didn't they use them ?)

The Italians experemented I'm Italian, what does that mean "Put this on and out you go, we need to see what happens and beside if you don't do it we will kick your arse"

Best,
Joe

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Joe, like many countries, the USA had ideas "on paper" about paratroops, but nothing actually came out of it until 1940.

I like the Italian example


Cheers, Ade.

[Joseph D'Errico]

Hi Joe, like many countries, the USA had ideas "on paper" about paratroops, but nothing actually came out of it until 1940.

I like the Italian example


Cheers, Ade.

Thanks Ade,

Looks like I am buying the beers tonight, I was wrong.At least I own the place so it won't cost me too much

Best,
Joe

[Tim R. B.]

My understanding is the Russians were the first, the Germans visited Russia and viewed their paratroops and adopted the idea, except the practice of Russian paratroops who climbed out of the aircraft and slid off the wings. Tim.

[Joseph D'Errico]

Thanks Tim,

Yep..........no way around it, I buying tonight

Best,
Joe

[MJC]

Did the Russians have the opportunity to deploy parachutists by air during the war? Sorry if this is a silly question, but my Sierra Nevada soaked brain can't think of an example!

Cheers! Mike

P.S. I was surprised to learn that the Japanese launched a defensive parachute action on Okinawa in May of '45. Most planes shot from the sky, but how ambitious and optimistic were they!

[John Hodgin]

I agree with all that has been said. Yes, General Mitchell did conceive of airborne operations during WW I but it was really not practical at the time. And though the Russians were first, I condsider the Italians first to really develop sound equipment and technique, this may be a bias on my part.

And it's also my bias that the Japanese produced the finest airborne parachute of WW II. The harness and buckles are advanced, well made, and beautiful; always made me wonder why their rifles look so crude. Though a chrome bore is advanced too.

[Wolffen]

To expand the Question a bit who invented the parachute usually it is attributed to the invites for France in 1700 and Slovaks in 1903 but actual inventor after Vici’s idea was Faust Vrancic he was a father of suspension bridge as well(Croatian). Think Italians or Austirans used Fjs 1st


http://www.hr/darko/etf/et22.html

This site allot of interesting info also the inventor of torpedo, airship, ink pen and patent for maglite flashlight, scientific dactyloscopy (identification by fingerprints) were all Croatian<O</O

<O</O

[Gerry Cummins]

Mike,

I did a quick look in David M. Glantz's book, A History of Soviet Airborne Forces ( ISBN 0714634832 ) and it appears that the USSR conducted dozens of battalion and brigade size assaults between 1941 and 1945, but that none of them had any strategic value whatsoever. Most seem to have been conducted to place small groups of paratroopers in German rear areas to conduct partisan operations. As you might expect, the Soviets suffered horrific losses by piecemealing their airborne forces in this manner.

Gerry

[StevenO]

Gerry, that's more or less what I found too. As I understood it, the Russians were the first to really build up an airborne force. During the 30's a lot of jump schools opened throughout Russia, most important ones were those of Moscow and Maly-Viazama. The first French paratropers were formed there in 1938. During the Red army war-games of 1935, 1200 paratropers were dropped into or close to Kiev. In 1938 the Russians had 6 brigades, for a total of 18 000 paratroopers.

The main reason they were not used or bad used during the war is the same reason why the whole Russian army was caught with their pants on their knees in 1941. The creators, the officers that were the backbone of the airborne brigades were for the most of them put against the wall by Stalin just before the war.

Mike,

I did a quick look in David M. Glantz's book, A History of Soviet Airborne Forces ( ISBN 0714634832 ) and it appears that the USSR conducted dozens of battalion and brigade size assaults between 1941 and 1945, but that none of them had any strategic value whatsoever. Most seem to have been conducted to place small groups of paratroopers in German rear areas to conduct partisan operations. As you might expect, the Soviets suffered horrific losses by piecemealing their airborne forces in this manner.

Gerry