Gliders were specifically chosen as they could be brought on to the 'LZ' in virtual silence. Every soldier involved in the operation against the Fort was apparently sworn to secrecy on penalty of death. There is a story of a Major Reinberger who almost compromised the overall operation by being in an aircraft that was forced down by weather in a Belgium farm field while he was in possession of secret orders.....although the specifics of the glider assault on the Fort was not contained in any written orders.
Picture of the day
- Thread starter jwhc
- Start date
Gliders were specifically chosen as they could be brought on to the 'LZ' in virtual silence. Every soldier involved in the operation against the Fort was apparently sworn to secrecy on penalty of death. There is a story of a Major Reinberger who almost compromised the overall operation by being in an aircraft that was forced down by weather in a Belgium farm field while he was in possession of secret orders.....although the specifics of the glider assault on the Fort was not contained in any written orders.
And the wartime US para kit was much more controllable and safer than the German stuff. That's a lot of trust to put in one lil' steel ring:
Still, must have worked well enough. Here, some lads take a break from negating the military usefulness of Fort Eban-Emael:
Those single point attachment parachutes look absolutely terrifying. But it worked well enough, I suppose.
Here's what a mass drop looks like now. Usually they use the HAHO/HALO jump videos for the recruiting videos - much more exciting looking - but that's only done by the special operations guys.
Mass drops are still static line:
Not sure when the last time anyone did a large scale combat drop... The Falklands? Anyone done it since?
Kampfhamster
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Switzerland
The french used it to deploy troops in Mali a few years ago, but I don't know on a how large scale.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
"OK, so we all have our story straight for the Lieutenant, yeah? One more time. We were just driving along..."
There were a few. One in Afganistan and another in Iraq. Read about them here:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/airborne4.htm
And technically, there was no large drop into the Falklands. The paras landed by boat.
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Wow! From 5:17 onward, looks like a walk in the park, not a care in the world!
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Some folks might not realize that a lot of those guys WWll vintage never knew what it was like to actually land in a plane...they took off in one frequently...just never landed in one!
Some folks might not realize that a lot of those guys WWll vintage never knew what it was like to actually land in a plane...they took off in one frequently...just never landed in one!
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
German Paras take a break in Crete:
It seems to be the lot of soldiers to be hungry and tired. We ask a lot of them, no matter what country they serve.
It seems to be the lot of soldiers to be hungry and tired. We ask a lot of them, no matter what country they serve.
Some folks might not realize that a lot of those guys WWll vintage never knew what it was like to actually land in a plane...they took off in one frequently...just never landed in one![/QUOTE]
Very true and for some of them it was their first time in an aircraft.
My old sky diving buddy Pete Spencer made his first jump out of an aircraft in the DDay invasion. He had mock tower training only before the big one. Quite an experience for a teenager. Some of the earlier guys in the program got some aircraft jumps in preparation but there wasn't time and resources available for them all.
Very true and for some of them it was their first time in an aircraft.
My old sky diving buddy Pete Spencer made his first jump out of an aircraft in the DDay invasion. He had mock tower training only before the big one. Quite an experience for a teenager. Some of the earlier guys in the program got some aircraft jumps in preparation but there wasn't time and resources available for them all.
- Location
- On the beach
When the jump door on a C17 opens that small "wing" beside the door opens outward to divert the wind/turbulence away from the jumper.
What you see here is a rare view inside of an actual can of whoop ass.
