The Airborne Times
Jumping Tactical Nukes
Anybody ever jump with a nuke between their legs?Talk about “back in my day” material.Specially trained Green Berets were assigned to Green Light Teams. Their purpose was to clandestinely deploy...
Jumping Tactical Nukes
Anybody ever jump with a nuke between their legs?Talk about “back in my day” material.Specially trained Green Berets were assigned to Green Light Teams. Their purpose was to clandestinely deploy in NATO or Warsaw Pact countries and detonate their SADMs in a conflict with the Soviets. The Pentagon later included...
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How the Modern Backpack Parachute Came to Be (P...
Gleb Kotelnikov was a Russian inventor who is credited with creating the first modern backpack parachute. Kotelnikov's parachute was designed to be worn on the back, unlike earlier parachutes which...
How the Modern Backpack Parachute Came to Be (Part 1)
Gleb Kotelnikov was a Russian inventor who is credited with creating the first modern backpack parachute. Kotelnikov's parachute was designed to be worn on the back, unlike earlier parachutes which were much larger and had to be carried by the user. Kotelnikov's design was smaller and more compact, making it...
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The History of U.S. Army Fitness Testing
The U.S. Army has continually experimented with and implemented different physical fitness tests since WWII based on the 'last war.' Performance in combat meant there was scientific data in which...
The History of U.S. Army Fitness Testing
The U.S. Army has continually experimented with and implemented different physical fitness tests since WWII based on the 'last war.' Performance in combat meant there was scientific data in which the Army could measure how fitting were these tests in preparing soldiers for war. Though there was mixed feedback on...
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From Bragg to Liberty: The Redesignation of For...
Fort Bragg is one of the most famous and largest military bases globally. Most people are aware that it houses significant commands, such as the U.S. Army Forces Command addition...
From Bragg to Liberty: The Redesignation of Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg is one of the most famous and largest military bases globally. Most people are aware that it houses significant commands, such as the U.S. Army Forces Command addition to housing many major commands and various units. However, everyone knows that it is home to the Mighty 82nd Airborne...
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The Raid on Los Banos
Under the cover of the dark, before sunrise, on Feb. 23rd, 1945, the U.S. 11th Airborne paratroopers waited to launch a daring surprise attack and rescue on the Los Banos...
The Raid on Los Banos
Under the cover of the dark, before sunrise, on Feb. 23rd, 1945, the U.S. 11th Airborne paratroopers waited to launch a daring surprise attack and rescue on the Los Banos Japanese war camp in conjunction with Filipino guerillas. 2,148 civilian prisoners at the camp, most of them American and European...
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Operation Market Garden: A Bridge Too Far
As one of the largest operations in history containing joined Allied operations, Operation Market-Garden was conducted in hopes of ending the war before the holidays hit. However, unfortunately—as we all...
Operation Market Garden: A Bridge Too Far
As one of the largest operations in history containing joined Allied operations, Operation Market-Garden was conducted in hopes of ending the war before the holidays hit. However, unfortunately—as we all know now, this date was only a dream, one that would never come to be. Late in 1944, deep into...
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Operation Alamo: 503rd Landing At Nadzab
As the first American airborne unit to operate in the Pacific, Operation Alamo was carried out by a team nicknamed "The Rock." As a successfully unopposed mission near Nadzab, New...
Operation Alamo: 503rd Landing At Nadzab
As the first American airborne unit to operate in the Pacific, Operation Alamo was carried out by a team nicknamed "The Rock." As a successfully unopposed mission near Nadzab, New Guinea, the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment opened the floodgates to allow the Australian infantry forces to seize the necessary airfields...
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Operation Dragoon: The 1st Airborne Task Force ...
Having joined together a powerful alliance of several battalions, Operation Dragoon was set to invade southern France on August 15, 1944. Limited to only a few days of training before...
Operation Dragoon: The 1st Airborne Task Force (ABTF) Jumps Into France
Having joined together a powerful alliance of several battalions, Operation Dragoon was set to invade southern France on August 15, 1944. Limited to only a few days of training before the big day, the Allies worked to mobilize and configure a vast team of 10,000 airborne troops, set to jump...
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Operation Husky: The 505th Brave The Storm Into...
From one battle to the next, the leading Allied powers—the US and Great Britain—went from winning in the North African Campaign to looking to occupied Europe, strategizing on how to...
Operation Husky: The 505th Brave The Storm Into Sicily
From one battle to the next, the leading Allied powers—the US and Great Britain—went from winning in the North African Campaign to looking to occupied Europe, strategizing on how to finally take down Nazi Germany. With a joint invasion, the Allies hoped that targeting Italy and causing a diversion to...
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Operation Table Tennis: The 503rd Jumps Into Ne...
On Independence Day, many years after the Revolutionary War took place, Colonel George M. Jones of the 503rd Parachute Infantry found himself and his crew in the midst of battle....
Operation Table Tennis: The 503rd Jumps Into New Guinea
On Independence Day, many years after the Revolutionary War took place, Colonel George M. Jones of the 503rd Parachute Infantry found himself and his crew in the midst of battle. However, this time, it was in World War II, many days after the nation signed the Declaration of Independence, and...
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THE BATTLE FOR MUSA QALA
𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝟽𝘵𝘩, 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟽. That evening some 600 American paratroopers from the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division were airlifted to the north of the town in Chinooks and Blackhawks escorted...
THE BATTLE FOR MUSA QALA
𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝟽𝘵𝘩, 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟽. That evening some 600 American paratroopers from the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division were airlifted to the north of the town in Chinooks and Blackhawks escorted by Apache Helicopters, 19 helicopters in total. During the night the paratroopers fought through the Taliban defensive trenches to clear...
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PARAMARINES
The Paramarines were a short-lived specialized combat unit of the United States Marine Corps, trained to be dropped from planes by parachute to capture critical points like airfields and conduct...
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PARAMARINES
The Paramarines were a short-lived specialized combat unit of the United States Marine Corps, trained to be dropped from planes by parachute to capture critical points like airfields and conduct reconnaissance. Though like all Airborne forces, though it will never be admitted, the Paramarines would have to rely on follow...
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A Brief History Of Glider Infantry In World War II
A revolutionary development in the realm of airborne forces, glider infantry were first introduced to warfare by the Germans in World War II. This innovative method of inserting soldiers and...
A Brief History Of Glider Infantry In World War II
A revolutionary development in the realm of airborne forces, glider infantry were first introduced to warfare by the Germans in World War II. This innovative method of inserting soldiers and their heavy equipment into enemy-controlled territory proved to be a crucial development for the war and the use of glider...
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Airborne Equipment: The Rupert
As part of the massive deception campaign waged by the Allies during the lead up to D-Day, Operation Titanic saw the use of this funny little fellow. The main force...
Airborne Equipment: The Rupert
As part of the massive deception campaign waged by the Allies during the lead up to D-Day, Operation Titanic saw the use of this funny little fellow. The main force of Operation Titanic dropped some 400 dummy paratroopers, nicknamed "Ruperts", in four drop zones around Normandy. The manikins had pyrotechnic...
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Airborne Equipment: The Welbike
The Welbike. It didn't have suspension or mudguards and had only one brake in the rear. An underpowered engine that could hardly carry a fully loaded soldier, and tiny wheels...
Airborne Equipment: The Welbike
The Welbike. It didn't have suspension or mudguards and had only one brake in the rear. An underpowered engine that could hardly carry a fully loaded soldier, and tiny wheels that struggled with the rough terrain. After the container was been dropped, the paratrooper had to find and then make...
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Operation Just Cause
Operation Just Cause: In the early morning hours of 20 December 1989, the entire 75th Ranger Regiment, followed by the reinforced Division Ready Brigade of the 82nd, conducted combat jumps to...
Operation Just Cause
Operation Just Cause: In the early morning hours of 20 December 1989, the entire 75th Ranger Regiment, followed by the reinforced Division Ready Brigade of the 82nd, conducted combat jumps to secure the Rio Hato and Torrijos-Tecumen airports in Panama. This marked the first and only combat parachute deployment of the...
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A Brief History of Paratroopers in World War II
It was a wild idea from Lewis H. Brereton. Drop-in American troops to the German city of Metz by way of a parachute from a bomber plane. World War I...
A Brief History of Paratroopers in World War II
It was a wild idea from Lewis H. Brereton. Drop-in American troops to the German city of Metz by way of a parachute from a bomber plane. World War I was in its final days and Lieutenant Colonel Brereton brought his idea to Brig. General Billy Mitchell. Up until then,...
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Rescuing The Wounded
On March 16th, 1966, as a medic assigned to the Recon Platoon HQ CO, 1st Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Specialist Alfred V. Rascon was maneuvering...
Rescuing The Wounded
On March 16th, 1966, as a medic assigned to the Recon Platoon HQ CO, 1st Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Specialist Alfred V. Rascon was maneuvering to help reinforce their sister battalion who was under pretty intense enemy fire, the Recon element also became a target....
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