Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

- .~. J , Backbone of airborne assault in past operations and for the new First Allied Airborne Ariuv is the c.-t 7 shown here in invasion formatiou. AIRBORNE ARMY 'THE history of warfare is the chronicle of armies' efforts to turn the enemy's flanks and to protect their 011"11. Defenders trv to anchor their lines at both ends. Attackers keep mancuvcr ing until they somehow envelop the enemy, getting to his side or rear. In this war, air bombardment has been the great new means of getting behind the enemy. Industries, transport svstcms, and supplv depots have been bombed to rubble. Communications lines have been slashed. Land forces have been harried and thrown disastrously off their stride. Now comes a still newer development. a method bv which the enemy's ground troops may be enveloped from a \\"110111' unpredictable quarter-s-vertical envelopment from the air. It is the First Allied Airborne An11\". This tough, spectacular force, organized and commanded bv Lt. Gen. Lewis I I. Brereton, is not to be thought of in terms of past paratroop or airborne operations. It is more than a spearhead. It is an army in el'ery sellSe-a strategic striking unit of enormous pOlver, able to supplv and maintain itself and to function independently against major objectives. Nothing like this army has ever been seen. Allied airborne operations have previously been tactical in nature. Paratroopers and in fan trv, trained by the ground torccs, have been flown in troop carrier planes and gliders to the scene of the battle for quick, specific jobs. To take airfields, perhaps, or knock out artillery positions. Their work. though critic.illv important, has been incidental to larger operations. Once landed, they have fought under command of ground officers and, except for supply or cvacuation, have had no further connection with the air forces. This was Germany's technique, also. The Ccrrnans never organized air troops bevond divisional status and always relied upon the Luftwaffe for transport and supplv. It is realized now that 'Ccnu.mvs carlv airborne successes were Iargelv due to a luck o{ prcparcducxs on the part of her 12 victims. -•'ifffi This has not been the case in Allied airborne assaults. \Iost of these have taken place against stubbornly defended enemy territory. Normandy provided perhaps the most brillian t success of such operations. On D-day th ree fully equipped divisions were landed behind German lines with the set task of seizing and holding the flanks of the Chcrbourg Peninsula while behind them seaborne troops slogged up the beaches to overcome enem~' resistance. General Eisenhower has said that without achievement of this mission the entire assault might have been impossible. Later, in the south of France, paratroops and airborne infantry were used to OCcUPY the high ground overlooking the rocky coves and inlets toward which hundreds of Allied landing craft were steering. These exploits, along with others in Sicily, Italy, ~Iarkham Valley of New Guinea, and elsewhere. surpassed in real effect anv of the vaunted German assaults from the skv and demonst'rated the value and unexplored possibilities of the airborne attack. The First Allied Airborne Army is a logical outgrowth of all this experience. Conceived and planned by Ccncr.il Marshall and General Arnold. this army is a weapon of untold military and psychological power. The projected scope of its activities is enough to make every German start looking under his cot at night. Composition of this army cannot be set forth exactly. but it contains clements of paratroops, airborne infantry. engineers, signals and communications men, and artillery. Supporting the combat forec arc streamlined supply, ordnance and medical units. The air teams consist of troop carrier crews, radio operators, weather experts, maintenance crews, cte. :\ lost of their planes, gliders. and equipment arc prccisclv the same as han: been used heretofore, with C--t7s doing the bulk of the hC;1\'\' dutv. h:om a' personnel standpoint, thi-, nnuv IS the interna- Supplies and paratroop, arc hcing dropped in the photos below during intensive training maneuvers whicl: preceded the hig '\orm;lIlch. drive. • ----
Airborne soldiers. shown here during invasion of southern France, can be m~d IJ\' 1.',\,\\ to win and cousolidatc airheads behind cncmy lines. Here is a survey prepared just before General Brereton's tough, colorful organization invaded the Netherlands By MAL CHARLES 0; FRAZER tion:il set of the Allied :lrIncd forccs, It is cOllljlosnl of both British and Amcric.m airhorne troops and .unncn. plus men of French, Polish and other nationalities, All such cOlnponents arc organizL'd under :1 single COIllm.md .md wi]! operate under th.it cOlnlnand at all tillles, snhject oulv to the needs of Supreme lIcaclqu.ntcrs. J''lc"i. 'hle, capahl~ of striking a nvwhcrc wit]: great energ\, it will function on a hasis of cqualit:, wit h all other field .rrniics. I\'o longer an incidental force, but one h:l\'ing large 5tr:ltegie ohlecti\es of its owu , the .virboruc ,\rllly reselllhles the c.ivnlrv of other w.irx. It is designed for f!:Ish performuucc ruther t],;111 a long. cnduring period in the field. l
Page 1 and 2: ~J 1 AIR FOftCES * OCTOBER 1944
Page 3 and 4: Rendezvous Who Is He? Dear Editor:
Page 5 and 6: [us: ,dlat is tIle AAI'I'DC~ It is
Page 7 and 8: oads and bridges and military imtal
Page 9 and 10: Here's how controllers direct the p
Page 11 and 12: sengcr and courier service in areas
Page 13: GET WISE Here are a few of the easi
Page 17 and 18: Smoke in background is fruin [up.ui
Page 19 and 20: It has pronounced step characterist
Page 21 and 22: TIIC{"II""IIIi; ;lItidc j, till' I/
Page 23 and 24: OCTOBER,1944 The first thing the a\
Page 25 and 26: YOUR ENEMY All ;Iirer;!ft fllillg o
Page 27 and 28: ->",i" .""tJnil'et hj/'- By Col. Do
Page 29 and 30: 28 011 BOll~aiIldk is quicklv unloa
Page 31 and 32: the plane landed, a jccp would driv
Page 33: THE PHiliPPINES DISTANCES SHOWN IN
Page 36 and 37: The economic system of the Philippi
Page 38 and 39: The AAF's homing pigeons are recogn
Page 40 and 41: Our aviation engineers had to fight
Page 42 and 43: ---- technique • -- - --- . RUNWA
Page 44 and 45: High Intensity Controlled Lighting
Page 46 and 47: Attached to a flyer's ear, the Oxim
Page 48 and 49: Automatic Pilot Trainer-A new train
Page 50 and 51: 3 5 7 Surprised by the friendliness
Page 52 and 53: TIM ELY A D V ICE FRO M THE A I R I
Page 54 and 55: R.6 I:>:CJ: the AAF S helicopter, t
Page 56 and 57: SS I. You on the left, Buddy, appea
Page 58 and 59: ever .nrivc at a fir',t ~Iid stut i
Page 60 and 61: p:rinted on the outvi.lc wrt l: ,ih
Page 62 and 63: tanks and truck-borne infantry and
Page 64 and 65:
FIGHTER CONTROL (Colltilltled from
Page 68 and 69:
Property of tDe Library ARMY INDtJS
Page 70 and 71:
For the Record I)e:lr h!Jtlll Rende
Page 72 and 73:
he Allie's into German-held of the
Page 74 and 75:
H Combat may make you Lazy By Maj.
Page 76 and 77:
..... -; ... The results of two yea
Page 78 and 79:
Production charts show the disaster
Page 80 and 81:
all key points of the factory's 3-+
Page 82 and 83:
HE Fortresses T wings to the took o
Page 84 and 85:
';:'4"'~' .~~~c ~)'~ ~J ~~~ ~" . "
Page 86 and 87:
'l'h is was a YClr ago, but these a
Page 88 and 89:
Pulling in His Ne-:I:. Reeelit de,c
Page 90 and 91:
When a radio operator makes a mista
Page 92 and 93:
Lifeline to the US,S R BY HERBERT R
Page 94 and 95:
Ten o'clock of a December morning a
Page 96 and 97:
THE MAN WITH THE PRIVATE BREEZE By
Page 98 and 99:
THE AIR WAR IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFI
Page 100 and 101:
STANDARD FLIGHT INSTRUMENT PANEL E
Page 102 and 103:
It 11c:l!,illg l.ot h sidc
Page 104 and 105:
, , ,CO:-iTI:-iUI:D ]'\o\\', pacbgi
Page 106 and 107:
technique ••• CO]\;Tl:"UED Ne
Page 108 and 109:
INSTRUMENT PANEL (Continued from Pa
Page 110 and 111:
LIFELINE TO THE US S R ( Cout iuucc
Page 112 and 113:
F\lr:RCF'\~CY FOUrp\lr:,\'T luvpcct
Page 114 and 115:
50 COMBAT MAY MAKE YOU LAZY (Contin
Page 116 and 117:
EN of the AAF-including the hundred
Page 118 and 119:
.I In. ]~rhO:S-':cl the'mll-it:IIT
Page 120 and 121:
August 7. Patton kept moving his he
Page 122 and 123:
l'Iiavigation Training En Masse. Th
Page 124 and 125:
"WE arc not going to bubble over wi
Page 126 and 127:
A wood block support; injured legs
Page 128 and 129:
Burma. A Japanese light antiaircraf
Page 130:
~ ~,C"= =~=.~7~~ ---,- .... _._. __
Page 134 and 135:
HOW ,SHARP ARE YOU? A 'hoto Test of
Page 136 and 137:
.. ' Back to the Philippines PART I
Page 138 and 139:
Tacloban strip \\";IS not sC'ITicca
Page 140 and 141:
All Tile Illftl, \\ ,(("d If iii, ,
Page 142 and 143:
:lIe fbttle of Hrit.un. IC\i" intru
Page 144 and 145:
Underground. ,'~ group of worried m
Page 146 and 147:
volunteers between the agcs of II .
Page 148 and 149:
I f By Capt. Greer Williams Air SlI
Page 150 and 151:
Flaming debris (If njllI, ])1]]1:ll
Page 152:
ground fire the pilot should look f
Page 155 and 156:
two weeks: Cincinnati. one week: Pi
Page 157 and 158:
At 5.000 fed. the pilot opened the
Page 159 and 160:
cardboard bombs on their choice of
Page 161 and 162:
turn to Traffic Scction, Crcnicr Fi
Page 163 and 164:
Oil refineries arc gooel targets, T
Page 165 and 166:
Tile air campaign to choke off fuel
Page 167 and 168:
fallen into Allied hands, thus maki
Page 169 and 170:
Hamburg i lPolilz IMagdeburg 1 I r
Page 171 and 172:
He's the guy who holds the life of
Page 174 and 175:
:::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::
Page 176 and 177:
:::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::
Page 178 and 179:
46 V4ba\'s vnong V4itbtbis pictUfe1
Page 180 and 181:
:::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::
Page 182 and 183:
j ._3 Thirteen days after the 13th
Page 184 and 185:
THE ABC OF D-DAY When an invasion i
Page 186 and 187:
By all AIR F( )RCl-: ()\"t'rsc;/s S
Page 188 and 189:
The fighters called for help and th
Page 190 and 191:
A jeep, laden with leftover explosi
Page 192 and 193:
THE ABC OF D-DAY t Cont inu.xl [r o
Page 194 and 195:
By Capt. E. E. Churchill co, isu. A
Page 196 and 197:
- ~ --'fftJMlGa ~II.I - , • - '--
Page 198:
We're more than 2,300,000 individua
show all

Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?