Hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Military TV. In today’s session,
we are going to discuss about one of the most important combat units in the army,
the Airborne Forces. To understand better about this topic, don’t go anywhere and stay tuned.
Airborne forces are combat units carried by aircrafts and airdropped into the battle zones,
usually by parachuting. Airborne infantry and paratroopers are known
as foot soldiers who serve the airborne force.
The main advantage of airborne forces is no other than their ability to be dispatched
into appalling combat zones without any land passage, as long as the airspace is accessible.
Although history records that effort to vertically encircle the enemy have
appeared since hundreds of years ago, one of the tactics of warfare that is still valid today is
only effectively accommodated after the Wright brothers succeeded in creating airplanes. About
several years after the military discovered that airplanes could be
used to bomb hard-to-reach targets for infantry and cavalry troops, the idea emerged that surely
this third-dimensional vehicle could also be used to send assault troops directly into enemy lines.
Without reducing the roles and ideas that have been put forward by various previous figures,
it was Winston Churchill who first came up with the idea of paratroopers. The idea came after
he saw the pattern of the enormous German attack during World War I. On another occasion, Brigadier
General Billy Mitchell from the US reinforced the idea that the deployment of troops from the
air could also be used to win the war because it could put psychological pressure on the enemy.
It must be admitted that these two figures who further opened the eyes
of military thinkers from other countries, especially from the Soviet Union and Germany,
about the potential and superiority of the troops who later became known as the Airborne Forces.
Despite the acknowledgement by Churchill for the potential of airborne power, Germany, instead
of United Kingdom, became the first country to use airborne force in a major combat operation,
primarily under the command of Major General Kurt Student, who headed the German airborne
force Flieger 7 and the 22nd Infantry Division, which were prepared for war.
The application of airborne "weapons" was finally carried out on April 9, 1940 in an operation that
demanded an impromptu, namely the invasion of Denmark and Norway. A German airborne battalion
could capture four separate airstrips, and a key highway bridge, providing the security needed.
Another airborne invasion that should be noted is the May 1941 invasion of the island of Crete
which involved 22,000 troops and 1,450 aircraft. Although it had to be paid dearly,
this airborne attack on Crete demonstrated the effectiveness of airborne warfare.
Taking into account the abrupt and dangerous nature of the airborne forces,
some might ask what does it take to be an airborne forces officer?
Well, first and foremost, the main thing is obviously the ability of the basics or
static plunge. The airborne cadet has to undergone education and training to prepare them becoming a
member of airborne forces. For instance, in the United States, the prospective airborne
cadets are trained in US Army Airborne School located in Fort Benning, Georgia.
In essence, airborne schools provide training for troops to master static airdrop techniques and
operations. Meanwhile, the military education background has generally been obtained by
soldiers in their original unit. At the airborne school, the cadets are educated for approximately
one month to master the diving qualifications, practice getting out of the plane and controlling
the parachute in the jump, learn how to reduce drag, and also conduct actual parachutting.
At the end of the training, those who pass are entitled to an airborne badge and thus
will officially serve for the Airborne Forces. So, what do you think about the airborne forces?
Don’t forget to drop your comment below. Thank you for watching and see you in the next episode!