Paratroopers

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Paratroopers are part of the Airborne Forces, whose original main task after their removal is the infantry struggle. The air landing may be carried out by parachute jump or helicopter, only such units being designated as paratroopers qualified and equipped to be launched with a parachute in the operating room. Other units of the infantry belong to the light airborne infantry.

In many armies – as in the Bundeswehr – the Paratrooper Force forms its own troop type within the infantry of the Heer sub-force.

When soldiers are dropped off by air, this is often surprising for the opponent. The mere defence of coasts and roads becomes a danger; The enemy is then forced to station combat troops in the hinterland.

Contrary to their training, paratroopers are rarely brought into the field with an airborne landing. Due to the limited possibilities in the jump by parachute – heavy vehicles and heavy weapons can not be brought – paratroopers are only used with low and light equipment. However, this makes paratroopers a rapidly mobilizable intervention force, irrespective of the means of transport, the supply of which is not very complicated. Since they transport most of their equipment on foot due to a lack of trucks, paratroopers are particularly suitable for rough terrain.

Parachuting training is also provided by other airborne troops such as combat swimmers, telescopers and special units, but they are not among the paratroopers, have only a limited mission for infantry combat and are only partially capable of doing so due to lack of strength and equipment.

History

Predecessors
Military aviation began at the end of the 18. century with the use of tethered balloons to spy on enemy positions. Charles Leroux made a parachute jump from about 1000 m altitude on 14 April 1889, but it served as a rescue jump. The history of parachuting itself goes back further. With the first major use of aircraft during the First World War (1914–1918), the armies also saw a larger field of application for the military parachute jump. The first known airborne mission took place on 4. On October 1916, Lieutenant Maximilian von Cossel and Vice-Sergeant Rudolf Windisch passed through the eastern front after an aerial landing. The first known jump was in August 1918, when four Italian officers jumped behind the Austrian lines. In October 1918, a French sabotage force with parachutes sprang off in the Ardennes.

During the war, US Major General Billy Mitchell (1879–1936) developed the first comprehensive airborne concept. He planned the deployment of an entire division with 2,000 aircraft behind the de