History of Military Operational Parachute Jumps

[jcustis]

Download it while the link lasts. Moderator adds: This link no longer works, see new link on post dated Feb 13th 2021..

The level of detail within the file is fascinating (63 pages of summary detail from 1939 to 2013), and took a lot of time to compile for sure. The below link is no longer available (February 2021), so see post dated today for new link.

http://www.specialforcesassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Combat_Jump_Record_03.07.2013.pdfT


(http://www.specialforcesassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Combat_Jump_Record_03.07.2013.pdf)

[davidbfpo]

Jon,

Good catch.:)

Fascinating to see drops by the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies (never heard of those), the Italian raiding groups (I knew of mini-subs), the NKVD drops in France - presumably assisted by the RAF, that is really odd (although somewhere I have an INS article on wider co-operation) and the German Brandenburg raid in Iraq in 1944.

Sent onwards to a collector of SF insertions, in case not aware.

[JMA]

Jon,

Good catch.:)

Fascinating to see drops by the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies (never heard of those), the Italian raiding groups (I knew of mini-subs), the NKVD drops in France - presumably assisted by the RAF, that is really odd (although somewhere I have an INS article on wider co-operation) and the German Brandenburg raid in Iraq in 1944.

Sent onwards to a collector of SF insertions, in case not aware.

Rhodesian military operational jumps woefully under recorded. Will have to initiate a project to rectify that by supplying the info.

[omarali50]

per @pavocavalry, Pakistani commandos also paradropped in three places in Balochistan in 1973 (counter-insurgency operation): Maiwand , Kahan and Kolhu

also, per @shahidsaeed there was a huge paradrop during operation Rah e Rast in 2009 in Swat, Pakistan (anti-Taliban operation). I am not sure about this one personally. Sounds exaggerated to me.

Still, both of these people are hugely knowledgeable about Pakistani military history. Worth looking into and adding.

[davidbfpo]

After a discussion with a local historian of the Soviet Union in WW2, who is interested in NKVD special operations, I found this history link is still working. He is referring the UK-assisted NKVD drops into France to a US historian of the Red Army for his comment.

[davidbfpo]

Spotted this UK article from 2019 and within are remarks on historical operations. Here is an obscure one, well for me:
The Japanese conducted an air-drop to seize Menado airfield in Indonesia in January 1942, and rapidly conducted a linkup with marine infantry who were able to consolidate and defend the position using heavier weapons. There were sixteen air-drop operations in the Eastern theatre in total, and the requirement to linkup with maritime forces was identified as critical.

Cassinga, in Angola I know about, not this though by the SADF:
This was mirrored by the South African Defence Force during Operation Reindeer in 1978. Their air-drop operation to seize the village of Cassinga in Angola went “catastrophically wrong…paratroopers landed on their objectives and went into action separately. Several sticks landed in the river rather than the DZ, or on the other side of it which meant they took little part in the battle after being forced to jettison all their kit for survival.

The article has numerous citations to explore: https://wavellroom.com/2019/04/18/a-bridge-too-far-the-decline-of-conventional-parachuting-part-2/

[davidbfpo]

See: https://www.part-time-commander.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Combat_Jump_Record_03.07.2013.pdf

Or: http://macvteam162.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Combat-Jump-Record-03.07.2013.pdf