Paratroopers in Torch Operation

In order to cooperate with the American and British landing forces to fight in French Africa, the Allied Command decided to use the American and British airborne forces to cooperate with the Middle Road Task Force to seize the deep airports and important targets of the German army. However, at that time, the United States and Britain were not ready for a large number of airborne troops to fight: the 82nd Airborne Division and1kloc-0/Airborne Division of the US Army were adapted from the 82nd Motorized Division in August 1942, and just started training in the sixth week after receiving the task; British Airborne Division 1 Although there are three brigades, only 1 brigade has been trained, and the other two brigades are being formed. Therefore, the only airborne troops that the Allied Forces can provide are the 2nd Battalion of the US 503rd Parachute Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the British 1 Airborne Division 1 Brigade.

At Churchill's request, the 2nd Battalion of the 503rd American Parachute Regiment arrived in England by sea in the autumn of 1942 and was incorporated into the British Army 1 Airborne Division. After the battalion arrived, it trained in Salisbury Plain. American paratroopers parachuted from a C-447 side door, while British paratroopers had to train on a whitley bomber because they didn't have a transport plane. So when British paratroopers saw American paratroopers parachuting easily from the side door on the C-47 plane, they were all envious. Because British bombers can't be used for combat airborne, British paratroopers have to retrain to parachute from the side door of C-47 aircraft. Before the intense training was over, the British 1 Parachute Brigade accepted the task of airborne operations in North Africa.

1942 1 65438+1October 7th 21,the 2nd Battalion of the US Parachute 503rd Regiment, which had been waiting for several hours at the airport, finally boarded the C-47 aircraft loaded with oil, and started the longest airborne operation during World War II. After taking off, all the planes lined up at a height of 300 meters above Portris near the southern tip of Cornwall, and were escorted by the British Royal Air Force's Spitfire and Tide fighters, and flew south to Gibraltar in the night. When the flying formation arrived over the Bay of Biscay, the fighters who served as escorts returned. Then, the crew of the C-47 plane continued to fly forward through the calculation of the navigator. Due to the bad weather, the airflow over the Bay of Biscay was unstable, and the plane bumped badly during the voyage.

After the East Road Task Force landed in Algiers, 1 on October 9th, British paratroopers1brigade 3 165438+3 12, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Pine Coffin, took the C-47 of American transport plane 5 1 brigade from Britain. 10 In the afternoon, British paratroopers arrived at Mesonbranch airport near Algiers, ready to attack Bonnie (annaba) near the border of Tunisia with the assistance of the British 6th Commando. Four planes were lost on the way due to aircraft mechanical failure and bad weather.

After parachuting in North Africa, the US paratroopers accepted the task of capturing Tebesa airport in eastern Algeria on June 1 10. Rafer did his best at Lavay Airport in Tafa, and only found and repaired the parachute used by Lohmer for skydiving. By the end of 14, 300 parachutes had been used and 350 people had been assembled to perform new tasks. Through aerial reconnaissance and questioning the local Arabs, Laffer found that there is an easier-to-seize airport-Joekes Bahn, which is also the base of German transport planes and fighter planes, at 16 km north of Bessie Airport. Finally, Rafer decided to target Joekes Lesbane Airport.

At this time, the British 1 Parachute Brigade accepted the task of capturing El Aba Airport in Suker, Tunisia. Because the two airborne troops of the United States and Britain are close at this time, in order to facilitate coordinated operations, Rafer's paratrooper battalion was ordered to accept the command of British Brigadier General fravel. However, due to the lack of proper contact information and communication equipment, Freiwell's 1 Army Command knew nothing about airborne planning and coordination. Therefore, the paratrooper commander must solve the existing difficulties by himself. The attack time is set at165438+1October 15, and the boarding airport is Song Mei Branch. The US paratroopers' battalion and the British paratroopers' 1 Brigade's 1 paratroopers' battalion boarded the C-47 at 7: 30 on June 5438+0 15, and flew to their respective attack targets under the escort of two fighter formations: Spitfire and Hurricane.

British paratroopers 1 Battalion flew along the coast in formation, but were forced to return because of the sudden deterioration of weather and poor visibility. Twenty planes of the American paratroopers battalion were forced to fly along the inland mountains near the coastline under complicated meteorological conditions. At 9: 45, the US paratroopers battalion parachuted over the target. The French 1 regiment guarding the airport not only did not resist, but also warmly welcomed the visitors from heaven. Ralph assembled his troops, that is to say, he contacted Clark, the American general in Algiers, by telephone and got the order to advance to Tunisia. On June 16, the coastal dark clouds dispersed and the sky was clear. Under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Hill, the British paratroopers 1 Battalion once again took off from Song Mei Branch Airport on 32 C-47s and parachuted at Sukebon Abba Airport. Like the American army, they were welcomed by the French army. Hill commandeered some public trucks, led his battalion forward 64 kilometers, and joined forces with the 3rd battalion of British paratroopers to attack Beja. After fierce fighting, British paratroopers captured Beja and held on until attack force arrived on the ground.