Handbook of modern American paratroopers' operations

American paratroopers during World War II were equipped with three kinds of guns: officers and sergeants were equipped with M 1 series submachine guns, and soldiers were equipped with M 1 "Garland" semi-automatic rifles. In addition, they are equipped with m1911a1pistols as melee and self-defense weapons.

First of all, destroy the Kiev ordnance warehouse-the first airborne operation of the Soviet Union in World War II.

After the German army broke through the Soviet frontier, it made rapid progress, and many large Soviet ordnance warehouses were occupied by the German army before being moved. 1941From July 26th to August 28th, the Soviet army organized airborne troops to carry out a series of damage to the ordnance warehouse in Kiev. Airborne troops 104 brigade and the backbone of 202 brigade participated in the destruction task, with more than 300 people. They formed a 10 multi-battle destruction group, secretly parachuted at night, and destroyed important traffic targets such as bridges in the nearby area except warehouses. Because the airborne troops were stationed in the area before the war and were familiar with the situation, they successfully completed the task. After completing the task, most of the airborne troops returned to their own defense zones.

Second, destroy the bridge in Altsevo.

At that time, the Germans attacked the inland of the Soviet Union. In order to delay the rapid advance of the German army, on the night of August 22nd, 194 1, the Soviet Union used 1 company of airborne troops to airborne in the Yarsevo area. The mission is to blow up two bridges on the Hermosti River. The airborne field was selected on the edge of a woodland, about 5 kilometers away from the target. After the airborne troops landed, the company commander, Captain Tresinko, decided that the whole company would be divided into two action groups and destroy two bridges at the same time at 4 am. Under the cover of night, the airborne troops approached the target smoothly, wiped out the sentry guarding the bridge and completed the destruction task. After the task was completed, the whole company launched an attack on the enemy in the nearby traffic line. With the support of local people, it stayed behind enemy lines for 45 days and returned to its own defense zone at the beginning of 65438+ 10.

Third, cooperate with the anti-assault of the Marine Corps in Odessa.

194 1 Since the beginning of August, the Soviet Independent Coastal Army and the Black Sea Fleet, with the support of local citizens, launched the battle of Odessa. On September 2 1 day, the Romanian Fourth Army, organized by the German "South" Army Group, broke into the eastern part of Odessa and attacked and blocked the port with artillery, making it difficult for Soviet ships to transport goods. On September 22nd, the Soviet army launched a counterattack against Luo Jun, which was advancing eastward, with two infantry divisions and the third regiment of the Marine Corps. At the beginning of the counterattack, the Soviet army parachuted behind enemy lines with 23 people. Prepare the artillery 30 minutes before the parachute falls. The parachute area is the only road hub that the enemy reserve team must pass when it is dispatched to the landing area. Immediately after landing, the paratroopers destroyed the targets in the landing area and attacked the command post of the enemy 1 battalion. Because paratroopers landed scattered, causing the illusion of airborne troops, the enemy panicked for a while and retreated 5-8 kilometers. The Soviet Marine Corps landed smoothly, and the airborne troops joined the landing troops the next day.

Fourth, emergency airlift to orel-the unique use of airborne troops.

194 1 On September 30th, 2008, the German army put its main force into orel. 1October 3 10, the vanguard tanks entered orel and advanced along the orel-Tula highway, posing a serious threat to Moscow. In order to organize new defenses and delay the enemy's actions, the Soviet troops gathered in the Mizensk area and formed the 1 Infantry Army. At the same time, the 5th Airborne Corps was airlifted to orel, with the task of stopping enemy tanks in the area between orel and Mzensk before the 1 Infantry Corps completed its defense preparations. In order to cooperate with airborne troops, 1 tank brigade entered orel from the ground at the fastest speed.

65438+1at 5: 00 on October 3rd, 10, the 5th Airborne Corps accepted the task. The troops participating in the battle are the 10 Airborne Brigade and the 20/KLOC-0 Airborne Brigade belonging to the 5th Army, with 6,000 people, under the command of Army Commander Major General GerJeff, and 80 Paes-84 and Terber-3 aircraft as transportation, with an air distance of 500 kilometers. 65438+1At 6: 30 on October 3rd, the plane carrying 20 1 brigade took off and landed at orel airport two hours later. At that time, the airport was shelled by the Germans, and under the threat of enemy gunfire, airborne troops rushed to the northwest of orel to help the troops fighting the enemy. While the main force landed at orel Airport, the 3rd Battalion of 20 1 Airborne Brigade landed at Otoha Airport, 8 kilometers northeast of orel, destroying the roads leading to orel and Mzensk. On October 4th, 65438/KLOC-0, all the combat troops of the 5th Airborne Force were airlifted, and the tank brigade that entered from the ground the next day also entered the combat area of the 5th Airborne Force. Since then, the 5th Airborne Force and Tank Brigade have conducted mobile defensive operations in the area between orel and Mzensk. Orel is more than 40 kilometers away from Mirensk, and the 5th Airborne Corps blocked 10 day and night, which bought time for the 1st Infantry Corps 1 to organize defense. /KOOC-0/0/KOOC-0/0/KOOC-0/7, the 5th Army of Airborne Forces was ordered to quit fighting and was transported to podol by railway to accept new combat tasks.

Air transportation to orel is a unique way for Soviet troops to use airborne troops in World War II. It was not used behind enemy lines according to the general practice at that time, but landed at the airport controlled by itself, and quickly deployed after landing to cooperate with the ground forces to stop the enemy from advancing and cover the main force to organize new defenses. It makes full use of the advantages of airborne troops' rapid maneuvering in the air to complete tasks that are difficult for ground troops to complete in an emergency. Practice has proved that airborne troops can not only play an important role in the enemy's rear operations, but also play an important role in the enemy's front operations.

Section 2 Local Counterattack in Airborne Operations

First, airborne Kling attacked the retreating enemy.

1 941in early February1,the Soviet army launched its first counterattack against the Germans near Moscow. At that time, the 30 th Army of the Soviet Union and 1 Army besieged part of the 3 rd and 4 th clusters of German tanks in Klein area. The Germans retreated to Volokoramsk, trying to organize new defenses along the Rama and Ruza rivers. In order to sabotage the German retreat, the Soviet army used the 1 battalion of the 2 14 brigade of airborne troops to parachute in the Klein area on the night of 12+04, with the task of attacking the retreating Germans.

Parachute battalion ***4 15, battalion commander is Captain Staca. After landing, the paratrooper battalion fought for 9 days and nights, destroying 29 bridges and attacking the German marching columns, cutting off the roads from Kelin to Volokoramsk, Volokoramsk to Rotohiro, Kelin to Novorovskye, and the railway from Shahoskaya to Novorovskye. Destroyed dozens of enemy cars, killed more than 400 people, and stopped the retreating German tanks. After completing the task, the paratrooper battalion joined the frontal combat troops and returned to its own defense zone.

Second, airborne operations in the Kerch Peninsula landing campaign.

194 1 year165438+1mid-October, the Germans occupied Kerch Peninsula. In order to recapture the Kerch Peninsula and annihilate the enemy group of Feo Docia, the Soviet army carried out the Kerch-Feo Docia landing campaign from19412.05 to 1942. 12.00, during which airborne operations were carried out. Participating in airborne operations are the 2nd Army 1 Battalion of Airborne Forces, with 450 people. The initial task was to seize the bridgehead position west of Kerch and cover the landing troops. Later, because the ships of the landing troops were blocked by hard ice in the Azov Sea, the action time was delayed, and the airborne troops parachuted at the waist of Alabat Peak, cutting off the enemy's access in Alabat and cooperating with the 44th Army to annihilate the enemy in Feo Docia.

The preparation and implementation of airborne operations are the responsibility of the Soviet Airborne Command. Teber-3 aircraft is used, and the departure airport is Krasnodar Airport. A week before the airborne, several reconnaissance teams with radio stations parachuted behind enemy lines to scout and report the local enemy situation and terrain. 194 1 year1February 3 1 night umbrella. After landing, the airborne troops seized the nearby enemy artillery positions and sent a destruction team on the traffic line. The sabotage group destroyed the enemy's communication and command through attacks and ambushes. Due to the large-scale maneuver of airborne troops, the illusion of a large-scale airborne attack was created, which frightened and confused the enemy and paralyzed the rear work for a time, thus ensuring the landing of the 44 th Army. After the airborne troops joined the landing troops, they quit fighting and moved to Taman Peninsula.

Third, airborne in Dafa Chianovo.

1942 65438+ 10, Susie army went to Namansk, Kaluga and Belev. In order to further develop its victory, it decided to force them to encircle the German Fourth Armored Army in Vyazma. It is planned that the 23rd Army will launch a frontal attack from the southwest of Viazma, and 10 Army will attack. Airborne troops will be airborne in the area where the German 4th Armored Army is located, and a 1 aircraft landing site will be established, so that in the process of battle development, reinforcements can enter here, carry out surprise attacks from the enemy's deployment, and cooperate with the frontal troops to encircle the enemy. The paratroopers' advance team consisting of 202 people, the 1 Battalion of the 20 1 Airborne Brigade and the 250th Regiment of the Independent Infantry Regiment participated in the airborne operation. The specific scheme is: First of all, the advance paratroopers parachuted in Dafagianovo, 5 kilometers east of Mijatrevo, seized the airport there and prepared for the main plane to land. At the same time, the 1 Battalion of Airborne Troops 20 1 Brigade parachuted in Gushevo and Hildukovo, which are located at12-15km northwest of Maiden, and went straight into the yukhnov-Maiden highway, damaging the bridges there. Later, the 250th Infantry Regiment landed at Dafa Gianovo Airport and captured the Levo station in Mijat, cutting off traffic and limiting the enemy's mobility. 2 1 Teber-3 and 10 Paes-84 are used for air transportation, and the airport for air departure is Fenukovo Airport. Due to the small number of aircraft, it is determined to be airborne in four voyages.

On the evening of October 3rd, 65438/KLOC-0, the plan was changed before the airborne operation started. The paratroopers' advance team and paratroopers' battalion parachuted in Dafa Gianovo, with 4 16 people. They landed in the order of commando, support team, reserve team and site group, and assembled 15% of the personnel that day. Due to the stubborn resistance of the Germans, the airport was occupied the next night. At this time, the weather turned bad, the snowstorm came, and the landing of the infantry regiment was forced to cancel. The paratroopers' advance team and paratroopers' battalion, which had landed, moved to the enemy's rear independently, attacked the Levo station in Mijat, interrupted the traffic, and joined the forward troops on June 5438+ 10/9.

Fourth, airborne in Geragnier.

As the airborne operation of Dafadianovo didn't go as planned, the Soviets decided to continue the airborne operation in the hot Lagnel area and carry out the same task as the last airborne operation. There are 250 Infantry Regiment and 2 nd and 3 rd Battalions of 20 1 Airborne Brigade participating in the battle. The airborne area is 40 kilometers southwest of Vyazma, and the airborne depth is 40-50 kilometers. The task is to cross Viarima-YouKnoff Avenue, cut off the enemy's main supply lines, and assist the frontal attacking forces to panic in the enemy in this area. It is planned that two battalions of the 20 1 Brigade will parachute first, seize and guard the airport of Zinamenka, prepare to land, and then the infantry regiment will land by plane. CAAC's 2 1 Paes-84 passenger plane was used as air transport, and mobile machine guns were temporarily installed on the plane for self-defense, while the Teber-3 bomber of the 23rd Bombing Division airborne anti-tank guns. The air take-off airport is still Fenukovo Airport.

65438+1October 18 at 3: 35, the 16 batch 16 plane carrying two battalions of 20 1 brigade took off, and by 9: 00 that day, * * * dropped 452 people. After landing, the airborne troops got in touch with the local guerrillas and launched an attack on Zinamenka airport on the same day, but failed to seize the airport. Therefore, the second batch of four planes carrying the command group and airport service personnel were forced to change their plans after leaving the air and landed at another airport controlled by guerrillas 17. After landing, due to the thick snow on the ground, it was getting late and the plane could not take off and return. The next day, the Germans raided the airport, destroyed all the planes and drove the airborne troops out of the airport. 65438120, the airborne troops, with the support of local guerrillas, prepared another landing site in the northwest of Nevo, Ples Province, and reported it to the Airborne Forces Command. On the night of 20th, the 250th Infantry Regiment began to disembark at the airport. By the 22nd, the plane had dropped for three days and nights 1643 people. Airborne troops, with the cooperation of guerrillas, carried out harassment activities in this area. According to the instructions of the army, they destroyed the road and railway transportation from yukhnov to Viarima, and fought behind enemy lines for 12 days and nights. At the end of 1, airborne troops joined the cavalry 1 army, and a breakthrough was made in the west of yukhnov.

V. The airborne battle of Viazhma-the first large-scale airborne operation in the Soviet Union.

Before the middle of 1942 10, the Soviet army surrounded the basic troops of the German Central Army Group from the north and southeast, but failed to seize the powerful resistance hubs of the German army in YouKnoff and Vyazma from the March. The hub clamped down the attack of Susie Zhongjun and stopped the attack of the 3rd Army and 1 cavalry on Viazma. Therefore, the Soviet Union is determined to surround the Western Front Army and Kalinin Army and crush the German Viarima-Liezhev-yukhnov Group. In this operation, the Soviets used the 4th Airborne Corps to carry out two airborne operations in the southwest of Viazma, which the Soviets called the Viazma Airborne Campaign.

The first time was from October 27th, 65438 1 to February 27th,1,in the Cigna area of Ozelie. The troops planned to be used are all the 4th Airborne Corps, which has 8 th Brigade, 9 th Brigade and 2 14 Brigade, with about 10000 troops. The task is to cut off the road to the west of Viazma and cooperate with the 33 rd Army attacking from the front to surround the enemy of Viazma. Directly commanded by Major General Glazunov, commander of airborne troops; The command post is located in Kaluga. 40 Paes-84 passenger planes and 25 Teber-3 bombers were airlifted, 30 fighters covered the departure area and 72 fighters covered the airborne. The air take-off airport is three field airports near Kaluga, namely Grabjevo, Tashkovo and Lezaway, with an air distance of 180-200 km. The 8th and 9th Brigade of the Army parachuted in Auzel Le Signer, southwest of Vyazma, cutting off the German retreat between Vyazma and Smolensk. Other troops parachuted in Vierz Dan Coe, northwest of Vyazma, cutting off the passage to northwest of Vyazma. At the same time, some squads were parachuted in other places to confuse and harass the enemy. The airborne troops were asked to stay behind enemy lines for two days until the frontal attack force arrived. Originally planned to start airborne on June 65438+1October 2 1, airborne troops could not enter the assembly area on time due to the damage of the railway bridge, so the airborne combat time was delayed by five days and changed to June 65438+1October 27.

654381October 24th, zhukov, commander of the Western Front Army, issued the last order to Major General Levashev, commander of the 4th Airborne Army. On the 26th, Army Commander Levashev issued operational orders to the commanders of three brigades. Airborne began on the afternoon of the 27th. At that time, only 6 1 transport planes and 19 fighters arrived. These 19 fighters not only covered the airborne departure area, but also undertook other combat missions. There are no fighters to cover the airborne troops. On 27th 16, that is, before dark10.5, seven reconnaissance groups (20-30 people in each group) and some combat groups parachuted on the expected action route of the enemy reserve to conduct reconnaissance, alert and contact with guerrillas. At the same time, 638 people from the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Brigade of Airborne Forces boarded the plane and took off at Tashkovo Airport. As the advance team of the brigade, the airborne troops of the battalion first served as the defense of the airborne field to prepare for the main airborne. Because the pilot didn't decide the direction, the battalion was mistakenly dropped in tabor, 20 kilometers south of the target, which spread widely (with a radius of more than 20 kilometers). By sunset, only 3 18 people were assembled, and most of the air-dropped combat materials such as ammunition, food and skis were not found. What's more, the radio broke down after the battalion reported to the brigade headquarters that it had landed smoothly, and it has not been repaired since then, so it was impossible to get instructions from its superiors. In this case, in order to complete the task of the advance team, the battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion, besides leaving a small number of personnel in the local area, led most personnel to the scheduled airborne area of Ozeri Signer to prepare the airborne field to meet the main airborne force. At sunset on 28th, the 2nd battalion commander came to Le Signer, Auzel, but the airport there was controlled by the German army. In the evening, the second battalion commander led his men to attack the enemy on the defensive and seized the airport. Then, he lit a bonfire and set a contact signal for the air. However, due to the inability to communicate with the brigade, no plane is in the air.

Without the report from the 2nd Battalion, the 8th Brigade parachuted other troops after the 2nd Battalion that night. The second airborne troops, like the second battalion, did not parachute at the scheduled parachute field, and they were widely distributed, so the personnel could be assembled. On the 28th, the 8th Brigade airdropped 500 pairs of skis and 400 trailers, as well as various ammunition and fuel, but the airborne troops who landed did not get them. Since the Deputy Director of the Reconnaissance Department of the 4th Army of Airborne Forces did not receive a report on the situation in the airborne areas on the 29th, he sent a plane to the airborne areas to understand the situation. The plane ran out of fuel during the search and was forced to land near the village of Volangzovo. After landing, it gathered paratroopers scattered there, but did not find the commanders of each battalion. On the night of 29th, 540 people parachuted in the original airborne area. On the 30th, skydiving 120 people during the day and 2 15 people at night. The brigade commander and political commissar of the 8th Airborne Brigade also parachuted behind enemy lines on the night of 29th and took them to the radio station. 3 1, the brigade commander of the eighth brigade communicates with each battalion and reports the airborne area to the military region. Since then, parachutes have dropped by 389 people. During the six days and nights on February 1 day, the 8th Brigade parachuted more than 2,500 people and other combat materials, but only 746 people were assembled at that time. Twenty-eight days later, the Germans carried out air strikes on the Soviet airborne departure area. Two of the three airports were seriously damaged and could not be used, and the transport aircraft suffered heavy losses. Only 12 planes can be used. At the same time, the situation in Viarima changed, the Germans strengthened their defense, and the Soviet frontal attack was frustrated. According to the battlefield situation at that time, Su stopped the subsequent airborne, and the 8th Brigade which had been airborne independently carried out activities behind enemy lines. On February 7th, Soviet cavalry 1 Army surrounded by enemy troops entered the activity area of the 8th Airborne Brigade, and the 8th Brigade was ordered to fight behind enemy lines under the command of cavalry 1 Army.

The second time was from February 18 to 24, in the hot Lagnel area. The troops participating in the combat are the 4th Army Department of Airborne Forces and its subordinate 2 14 brigades, 9 brigades and 8 brigades 1 battalions, and the airborne area is in the guerrilla activity area of Hot Lagnier, west of yukhnov. At the beginning of February, the German army strengthened its forces and constantly carried out anti-assault on the Soviet army. The situation of the Soviet army in the west deteriorated day by day. The task assigned to the airborne troops is to break through the German defense line from behind enemy lines, go out to the vicinity of Warsaw Highway, 25-30 kilometers southwest of yukhnov, and meet the 50th Army fighting there. Then, they will attack the German group in Knoff from behind enemy lines, help the Western Army annihilate the enemy in Knoff and improve the battlefield situation. 4 1 Paes-84 and 23 Teber-3 aircraft are used for air transport. The airports for air take-off are Ljubeki and Fenukovo airports near Moscow, with an air distance of 250 kilometers. Due to the shortage of planes, it was decided to complete the airborne in three nights, and each plane was dispatched twice a night.

17 On the night of February, 1 a batch of 20 planes took off with the 4th battalion of the 8th Airborne Brigade, which was the first airborne advance team. Due to the inexperience of the pilot, 19 plane returned without finding an airborne field, and 1 plane landed in other places by mistake. Airborne from 18 to 2 1, 9 brigade and 2 14 brigade; On the 22nd, the 4th Army airborne. Major General Levashev, commander of the 4th Airborne Division, was attacked by a German plane during the voyage. The commander was shot dead on the plane and the plane landed in the scheduled airborne area. After the death of the Commander of the Fourth Army, Colonel Kazankin, Chief of Staff of the Army, took over the command. By the night of 22nd, the airborne of the 4th Army had ended. In the first six nights, 6 12 sorties were dispatched, 7,373 people were airdropped, and 1525 combat materials were airdropped. Due to the wide spread, two-thirds of the personnel were not assembled, and the airdropped materials were basically not received. The main reason for the big price difference is skydiving. In order to reduce the fire damage on the ground, the parachuting altitude was changed from the planned 600 meters to 1200 meters. Second, the air contact signal is improper. According to Soviet regulations, airborne and airdropped supplies to besieged troops are the same land and air identification signals. It was very cold at night, and Soviet guerrillas and Germans lit bonfires everywhere to keep warm. Later, the Germans deliberately lit bonfires to confuse the aviation, so there were bonfires everywhere on the battlefield, and it was difficult for the transport plane to find a real airborne field.

On February 25th, the 4th Airborne Corps began to carry out its combat mission behind enemy lines. They attacked south because of the cold weather, which made it difficult to move the ground and made slow progress. The Germans used this time to occupy the positions on the road where the airborne troops were scheduled to advance, and at the same time transferred new troops. On February 27, due to the fierce counterattack of the Germans, the 4 th Army of Airborne Forces was forced to turn to defense. At this time, the 50 th Soviet Army, which relatively attacked the airborne troops, also failed to enter the scheduled rendezvous area of Warsaw Highway. According to the order, the 4th Airborne Corps changed its plan and joined forces with guerrillas in the local area to fight independently. On March 14, according to the instructions of the western troops, an ambush was carried out on the advancing German army. There are 3000 airborne troops, while the Germans have three divisions. Due to the disparity in strength, the airborne troops did not complete the assigned combat tasks. On April 6th, the 8th Brigade, which had previously parachuted behind enemy lines, entered the 4th Army activity area and returned to the organizational system. On April 9th, in order to strengthen the strength of the 4th Army of Airborne Forces, 645 people from the 4th Battalion of Airborne Forces 2 14 Brigade were airborne. After that, the 4th Airborne Corps fought behind enemy lines for five months until it joined the 10 Army on June 24th. At the rendezvous, the 4th Army had 2,300 airborne troops, plus 1700 guerrillas and 2,000 patients. After the battle, Major General Glazunov, commander of the Soviet airborne troops, was relieved of his post and appointed as commander of the infantry regiment.

The airborne battle of Vyazma was the first large-scale airborne operation carried out by the Soviet Union. Because of the difficult situation at that time, the air transportation was seriously insufficient, and other guarantees were not well solved, which led to the failure of the campaign. In addition, due to lack of experience, there are many problems in organization and implementation methods, which is also the main reason for the failure. For example, airborne troops are under the control of the army, and the organization and planning of airborne campaigns are handed over to the Airborne Command. The army did not participate in the formulation of the airborne campaign plan, did not understand all the details of airborne operations, and could not help overcome the lack of support; Airborne operations command is in charge of airborne operations, and the command post is located in Kaluga. Air Force Command is responsible for air transportation and air support. The command post is located in Moscow, and the army commander who directs airborne ground operations is in another place. Airborne troops and aviation, airborne troops and forward troops can not be well coordinated, which will inevitably bring great difficulties to the implementation of the campaign.