Question of the Day #11
- Thread starter Bootie
- Start date
The issue of are the troops in the air safe during transport is mute IMO. No General planning an operation would consider an airborne operation without control of the air. Even in WW2 no mass air drop (division or higher) was conducted by either side without assurance of complete surprise and / or complete air supremecy. Even then it was a risky proposition even for the planners but the payoff for potention disruption behind the front lines was simply too great to pass up. Even by 1945 the high risk nature of airborne operations meant they were incredibly conservitative in their goals compared to only months before.
The introduction of rotary aircraft post WW2 and the further mechanisation of all military forces meant the need for parachutists was diminished, as the movement of troops could happen significantly faster via land or air to catch the enemy off guard and to sow disruption amongst the enemy ranks. Not to mention the greater amount of firepower you can have on hand compared to an airborne force.
I think it will come down to unique circumstances for future deployments with terrain and enemy force composition being the deciding factors if an airborne drop is to occur. Even in tight terrain environemnts you'd probably argue an air assault via rotary aircraft is preferable to parachutisits 9/10 times.
In short - smaller tactical deployments where a clear need and benefit can be determined I think it is still in the realms of possiblity. On a strategic influencing scale like Normandy 1944 or as the virtual full basis of an operation like Crete 1941... I can't see that type of deployment making a return.
(My apologies to @mjkerner and his beloved Fallschirmjagers).
The introduction of rotary aircraft post WW2 and the further mechanisation of all military forces meant the need for parachutists was diminished, as the movement of troops could happen significantly faster via land or air to catch the enemy off guard and to sow disruption amongst the enemy ranks. Not to mention the greater amount of firepower you can have on hand compared to an airborne force.
I think it will come down to unique circumstances for future deployments with terrain and enemy force composition being the deciding factors if an airborne drop is to occur. Even in tight terrain environemnts you'd probably argue an air assault via rotary aircraft is preferable to parachutisits 9/10 times.
In short - smaller tactical deployments where a clear need and benefit can be determined I think it is still in the realms of possiblity. On a strategic influencing scale like Normandy 1944 or as the virtual full basis of an operation like Crete 1941... I can't see that type of deployment making a return.
(My apologies to @mjkerner and his beloved Fallschirmjagers).
B
Bert Blitzkrieg
Guest
The scriptwriters of that epic movie Red Dawn 2 disagree totally.:cheers:
Z
Zinzan
Guest
Wow how to just destroy a thread @Ithikial :cheers:
. I agree totally with all you said - in fact nowadays anyone with the air supremacy that airborne ops require can pretty much kill/sterilise the route ground forces will take. (OK, there will be hassle/minor casualties from insurgent/stay behind/straggler/guerilla/SF groups but in the grand scheme of things i.e. operational warfare level such forces can acheive VERY little of significance on the grand scale of things - such casualties may have a media war impact but the potential losses from airborne ops are likely to be even worse propaganda losses)
. I agree totally with all you said - in fact nowadays anyone with the air supremacy that airborne ops require can pretty much kill/sterilise the route ground forces will take. (OK, there will be hassle/minor casualties from insurgent/stay behind/straggler/guerilla/SF groups but in the grand scheme of things i.e. operational warfare level such forces can acheive VERY little of significance on the grand scale of things - such casualties may have a media war impact but the potential losses from airborne ops are likely to be even worse propaganda losses)
Pm me.
Done earlier this morning. Hopefully they're good brain benders that has people disagreeing with each other.
To add to what Ithikial pointed out, even with air supremacy, a General might be reluctant to order a large scale paratrooper drop given the lethality of man portable air defense systems.