Death From Above: A History of U.S. Army Airborne Forces

Origins: The Test Platoon & Fort Benning (1940)

The genesis of American airborne operations began in the summer of 1940. Observing the successful use of Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) by Nazi Germany during the invasions of Norway and Belgium, the U.S. War Department authorized the creation of a parachute test platoon.

• The Test Platoon: Formed on June 25, 1940, at Fort Benning, Georgia, the platoon consisted of volunteers from the 29th Infantry Regiment. Under the command of 1st Lt. William T. Ryder, these men developed the first U.S. airborne doctrine, packing techniques, and jump procedures.
• First Jump: On August 16, 1940, Lt. Ryder became the first American soldier to make an official parachute jump, dropping from a Douglas B-18 bomber over Lawson Field at Fort Benning.
• The "Father of the Airborne": Major William C. Lee, an early advocate for airborne troops, was instrumental in developing the parachute school at Fort Benning and later became the first commander of the newly formed 101st Airborne Division.

World War II: The Golden Age of Airborne (1942-1945)

World War II saw the massive expansion of the airborne concept. The Army activated five airborne divisions (the 11th, 13th, 17th, 82nd, and 101st) alongside numerous independent parachute infantry regiments.

• Operation Husky & Avalanche (1943): The 82nd Airborne Division conducted the first large-scale combat drops in U.S. history during the invasions of Sicily and mainland Italy. Despite high winds and scattered drops, the paratroopers caused massive confusion among Axis defenders.
• D-Day - Operation Overlord (1944): On the night of June 5-6, 1944, over 13,000 paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions jumped into the darkness over Normandy. They secured critical causeways, bridges, and flanks to enable the amphibious landings at Utah and Omaha beaches.
• Operation Market Garden (1944): The largest airborne operation in history up to that point. The 82nd and 101st, fighting alongside British and Polish airborne forces, dropped into the Netherlands to secure a corridor of bridges spanning the Rhine.
• Operation Varsity (1945): The 17th Airborne Division conducted the largest single-day airborne drop of the war to secure a foothold across the Rhine River into Germany.

Cold War, Korea, and Vietnam (1950-1975)

As the military downsized after WWII, the airborne maintained a critical rapid-reaction role, adapting to new technologies and the realities of the Cold War.

• Korean War (1950-1953): The 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team (The "Rakkasans") executed two major combat jumps in Korea: Operation Sukchon/Sunchon and Operation Tomahawk at Munsan-ni, effectively cutting off retreating North Korean forces.
• Vietnam War (1965-1973): The 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted the only major combat parachute assault of the Vietnam War during Operation Junction City in 1967. However, this era marked a tactical shift. Units like the 101st Airborne Division transitioned to "Airmobile" (helicopter-borne) tactics, trading their parachutes for Hueys, forever altering vertical envelopment doctrine.

Post-Vietnam to the Global War on Terror (1980s-Present)

The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw the revitalization of the parachute assault as a strategic deterrent and forcible entry tool.

• Operation Urgent Fury (1983): The 75th Ranger Regiment and the 82nd Airborne Division jumped into Grenada to secure Point Salines airfield from Cuban and Grenadian forces.
• Operation Just Cause (1989): Over 4,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment executed complex nighttime combat jumps into Panama to secure Torrijos-Tocumen Airport and neutralize the Panamanian Defense Forces.
• Global War on Terror (2001-Present): The GWOT era proved that the combat jump remained a critical forcible entry tool for U.S. forces across the Middle East:
  • Objective Rhino (2001): Within weeks of the 9/11 attacks, the 75th Ranger Regiment conducted a daring night combat jump onto a desert airstrip in Afghanistan, spearheading U.S. ground operations.
  • Nimruz Province (2003): In February 2003, elements of the 82nd Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment jumped into Nimruz, Afghanistan, to provide an outer cordon and execute targeted operations.
  • Objective Serpent (2003): In March 2003, A Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment executed a critical night parachute assault to seize H-1 Airfield in western Iraq, securing an early staging base for Coalition forces.
  • Bashur Airfield (2003): Days later, nearly 1,000 paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted a massive combat jump into Bashur, Northern Iraq, opening a vital northern front against Saddam Hussein's forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Modern Airborne Forces Structure

Today, the U.S. Army maintains a robust, highly trained airborne capability designed to deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours. These units form the backbone of the nation's Immediate Response Force (IRF).