Transferring from Navy to Airborne?

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Beppo Schmidt
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Transferring from Navy to Airborne?

#1

Post by Beppo Schmidt » 16 Nov 2003, 21:47

Did any American Navy sailors or officers transfer to the Airborne as paratroopers? Thanks.

Vinnie O
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US Marine Corps Para-Marines

#2

Post by Vinnie O » 17 Nov 2003, 23:23

Considering the more than 10 million individuals involved, probably SOMEBODY transfered from the US Navy and wound up in a US Army airborne unit ... We're looking for the name of the INDIVIDUAL?

For sailors inclined to jump out of airplanes, however, the US Marine Corps, a branch of the US Navy, organized a regiment of parachutists and a battalion of glider troops. There may have been 4 battalions of paratroops at one point. There is a US GPO pamphlet describing their history.

Since the US Marine Corps did not have any units larger than a regiment in 1941, the original US Marine Corps division was a VERY odd unit, with both a "Raider" battalion and a parachute battalion organic to the division. So when the Marines went into Guadacanal, the parachute battalion was in the first wave (off the landing craft).

The 450-man battalion proved essentially worthless, and the divisions were re-organized without the parachute battalions (which were consolidated into a regiment).

In the middle of the war, wiser heads pointed out that there was no conceivable Japanese position in the entire Pacific that was both heavily defending enough to require an invasion by Marines and lightly defended enough for airborne troops to survive the landing. So the airborne troops were disbanded.


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Beppo Schmidt
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#3

Post by Beppo Schmidt » 19 Nov 2003, 22:04

Thanks for the info, Vinnie

Peter
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#4

Post by Peter » 20 Nov 2003, 17:48

More than one member of the US Merchant Marine later served in the US Airborne forces in 1944/45 and by 1966 Vietnam another was serving in the Airborne.

Pete

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