British Airborne Forces

[AirborneAllTheWay]

I am currently researching a PhD on British airborne performance and was wondering what people thought about it. How do you all consider to have been the better airborne arm? What do you think are the reasons behind 'Airborne spirit'?

[Starinov]

Are you doing a PhD on British Airborne or the Fallschirmjagers??

[AirborneAllTheWay]

Both! If you are interested when I get back I could post my research proposal? Its basically a comparative of their combat effectiveness.

[Marcus]

I for one would be interested in reading that, thanks.

/Marcus

[Starinov]

I would like to read it too. Thanks.

[Andy H]

The Esprit de Corps that moulded any parachute arm of any country during WW2 was born out a sense of belonging to something special, different and new, and also to some the extra money didn't go amiss.

The rather extreme training they had to undergo bonded the men together and that the nature of there potential employment as a spearhead to either invasion or assault coupled with the likelyhood that they would be behind enemy lines until ground forces linked up with, relying on their own abilities instilled a pride/passion that showed up in their fighting abilities.

Which paratroopers were better is a matter of opinion. All have heroic and not so heroic actions to recall. The Germans had numerous so called Divisions of Paratroopers but very few were in the real sense paratroop divisions. American & British paratroopers have had numerous books written about them whilst the Russian/Italian/Romanian etc have had little coverage in the west.

Wherever Paratrooper fought Paratrooper the greatest respect was shown by both sides.

Andy from the Shire

[Stéphane]

For the Brit Airborne forces just read about Arnhem and operation Market Garden. The British 1st Airborne Division held part of the bridge at Arnhem for two days against vastly superior elite Waffen SS units until told to pull out. Being able two fight off two SS divisions is quite an amazing thing, considering the paratroopers were lightly armed. They only pulled back when their relief failed to arrive. I think this battle tells a lot about their performance.

[HaEn]

For the Brit Airborne forces just read about Arnhem and operation Market Garden. The British 1st Airborne Division held part of the bridge at Arnhem for two days against vastly superior elite Waffen SS units until told to pull out. Being able two fight off two SS divisions is quite an amazing thing, considering the paratroopers were lightly armed. They only pulled back when their relief failed to arrive. I think this battle tells a lot about their performance.

They were awsome !!! Also the Polish who came down there. Had it not been for faulty intelligence, they would have made it. And the war would probably have been shorter. HN.

[Benoit Douville]

Operation Market Garden was the idea of Montgomery. He tought that he could defeated Germany before 1945 by takings those bridges. It almost work!

Here is an interesting quote by Lieutenant John Gorman: "We had come all the way from Normandy, fought halfway through Holland and crossed the Nijmegen bridge, Arnhem and those paratroopers were just up ahead and, almost within sight of that last bloody bridge, we were stopped. I never felt such morbid despair."

Of course the Polish 1st Brigade of General Sosabowski did play a very important role and they were awsome