Airborne Operations in the Pacific War

[asiaticus]

Photo of the Elephant point drop.

[asiaticus]

More on Elephant Point:


Seems it was only the Ghurkha 153rd Parachute Battalion that dropped.
It was carried in planes of the RAF and by U.S.A.A.F 1st Combat Cargo Group. Their history relates:

"On the 1st and 2nd May, 1945 ten aircraft of the 2nd and 4th Squadrons participated in a 40-plane parachute drop over Elephant Point, south of Rangoon. These two Squadrons then aided the Gurkha paratroopers by delivery supplies to the paratroopers they had delivered to Elephant Point. "

[Wm. Harris]

Thanks for the additonal info, asiaticus. The Burma Star site is very useful but it can be confusing to navigate.

[Incorporeal One]

http://www.dropzonepress.com/usjumps.htm - Excellent site that chronicles every U.S. para drop ever.

[Galahad]

There was another 11th Airborne Division drop in the Pacific during World War II, a part of the Los Banos Raid on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, on 23 February 1945. The airborne drop involved a reinforced company and was part of a three-pronged attack--by land, by amtrac assault across Laguna de Bay, and by air. The purpose of the raid was to free the 2200 civilian internees at the Los Banos detention camp before the Japanese could murder them, something the camp commandant was preparing to do.....he was having them dig mass graves.

The raid went off without a hitch and is studied in military schools worldwide as a textbook example of what a raid should be and how it should go, both in planning and in execution. The coordination and timing of the attack were perfect. There were hardly any US casualties and all detainees were freed and evacuated. The only unsuccessful part of the operation was that the Japanese camp commander managed to escape.

He felt he had "lost face", and determined on revenge because Filipino guerillas had helped in the attack. The result was he supervised the massacre of more than 1500 Filipinos in the town of Los Banos and its surrounding villages during the days following the raid.

An operation as successful as the Los Banos Raid ought to be well-known, but this one isn't; hardly anyone outside military circles knows about it. Why? Because of its timing.

It took place the same day the Marines raised the US flag over Mount Suribachi, and the story of the raid got shoved to the back pages.

As a side-note, the Japanese camp commandant was noticed a few months later by one of the internees, as part of a group of Japanese POWs being used as a work detail. This allowed for the conducting of a proper fair trial and hanging of the sob.

[e.polis]

I'm actually quite supprised that the Japanese did not use Kamakazie Parachutists, just imagine a bloke jumping from a high altitude aircraft loaded with 50kg of HE, pockets full of nails, and landing on Mc Arthur's HQ. It just occured to me that would have been impossible for he was well and trully out of range and safely in Australia.

[Peter H]

Japanese paratroop raiding parties also tried to disrupt US airfield operations in 1944/45.

On the 6th December 1944,409 Raiders were dropped on Leyte Is.All were wiped out.

On the 25th May a raiding force was crash landed on Yontan airfield,Okinawa.Only one plane reached the target and the 12 raiders it was carrying destroyed 7 US planes and damage 26 more.Fuel stocks were also destroyed.

See below:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=20476

[Peter H]

The 555th PIB served with the Forest Service in Oregon as Smokejumpers,to fight any fires caused by Japanese balloon bombs.

http://www.celebratefreedomfoundation.org/555.htm

[Peter H]

According to Gordon Rottman's US Army Airborne 1940-1990:

11th Airborne Division airdrops:

4th December 1944-Manarawat,Leyte: Bty A 457th PFAB

3rd February 1945-Tagaytay,457th PFAB

23rd February 1945--Los Banos,Co B,511th PIR

23rd June 1945-Aparri,battalion of 511th PIR plus Bty C 457th PFAB

http://www.thedropzone.org/units/11th.html

Aparri---Task Force Gypsy was the largest and one of the only U.S. glider operations of the Pacific War.

The 457th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion
http://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/457/457.html




503rd PIR airdrops:

5th September 1943-Nadzab

3rd July 1944-Noemfoor(1st Btn followed by 3rd Btn next day)

16th February 1945-Correigidor

[maxs75]

1944, 5 March-17 May: American glider missions into Japanese-held Burma; first use of double-tow in combat.

What does double tow mean? One C-47 and 2 gliders?




Op. Dracula:
TF63: general escort and attack on Nicobar islands on 30 april.
Cruiser Tromp was dutch.
Escorting destroyers were Tartar, Nubian, Penn, Verulam and Rotherham.

TF62: Destroyers Roebuck, Racehorse and Redoubt. Convoy escort and attack on Nicobar on 1 May.

Close escort to Force W (Landing ships, minesweepers and transports):
AA Cruisers Royalist, Phoebe, destoryers Sumarez, Venus, Virago, Vigilant, 8 frigates, 6 Indian and 2 british sloops and 4 escort carriers listed below.

TF 69: replenishment group: Destroyer Paladin, oilers Olwen, Easedale.

FAA:
Shah: 851 Sqn (Avengers) plus dets of 804 and 809 Sqns.
Empress: 804 Sqn (Hellcats)

Emperor: 800 Sq. (Hellcats)
Khedive: 808 Sqn. (Hellcats)
Hunter: 807 Sqn. (Seafires)
Stalker: 809 Sqn. (Seafires)
A single rescue Walrus aboard Khedive and Empress.

Max

[Peter H]

What does double tow mean? One C-47 and 2 gliders?

Yes,answering for Caldric who is a former member here.

"On a double tow, the tow ropes were 350 and 425 feet long; both attached to a D-ring coupler,with the gliders spaced 75 feet apart.."


http://www.atterburybakalarairmuseum.or ... d_1945.jpg

[Michael Emrys]

A slightly sharper image can be seen here.
http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=951&rendTypeId=4

Michael

[maxs75]

Thanks for the info
Max

[Delta Tank]

To all,

There were in fact 5 airborne divisions in the US Army in World War II. They were the 11th, 13, 17th, 82d and 101st. The 11th Airborne served in the Pacific and all the others were in the ETO. The 13th Airborne did not see action in World War II.

e-polis wrote: 'm actually quite supprised that the Japanese did not use Kamakazie Parachutists, just imagine a bloke jumping from a high altitude aircraft loaded with 50kg of HE, pockets full of nails, and landing on Mc Arthur's HQ. It just occured to me that would have been impossible for he was well and trully out of range and safely in Australia.

He never left Australia? Source please!

Mike

[Barry Graham]

I'm actually quite supprised that the Japanese did not use Kamakazie Parachutists

A kamakazi with a parachute!!!