Paratroops

[PhilB]

It sounds daft, I agree. But when you think about it, the chutes were there, the larger aircraft became available and there were plenty of men. So - was it feasible and would it have been effective? Phil B

[Gibbo]

Billy Mitchell, the US air commander, proposed the use of paratroopers in WWI but I've no idea if they were practicable.

[PhilB]

Looks to have been just after WW1.

"Shortly after World War I, General Billy Mitchell proposed that parachuting troops from aircraft into combat could be effective. During the demonstration of his concept at Kelly Field at San Antonio, Texas, six soldiers parachuted from a Martin Bomber, safely landed, and in less than three minutes after exiting the aircraft had their weapons assembled and were ready for action. Though American observers were not sold on the demonstration, Russian and German observers were impressed enough to pursue development of an effective military parachute force. "

[PhilB]

Interesting piece on the status of parachutes in WW1. Must have been galling for aircrew that they couldn`t buy their own! :-

On the outbreak of the First World War, parachutes were issued to crews of airships and balloons. It was claimed at the time that parachutes were too bulky to be used by pilots of aircraft. R. E. Calthrop, a retired British engineer, had in fact developed the Guardian Angel, a parachute for aircraft pilots, before the war. He informed the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) of his invention and successful tests were carried out by Mervyn O'Gorman, Superintendent of the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough.

Despite encouraging test results, Sir David Henderson, Commander of the RFC, was unwilling to give permission for them to be issued to his pilots. Pressure was also applied on Calthrop not to publicize his invention. With growing numbers of pilots dying as a result of their aircraft being hit by enemy fire, Calthorp rebelled and in 1917 advertised his Guardian Angel parachute in several aeronautical journals. Calthorp revealled details of the tests that had been carried out by the Royal Flying Corps and pointed out that British pilots were willing to buy their own parachutes but were being denied the right to use them.

The Air Board responded to Calthorp's adverts by setting up a committee to look into the possibility of allowing RFC pilots to use parachutes. Although some members of the committee favoured their use, the Air Board decided against the measure. Officially the reason given was that the Guardian Angel was not 100% safe, it was too bulky to be stored by the pilot and its weight would affect the performance of the aeroplane. Unofficially the reason was given in a report that was not published at the time: "It is the opinion of the board that the presence of such an apparatus might impair the fighting spirit of pilots and cause them to abandon machines which might otherwise be capable of returning to base for repair." However, the Royal Flying Corps did decide to use them to drop Allied spies behind enemy lines.

Pilots such as Major Mick Mannock became increasingly angry about the decision to deny British pilots the right to use parachutes. He pointed out that by 1917 they were being used by pilots in the German Airforce, French Army Air Service and the United States Air Service Instead of carrying parachutes, RFC pilots carried revolvers instead. As Mannock explained, unable to carry a parachute, he had a revolver "to finish myself as soon as I see the first signs of flames."

[Dolphin]

Phil

In 1918, at least on the Allied side of the lines, parachutes were very large and bulky things. There wouldn't have been any way of dropping significant numbers of troops, and their required equipment, into enemy-held areas. Here you should bear in mind that well into the 1920s parachutists left aeroplanes by releasing their grip on the outer interplane struts of large biplanes (having taken their place out there before take-off) and that these parachutists weren't armed.

In essence, the ideas might have been there in 1918, but the technology wasn't.

Gareth

[Gibbo]

Thanks for that, I didn't realise that his proposal was after the war. There is a book on the history of airborne forces by Peter Haclerode. I've not read it but I notice that his dates are 1918-45.

Wings Of War: Airborne Warfare 1918-1945

[PhilB]

Any idea how bulky/weighty Calthrop`s Guardian Angel might have been, Gareth?

1917:-

13 January

Captain C.F. Collet of the Royal Flying Corps becomes the the first British service flyer to make parachute jump when he uses a Calthrop 'Guardian Angel' parachute for an experimental jump from 600 feet.

[Dolphin]

Phil

I've just had a quick look, but I can't find the specifications. I think that the point was made in AVM Arthur Gould Lee's No Parachute that the guardian Angel could have been made smaller and more suitable for aircrew use during the War, but for various [now difficult to understand] reasons it wasn't.

It would have taken a lot of effort to:

1. develop and manufacture compact parachutes suitable for paratrooper-type use;

2. adapt large aeroplanes [HP V/1500s?] from their designated purpose of strategic bombing to paratrooper-carrying; and

3. try, and then adopt, a revolutionary system of warfare in the second half of 1918, when the old practices looked like bringing victory.

Cheers

Gareth

[PhilB]

It`s difficult to imagine a scenario in which the kind of force that`s feasible for 1918 could have been used effectively? Phil B

[Jonathan Saunders]

To my mind the Airborne are essentially shock troops - relatively lightly armed but able to take a position and hold whilst a stronger land force can punch through and secure the objective. I guess the experiences of 1915, 1916 and 1917 would indicate the futility of dropping men behind three to four strongly held defensive lines and waiting for a break-through.

[fitzee]

The German version was the Heinecke parachute. I believe Ernst Udet was actually saved by one

The baglike pack was clipped to a harness worn by the pilot once seated in the cockpit. They were rather crude devices with no manual ripcord, upon abandoning the machine the pilots falling body pulled the canopy from the bag. This allowed little time for freefall and the canopy and lines tangled more often than not in the falling aircraft carrying the pilot to his death. Although I have experience skydiving, I was recently in the front seat of a Pitts Special doing some stunting. Although I was wearing a parachute[an FAA law in the U.S for aerobatic aircraft] I couldn't help but think how hard it would be to exit the tiny cockpit in the event of an emergency.

Fitzee

[Adrian Roberts]

The first free-fall parachute was the Irving type introduced in 1922.

As Fitzee says, all previous parachutes were static line types. These are still used by paratroopers today but are of limited value in emergencies as the user had to be falling much faster than the aircraft, so they were no good if the aircraft had broken up and was dropping like a stone. Balloons, if on fire, would pick up speed gradually in the descent so the observer had a chance, providing he made the decision to jump quickly.

It is true that Udet was saved by a parachute, but two of the other top ten German aces were killed when they took to parachutes that did not open - Eric Lowenhardt and Fritz Rumey.

Therefore, while it is difficult to dispute that the British government should have tried harder to provide parachutes for airmen, the issue is not as clear-cut as people think.

But then, the British government is now sending troops against heavily-armed Taliban in Land-Rovers rather than armoured vehicles...

Adrian

[cpaige]

When did the RAF have there pilots use parachutes? When did the French use them as I am unaware they were used in the war?

[Adrian Roberts]

When did the RAF have there pilots use parachutes?

Not sure exactly but certainly by the mid-20's - when free-fall chutes were available