Airborne forces

Day One: 17 September. The airborne landings on the first day were completed without any major incidents. The 101st Airborne met little resistance and captured four of the five bridges assigned to them. The Germans destroyed the bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal at Son just as the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) neared the objective (Badsey, 1993, p. 41). The Bailey bridge, a portable, prefabricated bridge developed by the British, constructed over the canal was not finished until the morning of the 19th (Badsey, 1993, p. 56). The 82nd Airborne captured the bridge near Grave and the high ground at Groesbeck Heights. A communication problem delayed the assault on the Nijmegen Bridge. By the time the 508th PIR reached the bridge,…

of 1944. This operation, which included the Battle of Arnhem, not long after the D-day landings, became one of the largest Airborne battles in history. Other than operation Overlord, it was the only other operation by the allies to use airborne forces as a strategic role in the European front. The operation had a massive engagement. The main two combatants in this operations the 21st army group under the command of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, this is for the Allies, and the other army…

The battle of Arnhem was part of one of the most audacious operations in all of World War II. It consisted of the largest airborne drop conducted to date as well as an armored ground movement in what was codenamed “Market-Garden.” The operation failed with the bridge in Arnhem. There were several factors that lead to this failure, specifically not having all the characteristics of the offense. The plan had both surprise and audacity, however it failed to have the tempo and concentration…

Just minutes after midnight, the attack began. The 101 Paratroopers had jumped into Normandy. Their objective was to capture the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, seize the major exits to Utah Beach, and gain control of the Western part of Normandy. On the Eastern flank of Normandy, the 6th British Airborne Division landed at the Caen Canal and at the Orne river bridges. With help from Major Howard, they captured the bridge and prepare for a counterattack from Germany. I sat, waiting patiently on the…

Introduction September 17, 1944, Allied forces commenced the largest airborne operation, code name Operation Market-Garden, which took place in Holland in order to make way for Allied forces, both ground and air to advance through Holland into Germany. The scheme of the operation was an idea by Field Marshall Sir Bernard Montgomery, which he had convinced the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight Eisenhower in approving Operation Market-Garden, which called for a direct thrust towards the…

played out I watched in agony as our beloved world trade center collapsed, the Pentagon burned and an unexplained plane crash in Shanks Ville Pa, took the lives of the innocent passenger on board. Like many who woke up on that ordinary morning the tragic occurrences would scorn a horrid picture of death and agony. This event would further subject the nation's heart into a state of hopelessness and shock and as September 11, unfolded America would usher in an era known as Post 9-11 I enlisted…

activities grouped together to help Joint Force Commanders integrate, synchronize, and direct joint operations.” The Sicily Campaign, known as Operation Husky, provides various examples of combined and joint functions. Although Operation Husky resulted in an important Allied victory, joint functions such as command and control (C2) proved dismal; fires were considered marginal; while maneuver was regarded as satisfactory. To illustrate this a brief discussion of these joint functions followed…

Some say that America and the Allies won the war because of a group effort. In all reality this is very true. But if it wasn’t for Easy Company on the front lines in Normandy on D-Day we may have lost the war. The “Band of Brothers” were the men of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, an elite group of WWII war fighters. They parachuted into Normandy on D-Day June 6th 1944 and later into Holland for Operation Market-Garden September 17th 1944. They fought in…

The United States military has always placed a high value on its soldiers and their survivability in conflict. We as a nation believe that our citizens deserve the best care we can offer should they become a casualty of war. Since the beginning of combat, almost all fighting forces have utilized some method to evacuate their wounded from the battlefield. Throughout history we can see different methods that nations have used to evacuate their wounded from the battlefield with varying degrees…

initially different FE models proved to be very important to allow rapid and efficient exchange of data between all groups within the MDO process. Wing Contents Providing lift is the main function of the wings of an aircraft. The wings consist of two essential parts. The internal wing structure, consisting of spars, ribs and stringers, and the external wing, which is the skin. Ribs give the shape to the wing section, support the skin (prevent buckling) and act to prevent the fuel surging…