The Imperial Japanese Army developed an airborne paratroop force in the late 1930s, but the program did not receive much attention by the Imperial General Headquarters until review of the success of similar German paratroop units during the Blitzkrieg of 1940 and the capture of Crete in 1941. Japanese Army paratroops were first deployed in […]
August 16, 1940, marks the date of the first official U.S. Army parachute jump at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Although the US lagged behind other nations in the development and deployment of Airborne Forces, US airborne units went on to fight valiantly on every front in WWII, and were critical to the Allies success. Today, airborne […]
Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France, was originally supposed to be launched simultaneous to the invasion of Normandy – thus catching the Nazi forces in France and Western Europe between the horns of a two-pronged assault. However, due to there not being enough ships, aircraft, crews, and materiel to allow both invasions to happen […]
Today, 75 years ago: August 15, 1944. U.S. paratroopers from the 517th PIR patrol a road after landing in Southern France during Operation Dragoon. Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the Allied invasion of Southern France on 15 August 1944. The operation was initially planned to be executed in conjunction with Operation […]
This week marks the 75th anniversary of Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Provence, on August 15, 1944 – just two months after the famous Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6. The invasion involved 400,000 troops from the US, France (including from former colonies), Britain, and Canada. The assault was launched at 7.15 p.m. on […]
Today’s “Friday Foto” is actually a video. Enjoy! […]
We weren’t able to attend the International Friendship Jumps and Wings Exchange ceremony at Leapfest today, but thanks to information provided by the Rhode Island National Guard PAO team we are able to bring you the following report. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Deirdre Salvas There is a tremendous amount of tradition […]
The 2019 Leapfest International Airborne Competition has now come to an end, and the results are in for the best Team and Individual scores. Paratroopers from around the world participated in Leapfest, Aug. 3, 2019, West Kingston, R.I. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Deirdre Salvas, 143 AW/PA) First Place Team: The U.S. Army’s […]
Leapfest is the largest, longest standing, international static line parachute training event and competition. Conducted by the Rhode Island Army National Guard, the purpose of Leapfest is to promote international camaraderie and Esprit de Corps among Airborne Soldiers, while also showcasing the capabilities of the Rhode Island National Guard. Paratroopers are specially selected, trained, and highly […]
Australian Army soldiers from 2nd Commando Regiment conducted counter-terrorism training in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart in May 2019. The training was part of the Mars series of exercises used by the 2nd Commando Regiment’s online hostage recovery/counter-terrorism company to build capacity in its role as Tactical Assault Group—East (TAG–E). TAG–E is the Australian Defence Force’s […]
