Fallschirmjager-Hunters From The Sky

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Hugh
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Post by Hugh »

An acquaintance who was counterpart to a Viet battalion down in the Delta in VietNam said that he had picked up an M1A1 .45 cal. submachine gun in the Cho Lon district of Saigon and that was his choice of a weapon in the dense undergrowth that was the norm there.
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Van Canna
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Post by Van Canna »

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Van
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Van Canna
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Van Canna
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Post by Van Canna »

just imagine the courage of these airborne warriors to jump into such hellish nightmare to take on the enemy and kill him.
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Van
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Van
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Van
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Post by Van Canna »

Throughout the fast-moving course of instruction, mental alertness and physical conditioning are emphasized. Physical conditioning is a must prior to attending this course. Airborne School is designed for those who possess the desire, motivation and courage to join the elite fraternity known as "THE AIRBORNE."

WARNING: WHEN CONDUCTING PHYSICAL TRAINING PRIOR TO THE BASIC AIRBORNE COURSE AT YOUR HOME STATION, DESIGN A PROGRAM TO ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING: COMPLETION OF A 5 MILE RUN WITH A TIME OF 45 MINUTES OR FASTER AFTER CONDUCTING 30 MINUTES OF STRENUOUS ACTIVITY (MUSCULAR STRENGTH EXERCISES, MUSCULAR ENDURANCE EXERCISES, CALISTHENICS, AND GRASS DRILLS).

You must be physically fit before you start the BAC. The physically weak are more likely to either not complete the course because of an injury, or fail the course due to an inability to qualify on the training apparatuses. You will have PT the first period each day, followed by seven hours of demanding, vigorous training.

Typical PT Session. You must qualify during daily PT by completing the exercises and distance run. Any student who fails to complete two runs during the entire course will be eliminated from training. A typical daily PT session includes warm up exercises, calisthenics, guerilla/grass drills or a 3.2 to 4 mile formation run. Males and females run in the same formation during PT and the average pace is 9-minutes per mile. Train now and get fit - check out the Army Special Forces Workout to prepare you for Airborne School.
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Post by Van Canna »

Being an Airborne unit, parachuting is "a way to get to work" for the men of Special Forces. Their platforms for the jumps include C-141, C130 Air Force aircraft and UH-60, UH-1H, and CH-47 Army Helicopters. SF chutes also vary. The most common static-line parachute is the MC1-1C, which is maintained and packed by the Support Company Riggers (MOS 92R). SF soldiers have to jump once every three months to stay "current". They also make night jumps which are the preferred method of tactical parachute infiltration.

Select members of Special Forces also are trained in HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening) operations. For these highly trained SF soldiers, HALO is the best "way to get to work". These super paratroopers can be miles from their target (Landing Zone) when they exit their aircraft and "glide" their way in for a safe, clandestine landing.
Van
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M-1 Carbine

Post by JOHN THURSTON »

I also owante to be a member f an elite unit, but this was not to be.

A movie "The Eagle Has Landed" showed full auto M-2 carbines in action.

The M-2 configuration was not introduced until the Korean "Police action" until the Korean conficlt so, anachronisns abound in many war movies.


Not a criitiicism, just the facts

My friends son in in the All Ameriican (82nd) after serviving a tour in the Marines.

He tok excepton 9/11. a -good soldier- i taught him t shoot,, as did his farherr.

I will do some reseach as to parachute training.

I hope 'Tom Tom" is ok.

iI is a misnomer to assume that the carbine was useless, as mentioned before, it was inended to replace the 1911 as the LT's weapon inWWII.

It is known that the M1911A1 is is a effective weapon, but the Carbine was, at least, light and more powerful than the
slab side despite its faults.

It, like the M-16, was a work in progress in its time frame.

It was not desgined to be a Battle Rfile , assualt rifle or submachine gun.


j
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Van Canna
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NUTS

Post by Van Canna »

Withdrawn from Holland at the end of November for recuperation, the 101st was sent to Camp Mourmelon le Grand, France. Less than 3 weeks later, the 101st was rushed north into Belgium in trucks, to counter the German Ardennes counteroffensive.

Throwing a cordon around the key road and rail center of Bastogne, the 101st Division was surrounded for a week by elements of eight German divisions, but refused to yield the town to the enemy.

Here, General Anthony McAuliffe, the acting commander rejected a German surrender ultimatum with a one word reply of "Nuts".

The German ring around Bastogne was broken on 26 December, 1944, when elements of Patton's 3rd Army shot their way into the town. But even heavier fighting ensued, as the 101st pushed north toward Houffalize for the first half of January, to help close the Bulge.


The 463rd Parachute Field Artillery (PFA) Bn. was attached to the 101st just before the Bulge and remained with the division for the duration of WW2. That unit had prior combat experience at Anzio, as well as in southern France, supporting the 1st Special Service Force.


The 101st left Bastogne in trucks in mid January, 1945, and the weary Bastogne survivors were rushed to the 7th Army front in Alsace-Lorraine, to reinforce the line along the Moder River. A month later, the 101st boarded trains (40&8 boxcars) and returned to the Reims, France area, this time Mourmelon le Petit, where they received a Presidential Unit Citation for their defense of Bastogne.
Van
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Post by Hugh »

My Dad was West Point, class of 1934, and at least one of his classmates was in the 101st. He told of one occasion in France when the troops came back to him with a report of another German atrocity. They said that there was this warehouse that stunk so badly that nobody would go into it, so my Dad's classmate called in an artillery shelling on the building. A battery of 155mm "Long Toms" opened up and brought the building down on itself, making what the Americans thought woud be a suitable grave. Then, the local townspeople came screaming out at them. It seemed that the building, rather than being the site of a massacre, was a stinky cheese aging warehouse! Oh well!
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Nuts

Post by JOHN THURSTON »

I will get back into this thread.

Mcaullife's reputed reply" Nuts, was doubtless a censored one.

Or at least it is the not the word I might have chosen, but then, I am neither an officer or a gentleman---well, maybe a gentleman sorta kinda.

Sensei Van, Thanks for the great pics.

J
"All Enlightenment Gratefully Accepted"
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