Paratrooper

   

A United States Marine Corps Paratrooper
Enlarge
A United States Marine Corps Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and formed into an airborne force. Paratroopers have a tactical advantage in that they can appear on the battlefield anywhere that aircraft can fly over. Thus they can evade enemy fortifications designed to repel an attack from a specific direction, and also force the enemy to devote manpower to protecting its rear. Paratroopers were first used extensively in WWII (and in German service, were referred to as fallschirmjäger.) A common use for paratroopers is to establish an airhead.

Types of Military Parachuting

In World War Two paratroopers jumped in groups of twelve called a stick. They used round parachutes and jumped from low levels with static lines.

Today paratroopers may use round parachutes or "ram-air" wingss with or without a static line.

See also:


Basic Paratroop Safety

Paratroopers are advised to tape their rifle muzzles, to prevent dirt from damaging the weapon; in addition, they should tape any other loose objects, and ensure that all sharp objects are covered. If parachuting with a rucksack, it should be released on a lowering line, prior to impact.

History

For a history of paratroop forces see Airborne forces.

de:Fallschirmjäger zh:空降兵

Retrieved from "http://www.centipedia.com/articles/Paratrooper"

This page has been accessed 587 times. This page was last modified 14:13, 15 Nov 2004. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see Copyrights for details).