Post by EXO on Apr 3, 2021 12:54:30 GMT 8
A little perspective - how the Corregidor Operation is reflected in the American Airborne Doctrine.
As America’s collective memory of the Second World War fades, popular history books and the entertainment industry have filled the knowledge gap with accounts from the European Theater. A resurgence in works focusing on the war in the Pacific has surfaced in recent years, but the topic still requires a fresh perspective. In particular, the American airborne experience in the Pacific presents a field ripe for exploration.
This historical monograph argues that a careful review of the operations involving the 11th Airborne Division, the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, and the 1st Marine Parachute Battalion reveals a measure of foresight on the part of those who designed campaign plans in the Pacific. General Joseph Swing’s implementation of the para-glider concept in the 11th Airborne enabled his unit to perform a variety of tasks including amphibious operations, parachute drops, and POW camp raids. The Allies’ only independent parachute regiment in the Pacific, the 503rd, successfully employed the combined arms concept in its capture of Nadzab and set the conditions for the Allied reduction of Japanese defenses around Rabaul. The United States Marine Corps’ short-lived experiment with airborne forces revealed the usefulness of units in multi-role functions, but ultimately betrayed an inability to execute actual parachute drops because of logistical limitations in the ocean environment.
Herein lies a promising heritage. While most Americans maintain a short historical memory, today’s military strategists can draw on past successes rather than bemoan an alleged lack of operational skill. Despite the fact that many in today’s military planning community consider American attempts to operationalize national strategy a dismal failure, the airborne experience in the Pacific Theater in World War II provides a positive example for a successful operational tradition. Furthermore, case studies of this nature may hold implications for future force structure in the U.S. Army’s Airborne and Air Assault Division / Brigade Combat Team (BCT) units, and how U.S. military planners incorporate airborne units into operational objectives and regional plans.
As a nod to the para-glider past in the Pacific, a consolidated air transportable division, including parachute and heli-borne units, could meet the need for a strategic and operationally flexible force package. As they have in the past, situations will arise that require the deployment of units marked by a certain cultural prestige and a visible, forceful presence. From a regional perspective, parachute troops remain a highly useful and practical capability for nations with littoral interests. While it may take years for China to develop a sophisticated and globally projected
force, it holds the potential now to deploy robust, brigade-sized troops to various points in the Pacific Basin. In a positive sense, this could mean a greater degree of peace-keeping involvement on the part of the Chinese in troubled areas like the Solomons or the Marshalls. However, recent events in Tibet indicate that rosy outcomes are unlikely to follow from Chinese interventions any time soon. Major shifts in the Chinese political environment must precede any positive developments in either law enforcement or military operations. In either case, rising powers will continue to watch and emulate U.S. military actions and its forthcoming expeditionary force structure.
Abstract
by Maj. Channing M. Greene Jr., US Army, 60 pages.
As America’s collective memory of the Second World War fades, popular history books and the entertainment industry have filled the knowledge gap with accounts from the European Theater. A resurgence in works focusing on the war in the Pacific has surfaced in recent years, but the topic still requires a fresh perspective. In particular, the American airborne experience in the Pacific presents a field ripe for exploration.
This historical monograph argues that a careful review of the operations involving the 11th Airborne Division, the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, and the 1st Marine Parachute Battalion reveals a measure of foresight on the part of those who designed campaign plans in the Pacific. General Joseph Swing’s implementation of the para-glider concept in the 11th Airborne enabled his unit to perform a variety of tasks including amphibious operations, parachute drops, and POW camp raids. The Allies’ only independent parachute regiment in the Pacific, the 503rd, successfully employed the combined arms concept in its capture of Nadzab and set the conditions for the Allied reduction of Japanese defenses around Rabaul. The United States Marine Corps’ short-lived experiment with airborne forces revealed the usefulness of units in multi-role functions, but ultimately betrayed an inability to execute actual parachute drops because of logistical limitations in the ocean environment.
Herein lies a promising heritage. While most Americans maintain a short historical memory, today’s military strategists can draw on past successes rather than bemoan an alleged lack of operational skill. Despite the fact that many in today’s military planning community consider American attempts to operationalize national strategy a dismal failure, the airborne experience in the Pacific Theater in World War II provides a positive example for a successful operational tradition. Furthermore, case studies of this nature may hold implications for future force structure in the U.S. Army’s Airborne and Air Assault Division / Brigade Combat Team (BCT) units, and how U.S. military planners incorporate airborne units into operational objectives and regional plans.
As a nod to the para-glider past in the Pacific, a consolidated air transportable division, including parachute and heli-borne units, could meet the need for a strategic and operationally flexible force package. As they have in the past, situations will arise that require the deployment of units marked by a certain cultural prestige and a visible, forceful presence. From a regional perspective, parachute troops remain a highly useful and practical capability for nations with littoral interests. While it may take years for China to develop a sophisticated and globally projected
force, it holds the potential now to deploy robust, brigade-sized troops to various points in the Pacific Basin. In a positive sense, this could mean a greater degree of peace-keeping involvement on the part of the Chinese in troubled areas like the Solomons or the Marshalls. However, recent events in Tibet indicate that rosy outcomes are unlikely to follow from Chinese interventions any time soon. Major shifts in the Chinese political environment must precede any positive developments in either law enforcement or military operations. In either case, rising powers will continue to watch and emulate U.S. military actions and its forthcoming expeditionary force structure.