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Abstract

In World War II, a major tactical innovation was born: the ability to deploy troops onto the ground from the air. The Allies, especially the United States, took this fledgling form of warfare and molded it into a very effective part of their military. The early attempts to use airborne infantry were plagued by numerous tactical problems, but after each mission, generals added changes that increased their probability of success. The debut of large amounts of American airborne infantry occurred in the North African invasion. After a disappointing show in North Africa, the Allies decided to begin using airborne infantry as shock troops instead of small elite detached units. The next operation, the invasion of Sicily, demonstrated that the accuracy of deployment was crucial to the survival of airborne troops. Without this problem, the invasion of Sicily would have been a much less costly mission. Only with the knowledge gained through these tough fought prequels, could the story of the invasion Normandy have been the happy ending that Americans celebrate today. Because its part in the success at Normandy, airborne infantry proved to its critics that it was a very effective military weapon.