Evening star., 1943-02-13
Parachute Troops
To Be Expanded 10
Tens Of Thousands
Volunteers Seeking Action
Quickly Fill Ronks of
Army's Speurhe1d
BY WALTER McCALLUM,
Star Staff Correspondent.

HEADQUARTERS, A1RBORNE
COMMAND, FORT BRAGG. N. c.
Feb. l3.-Action appeal of the air.
borne infantry - the parachute
troops-is one of the reasons para
troop units have little trouble keep
ing their ranks full.
In the first place, the paratrooper
realizes he is going to see plenty of
action. He is quite likely to be
tabled as the spearhead of any
military operation and as such he
will meet the best men of the en-
enly before the enemy has been
weakened by other means. His very
means of getting into battle-trans-
portation by air and dropping by
parachute-in itself is a thrill
Many boy who wants action and
plenty Of it gravitates to the para
chute troops because he is sure he
won't fight the war twiddling his
thumbs in a rest area and probably
will be up in the bald-headed row
when the guns begin talking.
Planned expansion of the para
chute infantry, with much of the
training to be concentrated in the
Hoffman IN. c. area at a new camp
under constructions there, will
bring paratroop strength up to tens
of thousands of men Literally they
will be the cream of the crop, for
even to get chance to win the
coveted curled wing insignia of the
paratrooper they must be good.
40 Per Cent Rejected.
PROJECTIONS for physical reasons
run about 40 per cent" said a
medical major at one of the para
troop reception and training GEN.
,ers in Georgia. Our standards
are very high. We must keep
them So"
One understands why a para
trooper must be in topnotch phys
lcal shape watching them run
through training that would bring
on a heart attack in many men.
The paratrooper has no monopoly
on physical courage or equipment,
out his training is as tough as that
IN any Army unit, even the Ranger
outfits. The fact that he drops into
battle from a plane and that to
qualify as member of that elite
group he must pass stiff qualify
Ing course gives him that essential
morale quality. Call it esprit, back
bone, CUTS or anything else, the
paratrooper has it. 1t is evident all
through the fast-growing ranks of
Uncle Sans parachute infantry.
From the moment he drops from
the door Of the ship, throttled down
to less than 100 miles an hour, and
his parachute pillows out in the prop
blast the paratrooper is on his own.
He knows he won't have any heavy
artillery to blast the way for him.
that he will have only his own light
weapons, his two fists and a sturdy,
well-trained body to oppose an en-
emy presumably equipped with
heavy weapons.
Capture. Airports.
Paratroopers may drop anywhere,
but possibly one of their ma ior mis-
sions will be capture and investment
Of enemy-held airports, the way pre-
pared for them by heavy air bomb
Ing of the country surrounding the
fields to knock out enemy strong
points. They may be used for de-
molition missions behind enemy
lines, aimed at disrupting his sup
ply. They may be used on surprise |
missions of all kinds. One thing is
certain. The parachute trooper in
this war is going to be up where
the fighting goes on. He won't lack
action.
He gets 1t from the moment the
primary training instructor teaches
him to climb ropes hand over hand,
through the jump tower training,
the parachute packing and the final
qualification of five free jumps from
an air transport. He gets it the
moment he steps on the rife range
Or the machine gun range Dull
moments are few in the life of
paratrooper.
Carries New Carbine.
His main weapon is the newest
thing in light guns. The MI car
bine with which the parachute in
fantry is equipped is the most mod
ern job in the way of individual
infantry weapons. 1t weighs around
pounds, shoots lengthy string
almost as fast as a machine gun
and is potent at long range. The
gun itself is streamlined to fit the
air and ground job the paratrooper
does. He has other weapons, of
course, including light mortars and
the Army pistol. Chief of all, he is
equipped by his training to do a
rough and tumble job on any en-
emy outfits that may be in the
hand-to-h mood.
But the paratrooper, despite his
glamour, is getting ready for grim
and serious business. They aren't
fooling in their training in the
South. From high officers down
they are earnestly trying-and sue
ceeding-in preparing themselves
for the combats sure to come, when
the success of an action by other
United States troops may depend on
what the parachute infantry does