24 March 1945 The U.S. 17th Airborne Division and British 6th Airborne Division launch Operation VARSITY, a daylight parachute and glider assault into landing zones east of the Rhine River, north and northwest of Wesel. The mission is to secure bridgeheads for other units to cross.
By Matthew J. Seelinger In the years prior to World War II, the U.S. Army began to develop the concept of deploying troops from the air. Starting with the formation of the Parachute Test Platoon on 26 June 1940, the Army experimented with and developed airborne doctrine, deploying soldiers by parachute and by glider behind …
Operation VARSITY: The Last Airborne Deployment of World War II Read More »
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