Airborne Operations [2-3.7 AC.F] - TAB A U.S. AIRBORNE DOCTRINAL
CONCEPTS (1) World War II and Prior. In the U.S. Army before and
during World War II, airborne organization and operations never
achieved a unity at the top level comparable to that in the
German Army. By the late thirties the Germans had already
reached the first stage in organization for airborne operations
with the formation of parachute regiments. In 1939 they achieved
the second stage, when three parachute regiments, with
additional special troops, were incorporated as the 7th Division
of the Air Force. In February 21941 the Germans achieved the
final stage when these airborne elements were joined with an air
transport fleet in the XI Air Corps. Meanwhile, serious
discussions concerning parachute troops within the U.S. Army
rested upon a general assumption that these troops would be
employed principally in small detachments for demolition work in
enemy rear areas. This notion, however, soon gave way to a
concept that parachute troops should