Some Historical Ramblings

[dragoon500ly]

Its like when the 82nd and 101st were left under British control following the failure of Market Garden. Left to secure the south bank of the Rhine while the British withdrew units to higher ground.

Already exhausted by the heavy fighting to hold the corridor open, now left in an area that the Germans were getting ready to flood, no armor support, their only artillery support aside from the 75mm pack hows of the division artillery was a regiment of worn out 5.5-inch guns and dependent upon all supply from the British.

Accounts from both divisions testify to the heavy artillery fire that they had to endure. It was only when Eisenhower demanded the release of his airborne divisions that Monty finally released them back to reserve...just in time to be thrown into the Battle of the Bulge.

[Abbott Shaull]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

Its like when the 82nd and 101st were left under British control following the failure of Market Garden. Left to secure the south bank of the Rhine while the British withdrew units to higher ground.

Already exhausted by the heavy fighting to hold the corridor open, now left in an area that the Germans were getting ready to flood, no armor support, their only artillery support aside from the 75mm pack hows of the division artillery was a regiment of worn out 5.5-inch guns and dependent upon all supply from the British.

Accounts from both divisions testify to the heavy artillery fire that they had to endure. It was only when Eisenhower demanded the release of his airborne divisions that Monty finally released them back to reserve...just in time to be thrown into the Battle of the Bulge.

Yeah well both those units and the British/Allied Airborne units up until this point had longer rest due to operation running faster then expected, all of them were left in the field way longer than were originally planned. It one of those mistakes I am sure that will be made in the T2K war too in which Light units would be pressed into service much longer to the breaking point before being relieved and then needing extra long time to reconstitute and reorganized.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by Abbott Shaull

Yeah well both those units and the British/Allied Airborne units up until this point had longer rest due to operation running faster then expected, all of them were left in the field way longer than were originally planned. It one of those mistakes I am sure that will be made in the T2K war too in which Light units would be pressed into service much longer to the breaking point before being relieved and then needing extra long time to reconstitute and reorganized.

The problem with Light units and modern warfare, is that they will simply get more chewed up, faster...

[Abbott Shaull]

Yeah it was their problem back in 1944... The only reason in 1945 wasn't much of issue was that Germany was in rapid collapse. It one of the reason why the British has only on Brigade designated as Air Assault/Airmobile operation with two of the three regular Battalions of the Para Regiment.

[95th Rifleman]

It's always been the damocles sword of light units. They can hit hard and hit fast but can not hit for long.

The Germans proved the effectiveness during Blitzkrieg because they where able to get regular troops in to consolidate and expand the gains made by airbourne troops. It's telling that when the German's started to lose momentum the fallschirmjager where turned into foot infantry units.

I think we'd see the same with both NATO and WP airbourne assets, gradualy they will become foot infantry used as "fire brigades" to try and blunt enemy breakthroughs in much the same way the fallschirmjager where used in Normandy and Italy.