Paratroopers in World War II Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Paratroopers in World War II - Research Paper Example Since most forces do not expect to be attacked from behind, paratroopers also had a distinct advantage which they could exploit to destabilize the enemy in advance of a larger ground-based force. Paratroopers of all services of the United States Military begin training at the U.S. Army Airborne School located in Ft. Benning, Georgia. For three weeks soldiers are trained by the "Black Hats" of the 1-507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The first week being ground week, where soldiers practice landings and in aircraft procedures, the second week being tower week, where soldiers practice exiting an aircraft out of mock towers and practice landing off the swing lander trainer. The third week is Jump Week, where soldiers must complete five successful airborne operations. Typically, the first two jumps are conducted wearing only the parachute, reserve chute and harness (referred to as "Hollywood" jumps), followed by two jumps wearing full combat gear and, finally, a night jump. After the suc cessful completion of five jumps out of a high performance aircraft, soldiers are awarded basic parachutist wings. This badge allows the now 'paratrooper' to be assigned to an airborne position within an airborne unit. (Cited from, wiki Pedia) The largest elite unit among America’s troops was the airborne division. ... oordinated with the paratrooper assault, known as a "vertical envelopment." But the war ended before Mitchell's innovative plans could be experimented. (Patrick K. O’Donnell, America’s elite troops in World War II-the Airborne) After the war, the concept of vertical envelopment was neglected in the United States. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, pushed ahead with large-scale airborne exercises in the 1930s. Germany took notice of the Soviet exercises and began building its own airborne program, made up of paratroopers and infantry that would ride in gliders. The Fallschirmjager, the German paratroopers of World War 2, made the first airborne infantry assaults in history. When Germany invaded Western Europe in 1940, the German paratroopers parachuted and landed with gliders and captured strategic positions. A year later, in May 1941, in their greatest operation, they invaded and conquered the big island Crete in the Mediterranean solely by airborne troops. Their loss es were such that Hitler decided never to do another large airborne operation, so the German paratroopers served the rest of the war as elite infantry. With the outbreak of war, the Germans successfully used paratroopers to seize critical military objectives in Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium, where a small band of paratroopers and glider men seized Fort Eben Emael, which many had considered unconquerable. Kurt Student, a fighter pilot and squadron leader in World War I, was excited by the military potential of paratroopers, but the establishment of the German paratroopers force was delayed until the German military buildup began in 1935. In the meantime Student became an expert with gliders, the other element of his future airborne force (after World War 2 the helicopter replaced the glider as

Sports Science - Journal Article Critique Essay

Sports Science - Journal Article Critique - Essay Example lete or soccer player, very few studies have thoroughly investigated the important correlation between a players maximal strength and his or her potential sprint or vertical jumping performance. A correlational quantitative research approach was employed in the study. Based on their findings, the authors observed that maximal strength in squat positions was a critical determinant of both the sprint performance and vertical jumping height in high level athletes and soccer players. They further noted that high squat strength did not affect the maximal oxygen consumption of the players (Wisloff et al. 2004, p.288). The conclusion was that Elite athletes and soccer players should always focus to improving their maximal strength during training with particular emphasis on maximal movement mobilization in order to enhance their sprint and vertical jump performance. This journal article critique seeks to identify and critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the article based on my personal judgment of the general aspects of the article, accuracy of the findings as well as its relevance to my field of practice. Written by the authors Wisloff, U., Castagna, C., Helgerud, J., Jones, R. and Jan Hoff, the article â€Å"Strong correlation of squat strength with vertical jump height and sprint performance among elite soccer players† sought to investigate the likely relationship between an athlete’s maximum strength and his potential sprint or jumping performance. The article is fairly well written in terms of the general aspects of their article including the appropriateness of the title, abstract, statement of the problem, data collection and analyses as well as the dissemination of the results. For example, the title of the article is not only appropriate and relevant to the concept under study but also contains the key words related to the study topic. The abstract is also fairly well written both in terms of its succinct overview of the main aspects of the