82d Airborne in Sicily

[med-dept]

Hi all,

 

I was looking through my numerous books relating to the 82d Airborne Division, and noticed that a number of troops preparing for the enplaning are not wearing the standard T5 Parachute Harness; they are instead using the Navy Dual Purpose Parachute Pack.

 

I wonder if anyone can explain to me why the Army also issued Naval Parachute Packs to its Parachutists in preparation for their jump onto Sicily, when the T5 had already been issued to a number of troops on the same Operation ? Was a simple supply / logistical problem, or was there some other reason for this?

 

Advanced thanks for any help,

Ben

[Jeeper704]

As with many things, it might have been a problem of supplying the troops.

Maybe there weren't enough available on time and maybe there was difficulties bringing these items to the troops as well (ammo and food being priority number 1).

So they had to help themselves with whatever was available.

 

Erwin

[J_Andrews]

Years ago I asked LTG (Ret) Jack Norton -- who, as a Captain, appears IIRC in one of the same series of color pix taken planeside -- told me that the rip-cord chutes were taken up by SOME of the people of the HQ 505th PIR and/or 82nd, because there was a sort-of shortage of proper T-5s due to deterioration of teh silk in shipping and/or storage and becasue they were a novelty. The good T-5s went to the REAL combat jumpers, with the rip-cord types used by HQ "dogrobbers" (his term).

[med-dept]

Thanks for the replies! I especially enjoyed reading yours John, thanks for this information!

 

Thanks,

Ben