Japanese parachutes in World War II
For building a private paratroopers in were Japanese Empire the jump parachutes Type 1, Type 1 and Type 4 specialty developed by units of the Japanese Marines and the Army were used during the Second World War.
history
The formation of a Japanese paratrooper troops began after the German successes with this new type of troop during the campaigns in April ( Weser exercise ) and May 1940 ( western campaign ). Due to the strong open rivalry between the navy and the army in these branches of the armed forces, the development ran parallel to one another. In November 1940, the Japanese Navy created the 1001st Experimental Test Unit, which was also tasked with finding suitable parachute jumping equipment. After the first puppet drops with available and modified rescue parachutes for pilots, the soldiers of this unit jumped from a flying plane for the first time in January 1941. A month after the navy, the army also set up, under strict secrecy, an experimental unit intended for the same purpose. After viewing and testing the available parachutes with the aid of several puppet drops, this 10-man unit jumped for the first time in February 1941.
In the first test jumps, experiments were also carried out with using the parachutes, which the jumper had to open manually, for longer free-fall jumps . For example, after jumping from 1200 meters, the soldier should only open the parachute at just over 100 meters so that the drop planes could fly outside of light anti-aircraft guns and the jumper was only exposed to the enemy weapons on the parachute for a short time at the low opening height. These attempts were unsuccessful due to the major training and equipment problems and were simply too far ahead of their time. Based on the experience gained from this, further testing was concentrated on automatically opening parachutes for a quick lowering process at low heights.
By autumn 1941, around 100 German instructors had come to Japan with their experience and equipment to support the German Empire in setting up its own paratroopers. On her advice, the training was intensified and concentrated on parachute schools and some details of the Japanese equipment and training carried German features from then on.
development
During the test phase, the army and the navy used various parachutes in their inventory for their aircraft crews. This included the Type 89 Model 3 parachute ( 八九 式 落下 傘 三 型 , hachikyū-shiki rakkasan san-gata ), which was introduced for gunmen and observers, which could be opened with a pull-up cord or manually. It has been modified to accommodate a reserve parachute worn in front of the chest. However, the attachment must have been so inexpedient that many jumpers hit their chins on the reserve parachute when landing.
With the Type 97 Model 2 ( 九七 式 落下 傘 二 型 , kyūnana-shiki rakkasan ni-gata ) worn under the buttocks, a parachute with manual opening was also tested. The parachute canopy, measuring just 7.3 meters in diameter, was too small for an acceptable rate of descent and was also quite prone to pendulum movement. Another tried and tested parachute was the type 92 carried on the back, for which it is not clear whether it was the first independent development for the Japanese paratroopers or just a modification of a pilot's parachute, especially since a series of harnesses received this designation. The mentioned free fall jumps, which led to some fatal accidents, were tested with this 7.3 m wide and manually opened umbrella.
Type 1
Based on these dearly bought experiences, the tests resulted in the Fujikura Kōkū Kōgyō KK ( 藤 倉 航空 工業 株式会社 , English Fujikura Aircraft Industry ; today: Fujikura Kōsō KK ( 藤 倉 航 装 株式会社 , English Fujikura Parachute Co.) , Ltd. )) from Tokyo for the army and the navy made jump parachute with the designation type 1 ( 一 式 落下 傘 , isshiki rakkasan ). The few differences between Type 1 and the pilot's previously tried rescue parachutes were reduced almost exclusively to a pull-up cord, the larger canopy and the reserve parachute carried in front of the chest.
Type 1 does not have a packaging sack either. Instead, the 5.2 m long pull-up line was tied directly to the opening flap of the packing case with a predetermined breaking strap with low strength, thus initiating the opening process. The four flaps of the cotton packing envelope enclosed the parachute and were kept on tension with several rubber bands. These had the purpose of pulling the flaps back after they were released from the pull-up line so that the incoming air could unfold the parachute canopy unhindered. This primitive principle was far more susceptible to failure than the parachutes working with a packing bag. So the canopy opened before the suspension lines were tightened, which led to a strong deployment thrust and could easily result in incorrect opening due to a bun when the suspension lines were thrown over. The suspension lines were threaded into two rows of loops on the back of the bag. Although the type 1 was used identically in the army and navy, they differed in the color of the packing cover. As with the pilot's umbrellas, the navy pack cover was dark green with orange edges, while the army had the pack cover of the main and reserve parachute colored exactly the opposite.
The parachute canopy made of white natural silk was made up of 24 strips of 4 fields each and was 8.5 m in diameter. At the apex there was an opening in the apex so that the air flowing out there would reduce oscillation. Even so, the Type 1 was described as being quite unstable, with a swing angle of up to 20 degrees. The rate of descent, however, was around 5 m / s in a very comfortable range. However, due to the uncontrolled opening process, the parachute often tended to twist the suspension lines into one another, which often ended fatally if the soldier was unable to untangle the suspension lines again during the accelerated sinking. The 24 suspension lines were attached to D-rings on the 4 main risers, which in turn came together at the shoulders with the harness. By pulling on one or more of the main risers, the jumper could slightly influence the swing and flight direction of the glider by slipping. The Japanese Navy sometimes jumped with colored parachute caps to make it easier for the soldiers to orientate themselves during the jump and after landing. The group leaders jumped with a blue cap and the platoon leaders with a red cap. The parachutes could be stored for a maximum of a month before they had to be repacked.
The olive-colored and light harness was made of silk and cotton and corresponded to the harnesses of the pilot parachute. The back was lightly padded and covered the entire back. At the front, 4 straps, coming from the shoulder and leg straps, led into the quick release fastener over the stomach. The jumper had to operate two spring-loaded levers on the quick release and then push them in to release 3 belts, which corresponds to the way the quick release mechanism of the British Irvin parachutes works. However, the Japanese lock, which is not exactly replicated, is said not to have had the same reliability. All metal parts of the harness, including the D-rings for the reserve parachute, personal weapon and equipment, were chrome-plated.
Type 1 special
After the experience with the Type 1, the Navy decided to introduce a further development called Type 1 Special ( 一 式 落下 傘 特 型 , isshiki rakkasan tokugata ). The biggest difference was the connection between parachute and harness, which now lay in a single suspension between the jumper's shoulder blades, similar to the German and Italian parachutes. This prevented the apparently big problem of the Japanese with the twisting of the suspension lines, but the jumper could no longer grip the suspension lines and thus somehow influence his descent. The second big difference was the 26 meter extension cord. Why the Navy introduced this length is unknown and could only be explained by the fact that the parachute opening should be far away from the control and landing gear of the landing aircraft. The type 1 special was never used for a battle jump.
Type 4
The Japanese army had similar experiences with line twisting and from 1943 developed its successor , known as Type 4 ( 四 式 落下 傘 , yonshiki rakkasan ). As with the type 1 special of the Navy, the suspension lines were brought together to form a large D-ring on the back of the harness. In contrast to the further development of the navy, the pull-up line remained unchanged and a packing bag was used instead for the first time. This was made of silk, enclosed the parachute canopy and was directly connected to the pull-up line. During the jump, the unchanged packing bag opened and released the packing sack, which in turn released the parachute canopy as soon as the suspension lines were taut. This reversed opening sequence meant that the loads on the jumper and the harness were significantly lower and the parachute as a whole more reliable. Furthermore, the cap has been modified from the semicircular cross-section previously used to a more curved shape. This should reduce susceptibility to commuting. For the same effect, the top opening was shaped like a tube by an elastic band sewn in a little deeper.
Reserve umbrella
The Type 97, modified directly from the reserve parachute for pilots, was used as a reserve parachute. This had a diameter of 7.3 meters and consisted of 20 strips with as many suspension lines. It was worn on D-rings in front of the jumper's chest and should be opened if the main parachute did not open properly within 4 seconds by pulling the red ball-like handle on the right side. The flaps of the packing bag were also kept on tension with elastic bands and released an auxiliary parachute that supported the deployment of the large parachute canopy even when the rate of descent was slow. Although the 5 kg reserve parachutes were very useful for training jumps from great heights, they were seen as a necessary evil that cost space and weight. More reliable main canopies, according to the military, should overcome the need for a reserve canopy.
Through the German training support, the Japanese paratroopers had been trained in the "German" type of jumping position (see first picture above right) and landing role. Because the reserve parachute was very inconvenient during this type of landing and already led to many chins open during the parachute test, the reserve parachute was thrown off before landing when the main parachute was successfully opened. During combat jumps, the reserve parachute could not be used because of the low jump height and was replaced by an equipment bag that was attached to the same D-rings on the harness with snap hooks and was to be lowered on a rope before landing.
commitment
The Japanese military at the time was not known for the special care they showed for their soldiers, which is what the paratroopers suffered from from the start. A few fatal accidents occurred during the parachute test and the accident rate remained high afterwards. One training jump reportedly killed 12 out of 400 dismissed soldiers, another two out of 15, and another seven out of 360 soldiers. The exact causes are not known, but these are probably not only to be found in the equipment, which has dangerous deficiencies, but also in the insufficient training. In the Navy, for example, the comparatively short training period before the first jump, combined with an unsuitable dumping area in Tokyo Bay , led to several deaths from drowning. With more intensive training and the introduction of the new umbrellas, the likelihood of injury has decreased.
During the war, the army and the navy each carried out two missions by parachute jump. The first three airborne operations supported the conquest of the Dutch East Indies with the attack on Manado ( Sulawesi ) on January 11, 1942 by the Navy, during the Battle of Palembang ( Sumatra ) on February 14 by the army and on Kupang ( Timor ) on February 20, again by a special division of marine infantry. All three combat jumps were carried out with the type 1 parachute. After that, the Japanese paratroopers were limited to normal infantry and occupation tasks for years until the Battle of Leyte in the Philippines raged in late 1944 . In a desperate attempt to destroy the American air force bases, paratroopers of the Army jumped over Leyte during Operation Te with the Type 4 parachute on December 6, 1944.
See also
literature
- Gene E. Salecker: Blossoming Silk Against the Rising Sun , Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2010
- Military Intelligence Division: Japanese Parachute Troops , Washington DC, 1945
- Gordon L. Rottman , Akira Takizawa: Japanese Paratroop Forces of World War II , Osprey Publishing, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2005
Web links
- Japanese propaganda film: Attack on Palembang
- Filming: Japanese demonstration jump July 1942
- German film about Japanese paratroopers from 1945
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gene E. Salecker: Blossoming Silk Against the Rising Sun , Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2010 p.11
- ^ Military Intelligence Division: Japanese Parachute Troops , Washington, 1945 p. 3
- ^ Military Intelligence Division: Japanese Parachute Troops , Washington, 1945 p. 1
- ^ Gary Nila: Japanese Naval Aviation Uniforms and Equipment 1937-45, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2002 p. 26
- ^ A b Military Intelligence Division: Japanese Parachute Troops , Washington, 1945 p. 40
- ↑ a b Gene E. Salecker: Blossoming Silk Against the Rising Sun , Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2010 p.15
- ^ Military Intelligence Division: Japanese Parachute Troops , Washington, 1945 p. 6
- ↑ Gene E. Salecker: Blossoming Silk Against the Rising Sun , Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2010 S. 54
- ↑ Gordon L. Rottman; Akira Takizawa. Japanese Paratroop Forces of World War II , Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2005 p. 16
- ↑ Gordon L. Rottman; Akira Takizawa. Japanese Paratroop Forces of World War II , Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2005 p. 17
- ^ Military Intelligence Division: Japanese Parachute Troops , Washington, 1945 p. 41
- ^ Military Intelligence Division: Japanese Parachute Troops , Washington, 1945 p. 8