Quartermaster airborne instruction : a history of the airborne courses

230 Pages·2014·13.51 MB·English

by  Thomas Audrey Johnson

University of Richmond
UR Scholarship Repository
Master's Theses Student Research
4-1-1963
Quartermaster airborne instruction : a history of
the airborne courses of instruction at the U.S. Army
Quartermaster School, Fort Lee, Virginia, from
their establishment in 1950 to the end of the
Korean War
Thomas Audrey Johnson
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Recommended Citation
Johnson, Thomas Audrey, "Quartermaster airborne instruction : a history of the airborne courses of instruction at the U.S. Army
Quartermaster School, Fort Lee, Virginia, from their establishment in 1950 to the end of the Korean War" (1963).Master's Theses.
Paper 200.
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QUARTERMASTER AIRBORNE INSTRUCTION
A HISTORY OF THE AIRBORNE COURSES OF INSTRUCTION
AT THE U. S. ARMY QUARTERMASTER SCHOOL, FORT LEE, VIRGINIA
FROM THEIR ESTABLISHMENI' IN 1950 TO THE END
OF THE KOREAN WAR
BY
THOMAS AUDREY JOHNSON
A THESIS
SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND
IN CANDIDACY
FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORY
1963
UNIVERSITY'.-.:: ; ,c,:;·.:::::·;:)
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PREFACE
Since the beginning of time, man has looked to the skies for new
ideas, but the first recorded recognition of the value of using air
borne troops belongs to an American. The wily Benjamin Franklin wrote
in 1784, after observing the brothers balloon, ''Where is the
Mo~lfer
Prince who can afford to cover his country with troops for its defense
as that ten thousand men descending from the clouds might not in many
places do an infinite deal of mischief before a fOTCe could be brought
together to repel them?" The advent of a practical airplane produced a
flurry of latter day prophets who saw potential of the aircraft as a
combat vehicle and a means of delivering combat troops to the battle
zone.
To Joseph - Michel de Montgolfer goes the distinction of being the
f irst to propose supplying a military operation from the air. In 1783,
.he wrote, "large balloons might be employed in victualling a beseiged
town ••• " However, it was not until World War I that this idea gained a
u. s.
firm hold in military councils. Thus, the realization of the im
portance of airborne supply operations came 25 years after the airplane .
had been accepted as a combat vehicle.
By 1947, after limited use in World War 11,air supply had become a
recognized phase in army operations. The establishment of the Air Force
as a separate Department under the Secretary of Defense in that year
created some serious problems for the Army. Previously, the Army had
looked to the United States Army Air Forces to conduct airborne supply
iii
operations. Various interservice agreements between the Army and the
Air Force called for a continuance of this arrangement. It was soon
learned that increased USAF functions made a continuation impossible.
Therefore, Army planners began to examine the problem with a view to
creating a separate Army capability to support its own airborne supply
operations.
By 1950, numerous boards, conferences, panels, ad hoc committees,
and study groups had examined the problem of airborne supply operations.
As a result, the Department of the Army assigned the Quartermaster Corps
major responsibilities in this field. Among the more important functions
were trainin~ Army personnel in all aspects of parachute packing, mainte
nance, and aerial delivery techniques; the developing and testing of
parachutes, load-bearing platforms, allied equipment, and aerial delivery
procedures; and preparing appropriate training literature. In addition,
the storing, maintaining, and issuing all types of airborne equipment
became a responsibility of the QMC.
Fort Lee became an important center of airborne activity in the Corps.
Here all formal airborne courses of instruction were conducted, doctrinal
and procedural training literature was written, and many significant item
tests took place.
It is not the purpose of this study to examine all of the QMC air
borne missions or even all of those performed at Fort Lee. Rather, the
scope of this study is restricted to the planning and presenting the air
borne courses of instruction at the Quartermaster School from 1950 through
iv
1953. This restriction was arrived at for several reasons. First, it
was a logical time frame embracing the courses from their beginning to
the end of the Korean War. Second, by 1953, all major problems in this
area had arisen and were solved insofar as solutions were possible.
Third, by that date the basic framework of instruction had been estab
lished with changes only in details since that date. Thus, to continue
the study in detail from 1953 would be of little practical value. To
fully develop the QMC airborne missions in areas other than training
would have produced a voluminous study requiring access to records which
are not readily available. Other QMC and Department of the Army agencies
interested in the airborne missions of the QMC are discussed only as they
relate directly to the training mission or if they enhance the understand·
ing of the study.
A word or two is in order on the method of approach and the source
materials used by the writer. For the most part, primary unpublished
source materials such as files, letters, memos, speeches, and resumes of
telephone conversations, and personal interviews were used in preparing
the study. Only in writing Chtpter I were secondary sources used. It
was the intent of the writer to prepare a detailed and comprehensive
account of the development of the courses of instruction using the experi
ences of those intimately connected with the program either as instructors,
as supervisors, or as staff officers. Students were interviewed as well
as course planners, administrators, and officers-in-charge.
V.
It is hoped that a detailed and fully-documented narrative of the
events attending the establishment of new courses of instruction. aside
from whatever contribution it will make to increasing knowledge in this
area, will prove valuable to students of the military educational system
and to Army Service School planners who may be called upon to establish
similar courses of instruction in the future.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I Historical Background of Airborne Supply • • • • • • • 1
II The Quartermaster Corps Receives an Airborne Mission • 15
III The Quartermaster School Prepares to Conduct Airborne
Courses of Instruction •••••••••••••.• 32
The Cost and Staff Studies • • • • • • • • • • • 32
Planning the Course of Instruction • • • • • • • 36
Preparing the Initial Programs of Instruction • • 41
Determining the Opening Date of the Courses • • • 49
Securing the Staff and the Faculty. • • • • • • • 52
Building Assignments for the New Program • • • • 54
Equipment and Supplies for the New Program • • • 59
Aircraft, Airport Facilities and Drop Zone • • • 63
Some Minor Administrative Problems • • • • • • • 65
IV The Airborne Courses of Instruction, 1951-1953 • • • • 71
The Parachute Packing, Maintenance, and Aerial
Delivery Course • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 72
The Major Revision of the Parachute Packing,
Maintenance, and Aerial Delivery Course • • • • 86
The Aerial Delivery Course • • • • • • • • • • • 93
Special Airborne Courses • • • • • • • • • • • • 100
Airborne Group Instructors • • • • • • • • • • • 106
The Students of the Airborne Group • • • • • • • 110
The Perennial Supply Problem • • • • • • • • • • 115
Field Exercises and Maneuvers • • • • • • • • • • 119
The Widening Scope of Airborne Group Activities • 126
A Few Minor Problems • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 132
v Conclusion • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 137
APPENDICES
A Topics of Discussion by the Five Subcommittees of the
Ad Hoc Committee, Office of The Quartermaster Gen
eral, Washington, D. C., 1950 •• • •••• • ••• 140
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Page
B List of Recommendations Made by the Ad Hoc Committee • 144
c Documents Relating to the Establishment of the School.
Course on Parachute Packing, Maintenance and
Aerial Delivery at the Quartermascer :>cnoo.&., .l!'ort
Lee, Virginia •••••••••••••••••••• 149
D Elements of the Quartermaster Airborne Publications
Program. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • , • • • • • • • 158
E List of Abbreviations • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 163
F Address of Major General Herman Feldman, at the Open
ing of the Airborne Courses of Instruction, Fort Lee,
Virginia, 21 May 1951 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 166
BIBLIOGRAPHY 170
LIST OF FIGURES
Following Page
1 Ad Hoc Committee Reco11111endations • • • • • • • • • • 31
2 Organization and Table of Distribution • • • • • • • • 53
3 Organization of the Quartermaster School, 9 August
1950 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 70
4. Organization of the Quartermaster School, 2 April
1951 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 70
5 Types of Parachutes Used in Phase I • • • • • • • • • 74
6 Rigger's Pledge • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 74
7 Aerial Delivery Containers Used in Phase I • • • • • • 74
8 Sewing Machines Used in Phase II • • • • • • • • • • • 77
9 The Parachutes, Containers, Kits, and Platforms Used
in Phase III • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 80
viii
Following Page
10 Parachute Jumps and Aerial Delivery Drops for the
First Eighteen Months of Operation • , • • • • 84
11 Comparison of Tables of Distribution • • , • • • 109
12 Course Statistics, PPM&AD Course • • • • • • • • 113
13 Course Statistics, Aerial Delivery Course , • , 113
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Airfield and Drop Zone at Camp Pickett • • • • • 64
Shop G·-Parachute Packing Section • , • • • • • 73
Airborne Soldiers Loading for Jump • • • • • • • 74
Airborne Troops Making Their Exit from a C-47 75
Shop H··Maintenance Section • • • • • • • • • 75
~
Students Inspecting a T-7 Canopy • • • • • • • • 76
97-10 Sewing Machine • • • • • • • • • • • • • 78
131Wll3 4-Needle Sewing Machine • • • • • • • • 78
17Wl5 Zig-Zag Sewing Machine • • • • • • • • • • 78
Student Repairing a Pack Tray Frame • • • • • • 78
Shop B··Aerial Delivery Section • • • • • • • • 78
A Gll Parachute Inflated • • • • • • • • • • • 80
Students Packing the Large G·ll Cargo Parachute, 81
Students Preparing a 3/4 Ton Truck • • • • • • • 82
Students Rigging the 6,000 Pound Loadbearing Plat-
form •.•••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 82
ix
Following Page
Students Placing Shock Pads Under the 40 MM Gun • 82
Students Rigging a M-55 MM Machine Gun • • • • • • 83
Students Rigging a 105 MM Howitzer • • • • • • • 83
Loading a 1/4 Ton Truck in a c-119 Aircraft. • • • 83
A 1/4 Ton Truck Completely Rigged and Lashed • • • 84
A 1/4 Ton Truck Being Ejected • • • • • • • • • • 84
A 1/4 Ton Truck About to Land • • • • • • • • • • 84
Students Performing Recovery Operations of a 1/4
Ton Truck • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 85
Students Unrigging a 1/4 Ton Truck • • • • • • • • 85
A 2 1/2 Ton Truck Just After Leaving Aircraft • • 121
Dropping a 40mm Gun • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 122
A 6,000 Pound Load-bearing Platform Dropped • • • 123
Mass Drop of Heavy Equipment • • • • • • • • • • • 124
Locations of Activities Involved in Airborne Train·
ing at Fort Lee • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 126
An 18' Platform Being Unloaded • • • • • • • • • • 133
x