GREEN DEVIL PRIMER

The use of air power in combat proliferated during the Great War of 1914 to 1918. In fact, Italian Army Lieutenant Alessandro Tandura made the first planned parachute jump to conduct sabotage behind enemy lines in August 1918. About same time, American General Billy Mitchell envisioned large assemblies of ground troops being deployed onto the battlefield by the use of parachutes. But due to the lack of proper equipment and tactics during this early period of flight, no such corps was formed nor did any paratroop operations occur before the November 1918 armistice.

In the 1920s, several countries showed interest in the idea of paratrooper assaults. To meet the needs of coordinating large numbers of soldiers jumping at the same time, Italy developed the static line system. This device pulled open a jumper’s chute after exiting the