WW2 Technology WI: Airborne Divisions Create "Drop Pods"?

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

I was just wondering if this would be possible.

- Paratroopers always get spread out when dropped.
- Paratroopers are vulnerable while in the air.
- Paratroopers (Germans in particular) weren't dropped with their weapons).
- Gliders would often wreck upon landing.

So my idea is the following:

- Is it possible that someone in the war department of any WW2 country to come up with the hair brained idea of just building lightly armored containers with giant parachutes that held small units of paratroopers that could be dropped from either Large planes or even Zeppelins? Is it possible that the idea would be implemented? Could it actually be implemented? Are there really any practical benefits to this?

 

[ArtosStark]

Well, the average plane would have a harder time carrying them than a group of paratroopers. For starters most don't have rear cargo hatches at this point. And if they can figure out transport and release there is now an entire group of troops in a much bigger target for AA guns. Plus there will likely be quite a jolt at the bottom.

It might be possible, but it would be challenging. And I am not sure that it would be desirable.

 

[Cryhavoc101]

They developed Gliders for that very reason to drop troops and equipment in a concentrated fashion

A drop pod unlike a glider would impose a weight penalty on the carrying aircraft that I think would be inefficient given the tech of the day and would not be as efficient as a towed glider.

Also while Gliders did crash and this meant that everyone board would be at risk - parachutists would be individually be at risk of being harmed etc on landing

I would think that a 'drop pod' would run the risks inherent to individual paratroopers.

Granted parachutes and gliders were both imperfect in WW2 but they worked well enough and were achievable with the technology of the day

 

[Korlan]

From a technological viewpoint, I don't think there is any big problem.

From a practical viewpoint, it all comes down to "how much heavier is it than the same load of normal paratroopers ?"

If by adding this "lightly armored box" they add so much weight that they cut in half either the number of troops carried or the range of the plane, then it becomes completely impractical, and so is rejected.

 

[marathag]

Orbital Drop pods make sense with Marines in Power Armor, where one Marine is worth a hundred guardsmen.
Putting guardsmen in the pod, thats just a waste.

 

[James Ricker]

With airborne troops weight is everything
The mass needed to carry a drop pod could be better used to carry more soldiers and equipment

 

[Monk78]

Is there a way these military gliders like from ww2 could exist well into the 1970s or 80s ? How will they be used during that era ?

 

[Workable Goblin]

Is there a way these military gliders like from ww2 could exist well into the 1970s or 80s ? How will they be used during that era ?

No. They were far too vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire and basically obsolete after the introduction of helicopters.

 

[Monk78]

No. They were far too vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire and basically obsolete after the introduction of helicopters.

Can they be used just to deploy heavy equipment ? esp with night drops

 

[marathag]

No. They were far too vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire and basically obsolete after the introduction of helicopters.

Drop pod is a single use helicopter, in a way
Helicopters generally lost to AAA guns above rifle caliber, as well.

 

[Workable Goblin]

Drop pod is a single use helicopter, in a way
Helicopters generally lost to AAA guns above rifle caliber, as well.

However, helicopters being powered have the ability to fly around concentrations of anti-aircraft fire, as well as use nap-of-Earth or high-altitude flight profiles (as indicated by the threat). Gliders...not so much.

Can they be used just to deploy heavy equipment ? esp with night drops

There wasn't any point. Helicopters and transport aircraft improved to the point where they could carry the same equipment with less vulnerability and more flexibility. Gliders were just plain obsolete after World War II.

 

[Mr Carrot]

What about the glider itself becoming the pod? - smaller infantry gliders using parachutes to prevent the nasty at speed landing issues?

 

[Cryhavoc101]

Orbital Drop pods make sense with Marines in Power Armor, where one Marine is worth a hundred guardsmen.
Putting guardsmen in the pod, thats just a waste.

Or a Battlemech - so you don't have to risk the Drop ship entering the atmosphere - just the Los Tech Mechs

 

[Cryhavoc101]

What about the glider itself becoming the pod? - smaller infantry gliders using parachutes to prevent the nasty at speed landing issues?

The Purpose of troops in a glider was to allow them to concentrate with their heavy equipment and late war this included vehicles but early war - particularly the Germans who dropped with a Pistol and 2 Grenades due to their single point harness, dropping their rifles, SMGs, Machine guns, ATRs and Mortars in supply cannisters meaning that until they could marry up with the equipment they were pretty much defenceless.

Landing by glider they had everything in one place

 

[Mr Carrot]

The Purpose of troops in a glider was to allow them to concentrate with their heavy equipment and late war this included vehicles but early war - particularly the Germans who dropped with a Pistol and 2 Grenades due to their single point harness, dropping their rifles, SMGs, Machine guns, ATRs and Mortars in supply cannisters meaning that until they could marry up with the equipment they were pretty much defenceless.

Landing by glider they had everything in one place

No saying it's a good idea but I mean they land with the glider... It's just the glider doesn't do it's controlled crash landing it lands via parachute (air break to stall speed then deploys chutes?)

 

[Draconis]

I believe the gliders themselves could have been improved. At least to a certain degree. And night glider assaults also should have been avoided. Here is a link to an article I wrote on how the CG-4A Waco glider could have been improved for robustness, simplicity and better rough and short field landing survivability. Please post any replies to my article in this thread so as not to necro.

Rethinking the design of the Waco CG-4A troop/cargo glider.​

Rethinking the design of the Waco CG-4A troop/cargo glider.

The Waco CG-4A was the most produced American military glider of WW2 with more than 13,000 built. It was widely used in the ETO, the MTO, the SWPA and the CBI theatres. It was a success for the most part though often with heavy losses. However my thread doesn't directly address the tactical use...

www.alternatehistory.com

 

[Dorknought]

Adapt Parachute mines to weapon containers and drop them from bombers:

For scale, smile for the camera:

Bat Bombs! but with people...

Fill them with Alien Space Bats!

 

[Richard V]

There were some experiments with rotor kites. The British had something called a rotachute, which dropped a one man pod that used rotors to autorotate it’s way down. Had it been further developed it could have been turned into an assault glider size craft. The advantage being it could land vertically.

 

[Peg Leg Pom]

Over sized drop tanks with a couple of troops inside and a cargo chute.

 

[Reggieperrin]

lightly armored

In my limited understanding it seems like armour is usually too heavy to be used, or too light to be useful. And in aircraft the problem is many times worse than usual.

I think Draconis has it right, the solution is along the lines of:

1. Get rid of the parachute altogether, it is the absolute worst, last-resort option for getting troops down if you can’t land any kind of airframe at all
2. Improve the gliders to get the troops down on the ground as fast as possible, with the least possible risk of injury on landing

And then build good tactical transports so you can start flying in and out as soon as any kind of flyable spot can be secured.

Where I do think you are correct is in identifying that the cost of losing a decent number of highly trained troops, plus also potentially losing the battle due to casualties, makes it worthwhile to invest a decent chunk of money in getting them down safely.
All that pissing about with cheaply-built allegedly-reusable deathtrap gliders which happened OTL seems to me the epitome of ‘penny wise pound foolish’.