WI Market Garden paratroopers were delivered by floatplane?

The number of floatplanes required depends upon how many troops each can carry.
Granted, you might need a hundred Noordyn Norsemen (6 infanteers at a time) to deliver enough men to hold a bridge, but fewer, larger seaplanes could do the same job.

The key is seizing objectives quickly, in the initial stages of the battle, before defenders wake up. This is where small floatplanes retain the advantage by flying nape-of-the-earth, low in river valleys, below treetops. If invading floatplanes never climb above treetops, only a handful of defenders will hear them. Defenders a mile from the bridge will sleep in late and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Flying that low also reduces the risk of AAA to less than the risk of wire-strikes.

Once invaders control a few blocks around the bridge, larger seaplanes can deliver AT, mortars, extra ammo, reinforcements, etc.
In a pinch, land-based airplanes could drop supplies in the river and watch them drift downstream to the bridge. Invaders use ropes and grappling hooks to snag resupply parcels as they float past.


Nice theoretically, though deep inland hostile territory and with few spots able to allow landing a seaplane? Still a suicide mission under all circumstances, unless the defender is drunk and occupied during the Oktoberfeste. Floatplanes and other amphibian aircraft are not the fastest types of aircraft availabel and you need to take into account the defender has very sophisticated airsearch radar and detectionequipment as well in 1944. Even without the Luftwaffe capable of intevening, the mission is doomed before the start, as most floatplanes will not be landing in one piece, mostly due to the terrain and partly due to defensive fire. Note the defenders had put up barricades on the rivers and shores as well, just in case of a small raid by either amphibian aircraft, or gliders.

So the whole idea is a bad one, doomed before it is started, depeniding on too many changes the enemy will do as it is wished for to do, which in itself is entirely unrealistic.
 
If the concept was plausible, the Marine Corps probably would have thought of it. Had they thought of it, the vehicle probably looked like this.
R3D4.png
 
Top