U.S. PARACHUTE TROOPS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 254, 25 September 1942, Page 5

U.S. PARACHUTE TROOPS

(Special Correspondent.) (Rec. 9.55 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 24. United States parachute troops are now training in England and cooperating with British air-bome troops. They are highly trained, efficient, eager, and ready for dropping on Europe when the time arrives. Their average age is in the vicinity of 23 to 24 and they are still in training and pooling ideas with the British. The men work in squads of 12 and carry out set drill. Before jumping they have two parachutes and as they jump they call out, “One thousand, two thousand, three thousand.” If the parachute has not opened by then the jumper pulls the ripcord of his reserve parachute. That only happened once when a Mexican corporal pulled the ripcord when only 100 ft from the ground and lie landed safely. During their training tho American battalion conformed to the United States Air Corps regulation that th.ey must not jump lower than 800 ft but they were permitted to jump from a lower level after arriving in England.