US Airborne Units in the Mediterranean Theater 1942–44

The various multi-division airborne operations conducted in the European Theater of Operations (ETO), Normandy, the Netherlands, and the Rhine crossing, are better known than the operations conducted in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO). The MTO's nine early airborne assaults, of varying success, were conducted in Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, and southern France. A total of 16,000 US paratroopers jumped in these operations, but they were no less important than the sizable European operations and contributed a great deal to the development of airborne tactics, organization, equipment, and the success of the larger operations.

The organization and employment of airborne units in World War II was extremely controversial. From the outset, some saw their potential, but others considered the “airborne effort” to be only of marginal use and a drain of manpower for conventional units. As with any tactical innovation, there were problem areas and developmental difficulties that required attention and improvement. While the technology of the era made some of these problems insurmountable, nevertheless the airborne forces contributed significantly to the war effort in the Mediterranean Theater.