The Small Change of Soldiering: The 188th Glider Infantry Regiment
Abstract
In The Face of Battle, John Keegan stated that battles are united by time, place, and action, meaning battles seek a decisive result within a limited time. His definition excluded colonial wars, mopping up, and patrolling since those sporadic actions represent the small change of soldiering, not battle. Along with the 511th Parachute Infantry and 187th Glider Infantry Regiments, the 188th formed the 11th Airborne Division, the only such division to serve in the Pacific Theater. The 188th's experience contradicted common sense and airborne warfare's fundamental ideas. Despite the unit's name, the regiment never made a combat parachute drop or glider landing. Similarly, the 11th frequently violated established doctrine and procedures to accomplish its missions, by remaining in combat for extended periods, failing to practice planned parachute drops, and receiving aerial resupply from division liaison aircraft rather than the Troop Carrier or Air Transport Commands' C-47s. However, these failures demonstrated the need for flexibility rather than rigid adherence to doctrine. Ironically though the army wasted the individual 188th member's parachute or glider abilities, the division's airborne status solved numerous problems such as supplying forward units, providing artillery support, and caring for the wounded, and gave glidermen important skills that allowed the regiment to operated in terrain that nearly crippled normal infantry divisions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 15, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA366335
Entities
People
- David W. Dengler
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology