 In September of the same year, 1944, came Operation Market Garden, the largest airdrop ever attempted. An entire airborne army, British and American, was dropped into Holland just ahead of General Montgomery's steadily advancing British Army. Its mission was to capture certain strategic bridges over the great rivers of the area before those bridges could be destroyed by the retreating Germans. In the bitterest fighting of the entire war, the mission was only partly successful. However, the airborne divisions of World War II were not limited to an airborne role. They were also employed as regular infantry divisions. The 101st, in fact, achieved its greatest fame fighting as an infantry division at Bastogne. But fighting as an infantry division required somewhat different weapons and equipment than fighting as a strictly airborne unit. And this equipment had to be left behind whenever the division took to the air. Still, this concept of the airborne, with one foot in the air and the other on the ground, persisted until a very few years ago, until the advent of tactical atomic weapons. These weapons, of course, changed a good many concepts of warfare. Because of their tremendous power, doctrines which had been honored for generations were suddenly outmoded. No longer was it possible to mass large numbers of troops for an attack on a narrow front. Without were the great motorized columns of troops and weapons and supplies which clogged the roads of Europe during World War II. Out also were the large ammunition dumps. The elaborate harbor installations. All of the concepts involving these facilities would have to be modified or discarded. In short, tactical atomic weapons have forced modern armies to disperse. Battles henceforth will have to be fought by relatively small units having great mobility and firepower. That's why our airborne divisions recently have undergone a complete reorganization. The old airborne division, which had about 17,200 men, was referred to as a triangular division. That is, it had three regiments, each of which had three battalions, each of which had three rifle companies. The new division, which has only 11,500 men, is what we call a pentomic division. Instead of three regiments, it has five battle groups, each having five rifle companies, but no battalions. Each battle group is a self-contained unit with its own signal troops, engineers, and artillery. This means it is capable of operating entirely on its own whenever the occasion requires it. In other words, the new airborne division is designed to provide the greatest possible flexibility on an atomic battlefield. It is also designed to produce the greatest possible firepower. Even with one-third fewer men, the new division has much more firepower than the old, more firepower in fact than any division in the whole history of warfare. To achieve this added firepower, more men have been placed in combat positions and have been given better weapons, more automatic weapons, harder hitting weapons. And for a Sunday punch, there is the Little John, which is capable of delivering an atomic warhead to any spot in the local combat zone. And this tremendous firepower is always available. Every weapon in the division, as well as every other item of equipment, can be transported by air. Where the division goes, its weapons go with it. To make this increased air mobility possible, the Air Force has developed several new cargo planes. There is the C-123 Provider, for instance, which can carry either troops or heavy equipment. There is the C-130 Hercules, a turboprop plane, which is capable of carrying heavy loads for long distances. If there are no suitable landing fields at the destination, it can deliver its cargo by air drop, as mobility on the ground been neglected. While the large cargo trucks have been discarded, more of the smaller trucks and jeeps have been included. And a new and ingenious little vehicle has been added, the mechanical mule, which can make itself useful in a hundred different ways. All weapons in the division can be moved rapidly, wherever they are needed. And if the ground is too rough for them to be moved overland, they can be moved by air. In short, the new airborne has the firepower to overwhelm the enemy and the mobility to use its firepower to the best possible advantage. And in the roles which have been marked out for it, the airborne will need all of the mobility and firepower it can muster. In any large-scale war of the future, it can expect to do most of its fighting behind enemy lines. It may be dropped there to seize a key bridge or road junction and to hang on until the advancing ground forces can affect a link-up. It may be set down far back in the enemy rear areas with a mission of setting up an airhead. The airhead can then be built up by the serial delivery of troops and supplies until it is capable of supporting an entirely new offensive, just like a beachhead. The airborne may also be used to conduct a raid on a vital factory or airfield and then get out. Or it may be dropped to work with local guerrillas and to harass the enemy in whatever way is possible. But unless and until there is a large-scale war, the airborne's principal job will be to help prevent one. And this is how it might be asked to perform. Let us suppose that one of the smaller free nations is suddenly invaded by a neighbor known to be dominated by the Communists. This is an explosive situation. Allowed to develop, it threatens the peace of the entire world. It's flashed around the globe. To Paris. To London. To Washington. All branches of our government are alerted, including the Department of Defense. After a conference at the very highest level and consultation with the United Nations, it is decided that immediate action must be taken. The brush fire must be snuffed out quickly before it has a chance to spread. The airborne is selected to serve as the fire brigade. At Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 18th Airborne Corps receives an urgent message from the Department of the Army. Two battle groups are ordered to prepare for immediate departure to the trouble zone. Key personnel must be alerted. A lot of things to be done and not much time in which to do them. The first transport planes are due to arrive at 0900. Since the Air Force has been on a standby alert for several days, it has already collected a number of planes at various spaces and has been getting them ready to take off at a moment's notice. At Fort Bragg, the airborne units waste no time. Both weapons and equipment must be ready so they can be loaded aboard the planes along with the troops. Soldiers living off post use every available means of transportation to reach their units. As the takeoff hour approaches, the troops fall in for roll call. As soon as the roll has been called, the various units start for the airport. Hours after receiving the alert, the first flight of Air Force planes arrives. Each plane is loaded according to a carefully worked out loading plan. Weapons and equipment go right along with the troops, often in the same planes. As soon as they are loaded, they take off. The fire brigade is on the way. In the country which has been attacked, American officers are conferring with the local authorities. They must first learn the exact military situation, then they must work out a plan of action. By the time the first airborne troops reach the arrival airfield in the objective area, the plan of operations has been completely worked out and is ready to be put into effect. The leading elements prepare immediately to make a parachute drop into the combat zone. They are loaded aboard planes which have been flown in from nearby bases, especially for this purpose. And their weapons and equipment are prepared so that they can be dropped along with the troops. Planes take off for the local trouble spot. As they near their destination, they drop down to the designated altitude and the men get ready to jump. Once on the ground, the paratroopers promptly roll up the stake. That is, they reassemble as quickly as possible. At the same time, they gather up their equipment. From now on, everything goes according to a prearranged battle plan. Each unit has been assigned a specific mission. One unit hurries off to seize a key road junction. Its mission is to block any further advance of the invading force. It's have been assigned to prepare landing strips which will accommodate the planes bringing in the main body of troops. With the small graders and bulldozers which were dropped with them, the airborne engineers begin carving out narrow runways. Not fancy, but good enough to handle the planes which bring in the rest of the troops and equipment. Strategic road junction, the invading force has been stopped temporarily. Fog is sent aloft to spot targets. The information is relayed and the artillery immediately takes these new targets under fire. Reports that enemy forces are beginning to retreat. Doctors move up. Their mission is to gather up men and their weapons and leapfrog them forward. With the helicopters, the troops can be set down behind the retreating enemy. Countrymen soon turn the enemy retreat into a route. The invaders army is scattered. Quantities of his weapons and equipment are destroyed. He ceases to be an effective fighting force. Battle sputters out. The war is over. A brush fire which was burning so briskly only a few hours ago has been snuffed out. What is even more important, it has been snuffed out quickly before it has had a chance to spread. Before it has had a chance to menace the peace of the entire world. The fire brigade has done its job. You have seen what today's airborne is and how it could be expected to perform in an emergency. However, since any potential aggressor is well aware of its firefighting capability, the chances of such an emergency arising are greatly reduced. In other words, our airborne has a strong deterrent effect. And that suits everybody fine. The airborne has no desire to race halfway around the world to put out a fire. But if one should break out, it's nice to know that the airborne is ready, willing, and able to take care of it. Now this is Sergeant Stewart Queen, your host for The Big Picture. The Big Picture is an official television report for the armed forces and the American people. Produced by the Army Pictorial Center. Presented by the United States Army in cooperation with this station.