Page 103 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Fall 2014

An Ongoing Series

Risk Factors for Injuries

During Airborne Static Line Operations

Joseph J. Knapik, ScD; Ryan Steelman, MPH

ABSTRACT
US Army airborne operations began in World War II. first country to develop military airborne units in the
Continuous improvements in parachute technology, air- 1930s, and by 1936, there were 559 jump towers and
craft exit procedures, and ground landing techniques 115 airborne training sites in the Soviet Union. The first
have reduced the number of injuries over time from 27 Soviet combat jump occurred in the Russo-Finnish War
per 1,000 descents to about 6 per 1,000 jumps. Studies in 1939. This was quickly followed by developments
have identified a number of factors that put parachutists in Germany, culminating in combat jumps that spear-
at higher injury risk, including high wind speeds, night headed the German invasion into the Netherlands in
jumps, combat loads, higher temperatures, lower fitness, May 1940. The US Army initiated its first jump school
heavier body weight, and older age. Airborne injuries at Fort Benning, Georgia, in April 1941 and performed
can be reduced by limiting risker training (higher wind the first combat jumps into Sicily in 1943. 1–3
speeds, night jumps, combat load) to the minimum nec-
essary for tactical and operational proficiency. Wearing Working with physicians, scientists, and engineers, the
a parachute ankle brace (PAB) will reduce ankle injuries US airborne community has progressively enhanced
without increasing other injuries and should be con- safety of airborne operations to increase the likelihood
sidered by all parachutists, especially those with prior that airborne soldiers arrived on the ground ready for
ankle problems. A high level of upper body muscular their operational missions. Continuous improvements
endurance and aerobic fitness is not only beneficial for in parachute technology, aircraft exit procedures, and
general health but also associated with lower injury risk ground landing techniques substantially reduced the
during airborne training. number of injuries over time. Early estimates of military
parachuting injury rates in the World War II era were 27
4
Keywords: wind, night, combat load, temperature, fitness, per 1,000 jumps. A summary of studies conducted after
parachute ankle brace this time indicated that airborne injuries averaged about
5
6 per 1,000 jumps. However, studies also showed that
different operational conditions and soldier characteris-
tics could result in widely different injury rates. 6–8
Introduction: A Brief History of
Airborne Operations and Injuries
The purpose of this article is to identify the factors that
Since World War II, military airborne operations have place Soldiers at risk of injury during airborne opera-
delivered troops to key areas of the battlefield, altering tions to assist Special Operators in reducing their likeli-
the tactical and strategic aspects of warfare. The idea of hood of injuries.
tactical military airborne operations was first proposed
in 1919 by William (Billy) Mitchell and approved by
General John J. Pershing. However, with the quick end Risk Factors for Airborne Injuries
of World War I, the idea was never realized. In 1928, The best studied injury risk factors are high wind speeds,
the US Army Air Corps staged a number of airborne night jumps, combat loads, and higher temperatures.
demonstration jumps in Texas that were observed by Winds increase the horizontal velocity of the jumper
foreign army representatives. The Soviet Union was the and, when added to the vertical descent velocity, increase

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