Drop / Jump Troopers source material

[jaz0nj4ckal]

Folks:
I am looking to build a paratrooper like career; however, I found on the forum that Jump/Drop Troopers fill that role; however, I cannot find original resources for these troops or career path.

What is the best location, resource and/or book to read up on these troops and/or career path?

Thanks.
JJ

 

[Limburger59]

IMTU I just assumed that Imperial Marines with Battle Dress were all trained to drop from space, similar to Heinlein's Starship Troopers. There are some good discussions of Drop Capsules on COTI.

As for dropping out of a perfectly good airplane, IMTU I just listed a "Parachute" skill as an available military skill, just like Forward Observer; but never developed any details. I don't see it as a separate Army career, just like I don't see Artilleryman as a separate career.

Oh, I believe Striker has the source information on Jump Troops.

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

@Limburger59

Thanks.

 

[SpaceBadger]

CT Book 4 Mercenary did not have a separate career path for jump troops but assumes that Marines are trained as jump troops, and has the Commando School and Protected Forces School for Army characters. I don't know if MgT Mercenary book is the same or has something different.

For fictional source material, the iconic jump troops are the Mobile Infantry in Heinlein's Starship Troopers (the book, not the movie).

 

[SpaceBadger]

Sorry, re-reading your original post and just realized you were asking about paratroopers, not jump troops.

I don't think I have seen actual paratroopers in any Traveller materials. They would only exist in lower tech societies that don't have gravs, I think. With grav tech you would either have airmobile troops in grav APCs (generally referred to as lift infantry), or at higher TLs would have individual grav harnesses and grav battledress.

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

CT Book 4 Mercenary did not have a separate career path for jump troops but assumes that Marines are trained as jump troops, and has the Commando School and Protected Forces School for Army characters. I don't know if MgT Mercenary book is the same or has something different.

For fictional source material, the iconic jump troops are the Mobile Infantry in Heinlein's Starship Troopers (the book, not the movie).

Very true...I just finished Starship Trooper (book) and thought - that would be interesting to have a career path; however, I was unsure if it would be an Army or Marine career path.

I guess it could be any.

 

[McPerth]

Based on the Traveller wargames (mostly FFW and IE), armies have some jump trained troops, while all Marine units are jump trained.

As for my opinion, when I once refereed an adventure where the players had to make a drop jump I made it dependent on vacc suit and zero G skills, and gave positive modifiers for control and accuracy of the jump to those with Marine training. Being no skill related to it, I used background.

 

[SpaceBadger]

I've been skimming through old JTAS issues looking for an article I half-remember about individual drops from orbit without a ship, which AFAICR included the drop capsules used by jump troops, plus an emergency device for abandoning ship on catastrophic re-entry.

I think for jump troops there was a skill roll for the final drop after blowing off the capsule that used Battlesuit skill.

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

Based on the Traveller wargames (mostly FFW and IE), armies have some jump trained troops, while all Marine units are jump trained.

As for my opinion, when I once refereed an adventure where the players had to make a drop jump I made it dependent on vacc suit and zero G skills, and gave positive modifiers for control and accuracy of the jump to those with Marine training. Being no skill related to it, I used background.

Thanks for the insight...funny, but i was going along the same lines since I finished Starship Trooper (book) and Armor by John Steakley. Due to the latter two, Battle Armor just made sense.

Thanks again.

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

I've been skimming through old JTAS issues looking for an article I half-remember about individual drops from orbit without a ship, which AFAICR included the drop capsules used by jump troops, plus an emergency device for abandoning ship on catastrophic re-entry.

I think for jump troops there was a skill roll for the final drop after blowing off the capsule that used Battlesuit skill.

Hey thanks for looking...I do not have the JTAS; however, I appreciate the help. To be honest, I was just trying to make something modeled off of paratroopers or something along the lines...I was not thinking Drop/Jump troops; however, that is what I wanted to build. I use the wrong terms to describe what I wanted. In addition, I am trying to build a mobile light infantry group that makes planet “drops”, yet I want to model them off the Rhodesian Light Infantry, 2nd REP or any historical airborne force; however, I see what you are saying about Marines being drop troops already. In addition, due to the nature of drop troops, it does not make sense to make them Army, since the vast distance of space would not match the doctrine of army forces, unless we talk about SF; however, that is something beyond the scope of my initial plan.


Thanks again.
JJ

 

[Matt123]

Planetary Armies are almost guaranteed to have Parachute, Grav Harness or Drop Troops. It will still be the least risky way to insert a combat force and often does not involve inter-system travel.

My pick is that "Parachute Regiments" will have Parachutes to TL8, Grav Harness to TL 12 or so(?) and drop capsules after that, possibly dropped from commercial cargo ships in orbit, System Defence Boats or what have you. Other types of Infantry will be inserted via grav transports, ships boats and dedicated landing craft. But first in will be the Parachute/Drop troops to secure the area.

Advanced parachutes, grav harness and drop capsules can also ensure a unit lands as a cohesive unit, although drops directly into combat are unlikely to be standard doctrine (unless there is a significant TL advantage).

Just random thoughts on an interesting topic.
Matt

 

[BlackBat242]

At TL 13+ there would be special models of Battledress available with built-in grav units... eliminating the need for a separate grav harness, and allowing for better protection for the grav unit from small arms fire.

 

[snrdg082102]

Morning (PST) all,

I'd say that any of the methods mentioned could be used depending on what would give the landing troops the best chance to establish a foothold on the objective they are assigned. Of course the method depends on the equipment available. I think there is a Traveller scenario or adventure where the troops used high tech para-foils to hit a base of some sort.

 

[McPerth]

Thanks for the insight...funny, but i was going along the same lines since I finished Starship Trooper (book) and Armor by John Steakley. Due to the latter two, Battle Armor just made sense.

Thanks again.

If you mean that Battledress will be better skill for use than vacc suit, I just want to remember you that, at least in CT and MT, BD skill may be used as vacc suit too. I used vacc suit because I understand jump troops appear before battledress (in Imperium, representing the Interstellar wars, and so with maximum TL 12, so before BD, there are already jump troops).

We also must take int oaccount that in Traveller, unlike in Starship Troopers, there are grav vehicles able to reach orbit. I guess some invasions will be made with APC being released from their ships in orbit and making their way to land (probably with lots of decoys to foul defenses), so having armor and APC (and probably SP artillery) support from the first moment, aside from straffing fighters and ortillery (I assume you've achieved orbital superiority before any landings take place).

If you see jump troops as paratroopers, this landing method could be seen as glider troops, I guess...

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

Just brainstorming here with everyone for ideas

Due to method of inserting and type of operations – would it make more sense that the majority of Drop/Jump Troops be assigned to Army forces for invasion operations or clandestine Army/Marine operating on planets? I am suspecting that “drop” ships would need special equipment to provide the needed capacity to launch Drop/Jump Troops and required logistics in the support of these operations. In addition, the extra skills needed to provide such a troop would keep troopers in the pipeline longer. Funny, when I think of Marines making a planet assault I think of “drop crafts” like the UD-4L Cheyenne Dropship; however, when I think of fast planet assaults by the Army I think of Drop/Jump Troops. The latter could be due to having family members in airborne units from 1943-1971 fighting in 3 wars, yet I want to keep the idea close as possible to the lineage of Traveller that I can.

Thanks.

JJ

 

[McPerth]

Just brainstorming here with everyone for ideas

Due to method of inserting and type of operations – would it make more sense that the majority of Drop/Jump Troops be assigned to Army forces for invasion operations or clandestine Army/Marine operating on planets?

IMHO, clandestine operations would not be performed by jump troops (or at least not acting as such), at least on worlds with TL enough as to have sensors.

As their name tells, in clandestine operations the key point is subtility and keeping them to be discovered, Jump troops cannot (again IMHO) achieve this, as a combat drop is easily detected.

For clandestine operations, I see the inserting way more in a trader (and perhaps paradroping from it while on approach). Remember that when the Mrquis or Regina assaulted Menorb after the 1st frontier war, the clandestine pathfinders went in subsized traders (even being jump troops), they didn't perform a drop, as did follow on troops (hystory of the 4518 Lift Infantry regiment, both in SMC, while I cannot give you exact reference as I have not mine handy and JTAS 9, page 12).

The latter could be due to having family members in airborne units from 1943-1971 fighting in 3 wars, yet I want to keep the idea close as possible to the lineage of Traveller that I can.

As an example of the jump troops tracing their lineage to the paratroopers, in IE, the two Solomani jump troop Divisions are numbered 82 and 101. Sounds familiar?.

 

[GypsyComet]

Using the American analogs, the Marines make landing zones, and the Army holds them...

In Traveller, the "Army" is often planetbound, and may or may not include elements trained to assault from orbit. In the context of the Imperium, individual worlds have Armies, while the Imperium as a whole has the Marines. Imperial Marines are, just like the USMC, built around the idea that you show up and stomp the problem flat. Fast ships, orbital bombardments, drop troops, squish.

 

[McPerth]

Using the American analogs, the Marines make landing zones, and the Army holds them...

In Traveller, the "Army" is often planetbound, and may or may not include elements trained to assault from orbit. In the context of the Imperium, individual worlds have Armies, while the Imperium as a whole has the Marines. Imperial Marines are, just like the USMC, built around the idea that you show up and stomp the problem flat. Fast ships, orbital bombardments, drop troops, squish.

But, as US Army may also make landing zones (after all, Marines were not involved in the largest such opperations ever performed: Overlord), in Traveller wargames (FFW, IE) the marines are only a part of the Imperial Jump Troops, Army's jump units exisiting also (and any unit may make a hot landing, but at increased risk).

 

[GypsyComet]

Marines were not involved in the largest such opperations ever performed: Overlord

Largely for internal political reasons, and the amount of extra training required was huge. The USMC was running up the beach on a different island in the Pacific every few months, while the Army did theirs all at once.

in Traveller wargames (FFW, IE) the marines are only a part of the Imperial Jump Troops, Army's jump units exisiting also (and any unit may make a hot landing, but at increased risk).

The Imperium is a big place, and the Marines are not a big organization all things considered. The implication in various source material is that drop pods are a Marine thing, while drop ships are an Army thing. There will be cross-over, of course, but the emphasis of an Army led planetary landing is generally going to be different than a Marine led landing. The tools follow from there.

 

[rancke]

The Imperium is a big place, and the Marines are not a big organization all things considered. The implication in various source material is that drop pods are a Marine thing, while drop ships are an Army thing. There will be cross-over, of course, but the emphasis of an Army led planetary landing is generally going to be different than a Marine led landing. The tools follow from there.

Invasion:Earth (which I don't have) should provide some insight into how things were being done a century ago (Which could quite possibly be the same way things are still being done in the Classic Era). Does the countermix have both army and marine units? Which ones are drop troops and which ones aren't? Things like that.


Hans