![]() 13, 1943 - barely a week after being formed. American pathfinders made their first combat jump on Sept.The British established their own pathfinder group, the 21 st Independent Parachute Company, as early as 1942. He also trained volunteers in infiltration tactics, as well as the use of flares, smoke canisters, lanterns and radio beacons. James Gavin of the 82 nd Airborne is often credited for helping to pioneer the concept. The first American pathfinder units were established in the wake of the botched night airdrops of the 1943 Sicily campaign - a full year before the Normandy invasion.Allied paratroops prepare to jump into Sicily. As the aircraft closed to visual range, the ground teams helped crews pinpoint the landing zones using special hand-held Holophane lanterns. ![]() ![]() Using special receivers known as “Rebeccas,” pilots in the leading drop planes could zero in on the pathfinders’ transmissions and then calculate the distance to the objective. The satchel-sized device was designed to emit a series of electronic pulses that could be picked up and measured by Allied aircraft.
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