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Good morning.
"I don't think it would be prudent to expose your quick mobile units to this vicegrip...waiting for the main force to arrive in 5-6 days."
The use of Airborne forces is by nature imprudent. Makes one wonder why people volunteer to exit aircraft in flight into enemy country, to fight outnumbered until relieved, doesn't it.

By their nature elite soldiers are perfect for this type of operation. As I wrote before, IDF artillery is in range and the IAF controls the airspace above the battlefield so the risk is lessened considerably. The paras are more likely to take casualties in the cleanup later than in seizing and holding the bridgehead on the river.

What is the distance from the Israeli border to the Litani? I believe it ranges from around 18 to 25 miles down to six miles, give or take a click or so but I'm not sure. What's the rage of a 155? How about an MLRS? What's the speed of a Merkava tank and a Zelda APC, or the range of a Hellfire missile?

I would bet that there will be Masters theses(SP?) written about this campaign.

Michael Frazier

As I stated in post #54 "If indeed it would take the IDF a week to make it to the shore, you wouldn't want to leave your paras unsupported for that duration".

In post# 58 I stated "I don't think that it would be prudent to expose your quick mobile units to this vicegrip..
waiting for the main force to arrive in 5-6 days".

The best information available was from the Israeli General in Command states that it would take a week to reach the Litani with the main battle force.

You stated in post #52 "Paratroopers were created for the job of seizing ground like the south bank of the Litani and holding it until the tanks arrive to secure the ground."

In your post #56 (reponding to my post #54) you state " This isn't Arnhem Bridge. The IDF artilery is in range and the good pilots of the IAF would provide any other support that is needed."

You are assuming that even if it would take the IDF a week to reach the Litani, it would be good generalmanship to send in the paras to wait for 5-6 days.

It is imprudent.

At Ia Drang Valley, US air mobile, with artillery and air cover, lasted 3 days before 1/7 left the battlefield via helicopter and 2/7 left on foot. 2/7 was nearly wiped out at their alternate LZ.

What Israel has done today is exactly what paras are used for..with the expectation that the main force would arrive within 1-2 days, which they have done.

Questions?