Victor Suvorov IV [Conclusion].

This is coolbert:

And yet more comments of mine regarding the wiki for Victor Suvorov. As usual, my observations in BOLD!

Also once more regarding numbers and Suvorov being prone to exaggeration:

"in 1941, Red Army had a million trained paratroopers. These kinds of figures have been dismissed by most historians"

Here definition is important? 1 million parachutists as opposed to paratroopers would be a better way of saying it. Persons HAVING A FAMILIARITY WITH PARACHUTING BUT NOT A PARATROOPER in the western sense of the word. A parachutist, widely varied with regard to training and actual jump status.

NOT persons in all cases totally jump qualified and being classified as a PARATROOPERS according to the western model.

Suvorov does speak of a SOVIET PARACHUTE PSYCHOSIS!!

The Soviets DID a lot of innovative work, pre-World War Two, in the training and employment of parachutists for various military and non-military missions. Smoke-jumpers were originally a Soviet invention. Training carried out by dropping from towers, balloons, or even persons standing over enormous fans and being BLOWN UPWARDS WHILE WEARING OPENED PARACHUTES!!

"By 1936, there were 559 parachute towers in the Soviet Union and 115 parachute training schools. In that same year members of Osoaviakhim and other civilians made 1,600,000 jumps from towers and 30,000 jumps from planes."

[in 1936, there were ZERO parachute towers in the U.S.??!! Also notice the statistics. Fifty times as many jumps from towers as from planes!!]

"As a result of this intensive civilian training program, it is estimated that in 1940, over a million Soviet men and women were trained parachutists."

[trained parachutists as opposed to paratroopers??]

The first deployable paratrooper units ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD were Soviet!! Indeed! For conventional and special purpose military operations.

I think it can be safely said that the Soviets DID possess A LOT of individuals that would qualify in any army as a paratrooper. Getting them to the target with adequate transport would be the problem.

" [the] reality of available fuel or transportation."

Right, not enough transport aircraft or aviation gas to get 1 million paratroopers to the targets.

Definitions are always important. In this case too?? Again, Suvorov exaggerates, but NOT excessively so!!??

coolbert.