we're here at the 507th airborne unit army airborne school. i went to jump training here in 1966. some of the methods and machinery have changed, a paratroopers job description remains the same. jump from perfectly good airplanes, make a parachute landing fall and be ready for combat all in a matter of seconds. tonight on "war stories," we'll bring you the history of america's paratroopers, elite heroes of our armed forces. the largest airborne drop ever executed, we'll also see how paratroopers have been an important part of all u.s. military action since then from korea all the way to afghanistan. october 19, 2001, army rangers parachute into afghanistan launching the ground assault on the al qaeda terrorist network. just like paratroopers past, they took the first steps in the foreign soil on the war on terrorism. hard to -- basic concept of the parachute has remained unchanged for decades. the idea was first conceived in a mind of a late century painter. >> basically set a triangular shaped linen could be used to successfully float something down to earth. >> in order to bring his vision to life, man first had to find a way to fly. that happened in 1783. the first hot air balloon. the parachute then followed. and the first successful jump made in 1797. by the 1800s balloons were used to survey the battlefield during napoleonic wars in europe. those early aeronaughts brought along parachutes. after the first airplane flight in 1907, the need for parachutes became obvious. but it was still world war i that the parachute was first used as a weapon of war. >> american colonel proposed that a mass parachute attack be used in the closing stages of war in 1918, he proposed the first infantry division -- but the war ended before the operation could be done. >> love the concept so began the first parachute training programs in the early 1930s as seen in this rare captured german film. nazi paratroopers drew opposing soldiers away from the front line. so intelligence officer for the first british airborne division -- >> i think the government had been extremely impressed by the fact the germans had taken -- as the british lost. >> the nazis felt too many of the paratroopers lives were lost. so they redesignated troopers to ground infantry units. >> it was the end of the german airborne assaults. >> we started where the germans left off. >> as the british fortified the ranks of their airborne units, the united states ranked up its own paratrooper program though not yet officially in the war. >> it starts as a small test platoon of less than 50 men. and it grows down into a battalion roughly about 800 men. and then it from there just mushrooms into more. >> because it was considered extremely dangerous, paratroopers were strictly volunteers. and not all were chosen. >> the men were generally hand picked. they went through special training. their training geared them to think on their own and to improvise. >> then 24-year-old chaplain delbert how he became a paratrooper. >> came up and said i have an unusual request. the united states is starting airborne troops and we need -- >> i didn't even think about it. volunteered right away. >> chaplain sent to jump school at fort bening, georgia, where he joined the unruly conditioning. >> what did they tell you your mission would be? >> they didn't. they did tell us that you probably will be jumping behind enemy lines sometimes and that you'd better be in good shape because you don't know what you're going to have to go through. >> you do all the running, all the push-ups, all the situps. >> yep. >> then the 34 foot tower and big tower. >> big tower. >> the big tower at benning was and still is 250 feet high. after a day of practice, they made five jumps from an airplane at an altitude of 1,250 feet, one of them at night. after the fifth jump the soldiers got their wings. how was that first jump? >> well, i don't know how to explain it. pilot say crazy to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. the chutes, when they open -- i had no skin on my shoulder. >> january 1942, just one month after pearl harbor, army chief of staff george marshall decided to resurrect the famed 82nd all-american division from world war i, the new 82nd would be an airborne division led by newly promoted brigadier general matthew ridgeway. within 12 months another division created. 101st screaming eagles. the pride of being in the 101st. >> i went to ft. benning, georgia and went through ocs. i used to go on a pass with friends to columbus, georgia, where i first became aware of the paratroopers. their boots and silver wings and cocky attitude and quite frankly they were a real superior looking group of soldiers. and i just told myself perhaps you better look into this. >> they lined up to volunteer for the elite ranks. many were sent to north africa for more training for top secret operation. midnight july 10th, 1943, 3,400 allied paratroopers jumped into sicily but it was a doomed mission right from the start. >> germans and -- shot down 23 of our planes. >> the chaplain in one of those jumps is not only looking up to spiritual for these guys but also serving as a medic. >> i carried a medic pack on me leg. i was a chaplain, i had a different weapon. >> 23 planes were lost to friendly fire, but that didn't deter ridgeway. he sent the 82nd in solona, italy. and this time the jump was better planned. >> it was the 82nd airborne division that came in as a reinforcement that tipped the scales in our favor. >> we hit the drop zone at midnight. and an officer said you're going to have to hold us at all cost. they were so strong, but we did hold them. those men just would not give up. >> secure the 82nd infantry where they suffered heavy casualties. finally, they were pulled back to england to prepare for the i decisive battle of world war ii, the invasion of normandy. before dawn on june 6, 1944, the largest airborne force to date headed to normandy. things immediately went wrong. scout leader hardy remembers his first combat jump. >> as we hit the coast, they let us go where they could. i landed three miles from where my expected drop zone should have been. >> but the paratroopers worked to the allies advantage. >> i'm sure the germans were so confused about where the hell are you guys coming from. they were coming from everywhere. because there were drops everywhere. >> the allies triumphed at normandy but at a terrible price, over 50,000 killed. the 101st and later the 82nd report back to england for replacements and refitting. >> we had a number of missions that we were going to be assigned to, but the armored forces under general patton would overrun those objectives, so our missions were scrubbed. and then we were assigned to the british second army under general montgomery. >> coming up, marshal montgomery believes he has a plan to end the war by christmas. he couldn't be more wrong. stay tuned. my "business" was going nowhere... so i built this kickin' new website with godaddy. with gocentral from godaddy, you can create a professional... ...website in just a few clicks. in fact, 68% of people who have built their website using... ...gocentral, did it in under an hour, and you can too. it's so easy. type in your business or idea. pick your favourite design. personalize it with beautiful images from our huge photo... ...library - or upload your own. and...you're done! zero technical skills required. but don't worry, if you do need help, we're here for you 24/7. now business is booming. harriet, dear, it's a double stitch not a cross stitch! we'll even help you improve your rank on search engines like... ...google, so more people can find you! you can even build and manage your site from your mobile. plus, link your site to social media, including facebook... ...and twitter, with just a few clicks. build a better website - in under an hour - with... ...gocentral from godaddy. free to try. no credit card required. gocentral from godaddy. >> the the replacements were watching us come back. less than 20 men out of a couple -- my god, this is what is left? >> august 1944 replacement troops to fill their ranks, the airborne began training again. and as usual the boys didn't know the mission they were training for. at headquarters changes were in the making. general ridgeway was promoted to have the america 18th airborne corps. general james chosen to lead the 32nd. he's only 37 years old. and general maxwell taylor would continue to lead the 101st. >> i was very impressed. there was not an offensive bravado. >> british general's chief intelligence officer. downing had been chosen by eisenhower and montgomery for an undisclosed operation that was supposed to bring a swift end to the war. >> the german army was on the run. and the allies wanted a way to quickly exploit what was going on. general montgomery devised a very bold plan. >> i like montgomery. he was extremely cautious. and i think this possibly began to frustrate him considerably. and i think montgomery felt that really he had to do something to try to end the war himself. >> a complex two-part plan. first, operation market where three airborne divisions would drop into holland. the 101st land in the southern most area near the town of aendhoven. the british first airborne division would land in the northern most sector and sweep into arnhem taking the final bridge over the river. the second part was garden, the 30 corps advance from the south along a two-lane highway making up with the 101st and 82nd as they traveled north. the last objective is arnhem where the british airborne were to have secured the final bridge. >> without capturing the bridge at arnhem, the operation would be pointless because you would still have a major river to cross before getting into northern germany. so it had to be all or none. >> our job as airborne troops was to secure all of that road network to enable the british tanks to proceed north on that corridor to join forces with the british first airborne at arnhem. >> the 30 corps would have to cover a lot of ground, total of 64 miles in four days. it was a tall order. not all persuaded it could be done. >> ridgeway and -- would never. i'm not sure quite how happy they were going to be about that because they were fighting two-thirds of the troops. >> despite the misgivings a sense of euphoria began to take hold in the allied leadership. >> after the allies were breaking out -- >> hard to believe now, but then september 1944 people were beginning to be very light hearted about the war ending very quickly. >> when the date was approved, the troopers had only seven days to prepare for the drop. 21-year-old clod in 101st unit. >> it was very short notice. in fact, shortest period of getting ready to make a jump that we ever received. >> as the troopers ready themselves for their jump, some troubling news. >> we got some intelligence reports that the -- two of the best armored divisions in the german army were re-fitting. while that seemed to me to be an appalling new development, these were tact divisions. >> then received confirmation of his worst fears. >> i had of the area showing armored vehicle tanks and so on within about eight miles of the british paratroopers. >> at the time he was so anxious to command that he was prepared to take huge risks. one produce reasons why it would be wise to shake the operation. he was very resistant to this. and i think the air photographs were the last straw. >> he was put on sick leave and told he wouldn't be going on the operation. >> i was told i was distraught and i forget what. i said i'm not at all, i'm just very worried. >> were the allied leaders about to send their boys into a blood bath? find out when we return to "war stories." are you ready to open your heart and home for 18 months to a puppy like esther? to find out more about becoming a canine companion for independence puppy raiser visit cci.org or call 1-800-572-bark. you can make a world of difference in the life of a person with a disability. >> the sand table briefing the night before, and i at the briefing the night before and i was very afraid. i thought we were going to get annihilated. i just didn't think we could do it. >> despite the ominous reconnaissance photo shows ominous panzer divisions in the area, the operation was a go. to get additional troops and equipment into the area, a fleet of gliders would also make the trip carrying infantry, cruiser, weapons and equipment. 34-year-old john mckenzie chosen to be a glider co-pilot for the operation. >> which was terrifying. then there was artillery, ammunition, food and all the things that anybody needs loaded on these gliders. >> there was a need for gliders was to get a large number of infantry down in one spot. and also more importantly to get small pieces of artillery or jeeps down. >> i tell you, i was happy to be a paratrooper because those poor devils in the glider infantry in the flying boxcar covered in canvas. >> these things were death traps. >> in addition to the supplies carried in by glider, each paratrooper would hit the ground with a load of equipment strapped to his body. >> paratroopers going into combat really doubled their weight carrying extra ammo and materials with them. >> you're a self-contained infantry unit once you've gotten out of that airplane. >> ammunition box on your leg and machine gun. >> despite lo gist call concerns, the boys were ready and the operation was about to begin. september 17 dawned a beautifully clear sunday morning. and over 2,000 planes and supply aircraft took off from bases all over england headed for holland. >> we took off after loading all our equipment circling to join up, circling and circling until all the airborne troops are in the air. >> we were keyed up. the adrenaline was running high. but our troops were highly trained. the best caliber that you could find in the united states army. >> it was quite an experience. everywhere we looked we saw a plane. >> the invasion was on. 35,000 paratroopers were nearing the drop zone. >> i remember the black puffs of smoke. we were beginning to get hit by antiaircraft fire. and there were hunks of shrapnel going through the fuselage of a c-47 just over our heads. and finally the green light went on and out we went. >> the easiest jump you'll ever make is when they're shooting at the airplane. you have to problem getting out. >> the 101st everything was going perfectly. seems the germans were caught completely by surprise. the dutch thought they were being liberated. >> people were out in the streets. >> they were waving american flags. they offered food, beer. it was a celebration. >> to the 82nd everything was going according to plan. >> the actual drop i had was best drop i ever had. i wasn't even knocked off my feet. we then moved up and spent sunday night there. >> but it was a different story for the british first airborne trying to capture the bridge at arnhem. >> because the air force -- the british paratrooper division eight miles from the bridge. which meant they had to march eight miles in order to get to even one. >> only one battalion gets anywhere near the arnhem bridge. the rest of the units are in the landing areas. >> for young paratroopers just like these, one road was so treacherous it theaters now and stay tuned for more great "war stories" here on the fox business network.