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The prestigious Pathfinder badge’s winged torch comes from ancient Greece, symbolizing the runners who opened the Olympic Games and means "To Light the Way."


Military Pathfinders.


Pathfinders are highly trained, elite soldiers who are inserted or dropped into place in order to set up and operate drop zones, pickup zones, and helicopter landing sites for airborne operations, air resupply operations, or other air operations in support of the ground unit commander.

Pathfinders first appeared in World War II and continue to serve an important role in today's modern military, providing commanders with the option of flexibly employing air assets.


History

United Kingdom

During the Second World War small groups of parachute soldiers were formed into pathfinder units, to parachute ahead of the main force. Their tasks were to mark the drop zones (DZ) or landing zones (LZ), set up radio beacons as a guide for the aircraft carrying the main force and to clear and protect the area as the main force arrive.[1]

The units were formed into two companies to work with the two airborne divisions.

The 21st Independent Parachute Company formed in June 1942 and served with the 1st Airborne Division and the 22nd Independent Parachute Company served with the 6th Airborne Division.[1]

United States

During World War II, the pathfinders were a group of volunteers selected within the Airborne units who were specially trained to operate navigation aids to guide the main airborne body to the drop zones.

The pathfinder teams (sticks) were made up of a group of eight to twelve pathfinders and a group of six bodyguards whose job was to defend the pathfinders while they set up their equipment.

The pathfinder teams dropped approximately thirty minutes before the main body in order to locate designated drop zones and provide radio and visual guides for the main force in order to improve the accuracy of the jump.

These navigational aids included compass beacons, colored panels, Eureka radar sets, and colored smoke.[8]

When they jumped, the pathfinders many times would encounter less resistance than the follow-up waves of paratroopers, simply because they had the element of surprise on their side.[8] Once the main body jumped, the pathfinders then joined their original units and fought as standard airborne infantry.


U.S. Army Pathfinders and C-47 Skytrain flight crew just before D-Day in June 1944


Post-World War II

The divisional pathfinder units of World War II were assigned to the subordinate parachute infantry regiments. In 1947, the first divisional pathfinder platoon was organized in the Headquarters Company, 82d Airborne Division. Pathfinders were also established in the 11th Airborne Division, at that time on occupation duty in Japan.

Modern pathfinders

Pathfinders still exist in a number of armed forces around the world. Most of them are senior members of parachute units and have earned the right to wear the Maroon beret. Pathfinders in the U.S. Army wear the Pathfinder Badge.

Belgium

Belgium has a platoon pathfinders as part of the Light Brigade. They are paracommandos which receive an extra pathfinder course at Schaffen and an Air Traffic course in the Netherlands. The Belgian pathfinders keep close ties with their Dutch counterparts, with which they perform joint exercises.[17]

Netherlands

The Netherlands have a pathfinders platoon which was founded in 2007. Since the Netherlands did not have a pathfinders unit before that, they were founded on the Belgian model where they receive their pathfinder courses in Schaffen. The Dutch pathfinders platoon maintains close cooperation with their Belgian counterparts, with joint training facilities and exercises.[17]

United Kingdom


Paratroopers from 16 Air Assault Brigade jump from a Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules over Salisbury Plain during Exercise Wessex Storm on 19 November 2014.

The Pathfinder Platoon is a specialist reconnaissance unit of the British Army, and an integral part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Pathfinder Platoon acts as the brigade's advance force and reconnaissance force. Its role includes locating and marking drop zones and helicopter landing zones for air landing operations. Once the main force has landed, the platoon provides tactical intelligence for the brigade.[18]

The platoon work under the command of the Brigade Headquarters. The Officer Commanding Pathfinder Platoon is a senior Captain or Major. The platoon operates in teams of between 4–6 men. In 2006 a new rate of Parachute Pay (High Altitude Parachute Pay) was introduced for members of the Pathfinder Platoon following the recommendations of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body.[22]

Pathfinder Group

In 1984, 5th Airborne Brigade was in the process of developing its Limited Parachute Assault Capability (LPAC). This required a formation of 15 Hercules aircraft to drop a parachute battalion group over two drop zones (DZs) in under five minutes, by day or night. To do this, there was a requirement for the DZs to be clearly marked, in order to ensure that the crews had an easily identified reference point to allow them to drop accurately and consistently. With the demise of the 16th Parachute Brigade in 1977, the disbandment of No 1 (Guards) Independent Company meant that the expertise had been lost. Regimental Headquarters was asked to look at the options for providing this capability. Major Phil Neame produced a paper in October 1984 recommending the formation of an independent platoon, with manpower drawn from all three battalions and coming directly under the command of the Brigade Headquarters. It would number a total of 28 in 7 patrols of 4 men and include 2 Royal Signals operators.[6][7]

Today, the Pathfinder Group is made up of selected personnel from the armed forces,[8] who have undergone a rigorous selection and training programme.

The Group is formed around a platoon to company strength cadre of reconnaissance and communications specialists.

Its roles include locating and marking parachute drop zones and tactical and helicopter landing zones for air landing operations.

Once the main force has landed, the group provides tactical intelligence vital to the operational decision-making within the Brigade Headquarters.[8][9]

The pathfinders can utilise various airborne insertion techniques, which range from the current in-service Low Level Parachute (LLP), going up to High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) and High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) systems.[10][11]



16 Air Assault Brigade is the British Army's airborne rapid reaction force, trained and equipped to deploy by parachute, helicopter and airlanding.
.
Units and elements of the Brigade

7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
23 Parachute Engineer Regiment
2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment
3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment
2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles
13 Air Assault Regiment Royal Logistics Corps
16 Medical Regiment
216 (Parachute) Signals Squadron
Pathfinder Platoon
4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment

http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/28211.aspx


United States of America needs separate article.


USAF combat controller assesses a potential relief supply air delivery drop zone during Operation Unified Response in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 19, 2010.




THE END
03:04 18-05-2016