‘Combat Jump’ traces risky WWII paratroop mission

The mission was risky, maybe foolhardy. The U.S. military had never attempted anything quite like it.

Intelligence about the size, strength and location of the enemy was spotty, leading to U.S. casualties. What intelligence existed was not passed by the top brass to soldiers on the ground. There were foul-ups with equipment and communication.

U.S. ships mistakenly shot down U.S. planes, killing dozens of soldiers. And in the immediate aftermath of the mission, U.S. generals disagreed about whether it had been a success.

“Combat Jump,” a well-researched, compellingly presented documentary tonight at 9 on the History Channel, captures the complexities and cross-currents of one of the most heart-pounding episodes of World War II: the drop of 3,400 Army paratroopers on the southern coast of Sicily in July 1943 in advance of a massive assault by sea.

Using interviews with survivors, strong narration, newsreel clips and dramatic reenactments, “Combat Jump” is the story of the 505th Regimental Combat team and its 36-year-old commander, Col. Jim Gavin.

“Combat Jump” is the confluence of two masters of the World War II genre: Lou Reda Productions -- long a History Channel stalwart -- and military writer Ed Ruggero, whose book “Combat Jump: The Young Men Who Led the Assault Into Hitler’s Fortress,” was published last month by Harper Collins.

The strategy was audacious: Drop an airborne force behind the German lines and seize bridges, causeways and road intersections to stymie the Germans’ ability to counterattack. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had to be persuaded to risk the success of the invasion on this innovation called an airborne assault.

The execution did not go according to plan. The troops missed the drop zone and were spread out over 1,000 squares miles. There were more Germans than the U.S. had anticipated. One of the strongest moments of “Combat Jump” is the reenactment of the chaos and carnage that ensued when German tanks began chasing U.S. troops.

Fighting was close and fierce. In the end, Gen. George Patton said the paratroopers had been invaluable to victory, although Eisenhower remained dubious.

If there is a moral for the modern context in “Combat Jump,” maybe it’s one offered by one of the veterans: “War is a series of mistakes. The side that makes the fewest wins.”