When it comes to American paratroopers of World War II, we immediately think of the already famous 101 and 82 Airborne Divisions. Daredevils, of which they became famous throughout Europe for their spectacular landings. At the same time, however, there was a lesser-known force on the Pacific front, the Marines-parachutists (paramarines).
The 3,000-man unit was called the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment. Like their Army counterparts, the parachutists enjoyed special privileges: pay was higher (because of the danger of the job) and they used different, better equipment and gear to achieve their higher goals. But the standards of admission were also higher, and all fighters were required to be unmarried.
The aspect of interest, however, is the use of the unique American small arms of the period: the Reising submachine guns, the self-loading rifle, and the Johnson light machine gun.
For their actions in the Pacific, the Marine paratroopers were hailed as the hellhounds of the entire Marine Corps, with missions to Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and the Solomon Islands campaign on the regiment's record. The regiment had the highest casualty rate for killed and wounded during operations at Guadalcanal, 20 percent of its personnel. It was the highest casualty rate of the entire Corps during that operation.
Despite the paratroopers' qualifications, the regiment hardly ever "jumped," the exception being the landing of a small group in the skies over France, to assist French resistance guerrillas. Otherwise, the paratroopers were landed by sea, like regular Marines. This was due to two factors: the KMP's lack of landing planes, and the paratroopers' dependence on Army aviation, and the small amount of space suitable for air landing in the Pacific theater, since combat operations were conducted either in dense jungle or on well-fortified tiny islands.
On December 30, 1943, the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment was disbanded and its men were transferred to other units in the Corps, most of them transferred to the 5th Marine Division, which landed on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. Soldiers of this very unit are depicted in the photo "Raising the American Flag".