Paratrooper Company

The Paratrooper Company was the parachute force of the Peruvian Army

During the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War, the Peruvian army had established its own paratrooper unit and used it to great effect by seizing the Ecuadorian port city of Puerto Bolívar, on 27 July 1941, marking the first time in the Americas that airborne troops were use in combat.^[1][2][3]

History

In Peru, on 27 March 1927, Enrique Tavernie Entelador from AVRO aircraft, piloted by Captain Clifford, made a leap in Las Palmas, from a height of 2,000 meters, becoming the first Peruvian paratrooper.

Subsequently, on 10 May 1928, Second Lieutenant César Álvarez War Palmas Las voluntarily jumped from a height of 3,000 meters, becoming the first military parachutist. Then on 16 May 1928, Major Fernando Melgar Conde and Sergeant 1st. Jose Pineda Castro, jumped over Las Palmas at altitudes of 2,000 and 4,300 meters, respectively. On 24 May of that year, Ensign Peter Griva, of the seaplane service from Ancon, jumped from a height of 2,000 meters.

As part of events to celebrate Air Force Day, at the Air Force Base in Chiclayo, after being summoned by Colonel Cesar Alvarez Guerra CAP and have completed rigorous training, on 23 September 1940, there was a large scale jump from Caproni Ca.111 Panchos, by: Captain David Roca, Ensign José Luis Quiñones and NCOs Alferano, Oscar Alamo, Antonio Brandariz, Ricardo Colmenares, Nestor and Carlos Raffo Madalengoitia.

This massive parachute operation, made by personnel of Peru Aeronautical Corps (CAP), was the first of its kind in Latin America.

The Air Force of Peru is privileged to have had the first Parachute School, it was in 1939, in Chiclayo Air Base, founded by Colonel Cesar Alvarez CAP War, and in which he was driving and active skydiver their greatest hero, José Quiñones González.

In this School located in Chiclayo Air Base of the then Corps Aviation of Peru (CAP), the formation continued on and the training staff Parachute between NCOs and troops properly selected.

It is unfortunate that the first casualty that claimed the new military parachuting activity was during the military exercises conducted in Pampas de Piedras Gordas, Ancon, on 14 November 1940, where Lazarus died Orrego CAP Sergeant Morales in massive leap who made the Aviation Corps contingent of Peru then, because of the failure to open his parachute.

This School is leaving the paratroopers NCO Brandariz Antonio Carlos Raffo Raffo and Orozco who from an airplane Caproni CA-111, piloted by Captain Antonio Rojas Cadillo CAP, and took parachuted in and decided to act fast vertical development, the Ecuadorian town of Puerto Bolivar, during the conflict between Peru and Ecuador in July 1941.

References