The first attempts to use airborne units took place in the US armed forces in the early 1930s, but they turned out to be unsuccessful. Only the outbreak of World War II in Europe accelerated the development of this formation in the United States, and the first parachute unit in the history of the US Army was one of the platoons of the 29th Infantry Regiment, which in 1940 underwent appropriate training. One of the most important figures in the development of American airborne units was General William C. Lee, also known as the father of this formation. During World War II, two airborne divisions were formed: the 82nd ("All American") and the 101st ("Screaming Eagle"). American troops of this type played a huge role in the first days of the operation in Normandy (June 1944), but also fought later as part of Operation Market-Garden (1944) or Varsity (1945).
The British 1st Parachute Division (1st Airborne Division), commonly known as the Red Devils, was formed in 1941. The unit gained the status of an elite, which was due to several reasons: SAS soldiers (who made up its 1st parachute battalion) had a significant share in its creation; the soldiers of the formation underwent very demanding training; and they were also characterized by high combat qualities. The initiative for its creation came from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, impressed by the German achievements in Crete in 1941, and its first commander was General Frederick AM Browning. The first operations conducted by the divisions were raids in the areas of German-occupied France and Norway. In 1942, part of the unit was transferred to North Africa, where it fought in Tunisia. The Brigade of the 1st Parachute Division was also used during the landing in Sicily in July 1943 and on the Apennine, also in 1943. Interestingly, the division did not take part in the Normandy landings in June 1944 but was used in the unsuccessful Market-Garden operation in September of the same year. In the course of the operation, she suffered very high losses. The unit was disbanded in November 1945.