Reel Nostalgia, Clip #7 Reel Nostalgia, Clip #7

WATCH: Israeli paratroopers train in 1957

After the success of Israel’s paratroops corps in the 1956 Sinai Campaign, IDF officers learned to parachute

In this screenshot from the video, an Israeli IDF soldier undergoes parachute training (Photo courtesy AP)
In this screenshot from the video, an Israeli IDF soldier undergoes parachute training (Photo courtesy AP)

Soldiers leap from planes and parachutes plummet through the air as IDF men and women undergo intensive parachute training in this newsreel from 1957.

According to the announcer, “The idea arose out of the Sinai Campaign, when Israeli paratroops landed 200 miles behind the Egyptian lines and disorganized most of their communications.”

The IDF Paratroopers Brigade has existed since 1951.

After the Mitla Pass Jump triumph during the Sinai Campaign, the brigade went on to achieve many more military successes for Israel — including liberating the Old City of Jerusalem and the Western Wall during the Six Days’ War.

(The Associated Press and Movietone News recently released their vast video archives on YouTube, allowing the public to freely access a million minutes worth of historical news clips dating back to 1895 — including many iconic scenes from Israel’s history featured in this Times of Israel series.)

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