The Japanese paratroopers in the Dutch East Indies, 1941-1942 The Japanese paratroopers in the Dutch East Indies, 1941-1942 Imperial Stormtroopers and Japanese Airborne Operations – Dutch East Indies 1941-1942 Japanese military parachutists Contrary to popular believe the Japanese military entered WW2 with an aircrew safety parachute and harness derived and copied from the A-type Leslie Irvin pattern, an American that emigrated to England who developed a chute to deploy with a rip cord to replace the static line used by most pilots and balloonists up to the 1920’s. Read more here: The Japanese paratroopers in the Dutch East Indies, 1941-1942
The link is now dead. I do remember reading that the aircraft carrying the Japanese Para's over the DEI's were spotted by RAF Hurricane fighters, but were wrongly identified as "friendly" Lockheed Huson aircraft and so not attacked.
