G.R.I.E.R. pods: Ground Resupply Insertion Extraction Rescue pods for VTOL

I've read, that during winter in russia, this was quite a common method for
paratroopers in WW II, to jump out from an extremely low flying Li-2 or TB-3
into the deep snow. "Due to the excellent training of the soviet troops, this
was seen as an acceptable method, giving much less warning and time to react
to the fascist enemy". That, or very similar was the text, IIRC.
Well, maybe the book was a little bit biased ... ;)
It was not "quite a common" method. It was an experimental method, which was investigated pre-war from TB-3 heavy bomber, deemed way too dangerous (but still doable) and abandoned. There are no records of such method being actually used during the war. The rumor that such method was used in 1941 to block Germans path torward Moscow was eventually found to be originating from an urban fantasy (!) book, written in 2004.
 
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