Squadron Of ‘Bat-Men’ Defended 1940s California

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Now we have all heard of different crazy military projects, speculated on balck projects or even believed in some wild weird projects that are nothing more than fictitious ideas, but this one caught my eye as soon as I saw it.

In this historical context, it might make sense that the California State Guard organized just such a unit of “bat-man” paratroopers to defend the entire state from threats both foreign and domestic.
Mickey Morgan, a famous jumper who made an entire career testing various wingsuits, was chosen by the California State Guard to lead a unit of “bat-man” paratroopers in 1942. “Bat-wings, it is claimed, makes paratroops more maneuverable-and swifter,” reported Mechanix Illustrated in January 1942

Now I am not sure that I agree with the sentiment that the batwing is more maneuverable and swifter, but its probably much more dangerous than the traditional parachute, which by the way makes it tremendously cooler as well.





But not as cool as this guy:

Been flying under cover for a while......

reply to post by staple


Those vids always look so cool, but then you realize the mortality rate of wingsuit jumpers, and suddenly it no longer has the same appeal...