The 5th Parachute Division (german: 5. Fallschirmjäger-Division) was a

Fallschirmjäger The ''Fallschirmjäger'' () were the paratrooper branch of the German Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first German paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. Throughout World War II, the commander ...

(paratroop) division in the German air force (

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

) during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, active from 1944 to 1945.

Operational history

The 5th Parachute Division was formed in France in early 1944, commanded by

Gustav Wilke __NOTOC__ Gustav Wilke (6 March 1898 – 14 March 1977) was a German paratroop general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 May 1940 as ...

and was the last division to receive near full fallschirmjäger training. It contained the 13th, 14th and 15th Fallschirmjäger Regiments, and the 5th Fallschirmjäger Artillery Regiment. Only the 15th Regiment was ready during the

Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma ...

and was attached to 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division in the early stages of the campaign. The rest of the division was slowly committed later in July. It took heavy losses during the campaign and was subsequently withdrawn to the Netherlands to rebuild and refit. The division took part in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

. After withdrawing through Germany, part of the division surrendered near the

Nürburgring The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Formula One, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around t ...

in mid-March 1945, the rest of the division surrendered in the Ruhr Pocket in April.

Commanding officer

*Generalleutnant

, 1 April 1944 – 23 September 1944 *Generalmajor

Sebastian-Ludwig Heilmann __NOTOC__ Ludwig Heilmann (9 August 1903 – 26 October 1959) was a German paratroop general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Awards * Wehrmacht Long Servi ...

, 23 September 1944 – 12 March 1945 *Oberst Kurt Gröschke, 12 March 1945 – April 1945

Notes

References

* {{Authority control Fallschirmjäger divisions Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945