The 6. Fallschirmjäger-Division (6th Parachute Division) was a '' Fallschirmjäger'' (

airborne Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

) division of the German military 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. The division was formed officially in France in June 1944, commanded by

Rüdiger von Heyking Rüdiger von Heyking (10 January 1894 – 18 February 1956) was a German officer and Lieutenant General of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Life Heyking was born to a noble family in Rastenburg, East Prussia, at the home of Heyking family. ...

. It contained the: * 16th (although the 16th had shipped out in May 1944 for Poland), * 17th, * 18th Fallschirmjäger Regiments, * and the 6th Fallschirmjäger Artillery Regiment. Many members of the division would be the final cadre to receive parachute training.Axis History Factbook The 16th Regiment was transferred to the Eastern Front before the division saw combat, and would later be redesignated as 3rd Fallschirm-Grenadier-Regiment and assigned to Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier Division 2 Hermann Göring. The remainder of the division was sent into combat in Normandy in Kampfgruppe strength only. By July the 17th and 18th regiments had taken heavy losses in both men and materials. The surviving members were withdrawn to the Netherlands to rebuild, and saw combat there later in the year, particularly during

Operation Pheasant Operation Pheasant, also known as the Liberation of North Brabant, was a major operation to clear German troops from the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands during the fighting on the Western Front in the Second World War. This offensiv ...

. In early 1945, it fought in the

Battle of the Reichswald A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, and surrendered to Allied forces in May.

Commanding officers

*Generalleutnant

, 1 May 1944 – 3 September 1944 *Oberst Harry Herrmann, 3 September 1944 – 1 October 1944 *Generalleutnant Hermann Plocher, 1 October 1944 – 8 May 1945

Notes

References

* {{Air force infantry Fallschirmjäger divisions Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945