The () were the
airborne forces
Airborne forces are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in airborne units are also known as paratroopers.
The main ...
branch of the
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
before and during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. They were the first
paratrooper
A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...
s to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They were commanded by
Kurt Student, the Luftwaffe's second-in-command.
Between the wars
During the interwar years, the rapid development of aircraft and aviation technology drew the attention of imaginative military planners. The idea of aerially inserting a large body of troops inside enemy territory was proposed during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
by
Brigadier General Billy Mitchell
William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force.
Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, ...
, commander of the
U.S. Army Air Corps in France.
[Ailsby, Christopher: ''Hitler's Sky Warriors: German Paratroopers in Action, 1939–1945'', p. 12. Spellmount Limited, 2000.] However, the
Entente High Command was forced to abandon the idea, as it was unprepared for such an undertaking, both logistically and in
materiel
Materiel or matériel (; ) is supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commerce, commercial supply chain management, supply chain context.
Military
In a military context, ...
.
Among the first to recognize the potential of airborne forces were
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
.
[Ailsby, p. 16] The first effective means of supporting massed infantry airborne operations came with the development of the
static-line parachute in Italy in 1922 whereby parachutes are attached to the inside of the aircraft and deployed automatically upon departure.
This technique used in the German Rückfallschirm, Zwangablösung (backpack parachute, static line) rig allowed jumps at lower altitudes, limiting exposure to enemy fire and providing a tighter drop zone grouping than individually deployed rip-cord type parachutes.
The word is from the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
''Fallschirm'' "parachute", and ''
Jäger'' "hunter", the light infantry of the
Prussian Army.
The Soviets were the first to demonstrate the military possibilities of airborne infantry in the 1930s with a series of maneuvers held in 1935 and 1936.
Though somewhat crude (the Soviet paratroopers had to exit their slow-moving
Tupolev TB-3
The Tupolev TB-3, OKB designation ANT-6, was a monoplane heavy bomber deployed by the Soviet Air Force in the 1930s and used during the early years of World War II. It was one of the world's first cantilever wing four-engine heavy bombers. Des ...
transporters through a hatch in the roof and then, crawling along the wire, position themselves along the wings and top of the fuselage, and jump together when ordered), the exercise managed to land 1,000 troops through air-drops followed by another 2,500 soldiers with heavy equipment delivered via airlandings. The gathered forces proceeded to carry out conventional
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
attacks with the support of
heavy machine gun
A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require mounting onto a weapons platform to be operably stable or ...
s and light
artillery
Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
.
[Ailsby, p. 18] Among the foreign observers present was
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...
.
Impressed, Göring became personally committed to the creation of Germany's airborne arm in the 1930s.
[Ailsby, p. 21] As Prussian Minister-president and Minister of the Interior, he had ordered the formation of a specialist police unit in 1933, the ''Polizeiabteilung Wecke'', devoted to protecting
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
Party officials. The organization of this unit was entrusted to ''Polizeimajor'' Walther Wecke of the Prussian Police Force, who had assembled a special detachment of 14 officers and 400 men within just two days.
On 17 July, the detachment was officially renamed ''Landespolizeigruppe Wecke''.
[Ailsby, p. 22] On 22 December 1933, the unit was again retitled, becoming the ''Landespolizeigruppe General Göring''. The unit carried out conventional police duties for the next two years under the command of Göring's ministerial adjutant Friedrich Jakoby,
but it was Göring's intention to ultimately produce a unit that would match the ''
Reichswehr
''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...
''.
In March–April 1935, Göring transformed the ''Landespolizei General Göring'' into Germany's first dedicated airborne regiment, giving it the military designation ''Regiment General Göring'' (RGG) on 1 April 1935 (after
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
introduced
conscription
Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...
on 16 March 1935).
The unit was incorporated into the newly formed Luftwaffe on 1 October of the same year and training commenced at Altengrabow. Göring also ordered that volunteers be drawn for parachute training. These volunteers would form a core ''Fallschirmschützen Bataillon'' ("parachute soldiers battalion"), a
cadre for future ''Fallschirmtruppe'' ("parachute troops").
In January 1936, 600 men and officers formed the 1st ''Jäger'' Battalion/RGG, commanded by Bruno Bräuer, and the 15th Engineer Company/RGG and were transferred to training area
Döberitz for jump training while the rest of the regiment was sent to Altengrabow.
[Ailsby, p. 23] Germany's parachute arm was officially inaugurated on 29 January 1936
[Ailsby, p. 26] with an Order of the Day calling for recruits for parachute training at the Stendal Parachute Training School located west of
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. The school was activated several months after the first parachute units were established in January 1936 and was open to active and reserve Luftwaffe personnel. NCOs, officers and other ranks of the Luftwaffe were required to successfully complete six jumps in order to receive the
Luftwaffe Parachutist's Badge (instituted on 5 November 1936).
Formation
The 7th Air Division, later called the
1st Parachute Division, was formed in 1938. It carried out airborne operations in the early stages of the war, including the successful
capture of Fort Ében-Émael in Belgium. It later fought in the
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...
but after heavy losses there, Hitler refused to consider using his troops in a significant airborne role again. It became the 1st Parachute Division in 1942, when it was reformed in Russia. The division existed as a fighting unit until the German surrender in Italy of 2 May 1945, one week before the end of World War II in Europe.
The
2nd Parachute Division was formed in France under the command of ''
Generalleutnant
() is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries.
Austria
Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...
''
Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke in early 1943, based on the 2nd Parachute Brigade that had fought in North Africa. Sent to Rome as part of the occupation force when the Italian government began to reconsider its war effort, it later fought in Ukraine and in western France. The majority of the division was cut off and surrounded in
Brest during the German retreat from France, resulting in the
Battle for Brest
The Battle for Brest was fought in August and September 1944 on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. Part of the overall Battle for Brittany and the Allied plan for the Operation Overlord, invasion of mainland E ...
, that lasted until September 1944. A new 2nd Parachute Division was formed in November 1944 and the following year was involved in fighting in Arnhem, during the Rhine crossings and in the
Ruhr Pocket with
Army Group B
Army Group B () was the name of four distinct German Army Group, army group commands that saw action during World War II.
The first Army Group B was created on 12 October 1939 (from the former Army Group North) and fought in the Battle of France ...
.
The
3rd and
4th Parachute divisions were formed in 1943. The 4th also contained Italian paratroopers drawn from the
184th Infantry Division "Nembo" and
185th Infantry Division "Folgore"
185th Infantry Division "Folgore" () was an airborne forces division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed in Tarquinia near Rome on 1 September 1941. In July 1942 the division was sent to Italian Libya, Libya to ...
. The 3rd fought during the
Normandy campaign; it was largely destroyed in the
Falaise Pocket
The Falaise pocket or battle of the Falaise pocket (; 12–21 August 1944) was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. Allied forces formed a pocket around Falaise, Calvados, in which German Army Group B, c ...
in August 1944. It was then reformed and took part in the
Battle of the Ardennes, and ended the war in the Ruhr Pocket where it surrendered to US troops in April 1945. The 4th fought exclusively on the
Italian front including the
Battle of Anzio
The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II that commenced January 22, 1944. The battle began with the Allies of World War II, Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle, an ...
,
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
and on the
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...
. It surrendered to Allied forces in April 1945.
The
5th Parachute Division was formed in France in 1943. It was involved in the fighting in Normandy after D-Day and most of its personnel were killed or captured in the
Falaise Pocket
The Falaise pocket or battle of the Falaise pocket (; 12–21 August 1944) was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. Allied forces formed a pocket around Falaise, Calvados, in which German Army Group B, c ...
. It was reformed in the Netherlands with Luftwaffe ground crew. It fought in the
Ardennes offensive and along the Rhine before its survivors surrendered at the end of the war. The
6th and
7th Parachute divisions were formed in 1944 in France and Germany respectively and fought on the western front as regular infantry. Both divisions surrendered at the end of May.
The
8th
Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight.
Eighth may refer to:
* One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole
* Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet)
* Octave, an interval b ...
,
9th and
10th were by name only, as they were hastily formed in late 1944–early 1945 from a disparate collection of Luftwaffe units, including ground crews. They never reached divisional strength and were under-trained and mostly ill-prepared for combat. The 8th fought in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
before being destroyed in the
Ruhr Pocket while the 9th and 10th fought on the rapidly collapsing
Eastern Front, including within Germany. The 9th fought in the
Battle of the Seelow Heights and in the
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II.
After the Vistula–Od ...
before being destroyed in April 1945; the 10th surrendered to Soviet army forces in May 1945.
The typical ''Fallschirmjäger'' infantry paratrooper's uniform included the
paratrooper helmet M36, which differed heavily from the typical M1935, M1940, and M1942 ''
Stahlhelm
The ''Stahlhelm'' (German for "''steel helmet''") is a term used to refer to a series of German steel combat helmet designs intended to protect the wearer from common battlefield hazards such as shrapnel.
The armies of the great powers began ...
''. Paratrooper helmet M36 was often worn with fine or wide netting, often made of
chicken wire
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and ...
. During the 1939–41 period, the ''Fallschirmjäger'' uniform consisted of a pair of Field Grey trousers, a Field Blue tunic and a green jump smock. The webbing was often made of brown leather in this period, although M1940 webbing differed. The
FG-42 rifle was used heavily by units of the ''Fallschirmjäger''.
The RZ 20 Fallschirmjäger parachute only had a single contact point, making control impossible and landing difficult. Because of this they did not jump with rifles, and instead got them from a canister attached to a separate parachute.
World War II
During the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, the were sent to occupy several airfields between the Vistula and Bug rivers.
The first opposed airborne attacks occurred during the
Norwegian Campaign, first during the initial invasion when captured the defended air base of
Sola, near
Stavanger
Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...
. The also had their first defeat in Norway, when a company was dropped on the village and railroad junction of
Dombås
is a village or small town in Dovre Municipality in northern Innlandet county, Norway. The village serves as the commercial centre for the upper Gudbrandsdalen valley. It lies at an important junction of roads with the European route E6 highway ...
on 14 April 1940 and was destroyed by the
Norwegian Army
The Norwegian Army () is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway in 1628. The ...
in
a five-day battle.
[Bjørn Jervaas]
The Fallschirmjäger Battle at Dombaas
On 10 May 1940, the performed a
successful raid on the powerful fortification known as
Ében-Émael.
[McNab p. 4] Ében Émael consisted of multiple gun emplacements and was defended by 1,200 Belgian troops.
There are few better representations by elite troops and everything was cutting edge at the time, from tactics to method of deployment.
The airborne troops attacked the artillery casements and pillboxes with flame throwers, demolition charges, and hollow charge grenades.
[McNab p. 49] The mission was accomplished by ''Sturmgruppe Granit'' (Assault Group Granite), which consisted of only 85 soldiers.
Despite being at both a numerical and firepower disadvantage, the airborne troops took control of the fort after a few hours of fighting.
During the
invasion of the Netherlands over 2,000 troops of the
7th Air Division
The 7th Air Division (7 AD) served the United States Air Force with distinction from early 1944 through early 1992, earning an outstanding unit decoration and a service streamer along the way.
History
Hawaii
As the 7th Fighter Wing, the divis ...
were deployed, while approximately 12,000 troops of the
22nd Air Landing Division also participated.
[McNab p. 50] The successfully captured bridges at Moerdijk and Dordrecht.
The airborne troops suffered heavy casualties while taking Dordrecht.
[McNab p. 52] The paratroopers were able to capture airfields at Valkenburg, Ockenburg, Waalhaven, and Ypenburg.
Yet, the Germans failed to capture
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
and force the Dutch to surrender. Therefore, the performance of the paratroopers in the Netherlands was mixed as far as efficiency and results was concerned. The 22nd Air Landing Division was forced to land many of its aircraft on exposed motorways because the 7th Air Division had failed to secure designated airfields. Most aircraft ended up being shot up by Dutch infantry and artillery fire.
[McNab p. 55] The airborne troops were able to cause disruption behind Dutch lines.
During the
Greece campaign, the German airborne forces would perform their last strategic parachute and glider performances of the war.
[McNab p. 57] The airborne troops captured a critical bridge that crossed the canal in the Isthmus of Corinth so German forces could pursue Allied forces further in the Greek mainland.
[McNab p. 59] The operation did not go smoothly due in part to heavy enemy ground fire.
Demolition charges were also accidentally detonated, due to carelessness, leading to damage to the bridge and heavy casualties.
One group of paratroopers was accidentally dropped into the sea where they all drowned.
The airborne forces did manage to capture British anti-aircraft positions, which forced the surrender of the local town.
12,000 Commonwealth and Greek troops were also captured. The German airborne forces suffered 63 killed and 174 wounded.
The final major offensive German action of the Greece campaign was the German invasion of Crete, in May 1941. The would suffer further heavy losses during the
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...
especially during Operation Merkur which would be the end of large scale airborne and glider operations for the .
[McNab p. 72] The Battle for Crete would see the Germans lose approx. 3,800 dead and 2,600 wounded. The Allies' losses were approximately 1,700 dead and 15,000 captured.
During the 1941
invasion of the Soviet Union the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 1st Parachute Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the Luftlande-Sturmregiment (Airlanding Assault Regiment) were assigned to the
Army Group North
Army Group North () was the name of three separate army groups of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Its rear area operations were organized by the Army Group North Rear Area.
The first Army Group North was deployed during the invasion of Pol ...
's 18th Army where they would conduct operations in the
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
area.
[Ailsby p. 66] The were specifically deployed to the east of Leningrad on the River Neva to confront a
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
effort to relieve the city.
In October 1941, the German paratroopers were involved in heavy fighting against the Soviets and were successful in holding off Soviet attacks.
From late October 1941 until 4 July 1942, the 22nd Air Landing Division participated in the
Siege of Sevastopol. The overran most of the
Soviet 79th Naval Infantry Brigade during combat operations. The Soviet unit tried counterattacking on 10 June, but was repulsed. The Soviet formation was effectively destroyed, with the support of the Luftwaffe, which used anti-personnel bombs against Soviet infantry caught in the open.
In July 1942, the Ramcke Parachute Brigade was deployed to North Africa to assist the Axis war effort there. In late October the Brigade participated in the 2nd Battle of El Alamein.
[Ailsby p. 87] The Brigade successfully captured a British supply column which provided it with some trucks and much needed supplies for the retreat westwards.
Between November and December 1942, the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 5th Parachute Regiment were flown into Tunisia to protect its airfields and take up defensive positions around the city of Koch during the Allied Operation Torch. It was followed closely by the 11th Parachute Pioneer Battalion under the command of Major Rudolf Witzig. It had the strength of 716 men. It took up defensive positions west of Tunis where it had a series of battles with the advance guard of the Allied spearhead.
[Ailsby p. 90] Parts of the unit had received special training in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
This intelligence led to the last parachute drop in North Africa.
The operation ended up a major failure due to mostly inexperienced and poorly trained pilots.
The were dropped too far from their targets. The paras never made it to their targets because many were captured by British patrols as they landed.
[Ailsby p. 91]
On 26 December 1942, the men of Parachute Company of the
Brandenburg Regiment were transported by gliders in an operation to destroy bridges and supply routes used by the British.
It too was a disaster.
Some of the gliders were shot down while flying over enemy lines while others were destroyed while approaching their targets.
Most of the paras were killed in the operation.
The 2nd Parachute Regiment, an Assault Regiment Battalion, and Antitank and Machine Gun Battalions were sent to conduct operations in
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
.
[Ailsby p. 67] They would be assigned to
Army Group South
Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II.
It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...
. This force would be known as Kampfgruppe Sturm commanded by Oberst
Alfred Sturm.
The suffered heavy casualties while defending a sector along the River Mius around the town of Charzysk during the winter of 1941 and into early 1942.
In March 1943, the of the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Regiment, 7th Airborne Division defended a hill at Lushi on the Eastern Front.
[Sutherland & Canwell p. 128] They were reinforced by paras from 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Regiment. Between 20 and 27 March these two battalions held off two complete Soviet divisions.
In May 1943, what was left of units in North Africa had been captured by Allied forces.
[Ailsby p. 93] The commanders were flown out of North Africa and managed to escape captivity.
On 12 September 1943, the conducted a successful rescue mission of Italian Prime minister
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
at the Gran Sasso. It is known as the
Gran Sasso raid
During World War II, the Gran Sasso raid (codenamed ''Unternehmen Eiche'', , literally "Operation Oak", by the German military) on 12 September 1943 was a successful operation by Fallschirmjäger, German paratroopers and ''Waffen-SS'' commandos ...
. The operation received wide acclaim despite there being very little enemy resistance during the operation. Only two enemy soldiers died during the operation. The primary unit responsible for the success of the mission was Lehr Batallion.
[Lopez p. 6] It was considered elite of the elite and named for security reasons 1./FJR7.
It was under the command of Major
Harald Mors.
General Kurt Student played a major role in the planning of the operation. The operation ended up being controversial due to Waffen SS legend
Otto Skorzeny
Otto Johann Anton Skorzeny (12 June 1908 – 5 July 1975) was an Austrian-born German SS-''Standartenführer'' in the ''Waffen-SS'' during World War II. During the war, he was involved in a number of operations, including the removal from power ...
also participating in the operation. Skorzeny and his participating 26 ''
Waffen SS
The (; ) was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both German-occupied Europe and unoccupied lands. ...
'' troops managed to take much of the credit for the success of the operation despite the fact the 82 soldiers played a more significant role during the operation. Skorzeny received a promotion to ''
Sturmbannführer
__NOTOC__
''Sturmbannführer'' (; ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank equivalent to Major (rank), major that was used in several Nazi organizations, such as the Sturmabteilung, SA, Schutzstaffel, SS, and the National Socialist Flyers Corps, NSFK ...
'', the award of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...
and fame that led to his "most dangerous man in Europe" image.
During 26 September 1943 to 16 November 1943, the participated in the
Battle of Leros
The Battle of Leros was a combat over the Greek island of Leros between the Allies of World War II, Allies defending it and invading forces of Nazi Germany waged between 26 September and 16 November 1943. Regarded as the central event of the Do ...
. In October 1943, the 22nd Air Landing Division participated in the
Battle of Kos. In November 1943, the
2nd Parachute Division was ordered to the Eastern Front where it took up position near the Russian held town of Zhitomir.
[Ailsby p. 74] The Red Army was to seize a communication center there and destroy the entire German Southern wing.
The Red Army's primary aim was also to take
Kiev
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
.
By December the Red Army had massed a large force northeast of the city. The managed to assist other German forces in plugging the gaps created by the Soviet advance.
On 15 December 1943, the 2nd Parachute Division was airlifted to
Kirovograd and put on the front at
Klintsy
Klintsy () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Turosna River, southwest of Bryansk. Population: 60,000 (1972).
Administrative and municipal status
Within the subdivisions of Russia# ...
.
It was supported by the
11th Panzer Division and the 286th Self Propelled Artillery Brigade.
The participated in fierce fighting around
Novgorodka.
[Ailsby p. 75] By 23 December the paratroopers stabilized the front but suffered heavy casualties.
During 17 January – 18 May 1944, the participated in the
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, was a series of four military assaults by the Allies of World War II, Allies against Nazi Germany, German forces in Kingdom of Italy, Italy during the Italian Campaign (World War ...
. Allied Forces' aim was a breakthrough to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. At the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans holding the
Rapido-Gari,
Liri
The Liri (Latin Liris or Lyris, previously, Clanis; Greek: ) is one of the principal rivers of central Italy, flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea a little below Minturno under the name Garigliano.
Source and route
The Liri's source is in the ...
and
Garigliano
The Garigliano () is a river in central Italy.
It forms at the confluence of the rivers Gari (also known as the Rapido) and Liri. Garigliano is actually a deformation of "Gari-Lirano" (which in Italian means something like "Gari from the Liri" ...
valleys and some of the surrounding peaks and ridges. Together, these features formed the
Gustav Line.
Monte Cassino
The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic Church, Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient ...
, a historic hilltop abbey founded in
AD 529 by
Benedict of Nursia
Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...
, dominated the nearby town of
Cassino
Cassino () is a ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone at the southern end of the region of Lazio. It's the last city of the Valle Latina, Latin Valley.
It is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Gari (river), Gari and ...
and the entrances to the Liri and Rapido valleys. Lying in a protected historic zone, it had been left unoccupied by the Germans. They had defended some positions set into the steep slopes below the abbey's walls.
Repeated pinpoint artillery attacks on Allied assault troops caused their leaders to conclude the abbey was being used by the Germans as an observation post, at the least. Fears escalated along with casualties and in spite of a lack of clear evidence, it was marked for destruction. On 15 February American bombers dropped 1,400 tons of high explosives, creating widespread damage. The raid failed to achieve its objective, as the occupied the rubble and established excellent defensive positions amid the ruins.
Between 17 January and 18 May, Monte Cassino and the Gustav defenses were assaulted four times by Allied troops, the last involving twenty
divisions
Division may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
* Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...
attacking along a twenty-mile front. The German defenders were finally driven from their positions, but at a high cost. The capture of Monte Cassino resulted in 55,000 Allied casualties, with German losses being far fewer, estimated at around 20,000 killed and wounded.
In early January 1944, the Red Army conducted a new offensive against the 2nd Parachute Division.
The suffered heavy casualties. The 2nd Battalion of the 5th Regiment was destroyed.
By 6 January 1944 the 7th, 5th, and 2nd Regiments had been forced to retreat from Novgorodka due to the efforts of the Red Army.
The Paras dug in around Kirovograd. In March the Red Army once again resumed operations against the 2nd Parachute Division.
By the last week of the month the Red Army had forced the paras across the
Southern Bug River where they would establish defensive positions on the opposite bank.
By May the Red Army forced the back to the river of
Dniester
The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...
.
The had been decimated by the fighting and by the end of the month the division was transferred back to Germany for refitting.
[Ailsby p. 78]
On 3 July 1944 the 2nd Parachute Corps battled the U.S. 1st Army at Coutances-Marigny-St. Lo. The utilized the terrain of the so-called ''bocage'' and the hedgerows to their advantage to negate American superiority in both firepower and quantity of troops. The inflicted heavy casualties on American forces due mostly to tactical superiority and the terrain preventing the Americans from utilizing their armored forces.
On 11 July 1944 the 1st Battalion, 9th Parachute Regiment executed a successful attack on the U.S. 1st Battalion,
115th Infantry Regiment.
[Ailsby p. 143] Initially, the Americans would suffer the loss of their outposts mostly due to German artillery and mortar fire.
The Americans held due to their artillery and air support, and the paras eventually were forced to retreat.
On 11 July 1944 the 3rd Parachute Division suffered heavy casualties while attempting to prevent American forces from capturing the city of St. Lo. The German 12th Parachute Gun Brigade, 3rd Parachute Reconnaissance Company, and 3rd Engineer Battalion all suffered heavy casualties mostly due to outstanding American artillery fire. The Paras would hold out until 27 July due to their great effort. German forces managed to inflict 11,000 casualties on its American opponents.
On 25 July 1944, the 21st Parachute Pioneer Battalion was positioned on the road between Dunaburg and Kovno in Lithuania.
The Red Army attacked the Battalion the following day.
The Battalion would be encircled and eventually destroyed.
The unit would be disbanded and sent to other units.
On 25 July 1944, the 2nd Parachute Division was involved in the defense of
Brest against the American 7th Corps. American forces suffered 4,000 casualties in its effort to invest the port.
[Ailsby p. 146] Other elements of the 2nd Parachute Division were destroyed by American armored forces while on their way to assist the 5th Parachute Division at St. Malo.
American forces captured Brest on 20 September 1944.
What was left of the 2nd Parachute Corps was sent to Cologne after Falaise for rest and refitting.
Heydte's 6th Parachute Regiment went to Guestrow-Mecklenburg to form the foundation of a new regiment.
In September 1944, the 1st Parachute Corps fought in the Allied Offensive in Italy known as
Operation Olive
The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...
.
In September 1944, the 4th Parachute Division was defending positions at the Futa and 2 Giogo Passes when the U.S. 91st and 85th divisions mounted an attack.
[Ailsby p. 128] This was followed by six days of intense fighting.
American forces succeeded in capturing the 2nd Giogo Pass, Monticelli Ridge, and Monte Altuzzo, in Italy, mostly due to the overwhelming firepower of American forces.
On 21 September 1944, British and Canadian forces were successful in overcoming defensive positions occupied by the 1st Parachute Corps to capture Rimini.
On 13 October 1944, Axis forces which included the 4th Parachute Division manage to halt an Allied 2nd Corps' advance south of Bologna, Italy.
On 17 December 1944, during the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
a kampfgruppe commanded by ''Oberstleutnant'' Freiherr von der Heydte made the last ''Fallschirmjäger'' parachute operation of the war,
Operation Stösser. The plan was to capture a strategic crossroads in advance of the 12th SS Panzer Divisions breakthrough. However, the rushed training and inexperience of both the paratroopers and the Luftwaffe aircrews made the operation a fiasco; a significant proportion of the force were dropped 80km from the drop zone and others were just returned to their airfields. Only about 300 ''Fallschirmjäger'' gathered but the panzers failed to break through. As they were only equipped for a 24 hour operation, the survivors tried to return to German lines but the majority either became casualties or, including the commander, were captured.
In April 1945, the 9th Parachute Division would be destroyed while trying to contain a Russian bridgehead on the west bank of the River Oder.
[Ailsby p. 79] What remained of the unit would be destroyed while trying to defend Berlin from the Red Army.
In April 1945, the 10th Parachute Division would be destroyed by the Red Army in Austria.
The division's artillery battalion was destroyed in Feldbach by the Red Army.
What remained of the unit would be destroyed north of Bruenn.
On 15 April 1945, 760 Allied bombers pounded the positions of 1st Parachute Corps and other Axis units in the Argenta Gap, Italy.
The paratroopers continued to fight but by 18 April, the Axis forces wavered to the massive Allied ground and aerial onslaught.
In May 1945, the remaining paratroopers of the 1st and 4th Parachute Divisions surrendered in Italy along with the remaining Axis Forces.
[Ailsby p. 129] The Allied Forces had succeeded in driving Axis forces into the open where massive air support inflicted heavy casualties and material losses.
The Axis campaign in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
had ended in defeat.
Casualties
According to the
General Staff of the ''Wehrmacht'' the had suffered the following losses by February 1945:
[Hahn, Fritz. ''Waffen und Geheimwaffen des deutschen Heeres 1933–1945. Band I. Infanteriewaffen, Pionierwaffen, Artilleriewaffen, Pulver, Spreng- und Kampfstoffe'' – Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe Verlag, 1986 – ]
*21,309 enlisted men and 732 officers killed
*56,388 enlisted men and 1,206 officers wounded
*43,896 enlisted men and 889 officers missing
Total: 121,593 enlisted men and 2,827 officers.
List of units
After mid-1944, were no longer trained as paratroops due to Germany's deteriorating strategic situation and fought as infantrymen. Near the end of the war, the series of new divisions extended to thirteen on paper; the last three divisions to be created (11th, 20th and 21st) were never fully formed and saw no combat.
;Army
*
1st Parachute Army
The 1st Parachute Army () was a combined forces between airborne forces (Fallschirmjäger), armoured, and mechanized infantry unit of German Army, formed in September, 1944, comprising 30,000 men.
History
Its first commander was Colonel Gene ...
;Corps
*
I Parachute Corps
*
II Parachute Corps
;Fallschirmjäger Divisions
*
1st Parachute Division
*
2nd Parachute Division
*
3rd Parachute Division
*
4th Parachute Division – included volunteers from the Italian
184th and
185th parachute divisions
*
5th Parachute Division – last division to receive near full Fallschirmjäger training
*
6th Parachute Division
*
7th Parachute Division – previously ''Group
Erdmann'', an ''ad hoc'' collection of ''Luftwaffe'' assets on the Western Front
;Infantry divisions with fallschirmjäger in title only
*
8th Parachute Division
*
9th Parachute Division
*
10th Parachute Division
*
11th Parachute Division – partially formed
*
20th Parachute Division – partially formed, did not see combat
*
21st Parachute Division – partially formed, did not see combat
;Independent Regiments and brigades
*
Ramcke Parachute Brigade
*
Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment
*
Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Hübner, subordinated to the
8. ''Fallschirmjäger'' Division.
;Other parachute units
;Waffen-SS
*
500th SS Parachute Battalion
*
600th SS Parachute Battalion
* SS-Jagdverbände
;Army
*
Brandenburger Regiment
** Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon Brandenburg
*
22nd Air Landing Division
*
91st Air Landing Division
War crimes
During the
German invasion of Crete, the Allied forces and Cretan irregulars inflicted heavy losses on the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
. A reprisal against civilians was ordered by Student, to send a message to the Cretan population to not resist German occupation of the island. A select group of Fallschirmjäger were chosen, composed of four trucks full of German paratroopers from the III Battalion of ''Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1'' commanded by Oberleutnant
Horst Trebes. On 2 June 1941, the paratroopers arrived at the village of
Kondomari and rounded up the male villagers and chose their victims. Between twenty-three and sixty men were killed in a
firing squad
Firing may refer to:
* Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination
* Firemaking, the act of starting a fire
* Burning; see combustion
* Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms
* Execution by firing squad, a method of ...
while the women and children of the village watched as witnesses to the
mass murder
Mass murder is the violent crime of murder, killing a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more ...
which came to be known as the
Massacre of Kondomari. As a further reprisal against the Cretans the following day, the 1st Air Landing Assault Regiment of the Fallschirmjäger killed one hundred eighty inhabitants in the village of
Kandanos
Kandanos or Kantanos (), also Candanos, is a town and former municipality in the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kantanos-Selino, of which it is a m ...
and
razed the village to the ground.
See also
*
Rapid Forces Division
*
Teishin Shudan
*''
Giretsu Kuteitai''
*
Japanese marine paratroopers of World War II
*
Paratrooper
A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...
*
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in airborne units are also known as paratroopers.
The main ...
*
List of paratrooper forces
*
Commando
A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines.
Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...
*
Maquis du Vercors
The Battle of Vercors in July and August 1944 was between a rural group of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) Maquis_(World_War_II).html" ;"title="'Maquis (World War II)">maquis''and the armed forces of Nazi Germany which had occupied Franc ...
*
Fallschirmjägergewehr 42
*
1st Fallschirm-Panzer Division Hermann Göring
The Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1. ''Hermann Göring'' (1st Paratroop Panzer Division ''Hermann Göring'' – abbreviated Fallschirm-Panzer-Div 1 ''HG'') was a German elite Luftwaffe Armoured warfare, armoured division. The ''HG'' saw action in ...
References
Sources
*
*
*
* Hodgin, John, E.''German Paratroops in North Africa''.
* Lopez, Oscar Gonzalez. ''Fallschirmjager at the Gran Sasso: The Liberation of Mussolini by the German parachutist on 12 September 1943''.
*
* McNab, Chris. ''The Fall of Eben Emael Belgium 1940''.
* McNab, Chris. ''German Paratroopers''.
* Sutherland, Jon & Canwell, Diane.
Fallschirmjager: Elite German Paratroops in World War Two'.
Pen & Sword Military. .
Further reading
How Effective Were the German Paratroopers in World War Two
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fallschirmjager
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01
German World War II special forces
Paratroopers
Luftwaffe
Airborne units and formations of Germany
Military parachuting
Infantry
Military units and formations established in 1935
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945