The unusual nature of airborne operations dictated the development of the necessary specialized equipment, which in turn led to the expansion of the capabilities of military art in general.

The operations of the German paratroopers in the Second World War had conflicting requirements for weapons and equipment. On the one hand, paratroopers needed high firepower, which they could demonstrate in battle in order to act decisively and with maximum efficiency, but, on the other hand, the arsenal available to them
was limited to the extremely low carrying capacity of the landing equipment - both aircraft and parachutes and gliders.

During the landing operation, the paratrooper jumped out of the plane almost unarmed, except for a pistol and additional cartridge belts. When paratroopers were introduced into battle by glider landing, the capacity and aerodynamic characteristics of the Goth DFS-230 gliders dictated their limitations - the aircraft could accommodate 10 people and 275 kg of equipment.
This contradiction has never been overcome, especially in the part that concerns field artillery and anti-aircraft guns. However, German companies with powerful technical resources, such as the Rheinmetall and Krupp concerns, found many innovative solutions to the problems associated with the mobility and striking firepower of parachute units. On the ground, it was often difficult to distinguish the equipment of paratroopers from that adopted in the ground forces of the Wehrmacht, however, specialized weapons still appeared, and it not only increased the combat potential of paratroopers, but also influenced the development of military equipment and weapons in the coming half of the 20th century.

Outfit

Protective vestments are very important to the skydiver and for skydivers it started with high, ankle boots. They had thick rubber soles, very comfortable, although not suitable for long walks, and provided good traction with the floor inside the aircraft fuselage (since they did not use the large boot nails usually characteristic of this kind of footwear supplied to soldiers of other branches of the military). Initially, the lacing was on the sides to avoid snagging with parachute lines, but gradually it became clear that this was not necessary, and after operations in Crete in 1941, manufacturers began to supply paratroopers with boots with traditional lacing.

Over their combat uniforms, the paratroopers wore a waterproof canvas jumpsuit up to the thighs. It has undergone various improvements to provide additional protection from moisture when jumping, and was also more suitable for putting on a harness.

Since landing has always been one of the most risky stages of a jump for a skydiver, his uniform was equipped with special knee pads and elbow pads. The legs of the combat kit had small slots on the sides at the level of the knees, into which canvas thickenings lined with plant fluff were inserted. Additional protection was provided by external "shock absorbers" made of porous rubber covered with leather, which were fixed with straps or ties. (Both the thickenings and the overalls itself were usually disposed of after landing, although the overalls were sometimes left to put on a harness over it.) The trousers had a small pocket just above the knee level, in which an important sling cutter was placed for the paratrooper.

Sling cutter knife Fliegerkappmesser - FKM

1 - Helmet М38
2 - Jumping blouse with "splinter" pattern with sleeve insignia
3 - Pants M-37
4 - Gas mask M-38 in a canvas bag
5 - 9 mm MP-40 SMG
6 - Magazine pouches for MP-40 on the belt
7 - Flask
8 - Sugar bag M-31
9 - Folding shovel
10 - Ziess 6x30 binoculars
11 - Boots

As the war gained momentum, the uniform of paratroopers acquired more and more distinctive features of the uniform of soldiers of the ground forces. This well-worn soldier, however, still wears his special paratrooper helmet, by which it was easy to recognize the paratroopers among other German units.

Probably the most important piece of protective gear. indispensable both for jumping and for combat, was a specific landing helmet. In general, it was an ordinary German infantryman's helmet. but without a visor and drooping fields that protected the ears and neck, equipped with a shock-absorbing comforter and a chin strap that firmly fixes it on the fighter's head.

German landing helmet

Parachute helmet liner

Diagram of the device of the German landing helmet

Since in most cases paratroopers had to fight for quite a long time without the opportunity to receive supplies, the ability to carry a large amount of additional ammunition was considered important for them.

German paratrooper with a bandolier

The parachutist bandolier of a special design had 12 pockets connected in the center with a canvas strap that was thrown around the neck, and the bandolier itself hung down on the chest so that the fighter had access to the pockets from both sides. The bandolier allowed the parachutist to carry about 100 cartridges for the Kag-98k rifle, which should have been enough for him until the next drop of equipment or the arrival of reinforcements. Later in the war, cartridge belts appeared with four large pockets, which could hold up to four magazines for the FG-42 rifle.

Parachutes

The first parachute that entered service with the German paratroopers was the RZ-1 forced deployment knapsack parachute. Created by order of the Department of Technical Equipment of the Ministry of Aviation in 1937, the RZ-1 had a dome with a diameter of 8.5 m and an area of \u200b\u200b56 square meters. meters. When developing this airborne means, the Italian model "Salvatore" was taken as a basis, in which the parachute strands converged at one point and from it were fastened with a V-shaped tape to the belt at the parachutist's waist with two half rings. An unpleasant consequence of this design was that the parachutist hung on the lines in an absurdly inclined position facing the ground - this also led to the technique of jumping headfirst out of the plane in order to reduce the impact of the jerk when opening the parachute. The design was noticeably inferior to the Irwin parachute, which was used by allied parachutists and Luftwaffe pilots, and which made it possible for a person to be in an upright position, being supported by four vertical straps. Among other things, such a parachute could be controlled by pulling the supporting lines of the harness, which made it possible to turn in the wind and control the direction of the descent. Unlike the paratroopers of most other countries, the German parachutist could not have any influence on the behavior of the parachute, since he could not even reach the straps behind his back.

Another drawback of the RZ-1 was the four buckles that had to be unfastened by the paratrooper in order to free himself from the parachute, which, unlike the similar kind of Allied products, was not equipped with a quick release system. In practice, this meant that the skydiver was often dragged along the ground by the wind, while he made desperate efforts to quickly undo the buckles. In such situations it is easier to cut the parachute lines. For this purpose, since 1937, each paratrooper had a "kappmesser" (knife-sling cutter), which was kept in a special pocket of combat uniforms trousers. The blade was hidden in the handle and opened by simply turning it down and pressing the lock, after which the blade would snap into place by gravity. This meant that the knife could be used with one hand, which made it an important item in the drop kit.
The RZ-1 was followed in 1940 by the RZ-16, which was distinguished by a slightly improved harness and the technique of the halyard. Meanwhile, the RZ-20, which entered service in 1941, remained the main parachute until the end of the war. One of its main advantages was a simpler buckle system, which at the same time was based on the same problematic Salvatore design.

Quick release buckle system on the German RZ20 parachute

German parachute RZ-36

Later, another parachute was produced, the RZ-36, which, however, found only limited use during the operation in the Ardennes. The triangular RZ-36 helped control the "pendulum swing" typical of previous parachutes.
The imperfection of the RZ series parachutes could not but slip on the effectiveness of the landing operations carried out with their use, especially with regard to injuries received during landing, as a result of which the number of fighters capable of taking part in hostilities after landing was reduced.

German landing containers

German container for airborne equipment

During airborne operations, almost all weapons and supplies were dropped in containers. Before Operation Mercury, there were three sizes of containers, with the smaller ones being used to transport heavier military cargo, such as, say, ammunition, and the larger ones for larger, but lighter ones. After Crete, these containers were standardized - 4.6 m in length, 0.4 m in diameter and a cargo weight of 118 kg. To protect the contents of the container, it had a bottom made of corrugated iron, which crumpled on impact and served as a shock absorber. In addition, the goods were lined with rubber or felt, and the containers themselves were supported by the suspension in a given position or were placed inside other containers.

Dug out of the ground amphibious containers

A platoon of 43 people needed 14 containers. If there was no need to open the container immediately, it could be carried by the handles (four in total) or rolled on a cart with rubber wheels that was included with each container. One of the versions was a bomb-shaped container, it was used for light loads that were difficult to damage. They were dropped from aircraft like conventional bombs and, although equipped with a brake parachute, did not have a shock absorber system.

German landing gear container found in river by black diggers

The paratrooper non-commissioned officer gives the signal to attack. This photo was probably taken at the end of the war, as the soldier depicted in it is wearing a camouflage Luftwaffe field jacket, not a parachutist's jump jacket. The helmet is covered with a camouflage net - another characteristic feature of the last period of the war. The photo clearly shows gloves with elastic leggings, an automatic pistol holster, one pouch for three magazines for an MP40 submachine gun, binoculars and a stock grenade. (Bundesarchiv, 576/1848/32. All photographs used in this book, unless otherwise indicated, are from the collections of the Bundesarchive in Koblenz. Storage numbers are given for ease of reference to photographic material; however, it should be noted that the Bundesarchive does not give permission to use of photographs by private individuals.)

“Airborne operations are commonly referred to as vertical deployment and that is the best definition of their purpose. The essence of deployment is to pin down the enemy, thereby preparing his further destruction. A strong group behind enemy lines separates soldiers and breaks communications, which increases vulnerability when attacking from the front. It also has a strong psychological impact. The soldier is accustomed to the fact that everyone on the other front line is enemies, and in his rear are friends. This allows you to navigate where to shoot, and where to wait for reinforcements.

Airborne operations are destroying this stereotype. They also force part of the troops to withdraw from the front line, primarily to cover key points from possible airborne drops, as well as to localize pockets of resistance when the landing is made. In some situations, it is impossible to fight against the landing. Contrary to the usual rule (and the plans developed based on it), the attacker can concentrate more forces on the ground at the rally point than the defender2 is able to muster to defend against airborne assault. Only by the intervention of fate ... paratroopers can be dispersed at the moment of release, before they equip defensive positions. "

This quote is probably one of the most succinct yet informative descriptions of airborne operations I have ever encountered. The benefits of the attack we are interested in are outlined here briefly, but the need for blowouts is clear. The key factor is surprise, but it relies on factors such as suitable weather and wind conditions, terrain, accurate intelligence about the strength and location of the enemy and his ability to concentrate for an effective counterattack - and, of course, luck.

Hitler congratulates the paratrooper officers awarded after the operation to capture Fort Eben Emael. Left to right: Lieutenant Meissner, Oberleitenant Zirach and Captain Walter Koch. Paratroopers wear slightly different cuts in the "first design" gray-green jump jackets - with two slant chest pockets, one breast pocket, and chest and hem pockets (Gavin Gadden).

For the aggressor, the role of the airborne troops, if they are used correctly, is much greater than it might seem if we focus only on the number of paratroopers. Of course, it would be a mistake to argue that the German invasion of France, Belgium and Holland in 1940 would not have been successful without the participation of parachutists and their fellow glider pilots in these operations. But there is no doubt that otherwise this invasion would have faced great difficulties.

Germany was late with the creation of the airborne troops, but nevertheless found itself ahead of Great Britain, America and its eastern ally, Japan. Surprisingly enough, the capabilities of this new type of troops were the first to be assessed by two relatively militarily backward states: Italy and the Soviet Union. The first efficient parachute with automatic deployment was developed in Italy in the 1920s, and Soviet Russia demonstrated the success of its airborne units in the early 1930s.

Parachutists from the calculation of the MG34 heavy machine gun in the exercises. Note the removable red cloth tapes on the helmets, covered with grayish green covers (540/419/19).

Initially, the Soviet landing methods were imperfect. The parachutists left the low-speed ANT-6 through the holes in the fuselage ceiling, carefully crawled along the wings and then left the car in groups and pulled out the lanyards at once. With this method, it was difficult to maintain order, but nevertheless it made it possible to achieve high accuracy in the landing zone, especially if the plane could reduce the speed to almost 100 km / h! At such a flight speed, surprise was difficult to achieve, and the aircraft itself became vulnerable to enemy fire, even armed only with hand weapons.

The main vehicle used during parachuting operations was the three-engined Junkers Ju. 52 / 3m - the old all-round workhorse? Luftwaffe. These aircraft were produced in various modifications. They were used both for transporting paratroopers, accommodating from 12 to 18 paratroopers, and for towing gliders. At a cruising speed of 200 km / h, these aircraft had a range of up to 1000 kilometers at an altitude of 5500 meters (Hans Obert).

Nevertheless, German military theorists appreciated the possibilities that the paratrooper attack provides, and began to ponder how to introduce this type of troops in their own countries. Although under the terms of the Versailles Treaty, Germany was prohibited from developing new types of weapons, during the Weimar Republic and at the beginning of Hitler's rule, the Germans actively used the opportunities for training troops that the Soviet Union provided them.

It is quite possible that German military specialists were pondered by a mocking phrase dropped by Soviet Air Marshal Mikhail Shcherbakov, talking with French Marshal Petain during a visit to the fortifications of the Maginot Line: "Such a fortress may soon become unnecessary if a potential enemy ... drops a parachute landing on it." ...

A DFS-230 airframe was used for the landing. It had a wingspan of 20.9 m with a fuselage length of 11.3 m. The glider could accommodate eight people with full equipment. In the roof of the passenger compartment there was a hatch adapted for the installation of an MG15 machine gun turret. When descending, such a glider was a large and easily vulnerable target; in addition, a significant danger was posed by possible accidents during landing, in which the paratroopers were injured and even killed. The advantage of using gliders was that each of them could deliver a whole squad of soldiers with the necessary equipment and weapons to the landing point at once (Hans Obert).

One way or another, but the German military observers at the Red Army maneuvers in 1935 and 1936 were very impressed by the spectacle of the exact drop of an entire parachute regiment of a thousand people and the imminent arrival of five thousand reinforcements, parachuted by landing method. Goering was among those who appreciated what he saw, and in March-April 1935 he ordered to reorganize his group of land police "Hermann Goering" into the first airborne regiment. On October 1 of the same year, the regiment became part of the Luftwaffe and began training in Altengrabow. Most likely, for the first six hundred soldiers and officers of the regiment, the demonstration jump, during which the parachutist was seriously injured and left the landing site on a stretcher, was a hard lesson. Nevertheless, the soldiers of the 1st Jaeger Battalion of the Hermann Goering Regiment under the command of Major Bruno Breuer, formed in January 1936, soon began training.

Parachutist in Russia. He wears a fine cloth ghillie suit over his combat uniform. The steel helmet is painted white. In addition to a holstered pistol and an MP40 submachine gun, he is armed with a three-kilogram Haft-Hohllandung magnetic anti-tank mine (555/902/12).

At that time, Goering and his Luftwaffe were not the only ones who were interested in the capabilities of the airborne forces: attention was paid to them by the German army, the SS, and the assault detachments of the SA ("brown shirts"). The latter, after the unsuccessful "Rehm putsch", practically lost their influence, but the SS eventually managed to create small parachute units. It was the 500th SS Parachute Jaeger Battalion (500. SS Fallschirmjagerbataillon), a punitive unit under the command of SS Hauptsturmführer Rybka. The battalion took part in the parachute and glider landing in June 1944, the purpose of which was to destroy the headquarters of the head of the Yugoslav partisans, Joseph Broz Tito, located in the mountainous terrain. Attempts by the command of the ground army to create their own parachute units were thwarted by Goering, who achieved the transfer of all army paratroopers to the subordination of the Luftwaffe.

At first, the German parachute units experienced a series of setbacks. Partly the reason for this was intrigue among the highest hierarchs of the Nazi party, partly - elementary bad luck. But soon, after the appearance in their ranks of the surviving (and gaining combat experience) volunteers from the Condor legion that fought in Spain, things gradually went smoothly. Major changes followed when the command of the paratroopers was entrusted to Major General Kurt Student. If Guderian is called the father of the German armored forces, then Kurt Student should be given the same title in relation to the parachute troops.

This chief lieutenant wears the sleeve insignia, which paratroopers began to use following the example of their fellow Luftwaffe flight personnel. For a detailed description, see the comments to the color illustrations (555/839/27).

The official birth of the German Airborne Forces took place on January 29, 1936, when the corresponding order, by order of Goering, was signed by the Secretary of State of the Reich Aviation Ministry Erhard Milch. According to this document, a recruitment of volunteers was announced to participate in parachute training in Stendal. The harsh teaching methods corresponded to the "ten commandments" that Hitler himself gave to the paratroopers: "You are the chosen soldiers of the Wehrmacht. You must strive for battle and be able to endure all the hardships. War must become your need. " These instructions say a lot more, but we would like to cite another statement according to which the German parachute troops acted during the war: "Fight chivalrously against an open enemy, but suppress the partisan actions brutally."

The 2nd Airborne Battalion, also formed in 1936, was an army unit under the command of Major Richard Heydrich. It was organized along the lines of a support battalion with heavy machine guns and mortars. The battalion showed itself perfectly during the Wehrmacht maneuvers carried out in the autumn of 1937 in Mecklenburg. His performance gave a powerful impetus to the creation of the German airborne troops. And again, due to disagreements between the army and the Air Force regarding the ownership of the paratroopers, the issue was resolved in favor of the Luftwaffe: the jaegers-parachutists went to the department of Goering. At that time, the Luftwaffe believed that paratroopers should act in small groups as saboteurs behind the enemy's front line: their task is to destroy communications and undermine the enemy's morale. The army, by contrast, believed that the paratroopers should be used massively, like regular infantry. In the end, supporters of both points of view were able to test their views in practice and make sure that parachutists can successfully solve both problems.

Sentry parachutist at the railroad in Russia. He is wearing a "second design" Luftwaffe jump jacket, still green, but with the hem closed like a trouser leg. Note the details of the switchblade pocket on the right leg (541/432/15).

The next stage in the development of the parachute forces of the Luftwaffe began in July 1938, when it was decided to form a new 7th Aviation Division on the basis of Breuer's battalion from the Hermann Goering regiment ( 7. Flieger-Division) under the command of Kurt Student, who was successfully assisted in this by Majors Gerhard Bassenge and Heinrich Trettner. The student (he was born on May 12) was an excellent match for his new position. He began his service in the infantry and later was a fighter pilot and squadron leader in World War I. later, even before Hitler came to power, Student was one of the staff officers directly involved in the construction of the new German air force. Unlike many of his colleagues, Student absolutely believed in the leaders of the Nazis and happily served under their command. In addition, Student, a general of the Luftwaffe, managed to establish good relations with the army authorities: he shared the views of the Wehrmacht that paratroopers should not be used as saboteurs operating in small groups.

Although the occupation of the Sudetenland in the fall of 1938 did not require the use of large military forces, the new "division" of Student used this chance to undergo training in field conditions. Goering was full of enthusiasm, he managed to break the resistance of the army commanders, and Heydrich's 2nd parachute battalion became part of the Luftwaffe. At the same time (in January 1939) instructions were issued regarding the creation of a second regiment, and Heydrich's ambitions were satisfied: he was appointed commander of the new unit. Both regiments took part in the Norwegian campaign in the spring of the following year. The regular organization of the regiments fully corresponded to the infantry: a three-battalion composition (in 1940, the 2nd regiment actually had only two battalions), each battalion had four companies. In addition, a sapper company was created, and the foundation was laid for the creation of support units - anti-tank, light field and anti-aircraft artillery, reconnaissance, engineering, medical, communications and other units.

The photo allows you to clearly see the details of the cut of the jump jacket, made of camouflage fabric. These soldiers are lined up for the parade somewhere in the Mediterranean. Their helmets are painted sand with gray or green spots on top. The parachutist in the foreground wears the sign of the Spanish Cross with swords, signifying his service in the Condor Legion (580/1995/29).

The paratroopers were not included in any of the Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe groupings that ensured the capture of Poland. It is known, however, that the soldiers of the 7th Aviation Division for training purposes were involved in a reconnaissance raid across the Vistula, during which they suffered serious losses near Wola Gulovska. General Student told Hitler that the paratroopers were disappointed that they did not take part in the Polish campaign. This was followed by the answer: "They will, no doubt, join the battles in the West!"

In the first operations of paratroopers in Denmark and Norway, the 1st Battalion of the 1st Parachute Regiment (I / FJR1) under the command of Major Erich Walter was involved. The four companies of the battalion were assigned different tasks. The headquarters and 2 nd companies were instructed to seize Forneby airport in Oslo and hold it until the 163rd Infantry Division, which was to land by landing method, landed. The 3rd Company, under the command of Lieutenant Baron von Brandis, was to capture and hold Sol airfield in Stavanger in the same way. At that time, one of the platoons of the 4th company of Captain Walter Guericke captured two airfields in Aalborg, and the rest of the company forces - the dam connecting the islands of Falster and Zeeland. Lieutenant Herbert Schmidt's 1st company remained in reserve, but was later thrown out to reinforce General Dietl's troops in the Narvik area.

Major Walter suffered a setback: Forneby was obscured by fog, and the parachutists had to turn back. However, transport aircraft Ju.52 of the second wave, on board of which were soldiers of the 163rd division, found a gap in the clouds and were able to land. The paratroopers suffered serious losses, but the airfield was captured. Lieutenant von Brandis was luckier: his soldiers landed safely on the edge of Sola's airfield and quickly suppressed the scattered pockets of resistance from the guards, so that a second wave of troops could land without interference. Captain Guericke was also doing well: the Danish soldiers guarding the dam were so stunned by the appearance of enemy paratroopers that they did not even offer resistance and surrendered. A separate platoon, thrown out to capture the two airfields at Aalborg, also managed without bloodshed. Lieutenant Schmidt's company in the morning twilight was thrown into the snow-covered Gudbrandsdal valley about 140 km from Oslo. Rangers of the company suffered losses from the fire of the Norwegian soldiers even during the release, but then they defended for four whole days, until the lack of ammunition forced them to surrender. Schmidt himself was severely wounded in the thigh and stomach, but did not surrender command throughout the operation: he was later awarded the Knight's Cross.

Despite the losses, the April 1940 operations in Scandinavia showed the validity of using parachutists against an unprepared enemy, when the surprise factor contributes to the attackers. But it wasn't until a few months later that the paratroopers developed a solid reputation.

Most likely, this is a staged photograph taken in Crete after the end of the fighting in May 1941. Here you can clearly see the sand-painted helmets and gray-green jump jackets. The sergeant major (left) has pulled the collar of his flight blouse over his jacket to show his non-commissioned officer rank, but he has no insignia on his sleeve. This combination was rare (569/1579/15).

To participate in the invasion of France, Belgium and Holland, Student's 7th Aviation Division was merged into one group with the 22nd Airborne Division (22. Luftlande-Division), which was a conventional infantry transported by aircraft. The organizational group was part of the 2nd Air Fleet of Albert Kesselring. The most important target of the group was the Belgian fort of Eben-Emael - one of the key fortifications in the fortification chain along the Albert Canal. The fort had 18 artillery mounts located in casemates with walls almost two meters thick, as well as a number of anti-tank and machine-gun nests. Eben-Emael was practically dug into one of the banks of the channel and could seriously slow down the advance of the Wehrmacht - and the entire German concept of the blitzkrieg was based precisely on quick maneuver.

After discussing the problem with Breuer, Student decided to form a special assault group led by 29-year-old Captain Walter Koch, who had previously served in the Prussian secret police and the Hermann Goering regiment. To solve the assigned task, Koch was assigned his own company from the 1st battalion of the 1st parachute regiment, and in addition - a sapper company of Lieutenant Witzig from the 2nd battalion, a total of 11 officers and 427 soldiers. In Heidelheim the soldiers began serious training; the entire personnel was divided into four assault groups. Only one of them was to conduct a direct attack on Eben-Emael: the Granite group (Granite)of 85 people under the command of Lieutenant Witzig. Assault group "Steel" (Steel)lieutenant Altmann had the Feldweselt Bridge as the target of the offensive. Assault group "Concrete" (Concrеte) Lieutenant Schacht was entrusted with the Froenhoven Bridge; finally, the assault group "Iron" (Iron)lieutenant Miner was to secure the capture of the Cannes Bridge. After the capture of the objects, the assault groups had to hold them until the approach of the advancing columns of the Wehrmacht, namely the 4th Panzer Division. The delivery of all groups was to be carried out by gliders, in contrast to the paratroopers involved in the operations in Holland in the same month: those were supposed to be thrown out with parachutes.

From the same series: machine gunner with MG15 in the DFS-230 (568/1529/28) airframe hatch.

The first to land was the assault group "Beton". This happened at 5.15 on May 10, 1940. At the time of landing, the gliders were under heavy fire from the Belgians, and the paratroopers remained pinned to the ground all day: they could only withdraw at 21.40, when the Wehrmacht infantry battalion approached them to help.

Assault groups "Stal" and "Granit" landed almost simultaneously, at 5.20 am. During the attack on the Feldweselt Bridge, Lieutenant Altmann discovered that the Belgians had removed explosive charges from the bridge, and at 15.30 he announced that the object had been captured. This message was somewhat premature: Altmann's paratroopers had to repulse several heavy counterattacks, but by the end of the day, at 21.30, reinforcements arrived at the Germans.

The Eben-Emael garrison was alerted at 00.30: the Belgians received a message about the movements of German troops near the border; however, the fort was located in the interior of the country, and its defenders considered themselves safe. Meanwhile, at 3.30 Witzig's assault group Granit was lined up at the German airfield, and exactly an hour later their gliders were picked up by towing ropes, and the sappers with bags full of explosives took their places. At 5.20 am, they reached the target and began to descend. The Belgians did not anticipate an air attack so much that they opened fire only when the German DFS-230 airborne gliders were already practically on the ground.

The landing was successful, only two gliders failed to reach the target (one of them was Lieutenant Witzig himself). Command was taken over by Oberfeldwebel Wenzel, and the attack was carried out without delay. Even during the landing run of the gliders, the paratroopers opened the fuselage landing hatches and began the landing, and then immediately rushed into the attack, acting with flamethrowers and hollow charges under the cover of machine-gun fire, which their comrades led through hatches in the gliders' roofs. A few minutes later, seven casemates and 14 Belgian guns were disabled, and the attackers penetrated the premises of the fort. At 5.40 am Monogram radioed Koch: “The object has been reached. All according to plan". Meanwhile, most of the fort still remained in the hands of the Belgians.

A bearded parachutist in the desert. He is dressed in a tropical Luftwaffe tunic, a steel helmet covered by a cover with a "comminuted" camouflage pattern, a bluish-gray ammunition sling. Dust-proof goggles with dark glasses (550/761 / 4а) are hanging around the neck.

At 8.30 the group of Lieutenant Witzig, which in the meantime had replaced the towline of their glider and also reached the fort, landed next to their comrades. The lieutenant assessed the situation on the spot. Despite the initial success of the Germans, the Belgians clearly recovered from the shock: the attackers were forced to take up defensive positions in the casemates they captured, where they remained on the night of May 10-11. In the morning, an engineering battalion came to their aid. This assistance was of decisive importance, and soon a white flag was raised over the fort - the main stronghold of the Belgian defense was captured.

The capture of Fort Eben Emael was undoubtedly an impressive German victory. Of the 85 people in Witzig's group, only six were killed (although 20 were injured). The surprise of the attack broke the morale of the Belgians — and the fort was garrisoned over 1,000 — and, as Kurt Student later remarked, it was "an undertaking with exemplary courage and determination."

The last group, Iron, was out of luck. A German mechanized convoy launched an offensive ahead of schedule, and the Belgian defenders of Cannes detonated explosives, destroying the bridge. German gliders landed under fierce fire. The miner was killed, command was taken by Lieutenant Joachim Meissner, who had to repulse two major counterattacks until reinforcements approached the Germans.

At its core, the operation in Belgium was a variant of exactly the use of paratroopers that the Luftwaffe insisted on - small groups operated here, as opposed to how paratroopers were used in Holland. Koch's group included barely 500 people; four times as many were involved against the "Fortress Holland". In addition, the 22nd Airborne Division under the command of Major General Count von Sponeck was operating here in full force.

The campaign plan called for the use of paratroopers to capture the most important crossings and airfields deep in the Netherlands in the early stages of the operation; success was to be developed by paratroopers together with the infantrymen of the 22nd Airborne Division, who were ordered to get involved in street fighting, capture The Hague and neutralize the Dutch high military command. The main targets of the parachutists were the Moerdeck and Dordrecht bridges and the airports at Waalhaven and Falkenburg. The 1st and 2nd battalions of the 1st parachute regiment were to capture the first two targets; 3rd - third. Six companies of the 2nd Parachute Regiment in cooperation with the 47th Infantry - Falkenburg (the 47th Infantry Regiment, along with the 16th and 65th, was part of the 22nd von Sponeck Division).

General Ramke (his exact rank cannot be determined in this photograph) is rewarding a non-commissioned paratrooper somewhere in the Mediterranean theater of operations. Both are dressed in tropical uniforms, a non-commissioned officer in a rolled-up shirt and shorts. Frame - in a tunic and wide trousers. General light blue cap with gold piping (166/52/19).

On May 10, 1940, the 3rd battalion of the 1st parachute (III / FJR1), commanded by Captain Karl-Lothar Schultz, was the first to enter the battle. Paratroopers began operations to capture the airfield in Waalhaven, which is extremely important for the arrival of reinforcements from the von Sponeck division. The airfield, like other important Dutch sites,

was subjected to a fierce bombardment, but nevertheless the paratroopers were met by heavy machine-gun fire. Immediately after landing, the Germans resolutely rushed to storm the airport building (in which the commandant was giving a protracted banquet to mark the 40th anniversary of his service) and captured it. The Messerschmitts Bf.109 drove off the British Hurricanes, which were trying to prevent the 22nd Division's Ju.52 transport from landing. The only Dutch anti-aircraft battery bravely continued to fire, but German paratroopers soon captured it too. After the conclusion of this short but bloody battle, the paratroopers and their reinforcements were ready to cover the approaches to Rotterdam.

The drop of six companies of paratroopers of the 2nd regiment in the area of \u200b\u200bFalkenburg airport was successful; they were already awaiting the arrival of von Sponeck's 47th Infantry Regiment, but an unexpected complication arose. The field around the runways turned out to be too muddy, and the very first Ju.52 arrived literally blocked the airfield. The Dutch, meanwhile, recovered from the surprise and launched a counterattack, forcing the German troops to take up defensive positions. Thus, this stage of the plan to capture the Hague remained unfinished.

The battalions assigned to capture the critical bridges at Moerdeck and Dordrecht landed north and south of their targets and quickly surrounded them. At the same time, however, Lieutenant Baron von Brandis died (the one who captured the Sol airfield during the Norwegian operation). The Moerdeck bridge was captured quickly and without complications. Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Parachute Jaeger Regiment under the command of Captain Prager guarded the bridge until three days later the vehicles of the 9th Panzer Division approached them. The next day at 17.30 the Student, who arrived in Waalhaven immediately after his capture, received a message about another success of his rangers, this time in Dordrecht. Although the Dutch units as a whole fought much better than the Belgians, here the factor of surprise and the creation of a numerical superiority at the desired point ensured the success of the German paratroopers. On May 14, the Netherlands surrendered. In the final hours of the operation, however, Student was seriously wounded in the head by an SS soldier from the detachment disarming the Dutch units.

Motorcyclists of the reconnaissance detachment of the parachute-ranger unit in Tunisia, winter 1942-1943. All wear standard motorcycle oilcloth raincoats (549/742/17).

While the doctors in the hospital were fighting for the life of Student, General Richard Putzier, who was in charge of transport aviation during the operation in Belgium and Holland, took command of the 7th Aviation Division. In the meantime, the division, which actually showed its combat capabilities, was reinforced, receiving a third regiment - FJR3. In addition, Koch's assault group was also deployed into an assault regiment ( Fallschirmjager-Sturmregiment) a four-battalion under the command of Colonel Eigen Meindl. All these transformations took place in preparation for Operation Sea Lion, a planned landing in Britain.

Colonel-General Stumpf in a white summer uniform of a Luftwaffe officer examines a 37-mm anti-tank gun, which was in service with parachute units. The officer on the left is wearing a flight blouse and grayish green jump pants. Adjutant of Stumpf in full service uniform (543/562/20).

In the end, this operation was abandoned, and the paratroopers had to spend their next battles in much more pleasant climatic conditions of the Mediterranean. In January 1941, after recovering from his injury, Student returned to duty, taking command over all the German airborne forces: the 7th Air Division, 22nd Airborne Division and the Assault Regiment (FJStR). These parts were consolidated into the XI Aviation Corps.

Depienne, Tunisia, November 1943 Chaplain Gavin Cadden (right) was one of those who defended the British wounded during the incident described in the text of the book. Left: Captain Hans Jungwirth of the 1st Battalion, 5th Parachute Regiment. He wears a Hermann Meyer cap with cords rearranged (Gavin Gadden).

During the Greek campaign, the 2nd Parachute Regiment, stationed in Bulgaria, was ordered to prepare to strike against the British Imperial Expeditionary Force, commanded by General Maitland Wilson. The Greek troops in the north of the country, initially successfully resisting the attacks of the Italians, were eventually forced to surrender to the German allies of the Duce. Wilson's forces retreated to the Peloponnese. The only escape route for the British and Greeks was a narrow isthmus west of Athens, cut by the deep Corinthian Canal. Paratroopers of the 2nd regiment were ordered to block this passage. Unfortunately for them, they were ordered to act a couple of days later than necessary. As a result, although significant tactical success was achieved during the operation (and more than 2,000 British and Greek soldiers were captured), the victory was not as complete as it could have been: most of the Expeditionary Force was evacuated by sea.

The operation began at 5:00 am on April 26, 1941, when a platoon of the 6th company of the 2nd battalion of the 2nd parachute regiment commanded by Lieutenant Hans Tousen took up positions in the gliders at the Larissa airfield. The aim of the paratroopers was to capture the most important bridge over the canal. Two hours later, the gliders landed, and although they were landing under heavy enemy fire, the paratroopers managed to quickly make their way to the bridge and defuse most of the explosives planted by the British. Here, however, an accident intervened: a stray shell from the British Bofors hit a stack of ammunition boxes; the explosion destroyed the bridge, and many of Toizen's paratroopers were killed. Soon, however, gliders brought in the bulk of the 2nd Airborne Battalion, which cut off the retreating British from the bridge. Tousen, whose forces were incomparably smaller than those of the enemy, summoned a senior British officer to negotiate and told him that his unit was the first wave of an advancing division supported by dive bombers. The trick succeeded: the British surrendered. For this battle, Toizen, who did not surrender his command after being wounded, was presented to the Knight's Cross.

Major Walter Koch after being wounded in the head shortly after saving two wounded British paratroopers from being shot. He is dressed in a service uniform with two breast and two side pockets. Early Luftwaffe breast eagle, distinguished by its drooping tail (Gavin Cadden).

The next battle truly became the legend of the airborne troops: it was the battle of Crete. Although Student's plans for operations against the northern tip of the Suez Canal, Alexandria and Malta never materialized (as did the earlier plan to capture Gibraltar from the air as part of Operation Sea Lion), the battle for Crete was unique in itself.

On April 20, 1941, Student presented his views to the Luftwaffe High Command. According to the general, the capture of Crete was a necessary continuation of the Balkan campaign, since British airfields on the island provided enemy bombers with the opportunity to raid the Ploiesti oil wells. Goering agreed with these arguments, then they convinced Hitler, although the command of the Wehrmacht insisted that the paratroopers first be used to capture Malta.

Meanwhile, the XI Air Corps was hastily reorganized. The 22nd Airborne Division was transferred to guard the oil regions of Ploiesti; instead, Student received Major General Ringel's 5th Mountain Rifle Division. As of May 20, 1941, Student's forces allocated for Operation Mercury included:

first, the airborne assault regiment (Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment, LLStR, former parachute assault) under the command of Major General Meindl (battalion commanders: I / LLStR - Major Koch, II / LLStR - Major Stenzler, III / LLStR - Major Scherber, IV / LLStR - Captain Gericke);

secondly, the 7th Air Division of Lieutenant General Wilhelm Suessmann, which included the 1st Parachute Regiment of Colonel Breuer (battalion commanders: I / FJR1 - Major Walter, II / FJR1 - Captain Burkhardt, III / FJR1 - Major Schultz); 2nd Parachute Regiment of Colonel Alfred Sturm (I / FJR2 - Major Krokh,

Paratroopers with the PaK-36 anti-tank gun. The calculation is dressed in jackets with? Shrapnel? camouflage patterns and jump trousers, but the shoes are regular infantry boots (544/588 / 20A).

II / FJR2 - Captain Pietzonka, III / FJR2 - Captain Wiedemann); and the 3rd Parachute Regiment of Colonel Heydrich (I / FJR3 - Captain Baron von der Heidte, II / FJR3 - Major Derpa, III / FJR3 - Major Heilmann);

thirdly, the 5th mountain rifle division of Major General Ringel, consisting of the 85th mountain rifle regiment (GebirgsjagerRegiment 85)colonel Krakau (battalion commanders: I / GJR85 - Major Dr. Trek, II / GJR85 - Major Esch, III / GJR85 - Major Fett); Colonel Utz's 100th Mountain Rifle Regiment (I / GJR100 - Major Shrank, II / GJR100 - Major Friedman, III / GJR100 - Major Ehall); 95th Mountain Artillery Regiment ( Gebirgs-Artillerie-Regiment) Lieutenant Colonel Wittmann (division commanders: I / GartR95 - Major von Sternbach, II / GartR95 - Major Reitel). In addition, the division included the 95th mountain motorcycle, pioneer, anti-tank and reconnaissance battalions under the command of Majors Nolte, Shatte, Binderman and Count Castel zu Castel, respectively.

In addition to these units, the forces of the XI Aviation Corps will include a light anti-aircraft division, while the 7th Aviation Division included pioneer, artillery, machine-gun and anti-tank battalions.

According to the plans to capture the island, all these forces were to fall in two waves on four main objects, three of which were airfields. Meindl's assault regiment captured the airfield in Malemes, and also, with the support of the 3rd parachute regiment of Heydrich, the roads, bridges and air defense positions in the area of \u200b\u200bCania, the capital of the island. This ended the first phase of the operation. During the second wave of the assault, the 2nd Sturm regiment captured the airfield and the city of Rethymnon, while the 1st Breuer's regiment was thrown a few miles closer to the coast and attacked the airfield and the city of Heraklion. Ringel's 5th Mountain Division was airlifted to support the operation after the capture of airfields.

However, these plans were based on German intelligence data, which turned out to be extremely inaccurate.

To begin with, the Abwehr of Admiral Canaris mistakenly concluded that more than 50,000 contingent evacuated from Greece were transported by the British to Egypt. It was a mistake - the troops were left in Crete. Secondly, the British garrison of the island was not only actively preparing for the defense, but also based its plans on the fact that the most likely option for an attack was an airborne assault. And finally, thirdly, the Abwehr did not know that New Zealander General Bernard Freiberg, the highest-ranking British military rank of the allied forces in Crete and a very active military leader, accurately guessed the main landing sites of the German

paratroopers and strengthened them well, preparing even "wolf pits" in the area of \u200b\u200bpossible landing of gliders and parachutists.

And that's not all. The Germans expected to meet on the island only the British and Greek troops, demoralized by the defeat on the mainland of Greece, and this was a serious miscalculation.

Due to a military intelligence error, the main part of the invasion plan included the capture of airfields in Malemes and Heraklion, the landing of a limited contingent of paratroopers in Rethymnon, and an operation against the headquarters and main forces of General Freiberg, which were supposed to be found in Cania.

105-mm recoilless gun LG-40 with the crew of the jaegers-parachutists. The paratroopers are dressed in gray-green jackets. Please note that the Chief Corporal (right) wears chevrons from his service uniform (546/668/7) on the sleeve of his jacket.

The parachutist fires an FG-42 automatic rifle on a bipod. He put on a raincoat over his jacket to protect from the rain: two of these raincoats could be zipped off, turning them into a shelter from the rain for several people (738/289/16).

Malemes, surrounded by terraces of olive trees, is located on the northwestern tip of the island. Today it is a well-known tourist center, but on May 20, 1941, both the British and the Germans saw in it only a dusty province scorched by the sun. Although the runway was only 600 meters long, capturing it was vital to the course of the entire operation. And the prelude to the storming of the airfield was to destroy the well-disguised and dug in the ground British air defense battery. After a raid of dive bombers, at about 7:00 the vanguard of the airborne assault regiment (a company of 90 people under the command of Lieutenant Gentz) successfully landed their DFS-230 gliders under heavy fire from the defenders. Despite serious losses, the paratroopers were able to capture the anti-aircraft positions south of the take-off field. Following the advance guard, the rest of Major Koch's I / LLStR forces were to land. According to the order of the battalion commander, the soldiers were to concentrate immediately after the landing and begin an attack directly on the airfield. The 3rd Battalion Company landed as planned, but 4th and HQ Companies went off course and landed in the heart of the British positions. In the very first minutes of the battle, Major Koch was wounded, and with him half of his soldiers. In such a situation, it was impossible to carry out the planned attack. Nevertheless, the 3rd company, which landed on the western edge of the airfield, was able to dig in in the dry riverbed. Throughout the morning, the surviving paratroopers arrived to the paratroopers of the 3rd company, and together they were able to capture the enemy's fortifications to the west and south of the take-off field.

The 3rd battalion of the assault regiment was parachuted to the north-east of the airfield. Like the 1st battalion, it was pinned to the ground by strong rifle-machine-gun and artillery fire from the "height 107" dominating the area. The parachutists were scattered during the release and for some time after that they could not gather in groups. Regiment headquarters and 4th battalion successfully landed near the large bridge west of the airfield. At the same time, however, Major General Meindl was seriously wounded, and Major Stenzler, the commander of the 2nd battalion, assumed command of the regiment (according to the plan, this battalion remained in the regiment's reserve). By the end of the first day of fighting, the assault regiment thus reached the airfield, but was unable to establish control over it. At the same time, a counterattack by the enemy could be expected at any moment; the parachutists exhausted by the battle awaited a sleepless night.

Colonel Heydrich's 3rd parachute regiment landed west of the assault regiment with the task of capturing Galati, Cania and Souda Bay.

The vanguard of the regiment was the 3rd battalion of Major Heilman; his paratroopers unsuccessfully landed right in the center of the location of the surprised, but immediately opened fire, New Zealanders. Only one company (9th) made a landing at the planned site, the rest were carried further into the mountains. Some of the paratroopers landed in the reservoir, from which the soldiers could no longer get out, and the rest - directly to the location of the New Zealand military camp, where they were captured. After a day of fighting and an unsuccessful attempt to capture the heights above Galati, the badly battered 9th Company had to retreat.

The 1st Battalion of the 3rd Parachute Regiment was thrown out near the fortress of Agia, an important stronghold that allowed control of the Alikianon-Kaniya road. The parachutists landed in the designated area, but immediately fell under heavy machine-gun fire: nearby was the country villa of King George II of Greece, who, unfortunately for himself, fled from the mainland to Alikianon! With the support of the 2nd battalion, the 1st battalion captured the fortress and deployed the regiment's headquarters in it, but the paratroopers failed to advance to Kania. By evening, the third joined the two battalions of the regiment.

An interesting photograph of a group of paratroopers, taken in 1944. The rangers on the left and in the center on the chest have special fabric gas-mask bags. On the right, the details of the FG-42 stock are clearly visible. Two gamekeepers wear field caps, which replaced the caps (582/2105/16).

During the landing of the first wave of the landing, almost everything did not go as expected. None of the primary targets were completely taken under control, and several battalions and companies lost their commanders killed. The division commander himself, Lieutenant General Süssman, lay dead in the crashed glider, and Major General Meindl was seriously wounded. The German command in Greece did not know about this, but the second wave of the landing had its own difficulties. Too little time was allowed for refueling and returning transport aircraft; in the extreme heat, the planes had to be refueled manually from canisters. In addition, the landing of vehicles returning from Crete was complicated by clouds of dust over the takeoff field of the airfield. As a result, the planes of the second wave were forced to take off in small groups instead of providing a massive transfer of reinforcements.

At 13.30 the 2nd Parachute Regiment began to land with the aim of capturing Rethymnon, while the 2nd Battalion was allocated for another task - the assault on Heraklion. Two companies landed at the designated location, but were immediately pushed to the ground by strong fire; the third company, landing five miles farther, hit a rocky area, causing many of the paratroopers to be seriously injured. Nevertheless, the companies managed to connect and capture the hill covered with vineyards, which dominated the airfield of Rethymnon. It was not possible to capture the airfield itself, so the paratroopers dug in to hold out until the next morning.

This parachutist with MG-42 light machine guns has a helmet covered with a classic cloth cover: a wide band for attaching leafy camouflage is clearly visible; narrower ribbons criss-crossing at the top; attaching the cover to the edges of the steel helmet with hooks. In addition to German egg-shaped grenades, he is armed with an American "lemon" (579/1957 / 26A).

The 1st Parachute Regiment, reinforced by the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment, was to capture the airfield in Heraklion. The anti-aircraft defense in this area was strong, so that the Ju.52 transports had to make a drop at a much higher altitude than usual. As a result, many of Breuer's paratroopers were shot with machine guns while descending. Two companies, flocking to the western edge of the airfield, were shot down almost to the last (only five people survived, who rolled head over heels from the coastal cliffs). The remaining units were very scattered, and Breuer had to abandon all thought of capturing the airfield on the first day. The whole night was spent gathering the scattered fighters.

By the end of the first day, to the seven thousand surviving paratroopers, the situation seemed almost hopeless. The only reason General Student continued the operation was the hope of somehow saving the survivors. Fortunately for the Germans trapped on the island, the British commander, General Freiberg, did not launch a massive night counter-attack. Instead of powerful pressure, the British carried out only a few local counterattacks, which the paratroopers repulsed without much difficulty. As a result, at a time when the battle for Crete froze in an unstable balance, the British and Greek forces missed a real opportunity to throw the Germans into the sea. The result of this delay was defeat.

General Kurt Student is inspecting a paratrooper detachment somewhere in the Mediterranean. The soldiers are dressed in "second design" jump jackets with a "comminuted" camouflage pattern and trousers of a tropical uniform in a faded sand color. Details of the Student's outfit are described in the comments to the color illustrations (569/1589/8).

In the ruins of Cassino, 1944. The two parachutists on the left are wearing army windproof anorak jackets that slip over their heads: the second on the left has a clearly visible chest pocket. Three versions of steel helmets are visible in this photo: a bluish gray without a cover, painted with sandy yellow paint, and covered with a cloth cover with "splintered" camouflage patterns (578/1926/34).

In the early morning of May 21, in the Malemes area, the 1st battalion of the assault regiment again undertook an assault on "Hill 107", and this time successfully. The Germans captured two anti-aircraft guns and immediately deployed them against targets on the airfield. At this time, a lone Ju.52 successfully landed at an airfield under fire. A pile of ammunition was pushed out of the plane into the field, the most severely wounded were hastily loaded into the car, and the pilot immediately lifted the plane. This happened after the next raid of German aircraft on the airfield, and, to the surprise of the paratroopers, their opponents did not even try to interfere with this "unloading and loading operation."

In the zone of operations of the 3rd battalion of the assault regiment, the situation was extremely difficult. Cretan partisans mutilated the corpses of all Germans they could find under cover of night and killed all the wounded. The parachutists' response was terrible, which is confirmed by photographs from the German archive in Koblenz (the administration flatly refused to provide the author with these photos for the book). Of the 580 battalion soldiers who landed on the island, at least 135 rangers were killed by the partisans, and their bodies were never found.

At 14.00 on May 21, German bombers made a new raid on Malemes, and immediately after that, the Germans landed two more companies of the assault regiment. With their support, the defenders of the airfield were finally overturned. A little later, Colonel Ramke landed at the head of another 550 paratroopers, and Ringel's mountain arrows began to arrive after them. The first unit landed by transport aircraft was the 100th Mountain Rifle Regiment, which the paratroopers greeted with joy. But soon the triumph turned into chaos: the small airfield could not accept so many planes at once, the landing cars rammed each other, the entire perimeter of the airfield was strewn with debris and damaged planes.

And yet the situation in which the mountain shooters found themselves in Malemes was better than the alteration that their comrades had fallen into. The 3rd Battalion of the 100th Mountain Rifle Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the 85th Mountain Rifle Regiments were sent to Crete by sea, two caravans of small fishing vessels under the cover of only two old Italian destroyers "Lupo" and "Sajitario". Both caravans were intercepted by British naval vessels and sunk. Retaliation came too late: the next morning German dive bombers sank two British cruisers and a destroyer, and damaged two more warships and two cruisers. But of the two German battalions, only one officer and 51 soldiers escaped. And yet the most difficult period of the Battle of Crete for the Germans was already over.

The reinforced assault regiment on the afternoon of 21 May quickly concentrated its forces around Malemes and launched an attack on Cania.

True, it was not possible to take the city until May 27 - so strong was the resistance of the enemy. The mountain rangers, meanwhile, were ordered to advance to Rethymno in a forced march: they were in dire need of their support.

This parachutist, photographed in Italy, has a clearly visible "watch" pocket of jump trousers. Pay attention to the helmet cover, made of Italian camouflage fabric (579/1953/20).

In the region of Rethymnon, the soldiers of the 2nd parachute regiment early in the morning of May 21 were thrown back by an attack of the Australian infantry from the positions they had occupied the day before by one and a half kilometers. Paratroopers were able to gain a foothold in a factory building in the middle of olive groves, and for the next four days, two battalions held off an onslaught of almost 7,000 British artillery backed. On the night of May 25-26, 250 paratroopers under cover of darkness tried to retreat to Heraklion, but were stopped already several kilometers to the east. The Australians, meanwhile, occupied the factory building abandoned by the Germans, and when the remnants of the paratrooper squad tried to return to their former position, they were met with a fierce counterattack.

On May 29, paratroopers of the 2nd regiment received information that their enemy had begun to withdraw. Paratroopers, having received ammunition containers dropped by transport planes, again began to move back to Rethymno, in turn trying to knock the Australians out of the factory. On the morning of May 30, as soon as the paratroopers began to storm the building, the huntsmen of the 85th Mountain Rifle Regiment approached them. Together, the Germans finally took the enemy stronghold, capturing 1,200 Australians.

Near Heraklion in the first days, from May 20 to May 23, the situation for the rangers-paratroopers was also not the best. Despite the difficulties during the landing, by the morning of May 21, the units of the 1st parachute regiment were able to connect with each other and start moving towards the city. However, they faced resistance from nearly 8,000 British and Greek soldiers who also had ample artillery support. The attack on the city and the airport died out. The next day, the paratroopers refused the offer of the British command to surrender. At this time, the huntsmen finally established radio contact with their command. To their delight, an order was received that canceled the seizure of the airfield in Heraklion: the paratroopers had only to hold the line reached, preventing the attempts of the British to send reinforcements west of Rethymnon. To do this, however, the Germans had to capture the enemy's artillery positions on the hill designated "Hill 491". That same night, Schultz's 3rd Battalion stealthily advanced up the hillside and was attacked by the British. The unexpected attack stunned the gunners and they abandoned their positions.

On May 24, Breuer strengthened his position, and the next day he received reinforcements - another battalion was airlifted. On May 26, the regiment launched an offensive and successfully captured "Hill 296", which dominated Heraklion. Thus, everything was prepared for the development of the offensive; in addition, the next day new units of the 5th Mountain Rifle Division began to approach the regiment. By this time, the British and Greeks were already so demoralized that only a small rearguard group, in fact, suicide bombers, was left to defend the airfield. By and large, it was the end. On the same day, General Freiberg announced the evacuation of the troops, and the allies in ships began to leave the island, heading south. In pursuit of the retreating British, Greeks, New Zealanders and Australians, mountain riflemen captured about 10,000 prisoners. Freiberg was able to evacuate approximately 17,000 via Sfakia.

German parachutists talk with Italian ones (right). It is unclear whether the Italians are serving in the Italian army, or whether they are from the personnel of the Folgiore or Nembo divisions reassigned to the German 4th Parachute Jaeger Division during its formation in the winter of 1943/44. The German on the left wears an army steel helmet and an old grayish-green jacket. Second from left - in the helmet of an Italian paratrooper and a German jacket with "comminuted" camouflage (578/1931 / 7A).

Operation Mercury was successfully completed, but costly. Of the 22,000 people involved in the invasion, the Germans lost 3,250 killed and missing, another 3,400 were injured. The losses of the allies in killed and wounded reached 2500 people, however, five times more British and Greeks were captured. A few days later Hitler told Student: "Crete has shown that the days of parachutists are a thing of the past." And yet the paratroopers continued the war, fighting on the ground alongside the Wehrmacht soldiers.

An Italian parachutist in an Italian parachutist helmet and a jacket with a specific camouflage pattern. He is in the service either in the German 4th Parachute Division, or in one of the Italian units (578/1931 / 11A).

Crete was the last major airborne operation of the German army during World War II. Never again did the country's armed forces have sufficient manpower, and especially the required number of transport aircraft, and, moreover, have not faced the tactical need to take such actions. Of course, this did not mean the end of the use of paratroopers as air paratroopers: the landing by force of up to a battalion when capturing key enemy targets continued until the end of the war. In June 1941, paratroopers helped the saboteurs of the Brandenburg regiment in seizing bridges across the Dvina in Russia. In September 1943, Otto Skorzeny's saboteurs rescued Mussolini from prison in Gran Sasso in a daring operation using gliders and light aircraft. In May 1944, a punitive SS parachute battalion raided Tito's headquarters in Drvar. Even in the winter of 1944/45, small amphibious operations were carried out: soldiers of the 6th parachute regiment participated in them during the offensive in the Ardennes and on the Eastern Front when reinforcements were transferred to the defenders of Breslau. Mostly, however, paratroopers were used as elite infantry during conventional military operations. Therefore, the author of the book focused on the airborne operations of the first years of the war. The following only briefly lists the main events in which the parachute troops of Germany also took part.

The 7th Aviation Division, crippled in battles, was reorganized. In September 1941, the 2nd Battalion of the Division's Airborne Assault Regiment (II / LLStR) was the first of its units to be sent to Russia; the division fought on the Leningrad front until March 1 9 4 3. In October 1 9 4 2 it was renamed the 1st parachute division ( 1. Fallschirmjager-Division), and in March 1943 he was transferred to the south of France, giving the opportunity to rest and replenish after heavy losses in Russia.

Parachutists in Russia wore inverted quilted field jackets - here they are worn with the white side out (578/1940/2).

In 1942, the parachute troops were numerically increased, which made it possible to separate from their composition a separate unit for operations in North Africa. In mid-July 1942, Major General Ramcke with his headquarters arrived in Africa, and soon the entire parachute brigade Ramcke (Fallschirmjager Brigade Ramcke) was behind his commander. The brigade consisted of four rifle battalions (1st - Major Krokh, 2nd - Major von der Heidte, 3rd - Major Huebner; 4th battalion bore the name of parachute training and was commanded by Major Burckhardt). In addition, the brigade had an artillery battalion, anti-tank and sapper companies. The brigade was airlifted to Africa and therefore was left without its own vehicles: they had to be borrowed from the 135th Anti-Aircraft Regiment. The brigade was deployed in the southern sector of the front near Alamein, between the Italian divisions Bologna and Brescia. After a small offensive during the battle of Alam al-Khalfa, the brigade had to go on the defensive during the battle of El Alamein. Already listed as missing during the retreat from Montgomery's Panzer Army Africa, the brigade's 600 paratroopers made a desperate battle through the desert, captured a British transport unit and drove trophy trucks to Rommel's main forces near Fookie. In the course of this epic, paratroopers overcame more than 300 kilometers of off-road terrain in the territory controlled by the enemy.

During a battle in Russia, a parachutist fires a Flammenwerfer 41 (553/841/4) backpack flamethrower.

Paratroopers were also used during the fighting in Tunisia. In November 1942, Colonel Koch's 5th Parachute Regiment (FJR5) and the Brentin Regiment (named after its commander Walter Brentin), a unit formed from paratroopers of various units, were transferred from Naples to the Tunisian airfield of El Aoin. In addition, the assault group of the 21st sapper battalion of Witzig was delivered here. In addition to sappers-parachutists, these were non-fired units formed from volunteers. Serving as the backbone of the 5th Parachute Regiment and the Brentin Regiment, the soldiers of V. Koch's Landing Assault Regiment were too few in number to fully transfer their rich combat experience to the recruits.

These units fought stubbornly side by side with other Ramke brigade units at Mathieu, Mejez al-Bab and Teurba, opposing the clenching jaws of the Anglo-American forces. In the end, they shared the fate of the rest of the Axis forces in North Africa, surrendering in early May 1943.

One of the episodes of the battles in North Africa deserves a special mention: it shows that even in situations sharply different from the period of high-profile victories at the beginning of the war, German paratroopers continued to show qualities that made the enemy treat them with respect. In November 1942, in Depienne, Tunisia, the German "green devils" first met the "red devils" - British paratroopers. The 2nd British Parachute Battalion of the 6th Parachute Brigade was then commanded by Major John Frost (later, in 1944, he would win the glory of the "hero of the Arnhem Bridge"). The battalion's task in Tunisia was to capture three enemy field airfields. Some of the paratroopers were injured when thrown onto a sandy beachhead. Since the wounded could not march with their comrades, it was decided to leave them in a shelter in a nearby building. The location of the British was discovered by soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 5th Parachute Regiment. Under heavy fire, they stormed the building and captured the survivors. German soldiers acted very nobly in relation to their captives: they provided them with medical assistance, provided them with water, food and cigarettes. After that, the jaegers-paratroopers, having transferred the prisoners to the unit that came to replace, continued the offensive.

Now it is already impossible to establish which part of the British took prisoners: was it the 19th reconnaissance company of the 10th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, the Italian 557th self-propelled artillery group, the 1st battalion of the 92nd Italian infantry regiment, or soldiers of all these parts. It is only known that the German officer who commanded them ordered the British prisoners to dig graves for themselves near the wall, and the Italian machine gunners - to shoot them.

At this moment, fortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Walter Koch returned to the scene. He immediately stopped the massacre and ordered the wounded to receive proper medical attention: in the end, the British paratroopers ended up in one of the POW camps in Italy. Soon after, Koch himself was seriously wounded in the head; after being discharged from the hospital, the hero Eben-Emael, recovering in Germany, died in a mysterious car accident. The surviving employees of his regiment attributed this disaster to the Gestapo: according to Hitler's personal order, the enemy paratroopers were supposed to be treated like saboteurs, shooting them on the spot. Koch violated this order.

In the spring of 1943, the 2nd Parachute Division (2.FJD) was formed in France from the remnants of the Ramke brigade, who escaped captivity along with other soldiers of the Afrika Korps after the battle in Tunisia. She had the same organization as the 1st parachute. The division included the 2nd Parachute Regiment (FJR2), which had experience in fighting in Belgium, Greece and Crete, and the newly formed 6th and 7th Parachute Regiments. The division commander was appointed Bernhard Ramke, who had just been promoted to lieutenant general.

Soldiers of a light anti-aircraft battery of a parachute unit with a "captive": France. 1944 (582/2116/29).

Lieutenant General Ramke, commander of the 2nd parachute division, with paratrooper officers and tank crews in 1944 (Ramke's division was almost completely destroyed during the defense of French Brest). Buttonholes on the collar of an overcoat were not supposed to be worn (580/1988/164).

Paratroopers of the 3rd Parachute Regiment of the 1st Division fought in Sicily in August 1943 and then safely crossed to the Apennine Peninsula. Both the 3rd and 4th regiments of the division again took part in the battles after the landing of the Anglo-American troops in Salerno; and after that the division made a good showing, slowly retreating with battles up the "Italian boot". Even during the fighting near Salerno in September, Marshal Badoglio overthrew the Mussolini regime and concluded a truce with the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. After that, the German command transferred the 2nd parachute-jaeger division from southern France to Rome to stabilize the situation and help German units disarming their former Italian allies. Walter Guericke, who by that time had become the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Regiment, added to his already difficult reputation the merit of the parachute landing of a unit in the Monte Rotondo area in order to capture the Italian General Staff. This operation was carried out just a few days before the Skorzeny group's raid on Gran Sasso: a group of 90 people operated here, which included soldiers of the SS troops and a training parachute battalion. Another small group of paratroopers from the 3rd battalion of the 7th parachute regiment landed on the Elbe on September 17, and on November 12-13, the 1st battalion of the 2nd parachute regiment landed on the island of Leros in the Aegean Sea.

In the last months of 1943, the 1st Parachute Division continued desperate defensive battles in Italy. In November-December, the 2nd division was transferred to southern Ukraine, where it remained until April 1944. In October 1943, a new, 3rd parachute division was formed in France, which included the 5th, 8th and 9th –Th shelf. In December, another parachute division was formed in Perugia, Italy, the 4th, which united the 10th, 11th and 12th regiments. The backbone of the division was personnel transferred from the 2nd Parachute Division and former paratroopers of the Italian Folgore and Nembo divisions. Of these two new divisions, the 3rd remained in France, and the 4th was thrown into the battles that flared up after the Allied landings in Anzio in January 1944. All parachute divisions were now consolidated into two new formations - 1st and 2nd parachute corps (Fallschirm-Korps). The 1st and 4th divisions entered the I corps, the 2nd and 3rd divisions entered the II corps.

If Crete has become a legend of parachuting operations, then Cassino can rightfully be called a legend of defensive battles conducted by parachutists. Overlooking Highway 6 south of Rome, this stronghold of the German defensive "Gustav Line" at the confluence of the Liri, Rapido and Garigliano rivers in the Liri Valley withstood Allied attacks from mid-January to mid-May 1944 by the 1st Parachute Division , which held the defenses here, was commanded by Lieutenant General Richard Heydrich (he received the division after the appointment of Student as commander of both parachute corps). The soldiers of the division literally gnawed into the ground in the ruins of the city and the monastery located on the mountain above it. Here they stayed. Neither massive artillery attacks, nor brutal aerial bombardments, nor direct infantry attacks could break the defenders. As soon as the artillery preparation ended, the paratroopers got out of their hiding places in the middle of the ruins and managed to take places near the machine guns while the enemy climbed the slopes. In the end, an overwhelming superiority in artillery and manpower allowed the Allies to capture Cassino from the flank. But even after the Polish units hoisted their flag over Monte Cassino, the surviving paratroopers of the 1st division retreated in perfect order.

After the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944, German parachute units were among the first to engage with them. The 6th Regiment of the 2nd Parachute Division, attached to the 91st Airborne Division of the Wehrmacht, confronted two American airborne divisions in the Karentan area. The remnants of the 2nd parachute division, replenished in Germany in April after returning from Russia and now stationed in Brittany, were entrusted with the defense of Brest. Ramke held his position until September 20, when the Americans approached his command post at a distance of 100 meters.

Meindl's II parachute corps now included the 3rd and new 5th divisions (it was formed in March 1944 in Reims and included the 13th, 14th and 15th regiments). Both divisions were involved in heavy fighting at Saint-Lo and Caen and suffered serious losses. The 3rd Division was virtually destroyed in the Falaise Cauldron.

At the beginning of September 1944, Student was given command of a formation under the impressive name "1st Parachute Army": it was entrusted with the defense along the front lines in Belgium and Holland, from Antwerp to Maastricht - a stretch of almost 100 kilometers. In fact, this army, with a total strength of about 30,000, had an extremely heterogeneous composition. The old traditions of recruiting parachute-ranger units only from volunteers have long been forgotten. The new units were only called airborne and were recruited for the most part from the soldiers of the Luftwaffe airfield divisions, "dismounted" aircraft crews that did not have combat vehicles, and in general everyone in the uniform of the German Air Force who could handle a rifle. They all grouped around a small core of veterans recruited from the old divisions. Surprisingly, some of these makeshift divisions fought very well in the last months of the war.

The only surviving regiment of the old 2nd parachute division - the 6th - fought in September 1944 with the British and American paratroopers who landed in the Arnhem area during Operation Market Garden. Beside him were fighting units of two divisions, ground in the battles in Normandy - the 3rd and 5th parachute divisions were just withdrawn for reorganization in Belgium and Holland. Having received reinforcements, these divisions took part in the Ardennes offensive in December 1944, and again suffered heavy losses. In support of the Ardennes offensive, von der Heidte's 6th Parachute Regiment undertook a limited parachute landing: on the night of December 15, his soldiers were parachuted into deep snow near the Malmedy-Eupen road. The paratroopers were tasked with cutting the road in order to prevent the transfer of reinforcements to the American forces located on the northern flank of the breakthrough 6th SS Panzer Army. About 125 people took part in the landing, but they did not achieve success. Von der Heidte himself was captured a week later.

Photo, allowing a good view of the branch of paratroopers in Normandy (1944). On the left is a soldier with a captured British light machine gun Bren. Two of the gamekeepers have an army helmet. All are wearing grayish green jump jackets. Please note that even in the last year of the war, the emblems of the Luftwaffe (576/1846 / 19a) were still found on helmets.

The fate of the parachutists in the last months of the war can be summarized in the form of a short list of connections. True, it must be borne in mind that many of them only on paper had the status of a division: in fact, some were only small battle groups.

1st parachute division. Fought to the end in Italy, surrendered in the Imola area in April 1945. The 2nd parachute division. After the fall of Brest, in December 1944, a new division with the same number was formed in Holland. It includes new 2nd, 7th and 21st parachute regiments. Destroyed in the Ruhr in the spring of 1945.

3rd parachute division. Defeated in Normandy, re-formed in Belgium at the end of 1944 from various units of the Luftwaffe. As part of the 15th Army in December 1944 she fought in the Ardennes. The remnants of the division surrendered at the Ruhr in April 1945.

4th parachute division. Fought in Italy until the surrender of German troops on this front; laid down her arms in April 1945 near Vincenza.

5th Parachute Division. It suffered heavy losses in Normandy, then was reinforced by various units of the Luftwaffe in France, Belgium and Holland. Then again heavy losses on the southern flank of the Ardennes offensive (as part of the 7th Army). Surrendered in March 1945 at the Nurburgring.

6th Parachute Division. "Patchwork" division, which united the 17th and 18th regiments; formed in France in June 1944 and badly battered in Normandy. The remains were transferred to the 7th Parachute Division. Reformed in Holland and surrendered to the British near Zutphen in early 1945.

7th parachute division. Designation of the Luftwaffe ground units assembled "from the pine forest". This division, which existed only in documents, never fought in full force. It included separate parts of the 5th and 6th divisions, training personnel and several battle groups (Menzel, Grossmel, Lightved-Hardegg, Greve, Schaefer, Schlukebir, Grunwald). She fought in the Arnhem area, and finally surrendered to the British near Oldenburg.

8th parachute division. Formed at the beginning of 1945 from the 22nd and 24th parachute regiments. Fought in the Ems-Weser area until the final defeat in April 1945.

9th Parachute Division. Formed in December 1944 from the personnel of the Luftwaffe. The regiments of the division were designated 25th, 26th and 27th. She fought on the Eastern Front near Stargorod, Braslau and on the Oder. Destroyed during the last Soviet offensive on Berlin. This unit was commanded by the energetic Bruno Breuer. After the end of the war he was declared a war criminal and executed in 1947. His main fault was actions against the partisans in Crete in 1941.

10th Parachute Division. The remnants of the 1st and 4th divisions, defeated in Italy, were brought together in the 28th, 29th and 30th regiments in March 1945 in the Creme-Melk region in Austria. After the fighting in Moravia, most of the division was taken prisoner by the Soviets.

11th Parachute Division. A division that existed only on paper, which, most likely, did not manage to unite the disparate divisions.

The armament of the German parachute troops does not differ much from the armament of the Wehrmacht infantry. Parachutists used everything standard types small arms, machine guns, mortars, grenade launchers and flame throwers, adopted by the German army. Since 1942, with the transition to the use of parachute units in ground operations, field, medium, anti-tank, anti-aircraft, self-propelled and assault artillery began to be used. Due to the lack of space, we will not dwell in detail on the types of weapons that were widely used in other German troops.

Aviation General Student (right) with paratrooper officers, probably during a training exercise in northwestern Europe (Oberleitenant's cap in the center with a white mediator's ribbon on the maneuvers). 1944 (544/585/31).

In addition to the standard Kar 98K Mauser carbine, the paratroopers used a limited number of shortened, folding or “breaking” rifles. These include the Kar 98/42 and Brunn Gew 33/40, both in 7.92 mm caliber with five-round magazines. In addition to the 33/40 rifle with a folding stock, there was another option, a shortened one, intended for both parachute and mountain rifle troops. The Sauer 38 (H) eight-shot automatic pistol was popular in the Luftwaffe. The most specific weapon of paratroopers was the automatic 7.92-mm FG42 rifle with a 20-round magazine located horizontally on the left, a bipod and a bayonet. Unlike the "assault rifle" MP43 / 44 (SG43), introduced later in the Wehrmacht and parts of the Luftwaffe, the FG42 had a high muzzle velocity and a long firing range.

The parachute units needed light artillery pieces to accompany the first wave of the landing, which could be transported on gliders and dropped by parachutes. In 1941, a 28-mm Panzerbuche 41 anti-tank gun mounted on a light gun carriage with very good characteristics for such a small caliber weapon was specially developed. This gun (in the German classification - anti-tank rifle) was designed for shells with tungsten cores, but already in 1941 the tungsten stack was so scarce that the weapon practically fell out of use.

Light recoilless guns were specific for the parachute artillery units. The recoil from them was almost completely absent, so it was possible to do without a heavy gun carriage and install the barrel on a light metal chassis. Even before the war, the Krupp factories developed a 75-mm gun LG1 with a dacha fire rate of 6500 m and the ability to defeat armored targets. After Rheinmetall created a new carriage for it, the gun was put into service under the designation LG40. These guns were already used in combat operations in Crete. Used in small numbers since 1941, the 105-mm versions LG40 / 1 and LG40 / 2 differed only in the structural elements of the gun carriage. Since 1942 they have been replaced by the 150 mm LG42. The production of recoilless guns in Germany continued until 1944. Then, the abandonment of large-scale airborne operations made them practically useless.

Among the anti-aircraft guns, mention should be made of the 20-mm automatic cannon Flak38, which was produced in a version for parachute troops, featuring a light folding carriage. It made it possible to use the weapon to combat both air and ground targets. The 20 mm MG 151/20 was modified in a similar way. The lelG 18F light infantry cannon under development did not go further than the prototype. Of the jet infantry weapons, it should be said about the 150-mm Do-Gerat - this rocket launcher was used in limited quantities by paratroopers already in 1941. In 1944, a single-shot flamethrower "Einstossflammenwerfer 46" was developed especially for the paratroopers. It provided the release of a jet of flame at a distance of 27 meters for 0.5 seconds.

In the pre-war years, the responsibility for the development of parachutes was assigned to the Technical Equipment Department of the Reich Air Ministry, headed by Professors Hoff and Madelung. The work was carried out at four test stations in Berlin, Rechlin, Darmstadt and Stuttgart. Experiments with theodolites made it possible to set the required parameters; in accordance with them, the Ruckenpackung Zwangauslosung (RZ1) backpack parachute was developed. During testing and entering practical use, its serious disadvantages were noted - excessive swaying during descent and failures of the automatic deployment system. At the beginning of 1940 it was replaced by the RZ16 model, and already in 1941 the RZ20 came to replace it, which remained the main parachute of the Luftwaffe until the end of the war.

The round canopy of the parachute with a diameter of 8.5 m was sewn from 28 silk wedges. The color of the dome was most often white, but sometimes (in particular, during Operation Mercury) parachutes with camouflage domes were used. The folded RZ20 canopy was packed in a cloth bag. A thin cord connected the top point of the folded dome with the neck of the bag, and the bag itself was firmly connected to the pulling device - a piece of powerful sling with a carabiner at the end. The folded canopy with lines was packed in a "package" that was fastened on the back of the parachutist to two shoulder half rings of the harness. From the corners of the "package" two lines descended to the D-shaped rings of the belt part of the harness, which served as the main parachute lock. A nine-meter cord of the drafting device was laid under the upper corners of the "package".

The delivery of the parachutists to the drop site was carried out by vulnerable but reliable three-engine Junker Ju.52 / 3m transport aircraft, which, depending on the configuration, accommodated from 12 to 18 people. The parachutists sat down on benches along the fuselage. When the plane reached the drop zone, the release (Absetzer) gave the command to "Stand up", and the paratroopers lined up in one line, gripping their teeth with an exhaust line next to the hook of the carbine. At the next command, they "fastened on" - they attached the hook to a thick cable fixed along the fuselage wall, along which the hook slid as the parachutist moved to the door. When he reached the door, the parachutist stopped in the opening with legs apart and slightly bent at the knees, hands on the handrails on both sides of the opening. When leaving the plane, it was necessary to push off the handrails with your hands and fall forward - because of the design features of the harness, the paratrooper had to "lie on his stomach" to confuse the jerk when opening the parachute. Young soldiers carefully practiced this cunning maneuver in training. After the line of the exhaust device was completely straightened, due to the jerk of the falling body, the valves of the parachute package were opened and the folded canopy was pulled out. The parachute bag remained hanging over the side of the aircraft at the lower end of the exhaust device, and the thin cord connecting the bag and the parachute panel straightened the canopy to its full length and detached. With a stream of air, the canopy of the parachute swung open with a tangible jerk, and the paratrooper began a free descent.

The design of German parachutes was very different from those adopted in other countries, in particular, British ones. Due to the design features of the lines and the specifics of the packing, the RZ parachutes provided a strong jerk when deploying. But they made it possible to jump from relatively low heights - a significant plus for a person who had to hang under the dome for several minutes, expecting that the enemy was about to open fire from the ground. Usually, the landing was carried out from a height of 110-120 m, and one of the groups of paratroopers in Crete was successfully thrown from a height of only 75 m. To fully deploy the RZ20, an altitude of about 40 m was required.

The RZ16 and RZ20 parachute harness was Irwin's classic chest harness with a gazebo. The main loops spanned the ribcage, lower back and thighs and were connected by vertical ligaments that ran on both sides of the body and crossed over the back (see color illustrations). The big drawback of the RZ series parachutes, however, was the system of attaching the lines to the harness. It is even surprising that the Germans, whose military equipment, as a rule, was of very high quality, did not "finish" the development of this most important technical issue. D-shaped half-rings on the lumbar loop were intended for attaching parachute lines collected in two bundles in the form of an inverted V. Such an attachment repeated the old Italian Salvatore system (the British, for example, abandoned it) and retained its main drawback: the parachutist simply "hung" in the harness during descent and could not change the volume and inclination of the canopy.

This had several consequences, all of which were negative. First of all, the famous "dive" of the German paratrooper from the plane door was caused by technical necessity, not bravado: at the moment of opening the dome, the paratrooper's body had to be in a horizontal position, otherwise a sharp and painful jerk could bend the body in half. If the paratrooper was in an upright position, the jerk when opening the canopy would be too low, and the paratrooper could simply turn over - too dangerous a situation, especially when dropped from a low altitude.

Secondly, after being thrown from the plane, the paratrooper could not control the descent by adjusting the tension of the lines, and was completely dependent on the direction of the wind. Moreover, the German paratroopers did not have the opportunity to turn around when landing facing the wind - as a result, they could not at the last moment reduce the speed of descent and, accordingly, the force of the impact upon landing.

Due to the low attachment of the lines to the harness, the German paratroopers descended, keeping the body inclined forward at an angle of almost 45 °. Just before landing, making swimming movements with his arms and legs, the parachutist could try to turn his face in the direction of the wind, so as not to be thrown onto his back immediately after landing. If this succeeded, it was possible to extinguish the force of the blow by making a forward roll, but in this case, when landing almost simultaneously, the toes of the boots, knees and hands of the paratrooper touched the surface. That is why paratroopers placed so much emphasis on protecting ankles, knees and wrists - something that the Americans, British or Russians almost never had to do. To imagine all this, the reader must forget the familiar pictures of the landing of modern parachutists: vertical landing with precise control of the parachute was not available to the German paratroopers during the Second World War. Landing with a roll forward of a man equipped with heavy ammunition and weapons on an RZ20 parachute at a speed of descent from 3.5 to 5.5 m / s, even in the absence of horizontal wind, was a risky undertaking; landing fractures were common.

One way or another, immediately after landing, the paratrooper had to get rid of the harness as quickly as possible (by the way, for this, the German paratrooper needed to unfasten four buckles, while the English one needed only one). The inability to "extinguish" the parachute canopy on the ground by adjusting the length of the lines was the last of the dangers. In a strong crosswind, a swollen dome could drag a paratrooper for a long time; there are many cases when, just after landing, paratroopers were carried out to sea or smashed to death on stones.

Let us recall once again: all these dangers to which the German paratroopers were exposed were the result of the specific (very low) attachment of the parachute lines to the harness. This is especially surprising when you consider that the Luftwaffe pilots were equipped with Irwin's harness parachutes with high shoulder lines! It is known that in the middle of 1943 the Germans developed a triangular parachute with better characteristics, which made it possible to control the conditions of the descent to a certain extent, but this RZ36 never entered the troops.

The parachute training of the German paratroopers was carried out very carefully. During the training, young fighters were taught the skills that were supposed to reduce the risk of injury from imperfect equipment. Initially, the basic landing techniques were practiced in the gym. At the same time, the soldiers got acquainted with the structure of parachutes, learned how to pack them (later, parachutists independently packed only the pull cord). Then came the turn of imitation jumps from the model of the fuselage and learning how to handle the harness. After comprehending the basics, they switched to real jumps. In the course of training, it was supposed to make six training jumps, and the first was made at an individual height of about 200 m, and the rest - in a group, under different flight conditions and from ever lower altitudes. The last jump was performed simultaneously by 36 paratroopers, who jumped from three aircraft from a height of about 120 m, and after landing immediately proceeded to perform a tactical training task on the ground. The volunteers who successfully completed the training course received the coveted parachutist badge (Fallschirmschutzenabzeichen).

Unlike their opponents - the paratroopers of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition - the German paratroopers could not carry heavy equipment during the descent. The British and Americans, for example, packed everything they needed in rather heavy bags, which were attached with slings to the harness; these bags, hanging down, at the last moment somewhat dampened the landing speed, finding themselves on the ground before their owner. The German paratrooper could take with him only the lightest equipment and personal weapons. Weapon containers (Waffenhalter) were used to drop the main weapons, ammunition, food, medicine, communications and everything else that could be needed on the ground and in battle. Due to the inevitable dispersion during the release, the containers always found themselves at a greater or lesser distance from the landing parachutists. Their search and transportation could become a matter of life and death: in Crete, for example, many German paratroopers died under enemy fire due to the need to get to containers.

During Operation Mercury, at least three different standard sizes of containers were used. The smaller ones were used to drop the heaviest loads, such as ammunition, and the largest ones were used for the bulky but relatively light ones (in particular, medicines).

The shape and design of the containers remained unchanged throughout the war. However, after the operation to capture Crete, instead of the three original standard sizes, only one was left: 150 long, 40 cm high and 40 cm wide.The containers were equipped with stiffeners, several canvas handles, some with a pair of small rubberized wheels and a metal T-shaped folding handle. The weight of the packed container was about 100 kg, 14 containers were relied on for a platoon (43 fighters). On the end wall, opposite to the attachment of the parachute lines, there was a crushable metal shock-absorbing system in the form of a thin-walled corrugated pipe. The containers, as a rule, were placed on special frames in the cargo compartments of the Ju.52, but could also be attached under the wings of transport Junkers or other aircraft - for example, the He.111.

1. The former soldier of the Wehrmacht parachute infantry battalion (Fallschirm-Infanterie-Bataillon) still wears a green jump jacket: this piece of uniform was assigned to the soldiers of this particular unit. Such jackets were also worn some time later after the reassignment of the battalion of the Luftwaffe. The jacket did not have a collar and was supplied with two full-length zippers; two additional snap fasteners at the top of the chest prevented spontaneous opening of the zippers. This model was noticeably shorter than the subsequent ones, and shrank at the bottom. An army emblem in the form of an eagle with straight wings was sewn on the right side of the chest (such emblems could sometimes be seen on Luftwaffe jackets until 1940). On the left sleeve there are army chevrons of rank insignia. Special parachutist trousers outwardly resembled army field trousers of the 1943 model, but were sewn from a greener fabric. At the ankles, the trousers were fastened with tabs with buttons and had two back and two side pockets, as well as a small "watch" pocket on the right at the waist. At the knee level, under the side seams, there were slits that were fastened with buttons. Through these slots it was possible to put on rectangular knee pads filled with kapok. In the photographs, the slit on the left leg is usually invisible, and the right one is visible, since a vertical pocket for a switch knife was sewn behind it, covered with a flap with three large snap fasteners. (A special switchblade; included in the parachutist's standard equipment. Its blade went into and out of the handle due to gravity and was automatically fixed, so that, if necessary, the knife could be operated with one hand. In case of danger, the knife could be used to cut lines.)

In addition to internal knee pads, when jumping over trousers, they wore another pair of external, more massive ones. They were made of leather and filled with spongy rubber, and attached to the legs with crisscross elastic bands. Jumping boots of the early design were distinguished by a peculiar cut and lacing, located not in front, but on the outer surface of the ankles. The boots were supplied with a thick sole with a deep V-shaped groove.

The first sample of paratroopers' helmets outwardly looked like a German army steel helmet of the 1935 model, but with a weakly pronounced, as if "sawn-off" visor and back cap. This experimental specimen featured a small horizontal slit in the anterior lower part of the nasal head, above the ear. Very soon, this helmet was replaced with a steel helmet of the 1938 model - with almost no visor at all and with a very small back cap (Fig. 2). The shape of the helmet has become a little more rounded. The black chinstrap remained, like the previous model, V-shaped. Paratroopers' helmets were painted in a bluish-gray "Luftwaffe color" and two images were applied to them: on the right - a shield of state colors (black-white-red), and on the left - a white Luftwaffe eagle.

When jumping, parachutists wore black leather gloves with elastic leggings.

The parachute harness could be of two slightly different types. This figure shows a variant found in pre-war photographs; apparently, it was used with the RZ1 parachutes (the RZ16 knapsack parachute was adopted in 1940, and the RZ20 in 1941; it is possible that the harnesses of the early type were used with the RZ1, and the later, shown in Fig. 2, with the RZ16 and RZ20, but this is nothing more than a guess.) The early harness had two simple shoulder straps criss-crossed on the back; two half rings were attached slightly above the cross. Early photographs show parachute bags with a lanyard folded into loops and secured vertically to the right. The bag had a white vertical stripe on the left, and the double straps connecting the canopy to the half-rings of the harness protruded from under the bag flaps in the lower corners. The later strapping shown in fig. 2, was supplied with a shoulder cloth "yoke", inside of which the shoulder straps passed. The lanyard was fastened horizontally at the top of the bag, and the lines connecting the system to the D-rings were covered with flaps in the upper corners of the bag. Early parachutes are known to have failed automatic deployment systems, so it is possible that the changes shown here were the result of attempts to get rid of this dangerous flaw.

2. We have already described the main differences in the design of the parachute bag and harness. Now let's turn our attention to the jacket. Shown here is the so-called "first version of the Luftwaffe jump jacket", which the rangers-parachutists received when forming the unit. The jacket is made of the same dense greenish material as the army jump jacket shown in fig. 1. The Luftwaffe jackets, however, now have a turn-down collar. A distinctive feature of the overalls jacket was the short "legs", into which the legs had to be threaded when dressing. Covered with a small vertical flap, there is only one fastener, in the middle of the chest, from collar to step: first it was made with buttons, then with a zipper. The early models of the jacket did not have pockets on the chest - only two side welt pockets. The Luftwaffe emblem was embroidered with white thread on a blue backing and attached to the chest on the right. Later, specially for wearing on jackets, they introduced emblems on a blue backing. There is evidence that these jackets were also made of gray fabric.

3. This non-commissioned officer is dressed in the standard service uniform of the Luftwaffe for junior non-commissioned officers ("non-commissioned officers without harness"), differing only in the insignia of the parachute troops. Cap (Schirmmutze) of the German Air Force, blue Luftwaffe with black rim, visor and chin strap. Along the edges of the bottom and rim - edging in color according to the type of troops, in this case golden yellow, assigned to the flight crew and paratroopers. A flight blouse (Fliegerbluse) with an official uniform was worn with an unbuttoned collar, without a shirt or tie (for an output uniform, a light blue shirt and a black tie were worn under the blouse). Initially, the blouses of non-commissioned officers and privates did not have pockets. From November 1940 it was ordered to sew blouses with slant side pockets covered with buttoned flaps with rounded corners. Officer's blouses were sewn with welt side pockets without flaps. On the collar there are buttonholes of applied color according to the type of troops, with a single "eagle" according to the military rank. From one to four "eagles" were supposed to be lower ranks from the gamekeeper to the guardian. Non-commissioned officers from non-commissioned officer to stafffeldwebel also wore one to four "eagles" on each buttonhole, but at the same time they trimmed the edge of the collar with silver galloon (Tresse). All those on active duty wore edging in an applied color (Waffenfarbe) along the outer edge of the collar, the same piping went along the edge of the shoulder straps. Starting with a non-commissioned officer, ranks were designated by galloon lining along the edge of the shoulder strap and quadrangular asterisks. For ranks below a non-commissioned officer, the insignia consisted of silver-gray chevrons sewn on the left sleeve. One chevron was assigned to a corporal, two to a re-freighter, and three to a Haupt-freighter. Two chevrons with an asterisk denoted the rank of staff officer, introduced in February 1944. The non-commissioned officer in the picture wore a blouse with straight bluish-gray Luftwaffe trousers and standard army boots. Belt with Luftwaffe buckle; the leather equipment of the German Air Force was originally dark brown.

The emblem of the Luftwaffe - the so-called. a flying eagle - they began to sew on the chest on the right only from March 1940; before that, there were no emblems on flight blouses. On the left chest there is a parachutist's badge, introduced since November 1936: a silvered wreath of oak and laurel branches (since the end of 1942 - blackened) with a golden eagle. The military analogue of the badge, introduced in June 1937, continued to be worn only by former employees of the army parachute unit who received qualifications from June 1937 to January 1939.The army badge had a wreath only of oak leaves, with an army eagle (with straight wings) and with a swastika in the center above, or a silver diving eagle, but without a swastika in its claws. These qualifying badges (Fallschirmschutzenabzeichen) were only awarded after completing the course and completing six test jumps. According to official rules, further wearing the badge required an annual retraining.

A green ribbon sewn over the cuff of the right sleeve bears the inscription, embroidered with silver-gray thread: Fallschirm-Jager Rgt. 1. Officer's sleeve ribbons were distinguished by silver embroidery and a silver stripe along the edge. The same ribbons (with the corresponding replacement of the number) were assigned to the ranks of the 2nd regiment, and the soldiers of the 7th Air Division and the staff of the parachute school in Stendal wore ribbons of the same pattern with the inscription Fallschirm-Division (but without the stripe along the edge of the officer ribbons). It should be borne in mind that the wearing of all three ribbons was canceled by order in 1939, shortly after the start of the war; as a result, these tapes can only be seen in rare photographs.

1. The officer in the landing zone takes off his jump jacket to get his personal equipment: before the jump he had to hide it under the jacket and then get it out. This procedure took quite a long time due to the fact that the German paratroopers had to unfasten four carbines in order to remove the harness, and then get out of the legs of the jump jacket-overalls. The Germans had to go for it because of the danger posed by the equipment worn over the overalls: the parachute lines could catch on it at the moment of opening the canopy.

The officer's head is protected by an ordinary steel parachutist helmet; however, photographs taken in Norway in 1940 show that some paratroopers at that time wore ordinary army helmets, and some - early experimental helmets, similar to army ones; they are easily distinguished by the horizontal slit above the ear (see Fig. 1 in the previous illustration). The "first model" jump jackets in 1940 were fitted with pockets. This color chart shows the different cuts for the jacket. Some jackets had only one breast pocket on the left, others had one breast pocket and two front hip pockets, with horizontal fasteners. It seems that these early jackets were always fastened with an open (not covered with a flap) white plastic zipper: the flap appeared in 1941. At this time, they began to use a stylized system of insignia by rank - the same as on flight jackets and overalls of the Luftwaffe. On the reddish-brown or dark blue rectangular flap above the elbow on the right and left, white or grayish "eagles" and stripes were sewn or stenciled. The lieutenant, chief lieutenant and captain were entitled to one strip and from one to three "eagles" above it. The major, lieutenant colonel and colonel have one or three "eagles" over two stripes.

Under the jacket, the chief lieutenant wears an officer's flying blouse with a silver piping along the edge of the collar (for the lower ranks, the piping is of a golden-yellow instrument color). Buttonholes in color according to the type of troops also with silver piping. On the collar tabs there are rank insignia. In general, they corresponded to those just described, with one, two or three "eagles", but for the chief officers, instead of a strip under them, a half-wreath of oak leaves was depicted, and for the headquarters officers the "eagles" were entirely surrounded by a wreath. On the right breast there is an emblem embroidered with silver thread. The shoulder straps of the chief officers on the lining of the applied color were laid out with a silver tourniquet. The lieutenants' shoulder straps were "clean", the chief lieutenants and captains - respectively, with one or two golden rectangular stars.

When jumping, they took a minimum of equipment with them. This officer wears the usual Wehrmacht brown belt harness with a two-toothed frame buckle (officer's version), a Luger Po8 holstered on the left, a field bag, and a flask. Around the neck are binoculars and a gas mask in a bag made of fieldgrau-colored fabric specially designed for parachutists.

2-3. These two soldiers are uniformly uniform and equipped. Figure: 2 depicts a soldier of the 1st parachute regiment who fought in Holland. For camouflage purposes, the three-color "imperial" shield on the helmet on the right is smeared with paint, but the image of the eagle on the left is left. Jaeger carries two boxes of machine gun belts to MG-34; his personal weapon is the standard Wehrmacht carbine Mauser Kar 98K. The equipment is worn over the jacket: a belt harness, shoulder straps, an automatic pistol in a holster (pistols were relied on for all parachutists performing a jump), a gas mask bag, a biscuit bag and a bowler hat on the right side. Probably on his left side he has a small sapper shovel and a bayonet knife. A characteristic feature of the paratrooper's outfit, which appeared in 1940, is the transverse bandolier. The cartridge belt for a Mauser rifle with a capacity of 100 rounds consisted of 12 horizontal cloth pockets on a wide belt made of the same material. The bandolier was worn around the neck and attached to the waist belt with loops on the inner surface. Six pockets of a bandolier were located on both sides of the chest. Four lower pockets had flaps fastened with buttons both on the outside and on the inside, and the top two had only one flap facing the middle of the chest. When jumping, such bandoliers were worn under a jacket.

The non-commissioned officer (Fig. 3) has no insignia on his sleeve — it seems that in 1940 they were rarely worn. Shown here is a soldier from Major Witzig's assault group during the capture of Eben-Emael (the drawing is based on two photographs that complement each other well). It seems that during this operation, all the huntsmen carefully covered their helmets with mud for the purpose of camouflage. In this assault group, about one in four paratroopers was armed with a submachine gun; it looks like everyone had only one pouch for three magazines, and everyone, as usual, had pistols. The NCO's jacket has hip pockets stuffed with grenades. Pay attention to the Wehrmacht flashlight on the chest - a characteristic element of the junior commander's equipment. Possible options for the placement of the MP40 submachine gun during the jump are shown in the following illustration (Fig. 1 and 2), but in this case it did not matter, since the landing on the roof of the Eben Emael fort was carried out using gliders.

1. In the course of the Cretan operation, for the first time, cloth covers for helmets appeared, which were sewn from a greenish material that went to jackets; the cover could be supplied with a tape for foliage camouflage, threaded into cneally sewn loops. Such a cloth cover was held on the helmet by six hooks fixed around the perimeter. Similar covers made of greenish fabric were encountered until the end of the war. The jumpsuit is still an early design, but with four pockets, all with zippers and rectangular flaps. This parachutist, ready to board an airplane, has the parachute suction end clamped between his teeth - a common technique to free his hands.

Of greatest interest is the soldier's weapons and equipment. Most often, pouches with magazines for a submachine gun were wrapped around the shins below the knee pads. The MP40 itself with a folded butt is put into an impromptu case (possibly made from a parachutist's gas mask) and tucked under the harness.

2. At the time of the capture of Crete, many paratroopers were already wearing so-called "second design" jump jackets. Outwardly, they were similar to the previous ones, but they were made of green fabric with camouflage patterns. It is much more important, however, that the design of the overalls was abandoned in their cut. As a result, it became much more convenient to get to the equipment covered by the jacket. Jackets of the "second sample" were completely open, and the system of fasteners made it possible to fasten each floor around the thigh in preparation for the jump, and after landing again quickly turn the improvised "overalls" into a jacket. In Crete, camouflage-colored cloth helmets were also used for the first time. Most often they were sewn from four pieces of fabric, with an additionally sewn "bottom", crossed with cloth ribbons. Around the circumference of the helmet, as before, there was a tape of the day of fastening deciduous camouflage. On steel helmets, these covers were attached with hooks with elastic bands.

By May 1941, sleeve insignia became widespread. For non-commissioned officers, they represented from one to four "eagles" and four "eagles" with a rectangular asterisk under them, respectively, for a non-commissioned officer, a non-commissioned sergeant major, a sergeant major, a chief sergeant major and a stafffeldwebel.

Instead of jumping boots with side lacing, it is increasingly common to get a version with lacing in the front: such shoes were easier to manufacture and more reliable (the practical role of side lacing is generally difficult to understand). The parachute harness was slightly modified, instead of the old D-rings, patented buckles with elastic straps were installed at the same points; the simple buckle on the hip belt harness has also been replaced.

Notice also the submachine gun firmly attached to the harness on the left - a much more practical attachment method than the one shown in fig. 1, but also presents a danger when landing, especially when performing a forward roll, which is common for German parachutists. No official instructions are known regarding how to fix the MP40 when landing; on the contrary, a number of sources indicate that jumping with small arms is considered dangerous and paratroopers were advised to carry only pistols. This was also risky, but for a different reason: in order to provide himself with weapons, the paratrooper had to find a container on the ground, which could be carried quite far by the winds during descent. And yet it is known that during the Cretan operation, every fourth huntsman-paratrooper was armed with an MP40, and during subsequent landing, all soldiers were armed with submachine guns. In some photographs taken at the parachute school in Stendal, one can clearly distinguish the paratroopers holding their rifles in their outstretched arms as they lower them. But whether this was a common practice and whether this technique was used in combat drops remains a mystery.

3. Sometimes officers "for glamor" wore a jacket with a field uniform, and not an officially prescribed flight blouse. This custom is documented in several photographs, in particular of Colonel Breuer of the 1st Regiment and Captain Schirmer of the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Parachute Jaeger Regiment in Heraklion. As a rule, caps were not worn when performing jumps, but some officers could get them immediately after landing. The same applies to caps, as shown in the following illustration (Fig. 3).

All Luftwaffe officers wore uniform caps: all were entitled to the same silver insignia, silver soutache cords, and silver edging along the edges of the bottom and rim. The uniforms with four pockets bore the same insignia as on the flying blouses: shoulder straps on the lining of an applied color with insignia of rank, an eagle of the Luftwaffe embroidered with silver thread, a silver edging along the edge of the collar and buttonholes in an applied color, trimmed with silver thread.

1. The figure shows the position of the parachutist during the descent (detailed discussion in the text of the book).

2. Photographs show that in Crete, assault troops often wore steel helmets without cloth covers. Because of the heat, jackets were usually worn over a naked torso and sleeves rolled up; Shown here is a "second design" camouflage jacket, with flaps covering white plastic zippers on all pockets. Lightweight equipment was used - in the photographs of the beginning of the Cretan operation, it can be seen that the paratroopers most often wore belt harnesses, shoulder Y-shaped belts, bowlers, rusks and pouches or cartridge belts. Shown here is a paratrooper who was lucky enough to find a dropped container with weapons in the shootable landing zone.

Shown here is a version of a container that became standard after the Cretan operation, but containers of various sizes were used at the time described. Bright colors, identification stripes and symbols were used to make it easier to find equipment in the fever of the first minutes after landing. The radio containers shown in the photographs are marked with large “lightning bolts” applied in not very bright paint along the white sides, and the container with medicines is marked on all sides with red medical crosses. Our parachutist takes a Mauser carbine from a standard container with weapons and ammunition.

3. A common headdress for all ranks was a gray-blue cap (Fliegermutze, Schiffchen). The Luftwaffe pilots differed from the army ones by a slightly more sharpened lapel line - theoretically, the lapels of the ground troops' caps could be lowered to cover the ears in bad weather. Officer caps differed from soldier caps only in higher quality and silver piping along the edge of the lapel. A white (silver for officers) eagle was sewn along the front on the cap, and the black-white-red cockade is placed under it on the lapel. By the end of 1943, the caps were almost completely replaced by the single field caps (Einheitsfeldmutze) - a sample of this headgear is shown in one of the following illustrations. In Crete, where tropical uniforms were found only in single copies, and later in Sicily and Italy, where paratroopers evacuated from Africa met with those who fought in Europe, elements of tropical and ordinary uniforms were often mixed, although this was officially prohibited.

The tropical Luftwaffe uniform can only be found in a few photographs taken during the landing in Crete. This drawing was taken from a photograph of Major Karl-Lothar Schultz, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Parachute Regiment. The tunic, made of dense cotton fabric of an intense yellow hue, is noticeably different from the faded olive army uniforms in both color and cut. There is no edging on the collar, and the buttonholes that the major were supposed to do were also not worn. True, they are visible in the photograph of another officer wearing a tropical uniform in Sicily - Colonel Heilman of the 3rd Parachute Regiment. On the uniforms of the tropical uniform, they wore ordinary shoulder straps: for the headquarters officers, they were twisted "caterpillars" on a substrate of applied color. The lieutenant colonel's shoulder straps had one quadrangular star, the colonel's - two. The breast eagle was embroidered directly on the uniforms of a tropical uniform: for officers, sewing was carried out with bluish-gray or white thread on a brownish base. Judging by the photographs, some officers preferred to rearrange breast eagles on their tunics from their usual uniform - embroidered with silver wire on a blue backing.

1. Tropical tunic is worn with matching trousers, featuring loose legs with a large patch pocket on the left hip. The trousers are gathered at the ankles and in this case are worn over the jump boots, not tucked into them. On solemn occasions, a dark khaki shirt with the same or brown tie was worn under the tunic. In the field, shirts were worn with an open collar or with a scarf. In Africa, a summer version of the usual Luftwaffe officer's cap was widespread, without edging along the edge of the bottom, with a white lining. Another type of headgear was often encountered - the Meyer's cap (see Fig. 2), as well as the officer's version of the tropical cap (Fig. 3), which was distinguished by a silver edging along the edge of the lapel.

Let's pay attention to some details. On the chest on the right is a silver Spanish cross with swords (third degree out of six possible). It was awarded for display of courage or in memory of service in the Condor Legion in Spain from 1936 to 1939. On the right sleeve is a Luftwaffe "Africa" \u200b\u200bcuff tape. Officers 'ribbons were embroidered in silver on a dark blue base; soldiers' embroidery was gray. Such ribbons were issued from February 1942 to February 1943. to all Luftwaffe personnel serving in Africa. Later, they were replaced by a ribbon common to all branches of the army, which was supposed to be worn on the left sleeve - brown, with gray letters and palm trees.

2. Special tropical Luftwaffe caps, nicknamed "Hermann Meyer", were worn in the Mediterranean since April 1942 by both soldiers and officers of parachute units and the Hermann Goering division. Caps "Hermann Meyer" were sewn of sand-colored fabric with a red lining, they relied on flat embroidered emblems of the usual Luftwaffe design. Caps were supplied with a light leather chin strap and a valve that could cover the neck.

Luftwaffe tropical shirts differed from army shirts with full-length button closure. Shirts could be with a breast eagle on a triangular brownish backing, sewn on the right, or without it. In the latter case, the only insignia were shoulder straps (during parades, metal insignia of distinction could additionally be pinned). There were shirts with gray-blue shoulder straps of the "European" uniform, and with shoulder straps of a special "tropical" pattern - they are shown in this figure. These shoulder straps have a dark sandy backing, edging of an applied color, but the non-commissioned officer's braid is brown.

The shorts that came with the tropical uniform were quite long and wide, and the photos show that they were often tucked up. This NCO wears them with a regular Luftwaffe belt, with a full set of MP38 / 40 canvas magazine pouches that came with tropical equipment (note that only the left pouch had a small accessory pocket). The bluish gray socks are wrapped around the edges of the jump boots (they began to be sewn from brown leather, and not just black, as before). In Africa, skydivers wore both ankle-high brown army boots and high-rise tropical boots made of leather and canvas.

3. In this theater of operations, "tropical" versions of Luftwaffe caps were often encountered. The emblem was embroidered with a dull blue-gray thread on a brownish backing, and the black-white-red "imperial" cockade was somewhat larger and more convex. The photographs indicate that, although some officers wore their proper caps with silver soutache along the edge of the false lapels, many wore simple soldier caps without even rearranging the officers' emblems. In Africa, jump jackets were worn in both green fabric and camouflage fabric. Apparently, this jacket was made to order, as it has a non-statutory ammunition sling sewn on the front. But since there is no additional evidence of the existence of such variants of the uniform, we did not depict them in the drawings. Ordinary bandoliers for the tropics were made of tarpaulin. Another type of equipment often encountered in the field is a pair of canvas bags for stock grenades.

Hans Teske, who served in the 5th parachute regiment after being transferred from the assault regiment, recalled that in the 1st company of his battalion everyone wore blue scarves with small white polka dots. According to his recollections, the bull's helmets were painted in a sandy color of a slightly pinkish hue, and some added a little sand to the paint to achieve a matte effect. On the left of the helmets, the image of the company emblem was sometimes applied. It was a comet (later one became the emblem of the 4th parachute division), but company colors. The headquarters company has a white bull's emblem, the 1st company has a black one with white edging.

The huntsman's weapon is the “breaking” Czech rifle Brunn Gew 33/40, which was supplied to the parachute units in small batches.

1. The "Father of the Parachute Troops" is dressed in the usual uniform of a general of the Luftwaffe. Caps of this type were relied on to all officers of the German Air Force, but the generals had all insignia, edging, cords and buttons in gold. Tunic (Tuchrock) with gold buttons, piping on the collar and chest emblem. The buttonholes and lining of shoulder straps were white for the generals. On the buttonholes with gold edging there were images of one, two or three golden "eagles" in a wreath: corresponding to the ranks of major general, lieutenant general and full general. The rank of colonel-general was indicated by the same buttonholes with the image of a large "flying eagle" of the Luftwaffe over two crossed wands, with the eagle's wings extending beyond the wreath. Shoulder straps made of gold thread with an admixture of silver were without stars or carried from one to three stars - corresponding to four general ranks. The breeches, which were worn with an official uniform, had double wide stripes in white with white edging in the gap.

The figure shows the student's awards. On the neck is the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On the left pocket there is an observer pilot's badge, under it there is a silver badge denoting the re-awarding of the 1st class Iron Cross during the Second World War (this award was already earned by the Student during the First World War) and the Iron Cross itself. To the left is a silver wound badge, and to the right is a large silver Imperial pilot's badge.

Above the left cuff is a white with yellow letters "Cretan ribbon": these commemorative ribbons were given to all ranks of all branches of the military who took part in the battles on the island from May 19 to May 27, 1941. Contrary to some statements, Student did personally take part in the landing.

2. The basis for this generalized image of the parachutist was the photographs of the participants in the parade, during which Goering presented awards to those who distinguished themselves in the battles at Cassino, as well as a photograph of Major Baron von der Heidte. It was a unique case when German parachutists took part in a ceremonial formation, wearing parachute harnesses over ironed jump jackets and field uniforms, with all the insignia. Various sources refer to these straps as "simplified". It is difficult to determine how they differ from the harnesses used by the wounds, except for a greater fit (most likely in preparation for the parade) and the absence of the parachute itself. A small colored inset shows the position of the straps on the back of the old harness. The major has the following insignia and awards: on the right chest - the national emblem (a variant for the Luftwaffe) over the gold Military Order of the German Cross. On the left (somewhat tighter than usual, due to the harness being worn) - the 1st class Iron Cross, the parachutist's badge, the Luftwaffe badge for participating in ground battles and the wound badge. On the sleeve of the jacket there is a "Cretan ribbon" (only on the left) and patches of insignia by rank (on both sleeves). Theoretically, some officers and soldiers could have the right to wear two armbands at once - "African" and "Cretan". In this case, according to the photographs, the "African" ribbon was sewn just above the "Cretan" one on the left sleeve of the uniform.

3. As already mentioned, in Italy, elements of the basic and tropical uniforms were often mixed. The version of the unified field cap of the Luftwaffe for the tropics was made of the same dull sandy fabric as the entire uniform. The caps were supposed to have the same insignia as on the caps (see the previous illustration, Fig. 3). The jump jacket is made of brownish camouflage fabric; camouflage of the so-called "blurred" type. In 1943-1945. there were jackets of all three color options - green, with "comminuted" and "blurred" camouflage. In 1944-1945. jackets made of Italian camouflage fabric with a specific pattern also gained some distribution. Since the overwhelming majority of paratroopers fought as simple infantry after 1941, their equipment began to approach more and more that of the army. This soldier is wearing regular army boots. The gas mask box and shoulder straps are also army-standard (note that the belts are black, infantry).

A dull yellow assault pack frame connects the Y-shaped shoulder straps and a waist belt at the back. A bowler hat and a rain cape made of fabric with a "comminuted" pattern are suspended from the frame. Under the cape, there is a bag with bivouac equipment. A cracker bag and a flask, as well as a sapper shovel and a bayonet are attached to the waist belt with belts. Despite all the change in the use of paratroopers in landing operations, they still retained their Lugers and Walters - pistols were carried in holsters on a belt on the left. The huntsman is armed with an FG42 automatic rifle. Pay attention to the sling for the magazines for this weapon. Such sashes were sewn from fabric of bluish-gray or brownish color, as well as material with a camouflage pattern. The sling had eight pockets, each of which was closed on the "inside" side with a flap with two buttons. Helmets in Italy and North-Western Europe were often covered with mesh - there were not enough cloth covers.

1. In addition to their usual equipment, paratroopers on the Eastern Front received all variants of army one-color or two-color (eversion) uniforms. In the photo that was used to create this drawing, the baggy pants are mouse-gray on one side and white on the inside. The lieutenant slipped these trousers over the floor of a green jump jacket. On the sleeves of the jacket there are dark blue stripes with insignia: they were rearranged from the Luftwaffe winter flight overalls. The steel helmet, gear, binoculars, and even gloves are covered in white for camouflage.

2. In addition to the white painted helmets and the usual blue uniforms, some photographs show special winter versions of the Luftwaffe uniform field caps. They were sewn from natural sheepskin and provided with visors and insignia. Winter camouflage suits were made of thin fabric and did not provide protection from the cold; they were worn over warm uniforms. Colored armbands, fastened with buttons, were used in the Wehrmacht as field markings to distinguish their own from the Russians: winter overalls were almost the same.

3. At the final stage of the war, paratroopers (many of whom, most likely, never made a single jump) began to use more and more army equipment. Specific helmets of paratroopers began to be painted in "army" grayish-green color (fieldgrau), and household metal mesh-netting were used to attach camouflage. In winter, woolen comforters were worn under the helmets. For insulation, this huntsman put on the usual grayish-blue Luftaffe overcoat, and over it he pulled on a jacket, which was increasingly used instead of a jump jacket: this is a camouflage field jacket of the Luftwaffe (they were widely used by soldiers and officers of airfield divisions). These jackets were sewn from fabric with "comminuted" camouflage patterns, equipped with a turn-down collar, shoulder straps and had two or four pockets. Stores for the SiG44 assault rifle are stuffed into pockets - there were not enough special pouches for three magazines. Pay attention to the usual combat boots. The 5th Parachute Division had a series of clashes with the 28th American Division; it looks like this ranger was lucky during the attack on the American transport.

1. Here is shown the typical appearance of a paratrooper at the end of the war - such rangers could be found on all fronts, and almost always there was an increasing convergence of their appearance with ordinary Wehrmacht soldiers. In some of the photographs in this book, you can see the use of ordinary army helmets instead of steel helmets for parachutists - this ranger has a helmet covered with camouflage mesh. On the jacket with a "blurred" camouflage pattern, you can see the cloth "holster" sewn to the rear right margin of the "second sample" jacket; apparently these "holsters" were never actually used. The gray and gallob trousers of the Luftwaffe are tucked into canvas gaiters: in 1943-1945. boots were increasingly replaced by boots that were worn with gaiters. Armament - 88-mm anti-tank rocket launcher RPzB54.

2. In addition to the units of self-propelled guns that were part of the parachute divisions, in the first months of 1944 in Melun (France) two assault artillery brigades were formed from volunteer paratroopers, which were to be at the disposal of the corps or the army. These brigades were armed with assault guns (in the German army during the Second World War, the name “assault gun” corresponded to the Soviet “self-propelled artillery mounts.” Self-propelled guns mentioned in this paragraph were classified in the Wehrmacht as “self-propelled gun carriages” - Ed.) ... StuG III. In the winter of 1944-1945. The 12th Assault Artillery Brigade provided support for the 5th Parachute Division on the southern flank of the Ardennes offensive. The brigade went through heavy fighting with the 4th American Armored Division in the Bastogne area, and then it was transferred to the Eastern Front. The 12th Brigade suffered heavy losses in the Falaise Cauldron in the summer of 1944, and then, as part of the 1st Parachute Army, fought on the borders of Germany, supporting its 7th Division. At the end of the war, the brigade ended up in Cuxhaven, where it became part of the 12th Army.

Only a few photographs of the personal composition of these brigades are known. We have selected a photo of Ober-Feldwebel Brendl from StuG-Bde.XII, who received the German Gold Cross for the battle at the Reichswald. He wore a gray army assault artillery uniform, but judging by the photo, a lighter shade. Interestingly, his collar tabs are complemented by small L-shaped non-commissioned officers' braids. Shoulder straps of the usual for the Luftwaffe grayish-blue color, with a standard designation of rank and applied color according to the type of troops. The Oberfeldwebel wears the Iron Cross of the 1st class, a paratrooper badge, and the Luftwaffe badge for ground combat - apparently, this is a frequent version of the Luftwaffe badge for a tank battle, introduced in November 1944. This uniform was most likely worn with the usual headgear of the Luftwaffe, including the steel helmets of paratroopers. In the field, assault gun crews also wore camouflage field jackets and jump jackets.

3. Typical appearance of a nominal "airborne trooper" in the last months of the war. This non-commissioned officer no longer has any items of uniform and equipment specific to the parachutist, except for the old green jump jacket (they met even during the battle for Berlin). Galubate-gray uniform fawn caps of the 1943 model by the end of the war almost completely replaced the caps; they were worn by both officers and soldiers. On the cap - all the required insignia (Oberfeldwebel in Fig. 2 should have the same). The officer's model of the cap was distinguished by a silver edging along the edge of the bottom. The collar of the flight blouse is extended over the jacket so that insignia and non-commissioned officer's lace are visible. Luftwaffe trousers tucked into boots: oddly enough, boots are often seen in photographs of paratroopers in the last months of the war. For this time, a mixture of black army leather equipment with dark brown aviation equipment is typical. Armament - Kar43, a shortened version of the Gew43 semi-automatic rifle.

Notes:

In German military sources, parachute troops are officially referred to as "parachute rangers" (Fallschirmjager).For some unknown reason, this term did not take root in Russian military-historical literature. In the translation of this book by a British author, the terms "airborne", "paratrooper" and "parachute ranger troops" are used synonymously. - Approx. scientific. ed.

Stephen B. Patrick, What good is airborne // Strategy & Tactik, 77.

Automatically deploying parachutes (eng. static-line) -the necessary equipment for massive drops of paratroopers. Parachutes with individual deployment require relatively high altitudes, and are also more dangerous and cannot provide high accuracy of landing. Individual jumping is also more difficult and dangerous. - Approx. ed.

The birthday of the Soviet airborne troops is considered August 2, 1930, when a small airborne unit was dropped by parachutes for the first time during military exercises near Voronezh. - Approx. ed.

Such a conversation did take place, but its participants were Corps Commander Vasily Vladimirovich Khripin and General Gamelin. Khripin described his conversation with Gamelin in his notebooks, which are kept by Artem Zakharovich Anfinogenov. "Marshal Shcherbakov" never existed in Soviet aviation. - Approx. scientific. ed.

Land Police Unit (Landespolizeigruppe)Hermann Goering was created on December 22, 1933 from the group of the special land police of Colonel Vehe. On April 1, 1935, the group was deployed to the Hermann Goering regiment, led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Wilhelm Jacobi. On September 24, 1935, this regiment was transferred from the police force to the Luftwaffe. - Approx. ed.

Bruno Breuer (1893–1947) was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his campaign in France; On June 1, 1944 he was promoted to general of the parachute troops. On May 20, 1947, he was executed in Athens. - Approx. ed.

This battalion was formed in October 1943 in Czechoslovakia, and a year later, in October 1944, it was disbanded. They were successively commanded by Herbert Gilhofer, Kurt Rybka and Siegfried Milius. - Approx. ed.

Kurt Arthur Benno Student (1890-1978) On July 4, 1938, he was appointed commander of the parachute and airborne units of the Luftwaffe. Then he commanded the corps, was the commander of the parachute troops (from June 1, 1941), commanded the 1st parachute army and army groups "X" and "Vistula". On July 13, 1944, he became Colonel General of the Parachute Forces. - Approx. ed.

Richard Heydrich (1896-1947) from 1940 commanded the 3rd parachute regiment, from 1943 - the 1st parachute division, and from November 1944 - the 1st parachute corps. He was awarded the Knight's Cross with oak branches and swords, and on October 31, 1944 he was promoted to general of the parachute troops. - Approx. ed.

Heinrich (Heinz) Trettner (born 1907) ended the war with the rank of lieutenant general, and then served as generals in the Bundeswehr. - Approx. ed.

Awarded with the Knight's Cross on May 10, 1940, Walter Koch died on October 27, 1943. By this time he was already a lieutenant colonel and commander of the 5th parachute regiment. - Approx. ed.

Count Hans von Sponeck (1888–1944) held the rank of Lieutenant General (which he received on February 1, 1940). For the French campaign, he received the Knight's Cross and later commanded the XLII Army Corps on the Soviet-German front. He fought the hardest battles in the Crimea, and in December 1941 he was forced to surrender Kerch. For this he was arrested and executed after the attempt on Hitler's life. - Approx. ed.

For more details about Meindl's activities, see the book "Field Divisions of the Luftwaffe" published in the "Soldier" series.

The imposing Yulius Ringel (1889–1967), named by his soldiers "Pope," was promoted to lieutenant general in 1942, and to general of the mountain rifle troops in 1944. In 1944, he first commanded the XVIII and then XLIX mountain rifle corps, and in the last days war headed by the consolidated corps. - Approx. ed.

The 7th Air Division was reorganized into the 1st Parachute Division already in France on May 1, 1943.The 1st Parachute Division was commanded by Lieutenant General Richard Heydrich (from May 1, 1943 to April 4, 1944 and from February 21 to November 17 1944), Major General Hans Korte (from April 4 to February 21, 1944) and Major General Karl-Lothar Schultz (from November 17, 1944). - Approx. ed.

The battalions in the Ramka brigade, which was a combined formation, did not have numbers, but were named after their commanders. - Approx. ed.

The 3rd parachute division formed in Reims was commanded by Major General Walter Barentin (until February 14, 1944), Lieutenant General Richard Schipmpf (from February 17 to August 20, 1944 and from January 5 to March 1, 1945), Lieutenant General Eugen Meindl (20-22 August 1944), Major General Walter Waden (from 22 August 1944 to 5 January 1945), Colonel Helmut Hoffmann (from 1-8 March 1945), Colonel Karl- Heinz Becker (8 March to 8 April 1945) and finally Colonel Hummel. - Approx. ed.

Throughout the existence of the division, it was commanded by Lieutenant General Heinrich Trettner. - Approx. ed.

Generals of the parachute forces Alfred Schlemm and Eugen Meindl were appointed commanders of the 1st and 2nd corps, respectively. - Approx. ed.

Formed in Reims on March 2, 1944, the 5th parachute division was commanded by: Lieutenant General Gustav Wilke (from April 1 to October 15, 1944), Major General Sebastian Ludwig Neilmann (from October 15 to March 12, 1945) and from March 12, 1945 - Colonel Kurt Greschke. - Approx. ed.

In addition to Student, the 1st Parachute Army was commanded by General of the Parachute Forces Alfred Schlem (from November 1, 1944 to March 28, 1945), infantry generals Ponter Blumentritt (from March 28 to April 10, 1945) and Erich Staube (from April 28, 1945) . and until the end of the war). - Approx. ed.

20th Parachute Division. Formed on March 20, 1945 in Holland as a field training parachute division. It was commanded by Major General Walter Barentin. According to the staff, the division included the 58th, 59th and 60th parachute regiments.

21st Parachute Division. Formed in Holland on April 5, 1945 from the training parachute units and the parachute brigade of Colonel Walter Guericke, who became its commander. In terms of staff, the division included the 61st, 62nd and 63rd parachute regiments. - Approx. ed.

The airborne troops of the Wehrmacht, more than other military structures of Hitlerite Germany, are covered with myths. Airborne assault forces on the Eastern Front are mentioned in fiction books and in popular science. In films about the Great Patriotic War, massive German parachute landings are shown more than once.

And although at the present time there are enough sources to find out about the real activities of the Wehrmacht paratroopers, the myths about an entire airborne armada in the German army are still common among a wide audience.

A major airborne operation in World War II was carried out by Germany only once. 1941 in Crete. Before that, there were several more operations in Norway, Belgium, Greece. According to early Soviet sources, three divisions by parachute and two landing divisions landed in Crete. But in reality, the entire operation was carried out by the forces of a single German 7th Aviation Division. The division had three parachute regiments, and Soviet historians may have simply confused regiments with divisions. Moreover, it was also planned to land on Crete by the forces of the 5th mountain infantry division, in which there were just two regiments.

The Wehrmacht's airborne troops consisted of one division for parachuting - it was the 7th Airborne, and one division for landing by landing - the 22nd Airborne. The 22nd Division differed from conventional infantry formations in that its personnel were trained to quickly leave transport aircraft after landing. And when the 22nd division was unable to take part in the landing in Crete, it was easily replaced by another one that happened to be nearby.

Especially for the Cretan operation, an assault landing regiment was formed, the personnel of which was to land from gliders. After Crete, the regiment fought as regular infantry. For the planned capture of the island of Malta in 1942, the 1st Parachute Brigade was formed, but it had to fight in North Africa as a regular infantry.

Airborne assault forces were never used on the Soviet-German front. The 7th Air Division was indeed dispatched to the Eastern Front after recovering from losses in Crete, but fought like regular infantry too.

The history of the German parachute troops is not limited to this. Since 1943, eleven parachute divisions have been formed, which fought on all fronts.

But the peculiarity of all these units, formations and even associations was that no one planned to land them. Their appearance was associated with the presence of a large number of unused personnel in the German air force, due to huge losses in aircraft. And at the front, the infantry was needed, which was not enough. It would be reasonable to transfer the freed people to the ground forces, but the commander of the Luftwaffe Goering wanted to have his own ground army.

At first, airfield divisions were formed from airfield technicians, signalmen, guards, anti-aircraft gunners, which turned out to be completely incapable of combat. But the negative experience with the avi-field divisions did not cancel Goering's idea, and the formation of new formations began, which were called parachute, more precisely, parachute-ranger. The name did not speak about the possibility of landing, but about the fact that they are organizationally part of the Luftwaffe. The infantry was not limited to, and even parachute-tank and parachute-motorized divisions were formed.

The first divisions were formed on the basis of the already existing ones: the 7th division, the 1st parachute brigade, the assault regiment and other separate units, and could be considered elite formations. At the front, these divisions performed well, which was also appreciated by the enemy. The rest of the formations were already formed from a very different contingent and in their level did not belong to the elite.

In 1944, a parachute army was formed, which fought on the Western Front. But, unlike the Anglo-American 1st Airborne Army, which conducted strategic airborne assault operations, the German Fallschirm-Armee fought only on the ground. And a variety of formations and units, both parachute and ordinary field troops, were part of this army.

In the Second World War, the Wehrmacht formally created parachute troops, in terms of their numbers second only to the Soviet ones. But they had nothing to do with the real airborne troops. They did not have any special equipment and weapons, there was no military transport aviation, and there were not even parachutes.

Soviet units manage to hold one bridgehead on the right bank of the Neva, where they caught on to the terrain. “We must definitely take this bridgehead,” they say to Major Stenzler, as soon as the 2nd battalion of the assault regiment arrives at the front.
And the paratroopers immediately join the battle. The main enemy bridgehead is the village of Petroshino. The Russian defense can be broken very quickly. But the enemy immediately vigorously counterattacks, and the paratroopers are forced to retreat and return to their original positions. “Let's attack again,” Stenzler decides.
His paratroopers again seize the once recaptured and then surrendered area. They are surrounded by hostile nature, there are only swamps and forests and it is very difficult to advance.
The 2nd Battalion will fight for six days and nights without respite. The bottom line is terrible. Of the 24 officers of the battalion, 21 are incapacitated - killed or wounded. Major Stenzler himself will receive a bullet wound in the head and on October 19 he will die in a hospital in Tilsit, where he will be taken in a hopeless condition.
The almost completely defeated 2nd Battalion nevertheless fulfilled its task. But only a small number of surviving paratroopers from the assault regiment had a chance to celebrate the victory.

Now a battalion doctor is in command of the unit, and in each company only a few dozen soldiers remain under the command of non-commissioned officers, mainly sergeant-major. But the surviving soldiers from the Stenzler battalion learn that now they will not be alone in the Neva sector.
“Your comrades,” they are informed, “paratroopers of the 7th Air Division of General Petersen will join you on the Leningrad front.
“The cold will begin soon, but our paratroopers have endured the Cretan sun and will not be afraid of the Russian winter,” General Breuer said.

Captain Knohe takes advantage of the respite to gather his dead between the lines and bury them. Special units are engaged in this sinister business, but they are often fired upon.
Knoche himself takes part in such expeditions. He wants to find the body of his officer - Lieutenant Alex Dick by all means. He was from a German family living in Russia, born in St. Petersburg, where he was interned as a child during the First World War. Now his body will rest on the banks of the Neva, a few tens of kilometers from his hometown, which became Leningrad.

But soon an invaluable ally — winter — came to the aid of Soviet soldiers. The Neva and Ladoga Lake are covered with ice, and the Russians can now bring reinforcements and food across this vast ice expanse.
“The Russians have improved their fighting spirit, Captain,” says Feldwebel Stolz Knoche. “NCO Chancellor and I may continue to seduce them, but they are no longer showing up. In vain we promise them bread, potatoes and even vodka, it doesn’t work anymore.
Now, in front of the German paratroopers, Soviet soldiers in white winter camouflage, well armed and equipped. They are not from Central Asia, but from Siberia, and their fighting spirit did not suffer from the defeats that the Red Army suffered in the first months of the war.
The equipment of their opponents is slightly improved. German skydivers receive headphones, warm underwear, and fur boots. They never had a shortage of food and shells.
However, winter begins to pester them cruelly. The weather is bad. The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. Their positions are fired at night and day. The Russians have installed rocket launchers, which create a deafening noise, the Germans call them "Stalinist organs."

While many German paratroopers fought in the Neva sector between Leningrad and Lake Ladoga in Army Group North, other paratroopers were in Army Group Center on their way to Moscow.
So, for example, the support units of the 7th Aviation Division - the machine-gun battalion of paratroopers of Captain Werner Schmidt, called MG-Schmidt, and several companies of the anti-aircraft battalion of Major Bayer. However, these two battalions go to the Eastern Front in a scattered order, and their companies are divided into different sectors, sometimes very far from each other.

Jacques Mabier: "War in the White Hell. German Parachutists on the Eastern Front 1941-1945"