The fallshimjager

[sovietsniper]

The fallshimjager were the german paratroopers of ww2. They were in my opinion the most elite troops of the war. Im currenty writing a long article about these troops and there war time experiance. However my knolage is not complete and i need some help.

1, Deployments both combat and "peace" time. Has any one got a conillogical list of where the divisions were posted during traning,combat and occupathions

2, Traning. How long did it last and what did it cover?

3,Tactics. Has anyone got info on this from sqad level up? What was the compesithion of a sgud.

4,Combat. Where did the unit go into combat,how long did it last and how feice was it?

5,Equpment. What was the standerd paratrooper equpted with. Coths,ammo,cooking a eating stuff ect

[Jan-Hendrik]

Organisation & Delployment you may find here :

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... erieLW.htm

http://www.diedeutschewehrmacht.de/Fall ... vision.htm



Jan-Hendrik

[Doktor Krollspell]

Hello Sovietsniper!

Here's another good website on the Fallschirmjäger and the different operations and battles they fought in:

http://www.eagle19.freeserve.co.uk


Regards,

Krollspell

[tigre]

Hello people a tiny story.

FJR 1 - The beginning.

End of september 1935, ObsLt Jakoby was ordered to form a Parachute infantry Battalion taking voluntiers from the "Hermann Goering" Regiment. The I/HG Regiment become FJB (Fallschirmjäger--Bataillon). This battalion was later designed as IV /HG Regiment. The organization was as follows:


Battalion Commanding Officer : Major Bruno Bräuer
Adjutant : Oberleutnant Vogel
Communications Officer : Leutnant Dunz
1. Company : Oberleutnant Walther
2. Company : Oberleutnant Kroh
3. Company : Oberleutnant Schulz
4. Company : Hauptmann Reinberger (Mechelen incident - jan 1940)

Later one Eng Company under ObLt Schulz was created.

Nevertheless, the birthday of the FJ Troops was 29 jan 1936, because on this day the Luftwaffe issued the order raising this new branch and the place of birth (and FJ School) was the airport of Stendal. Due to a new organization the battalion's number was changed again in 1938 to I/FJR1

The Army.

In 1936 was formed a Parachute Infantry Company, later in 1938 was raised to battalion level and the command of it was given to Major Richard Heidrich.

7. Flieger Division. (Aerial Division).

On 1 july 1938 General Major Kurt Student took command over the brand new unit and on 15 september 1938 the young division was called to duty in order to take part in the invasion of the Sudetenland. The OOB was as follows:

Parachute troops

FJR (ObsLt Sydow)
I/FJR1 (Brauer)
Heer FJBattalion (Heidrich)

Airborne troops

16 IR/22 ID (Oberst Kreysing)
SA--Regiment „Standarte Feldherrnhalle"

Glieder commando (Lt Kiess) with DFS 230.

Aerial Units

1 Aufklärungsstaffel
6 Transportgruppe (Ju 52)
1 Schlachtgeschwader mit 3 Stukagruppen
1 Jagdgeschwader mit 3 Gruppen

The operation was cancelled due to the Munich agreement.

1939.

On 1 jan 1939 the heer battalion was transfered to the Luftwaffe as II/FJR1; ObsLt Brauer took over the FJR1 and the III/FJR1 was raised (Hauptmann Karl-Lothar Schulz). Also the I/FJR2 and II/FJR2 were raised its OIC were Hauptmann Noster and Hauptmann Pietzonka (The FJR2 has neither OIC nor Staff).
The 16 IR retuned to its parents Unit (22 ID).
In the summer of 1938 the first airborne artillery battery has been raised (under Oberstleutnant Bruno Schram). With Skoda--howitzer 7,5 cm caliber.
Source: Die Geschichte der Fallschirmjäger Teil I und II Taken from http://www.fallschirmjaeger.de/Geschichte/gescht~1.htm

Regards. Tigre.

For actions in Poland see: http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=17121

[tigre]

Hello to all, a little more.

TACTICS.

Generally speaking there are two phases in one airborne operation.

- first the capture of an airhead.
- Second the capture and held of the objective assigned.

For that reason the German raised two different type of units: the fallschirmjager (7 FD) to carry out the first phase and the luftlande division (22 ID) for carrying out the second.

The troops can reach theirs objectives in 3 differents ways:

- By parachute.
- By gliders
- By plane

The first and second way are suitable in order to accomplish the first phase, the third to accomplish the second one.

There are three methods of attacking an objective:

1. Jumping or landing on top of the objective; (suited for attacking an objective which is relatively small and specially fortified against a ground attack, Eben Emael i.e.)
2. Jumping or landing near the objective; (used for the capture of a bridge or an airfield, Waalhaven i.e.)
3. Jumping or landing at a distance from the objective; (when the objective is so large that it can only be reduced by slow, systematic infantry attack).

Also, we can talk about two ways of dropping a force by parachute:

1. All elements of the unit in the same area.
2. All elements of the unit at the same time.

"To accomplish the landing of all elements in the same area, the troop carriers approach the drop zone in a deep, narrow formation and all paratroopers jump into the same small area. For a battalion of 600 men, a landing area measuring about 900 yards in diameter and a landing time of about 30 minutes will be normal".

"If all elements of a unit are to be landed at the same time, the troop carriers make their approach in wide formation to various drop zones situated close to each other and all paratroopers jump, as nearly as possible, at the same time. In such an operation, the landing area for a battalion of 600 men will usually measure at least 2,000 yards in diameter, with a landing time of less than 15 minutes."

TECHNIQUES.

The jumping: Two types of plane were available as troops carriers, the JU-52 and the HE-111. In the first the troops must jump thruogh the door and in the second through a hatch. 13 men (well trained) could leave the plane in more or less 8 seconds. With the planes flying at a speed of 100 to 120 miles per hour and at an altitude of about 330 feet (100 meters), there would be a distance of about 25 yards between men immediately after landing.

The jumping altitude: was made generally at a little more than 330 feet; the lowest jump was made at 200 feet. Casualties for injuries rose to a 20 %. For altitudes above 330 feet the ground dispersion increased.

Velocity of surface wind: not over 14 miles per hour.

Source: excerpts from "AIRBORNE OPERATIONS. A German Appraisal
CMH Pub 104-13

Best regards. Tigre.

[tigre]

Hello to all, a little sequence from the beginning to the jump.

Wearing the parachute.


Training


More training


At last, the Jump


Sources: Fallschirmjager. German paratroopers from glory to defeat 1939 - 1945 and Tercer Reich, tomo 16. La conquista de los Balcanes. Editorial Rombo. 1996.

Best regards. Tigre.

[desert_fox]

Hello Tigre.
Thanks for this short but enlightning story.

Regards

[tigre]

You're welcome desert_fox. Cheers. Tigre.

[tigre]

Hello to all , a little more on this....................

A Company descends from the sky..............

Sources: Army Fallschirmjaeger Photo Album. Viernes, 26 de Junio de 2009, 17:28:02

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; something more here.........................

Equipment inspection?.

See below in the pictures the equipment allowed to a German paratrooper...What was the standard equipment assigned to a paratrooper?

Source: http://www.usmbooks.com/images/PARAalbum/

TIA. Cheers. Raúl M .

[skarsatai]

Dear All
I would like to add a small fact to this ( and my favorite) topic

1938.
the operation Fall Grün was canceled. But the IR16 was transported on 07.10.1938 to the little village "Breitenau" near Freudenthal in Ju52 Planes. There they took part in the liberation (I humble apologize for this point ov view but I am a sudetengerman so for me it was a liberation and it was felt so by my people. Today there is an other point of view I also respect called occupation) the area "oppthal Altvatergebirge". Their duty was to land behind the czech bunkerline and roll them up from behind and to hold it until the Wehrmacht Units from Zuckmantel (mainly the 8. Infanterie Division) arrived for relief.
So it was more a kind of a exercise for testing a landing operation. After the landing and the march to Freudenthal on 07.10.1938 on early afternoon they took part in the military review to greet Adolf Hitler in Freudenthal. Later the days the Regiment used the now useless and unused czechbunkers for exercise how to accomplish a landing operation behind the lines and how to storm a bunker with the use of Infantery weaponary (i.g. flamethrowers). This exercise was important for later operations. Conclusion afterwards, if they had to attack the czechbunkerline from behind, the casualties would have been very high in the lines of the IR16. So they were happy that fall grün did not came into action.
with regards

martin

[tigre]

Hello Martin ; thanks for that complement . Cheers. Raúl M .

[genstab]

According to Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander and based on his personal experience as 15th Army Group commander in Italy, the German parachute troops were the best soldiers in the German armed forces.

[tigre]

Hello to all ; something more here.........................

Fallschirmjäger - The new branch.

All soldiers must be volunteer to this troop.

Volunteers should be especially examined.

Training, education and treatment had create strong mutual trust between superiors and subordinates, this must not be exhausted in Orthodox and mindless actions.

A paratrooper must be able of attacking a machine-gun nest or a bunker on its own and also if necessary to put it out of combat with his pistol.

To commit this troops in regular ground combat is a waste. Commitment of parachute divisions in ground combat is justified only by the existence of an emergency. Once the divisions are committed as ground troops they loose their characteristic qualities as specialists.

Source: Bildchronik der Fallschirmtruppe 1935-45.
Das III Reich Sondersheft 07 - Kreta Waffen Ss Die Deutsche Fallschirmtruppe Von 1939-1945.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1940-THE-SPHERE- ... 2ef058edb3

TIA. Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; something interesting to share .............................................. .

Luftlandeübung Freudenthal 1938.

The plan.

The Wehrmacht was to break the line of fortifications in the north of Moravia, reason why it decided to open a breach in a place with the weakest defense, that was where the fortifications were not yet completely finished. This site (according to the Germans) was located east of Bruntal, in the village of Kosetice (Koschendorf).

Accordingly they planned an airborne assault (the first of its kind) behind the Czech positions to open the way to the ground forces:

- The first wave formed by a parachute battalion would jump north of Svobodne Hermanice (Frei Hermersdorf). It would then attack the Czech positions to clear the way.

- The second wave of paratroopers would link with local elements of the Freikorps (Sudetes) and establish and secure the landing area for the following Ju-52 aircrafts with infantry and heavy weapons. The areas were in the vicinity of Valšov (Kriegsdorf) and Leskovec nad Moravicí (Spachendorf).

- The third wave with airborne infantry would occupy well defined communication nodes and would launch counterattacks against the Czech troops in advance.

Airborne infantry and Sudetes Freikorps, together with the first wave of paratroopers, intended to attack the positions along the Košetice - Malé Heraltice road and along the Košetice - Velké Heraltice road.

Then a second attack of the units of 2. AOK (General von Rundstedt) on Velké Heraltice / Malé Heraltice - Košetice - Svobodné Heřmanovice - Leskovec nad Moravicí - Bílčice / Jakartovice - Dvorce - Moravský Beroun - Šternberk - Olomouc.

For this purpose General Kurt Arthur Benno Student had the I./ FJR I (Bräuer), the FJB (Heidrich); Luftlande Bn (Sydow); LL IR 16 (Kreysing); SA-Standarte Feldherrnhalle (Reimann) and the DFS-230 glider detachment (Kiess) plus air and support units.

But as a result of the Munich Agreement, this operation was overtaken by events, however it was partially carried out as an exercise, although without parachute jumps and landing of gliders to keep the secret. The exercise was carried out on October 7, 1938 and were engaged 250 Ju-52 transport planes that landed south of the old city (Bruntal).

Sources: http://rok1938.webnode.cz/nemecka-rise/ ... 8/vysadek/
Osprey Battle Orders # 004. German Airborne Divisions Blitzkrieg 1940-41.
Jump into Hell - German Paratroopers in WWII.
Http://footage.framepool.com/it/shot/73 ... slovacchia

Any detail will be welcome. Cheers. Raul M .