Fallschirmjäger jump

German Luftwaffe 1935-1945.
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edgardo gil
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Fallschirmjäger jump

Post by edgardo gil »

In the book "Heaven and hell. The war diary of a german paratrooper" by Martin Pöppel there was a passage in the page 33 that reads the following: "A tug on the cords, another to get me over a ditch, since I have no desire to get wet." The passage is about the jumps on Holland in 1940.
I guess that in the german parachutes the paratrooper can´t guide his parachute before landing.
What do you think about this passage by the author?
It supposed that the book is a diary.
Many thanks.
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tigre
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Re: Fallschirmjäger jump

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D, two cents...............................

The jump.

The RZ 1 parachute (or the RZ 16 that later replaced it) was packaged in two parts. The parachute itself in an internal bag and the string in an external backpack. For the jump the internal backpack was made firm to the transport plane by means of the static line and the external backpack was firmly secured to the body of the parachutist by means of the harnesses. The semi-circular canopy was divided into 28 patches and had a hole at the apex to reduce displacement. The 8.5 m diameter canopy initially had a total area of ​​56 m² and was made of white natural silk. Later, the single-use combatant parachute was often made of rayon. Each patch had the shape of a small isosceles triangle with its vertex cut, the fabric structure had an angle of 45 ° with respect to the parachute edge, increasing the tensile strength of the material. The ropes held by the canopy were attached at one point about a meter above the man, and then two thicker ropes were attached to the shoulder-harness. The unique grip had the advantage that it avoided sudden twists of the string, which was dangerous given the low jump height.

By jumping the static line it detached the inner bag from the backpack releasing the canopy and then the static line came off taking the bag with it. In RZ1 (corrected with RZ16) the opening shock was quite strong and after about 2-3 seconds the parachute was fully operational. An average weight soldier, jumping to a height of 100 meters, made landfall after descending about 10 seconds.

The OODA cycle (observe–orient–decide–act) had to be almost instantaneous (and instinctive) to react in 10 seconds (minus 2-3 sec for opening).........................only applicable to a well-trained paratrooper.

Sources: Bildchronik der Fallschirmtruppe 1935-45. Dörfler.
Airborne Operations - A German Appraisal. Army Pamphlet Nro 20-232.
Der Adler Nº 16 1940.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
Scheme of the German parachute.........................................
Scheme of the German parachute.........................................
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From the moment of the jump to the opening of the parachute, the soldier covers a distance of 40 meters and falls 25 meters....................................
From the moment of the jump to the opening of the parachute, the soldier covers a distance of 40 meters and falls 25 meters....................................
image081.jpg (34.06 KiB) Viewed 2654 times
Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
edgardo gil
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Re: Fallschirmjäger jump

Post by edgardo gil »

Gracias Tigre. Many thanks.
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tigre
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Re: Fallschirmjäger jump

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D, more..............................

The jump.

The training program was basically divided into two stages, ground and air training. Recruits began their basic training by learning to fall to the ground without hurting themselves. Then they learned to use the parachute harness in practice jumps from very low heights from the door of simulated aircraft. They were then taught to control the parachute in midair by being suspended with the harness of a pulley system. Teaching a quick detachment of the parachute once they had landed was also part of the training. On the other hand, one of the most important points of ground training consisted in the care and packing of the parachutes. Each trainee was personally responsible for their own equipment and each of the men jumped with the parachute that he had packed himself.

The parachutist's bowed position upon reaching the ground required a forward role. The high descent speed of the RZ 1 and the acrobatic forward role required when touching the ground, prevented the transport of a large amount of equipment or large weapons. Initially the parachutists jumped with small weapons and hand grenades. Weapons, ammunition, equipment, etc. were dropped into containers with parachute. Only with the experience of Crete did they begin to carry the rifle hanging on a rope. Considering the low height of the jump, no more than 120 meters, no emergency parachute was used.

Sources: Bildchronik der Fallschirmtruppe 1935-45. Dörfler.
Airborne Operations - A German Appraisal. Army Pamphlet Nro 20-232.
Soldaten Fallen vom Himmel. Hptm Gericke.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/AILES-1940-982-G ... SwHnFV2xJe

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
Learning to roll forward when landing..........................
Learning to roll forward when landing..........................
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Jump from a Ju-52 in Stendal......................
Jump from a Ju-52 in Stendal......................
image166.jpg (30.15 KiB) Viewed 2449 times
The good jump is everything!......................
The good jump is everything!......................
image167.jpg (18.69 KiB) Viewed 2449 times
Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
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