Heavy equipment
The Germans used the new 7.5 cm "Leichtgeschütz" 40 light gun (a recoilless rifle). At , it weighed as much as a standard German 75 mm field gun, yet had of its range. It fired a shell more than . A quarter of the German paratroops jumped with an MP 40 submachine gun, often carried with a bolt-action "Karabiner" 98k rifle and most German squads had an MG 34 machine gun. The Germans used colour-coded parachutes to distinguish the canisters carrying rifles, ammunition, crew-served weapons and other supplies. Heavy equipment like the "Leichtgeschütz 40" were dropped with a special triple-parachute harness to bear the extra weight.