page_title: Fallschirmjäger
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Fallschirmjäger / World War II
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Russland, Fallschirmjäger mit MG und Munitionsgurt Rußland.- Fallschirmjäger mit geschultertem Maschinengewehr 42 (MG 42) und Patronengürtel, stehend; PK XI Fliegerkorps Information added by Wikimedia users.English: XI Air Corps (XI. Fliegerkorps) Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) standing with ammunition belt and shouldered MG 42 machine gun in Russia
context_page_description: The Fallschirmjäger were the paratrooper branch of the German Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first German paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. Throughout World War II the Fallschirmjäger commander was Kurt Student.
context_section_description: During the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 the Fallschirmjäger were sent to occupy several airfields between the Vistula and Bug rivers.
  The first opposed airborne attacks occurred during the Norwegian Campaign, first during the initial invasion when Fallschirmjäger captured the defended air base of Sola, near Stavanger. The Fallschirmjäger also had their first defeat in Norway, when a company was dropped on the village and railroad junction of Dombås on 14 April 1940 and was destroyed by the Norwegian Army in a five-day battle.
  On 10 May 1940, the Fallschirmjäger performed a successful raid on the powerful fortification known as Eben Emael. Eben Emael consisted of multiple gun emplacements and was manned by 1,200 Belgian troops. There are few better representations by elite troops and everything was cutting edge at the time, from tactics to method of deployment. The airborne troops attacked the artillery casements and pillboxes with flame throwers, demolition charges, and hollow charge grenades. The mission was accomplished by Sturmgruppe Granit (Assault Group Granite), which consisted of only 85 soldiers. Despite being at both a numerical and firepower disadvantage, the airborne troops took control of the fort after a few hours of fighting.
  During the invasion of the Netherlands over 2,000 troops of the 7th Air Division were deployed, while approximately 12,000 troops of the 22nd Airlanding Division also participated. The Fallschirmjäger successfully captured bridges at Moerdijk and Dordrecht. The airborne troops suffered heavy casualties while taking Dordrecht.  The paratroopers were able to captured airfields at Valkenburg, Ockenburg, Waalhaven, and Ypenburg. Yet, the Germans failed to capture Hague and force the Dutch to surrender. Therefore, the performance of the paratroopers in the Netherlands was mixed as far as efficiency and results was concerned. The 22nd Airlanding Division was forced to land many of its aircraft on exposed motorways because the 7th Air Division had failed to secure designated airfields. Most aircraft ended up being shot up by Dutch infantry and artillery fire. The airborne troops were able to cause disruption behind Dutch lines.
  During the Greece campaign, the German airborne forces would perform their last strategic parachute and glider performances of the war. The airborne troops captured a critical bridge that crossed the canal in the Isthmus of Corinth so German forces could pursue Allied forces further in the Greek mainland. The operation did not go smoothly due in part to heavy enemy ground fire. Demolition charges were also accidentally detonated, due to carelessness, leading to damage to the bridge and heavy casualties. One group of paratroopers was accidentally dropped into the sea where they all drowned. The airborne forces did manage to capture British anti-aircraft positions, which forced the surrender of the local town. 12,000 Commonwealth and Greek troops were also captured. The German airborne forces suffered 63 killed and 174 wounded.
  The final major offensive German action of the Greece campaign was the German invasion of Crete, in May 1941. The Fallschirmjäger would suffer further heavy losses during the Battle of Crete especially during Operation Merkur which would be the end of large scale airborne and glider operations for the Fallschirmjäger. The Germans used 22,000 airborne soldiers but in only nine days 3,250 of them were killed or missing with another 3,400 wounded. It was said that Adolf Hitler was horrified at these losses incurred and that he would no longer sanction large scale airborne operations.
  During the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 1st Parachute Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the Luftlande-Sturmregiment (Airlanding Assault Regiment) were assigned to the Army Group North's 18th Army where they would conduct operations in the Leningrad area. The Fallschirmjäger were specifically deployed to the east of Leningrad on the River Neva to confront a Red Army effort to relieve the city. In October 1941, the Germ
caption: German paratrooper of the PK XI Flying Corps carrying a MG 42 machine gun in the Soviet Union in 1942
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