Fallschirmjäger Fallschirmjäger ( " Fallschirmjager " or " Fallschirmjaeger " in English ) is the German word for paratrooper s . They played an important role during World War II , when , together with the " Gebirgsjäger " they were perceived as the elite infantry units of the German Wehrmacht . After World War II , they were reconstituted as parts of postwar armed forces of both West and East Germany , mainly as special ops troops . German " Fallschirmjäger " in World War II were the first paratroopers to be committed in large - scale airborne operations . They came to be known as the " green devils " by the Allied forces they fought against , as well as for their uniquely distinct Esprit de corps . Etymology . The word " Fallschirmjäger " is from the German " Fallschirm " , " parachute " , and " Jäger " , literally ' hunter , ' which refers in this context to light infantry . Nazi Germany ( 1935 – 1945 ) . Pre - war . In the 1930s Hermann Göring , after having observed Soviet airborne infantry maneuvers , became committed to the creation of Germany ' s airborne infantry . He ordered the formation of a specialist police unit in 1933 , devoted to protecting Nazi party officials . The unit carried out conventional police duties for the next two years , but in 1935 , Göring transformed it into Germany ' s first dedicated airborne regiment . The unit was incorporated into the newly formed " Luftwaffe " later that year and training commenced . Göring also ordered that a group of volunteers be drawn for parachute training . These volunteers would form a cadre for a future " Fallschirmtruppe " ( " parachute troops " ) . In January 1936 , 600 men and officers formed a " Jäger " and an engineer company . Germany ' s parachute arm was officially inaugurated in 1936 with a call for recruits for a parachute training school . The school was open to " Luftwaffe " personnel , who were required to successfully complete six jumps in order to receive the " Luftwaffe " Parachutist ' s Badge . World War II . During World War II , the German Air Force ( " Luftwaffe " ) raised a variety of airborne light infantry ( " Fallschirmjäger " ) units . The " Luftwaffe " built up a division - sized unit of three " Fallschirmjäger " regiment s plus supporting arms and air assets , known as the 7th " Flieger " Division . " Fallschirmjäger " participated in many of the famous battles of World War II and in many theatres . As elite troops they were frequently deployed at the vanguard of attacks and as the bulwark of a defence . They would see action in the Norway and Denmark campaign and in Belgium , the Netherlands and France in 1940 . Major actions in the Balkans Campaign , Crete , Italy , and on both the Eastern Front and later the Western Front would follow . The skillful airborne seizure of Fort Eben - Emael permitted the early capture of Belgium and , alongside successful operations in Holland , was crucial for the speed of the German victories in 1940 . The major airdrops in Norway and Denmark in May 1940 were also vital to the success of the campaigns there , although they , along with the amphibious forces , suffered heavy casualties . The Battle of Crete in 1941 saw large - scale airdrops in which the entire 7th Air Division was deployed with the German 5th Mountain Division as the follow - up . Crete was captured , after fierce fighting against Greek and Commonwealth troops , but the high casualties suffered by the " Fallschirmjäger " as they parachuted in ( like the brothers von Blücher ) convinced Hitler that such mass airdrops were no longer feasible . In the Battle of Monte Cassino , 1st " Fallschirmjäger " division held the ground near the Monastery of Monte Cassino . After the monastery had been bombed by the Allies , the Germans moved into protected positions among the bricks and cellars . The " Fallschirmjäger " held out for months against repeated assaults and heavy bombardment . Here they gained the nickname " Green Devils " from the Allied forces for their distinctive jackets and their tenacious defence . Inflicting huge losses on the Allied forces , they ultimately retreated from their positions only to avoid being outflanked . " Fallschirmjäger " also played a key role defending positions in France against much larger forces in 1944 , even holding on to some of the German - occupied regions until the surrender of Germany . After mid - 1944 , " Fallschirmjäger " were no longer trained as paratroops due to the strategic situation , and fought as infantrymen . Near the end of the war , the series of new " Fallschirmjäger " divisions extended to more than 12 , with a reduction in quality in the later units , which , however still inflicted moderate losses on the advancing Allied troops . The last parachute division to be raised by Germany during World War II was destroyed during the Battle of Berlin in April 1945 . Throughout World War II , the " Fallschirmjäger " commander was Kurt Student . Thousands of German paratroopers were killed in action . " Fallschirmjäger " were awarded a total of 134 Knight ' s Crosses between 1940 and 1945 . Uniforms and equipment . Fallschirmjäger were awarded the " Fallschirmschützenabzeichen " , a paratrooper insignia featuring a diving gold eagle gripping a swastika . A special version of the German armed forces ' steel helmet was issued to " Fallschirmjäger " units . The parachute used by the " Fallschirmjäger " in World War II is suspended from the harness via a single strap , meaning that the paratrooper had much less control of their descent than with the twin - strap harnesses used by British and American paratroopers . Paratroopers had to throw themselves forward out of the aeroplane , and in the resulting face - down position when the chute opened , control was nearly impossible . The necessity of landing on knees and elbows reduced the amount of equipment the trooper could carry and increased the chance of injury . To remove their parachute harness , required the paratrooper to stand stationary upright for up to 80 seconds . As a result , they jumped armed only with a holstered pistol and a small " gravity knife " . Rifles and other weapons were dropped in separate containers and , until these were recovered , the soldiers were poorly armed . After the Crete invasion , these faults were rectified , with the parachute harness modified to allow it to be released while prone in under 10 seconds ; and the paratroopers jumped while armed with personal automatic weapons . " Fallschirmjäger " units were usually very well equipped ; they had access to the best weapons of the German military . They were among the first combat units to use assault rifle s and recoilless weapons in combat . " Fallschirmjäger " also readily employed the best of several foreign - made small arms . The MP 40 and the FG 42 automatic rifle , which combined the firepower of a machine gun with the lightweight handling characteristics of a standard infantry rifle , were developed specially for the paratroopers . Bundeswehr Fallschirmjäger ( after 1945 ) . In the modern German " Bundeswehr " , " Fallschirmjäger " continue to form the core of Special Operations . The Division has two brigade equivalents and several independent companies and battalions . All told , about 10 , 000 troops served in that division in 2010 , most of them support or logistics personnel . The Division has the following structure : The vast majority of division members is deployable by parachute , and all of it is at least air mobile . Almost all vehicles and heavy equipment are transportable by helicopter , including special lightly armored Wiesel fighting vehicles adopted for this purpose . In addition to the Special Operations Division , Germany is also setting up an air mobile or air assault regiment .