Criminal
11-26-2004, 10:58 AM
http://www.2worldwar2.com/fallschirmjager.htm
The Fallschirmjager, the german paratroopers of world war 2, made the first airborne infantry assaults in history. When germany invaded western europe in 1940, the german paratroopers parachuted and landed with gliders and captured strategic positions. A year later, in may 1941, in their greatest operation, they invaded and conquered the big island Crete in the mediterranean solely by airborne troops. Their losses were such that Hitler decided never to do another large airborne operation, so the german paratroopers served the rest of the war as elite infantry.
The military use of paratroopers as airborne infantry is originally a russian innovation. Since the 1920s the russian military exercised and demonstrated the use of paratroopers in increasingly larger scale. Some foreign officers were allowed to observe these exercises. One of them was a german colonel, Kurt Student, who was a fighter pilot and squadron leader in world war 1.
Student was excited by the military potential of paratroopers, but the establishment of the german paratroopers force was delayed until the german military buildup began in 1935. In the meantime Student became an expert with gliders, the other element of his future airborne force (after world war 2 the helicopter replaced the glider as the vehicle of airborne landings).
The german paratroopers force, the Fallschirmjager, was established in January 1936, with the enthusiast Student as its commander. It began as a single battalion of paratroopers and kept growing rapidly, becoming a division in 1938 and later a corps, including paratroopers, glider troops, and elite infantry. It was a large and independent elite force of selected and very highly trained volunteers. They developed new tactics and techniques which improved their performance, such as the parachute-opening cord tied to the aircraft, which made parachuting safer and enabled them to jump from lower altitude and reduce exposure to enemy fire. The Fallschirmjager force belonged to the german air force. The concept was that they will be used to achieve what air bombardment can not, mainly capturing strategic positions behind enemy lines instead of destroying them.
(see link for rest of story)
The Fallschirmjager, the german paratroopers of world war 2, made the first airborne infantry assaults in history. When germany invaded western europe in 1940, the german paratroopers parachuted and landed with gliders and captured strategic positions. A year later, in may 1941, in their greatest operation, they invaded and conquered the big island Crete in the mediterranean solely by airborne troops. Their losses were such that Hitler decided never to do another large airborne operation, so the german paratroopers served the rest of the war as elite infantry.
The military use of paratroopers as airborne infantry is originally a russian innovation. Since the 1920s the russian military exercised and demonstrated the use of paratroopers in increasingly larger scale. Some foreign officers were allowed to observe these exercises. One of them was a german colonel, Kurt Student, who was a fighter pilot and squadron leader in world war 1.
Student was excited by the military potential of paratroopers, but the establishment of the german paratroopers force was delayed until the german military buildup began in 1935. In the meantime Student became an expert with gliders, the other element of his future airborne force (after world war 2 the helicopter replaced the glider as the vehicle of airborne landings).
The german paratroopers force, the Fallschirmjager, was established in January 1936, with the enthusiast Student as its commander. It began as a single battalion of paratroopers and kept growing rapidly, becoming a division in 1938 and later a corps, including paratroopers, glider troops, and elite infantry. It was a large and independent elite force of selected and very highly trained volunteers. They developed new tactics and techniques which improved their performance, such as the parachute-opening cord tied to the aircraft, which made parachuting safer and enabled them to jump from lower altitude and reduce exposure to enemy fire. The Fallschirmjager force belonged to the german air force. The concept was that they will be used to achieve what air bombardment can not, mainly capturing strategic positions behind enemy lines instead of destroying them.
(see link for rest of story)