Fallschirmjager0000

WW2 German Airborne....The Fallschirmjäger

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They were World War Two's most feared Paratrooper Force, the first paratrooper force in history to be deployed in large scale airborne operations. They had the finest weapons and tactics of any nation. They fought in the toughest battles on all fronts....Crete, Monte Cassino, Normandy, Holland, The Bulge and many others.

They were nicknamed the 'Green Devils' by the Allies. Find out how to portray this unit in this blog and on my Youtube channel 'fallschirmjager0000'

About

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The aim of this blog, I hope, will enable people to read up on accurate kit and find information on how to portray the Fallschirmjaeger as accurately as possible. I feel this is necessary as there are many cheap and incorrect imitation items for sale in re-enactor stores. When I began collecting Fallschirmjaeger kit way back in 2006 I had to learn the hard way. I continually bought gear that I thought was correct only to be told by others at a military show or on youtube that it was incorrect and/or that the Fallschirmjaeger were never issued with such an item etc. This was very frustrating because obviously I was spending alot of money on pointless items. So as with any hobby, the longer you spend at it the better you become and the more knowledge you gain. Nowadays I have an accurate and complete Fallschirmjaeger kit that I continually try to improve upon because, as with any expensive hobby, you want it to be the best it can possibly be. Also on this blog I will shed information on the myths that have developed about specific pieces of kit and where to find some of the rare pieces of equipment.

History of the Fallschirmjager

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Formation

Germany was a late starter in the development of airborne forces, although well ahead of American and Britain, it was the Soviet Union that pioneered the use of this new force. The Soviets demonstrated this force to a group of military observers in 1935 and 1936, and although they used the crudest methods with troops having to jump from the wings of antiquated ANT-6 aircraft, these demonstrations had left an impact on the observers. Göring, who was amongst these spectators, and in 1935 he formed the 'Landespolizeigruppe Gerneral Göring' the first airborne regiment. This small unit was merged into the Luftwaffe on 1 October the same year.

Famous exploits

EBEN EMAEL
The Fallschirmjaeger first stunned the world in May of 1940. They took the "impregnable fortress" and captured nearly 800 defenders by landing only 78 men in glider atop the fortress.

CRETE
One year later they again surpirsed the world by taking the island of Crete. The Fallschirmjaeger were only one division in strength, they were outnumbered 5:1 and the enemy held the high ground. Moreover the enemy had detailed knowledge of all their attack plans. When the attack began the Fallschirmjaeger suffered 50% casualties and still, somehow, captured the island. Hitler however did not see the advantage of this new weapon and banned all future large scale drops. However the Fallschirmjaeger still went on to even greater feats.

AFRICA, NOVEMBER 1942
Despite being trapped far behind enemy lines and in the middle of the worst desert in the world, they ambushed a British truck column. They captured all the vehicles and drove back to their own lines with plentiful enemy supplies.

RESCUE OF BENITO MUSSOLINI
In 1943 and operation to resuce the Italian dictator was planned and executed almost exclussively by the Fallschirmjaeger. The operation succeded and Churchill called it, "the boldest and most daring stroke of the war".

CASSINO
After Crete the Fallschirmjaeger were almost always on the defensive and it is in this role that they are best remembered. As the allies tried desperately to open the 'road to Rome' they travelled north from the Rapido River . This road passed through the Lire valley which was overlooked by the mountain of Monte Cassino ontop of which was a Benedictine Abbey. Freyberg, the allied commander, sent countless waves of troops up the mountain, all of which failed to dislodge the paras. The allies then calimed the Fallschirmjaegers were using the abbey itself as an observation post which was proven to be untrue. Anyway, the allies went ahead with the bombing, despite recieving worldwide criticism. Afterwards the bombers had reduced the height of the mountain by up to 10 feet in places. The surviving paratroops simply climbed out of their foxholes and occupied the much improved defensive positions and repulsed yet another allied assault. Montgomery's chief of staff later reflected that the bombing would have worked on normal German troops but that those defending Cassino were, "probably the toughest, hardest fighting troops the world has ever seen" After the bombardment the jaegers were still subjected to increasing shelling. It was for this defense that the British nicknamed the Fallschirmjaegers the 'Green Devils'. French Moroccan troops eventually fought their way around the paratroops and forced the Fallschirmjaeger to withdraw.

NORMANDY
Again a defensive battle for the Fallschirmjaeger, they were continuously employed in the tank hunter role. However it is for their defense of the Norman town of Carentan that they are most famous for. Although they are portrayed in the TV miniseries Band of Brothers, this is very innacurate as it shows the Fallschirmjaeger losing the town in the space of half an hour, in actual fact they held the town with the help of other German units for 4 days. During this time they conducted a spirited defense around the area and attacked and captured elements of 501st Paracute Infantry Regiment (PIR) 101st Airborne who they then brought into Carentan to be interogated.

How they are remembered

Throughout the entirety of the Second World War as many as 230,000 men served in the Fallschirm-designated units, not one man amongst them has ever been accused of a war crime.
In the defense of Brest in Brittany 1944 the 2.Fallschirm Division tied up nearly ten times their numbers for months. US Corps Commander Troy Middleton admitted that, "during my whole combat service in two wars, I never met better fighting troops than the Germans had in Brest, especially the men of the 2nd Parachute Division."
An officer fighting the Fallschirmjaeger near Saint-Lo said they were, "among the most dangerous fighting men of the war..."
Most GIs looked on the paratroops as dedicated proffesionals rather than fanatics and gave them a certain level of respect. This was at odds with the GIs impression of the SS, who although they feared alot, they despised whole heartedly.
The British army took the decision to produce a training video on the German Fallschirmjaeger to explain to new recruits that the paratroopers were 'not supermen'

The Kit

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Tips

* When buying gear do your research and buy quality items, cheap items do not last!
Much of the equipment used by the Fallschirmjaeger is interchangable for different Wartime theaters of operation. For example an Italian campaign themed impression would also be suitable for the North African Campaign. As an Airborne force the Fallschirmjaeger would sometimes press enemy equipment into use or make field modifications to their own gear. Many period photographs show some unusual mixes of different equipment. This guide does not aim to show all the different uniform combinations throughout the war but instead it will show you what the offical/standard equipment and uniform which was worn by the German Paratroops in their various theaters of operation throughout the war. Much of the basic equipment can be found at Soldier of Fortune http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/reenactors/index.asp but note that that is only basic equipment. Please note that many of the more important Fallschirmjaeger items such as the smock and Helmet for example, are better bought at Richard A Underwood or the Panther Store (see the 'Links' section of this website) as they offer more accurate alternatives.
Most of the basic webbing gear can be bought from Epic Militaria of Soldier of Fortune but remember Cheap items do not last!!!! buy quality items. There are now many cheap repro items for sale at most re-enactor stores which are stocked alongside correct repro items to give those with a lesser budget a viable option. I understand that beginning collecting Fallschirmjaeger kit can seen daunting to the beginner and the kit may seem expensive but you'll save yourself money by doing the research and buying correct items. Voice of experience here!!!!

Normandy 1944 Impression

The first impression I will focus on is the popular Normandy Late War Impression. This is the most common German Paratrooper Impression to portray for various reasons. The gear is easily available and relatively cheap in comparison to other front impressions. Band of Brothers also played a big part in making this the most popular Fallschirmjager impression when the series featured German Paratroopers fighting in the Normandy town of Carentan.

An important piece of information to note is that by this stage of the war (1944) there was the gradual dissapearance of paratrooper specific items. It is not uncommon to see standard infantry gear being used in original photographs of the Fallschirmjager in Normandy. Another interesting thing is that many paras wore the standard Stahlhelm by this stage of the war. This variation of equipment also makes this a popular impression.
As I said I will only list the standard and/or official gear worn by the Fallschirmjager in Normandy. Remember to check the 'Links' section of this blog below to find all the kit below. You may have to search on different suppliers to find certain bits of gear. For example only the Panther Store and Richard Underwood stock Splinter B Pattern Smocks.

The Kit you'll need....

*M1938 Helmet (By the time of Normandy most paratrooper helmets were heavily camouflaged with paint and covered in chickenwire and/or net. Few helmets had any insignia for camouflage reasons)

*Fliegerblouse 2nd Pattern (If joining a re-enactment group talk to existing members before purchase of awards or other insignia)

*Type 3 Splinter B Pattern Smock (MAKE SURE TO READ the 'Tips and Advice' Section of this blog which expalins a very common mistake amongst novice collectors when purchasing their smocks)

*EM Fliegermutze (side cap) with insignia or
- M1943 Einheitsfeldmutze (Ski Cap) with insignia.

*2nd Pattern front laced Jump boots or Ankle boots with gaiters. (There were two main types of boots in use with the Fallschirmjager throughout the war, the first was the Side laced type, often called the 1st Pattern which was used in early war campaigns. This was replaced with the front laced boot also called the 2nd Pattern, used until the end of the war. It was found that the side-laced type had no advantages to the front lace which was why the side-laced type was phased out. It was initially thought a side-laced design gave better ankle support)

*Black or Brown leather belt with Luftwaffe Belt Buckle. (Fallschirmjager wore either black or brown leather)

*Zeltbahn (tent quarter/poncho) in Splinter Pattern (does not matter if it is Splinter A or Splinter B Pattern)
*Bread Bag (Luftwaffe Blue or Field Grey)
*Trousers (Known as Springerhosen or 'Jump Trousers') In feldgrau (fieldgrey)
*Y-Straps (Can be either the lightweight paratrooper style or the Army style with extra D-rings.)
*Holster (P.38 or Luger P.08 Leather Holster in brown or black leather) All ranks of the Fallschirmjager wore side-arms.
*K98 Bayonet
*Ammunition pouches/bandoliers (depends on weapon being used in your impression) Remember for a Normandy themed impression your ammo pouches will be most likely be some form of camouflage or green or black. No tropical colours.
*Gas mask bag (Gas mask canister can also be used by this stage of the war)

Optional extras can be purchased or modifications made to existing kit to enhance your impression. Below are some examples.

Helmet painted in 3-tone (Normandy Pattern) paint scheme with net or chickenwire.
*Jump Gauntlets (Only made in brown leather)
*Gebirsjager boots (Mountain infantry boots) sometimes seen worn in original photos.
*Trench Knife (with crossguard)
*Gravity Knife (technically part of standard uniform but was not issued to many paratroopers by 1944 since paratrooper training had ceased by this stage and new recruits were not technically trained paratroopers)

These are only a few extras that can be added to your impression to give an example, there are many many more.

This kit list does not list what weapon you may be using.

Small arms Replicas

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For this blog I will only focus on German small arms. Also I will only focus on safe non firing or airsoft replicas.

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 rifles and recoilless weapons in combat. Fallschirmjäger also readily employed the best of several foreign-made small arms, including the Italian Beretta Modello 38 9 mm submachine gun,and the FN Browning P-35 9 mm pistol. In the early war period when Fallschirmjaeger made numerous jumps, they mainly dropped separately from their primary weapons which were dropped in a separate container. Until they could locate their weapons container the Fallschirmjaeger had no more then their standard service pistol to defend themeselves with.

The Fallschirmjaeger made use of all the standard issue Wehrmacht small arms. Due to their elite status they were allocated a higher proportion of automatic weapons than other units, and moreover they had some weapons specifically purpose designed for themseleves. Below are all the small arms used by the Fallschirmjaeger.

Fallschirmjagergewehr 1942 (FG42)

As the name suggests, this weapon was designed exclusively for the Fallschirmjaeger. This was one of the most innovative weapons ever made, it was selective fire, was outfitted with bi-pod for the squad support role and had a spike bayonet for close combat. It could be fitted with the ZF-4 or ZFG42 telescopic sights for use as a sniper rifle. The only downside to the weapon was that it fired the full-powered 7.92x57mm round and this coupled with the lightweight design made the weapon very hard to control especially on fully automatic mode, however the noise alone was often enough to scare enemies into surrender. This weapon is by far the rarest of all the weapons used by the jaegers with only about 7000 made of all variants (two main models were produced, the Type E and G versions, also called the type I and II, above shows the type I). Consequently any originals are near impossible to come by and can fetch 6 figure prices. The only company currently producing non-firing replicas of these are Shoei of Japan who make them to incredibly high standards and are regarded as the highest quality model gun manufacturer in the world. Not surpisingly these models can range in price between $1200-$2500 depending on the model. These replicas are very hard to find and it took me two years to find one myself. Fg42s are not produced as airsoft models .Again as the name indicates, the weapon was produced from 1942 onwards, however it was not used in combat until 1943 during a German Paratrooper assault on the Greek island of Rhodes and soon after in the now famous rescue by German Paratroopers of Benito Mussolini. The weapon saw use in all theatres from 1943 onwards but in very small numbers.

An interesting point of note is that although there were only around 7000 Fg42s produced throughout the war, there were over 20 different variations of Fg42 designed, although many books and other sources refer to only the two main types, the 'E' and 'G' models.

Karabiner 98 K (kurz)

The Karabiner 98 K (Kurz) rifle, just like its predecessor, the G98 used in WW1, the K98 was the standard issue rifle for German troops from 1939 to 1945. It was referred to as a Karabiner, rather than a Gewehr, because of its shorter barrel (60cm compared to the G98's 74cm). Adopted in 1935, it was present on all fronts until May 1945 and no alterations were made except for the odd change to simplify production techniques to increase production ratings. The Fallschirmjaeger used this weapon more than any other and was used by them on all fronts, a number of the modified G33/40 rifle were produced from 1940-1945 and were basically an even more shortened version of the Kar98k rifle and was also issued to mountain troops as well as the Fallschirmjaeger. Soldier of Fortune sell de-activated Kar98k rifles, see Kit Suppliers section of the website.

MP38/MP40

The Mp38 (info will soon be added)

Airsoft

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In recent years the popularity of airsoft sports as risen dramatically and hence so too has the quality and amount of airsoft guns available. One large and growing section of airsoft is the WW2 airsoft market. There have been an increasing number of imitation World War Two airsoft guns entering the market ranging from the cheap airsoft K98k right up to guns costing thousands such as the Mg42. Although there are Allied and Axis weapons available, for the purpose of this website we will be focusing on The German weapons specifically.
If you are buying airsoft guns for use in re-enacting then you may come up against some criticism. Many veteran re-enactors think that using an airsoft weapon is a cheap, non-accurate alternative to spending alot of money on a deactivated weapon. This is not the case, these days the quality and accuracy of airsoft weapons has improved to the point where they can fool even the most knowledgeable gun nut unless they can closely examine the weapon. Moreover many re-enactors weather their airsoft guns which only adds to the realism.
A good link to weathering the German Airsoft Stg44 http://www.ww2airsoft.org.uk/weathering-and-finishing-guide/

There are many German Second World War airsoft guns available, some are common, others are rare or now out of manufacture. The same weapon can also be produced by a multitude of different companies.

List of German Second World War Airsoft Weapons (There may be different companies manufacturing the same model)

Pistols
Western Elite (WE) Luger P.08 in 4, 6 or 8 inch barrels.
Maruzen Walther PPK
Maruzen Walther P.38

Sub-Machine Guns
AGM Mp40 (See the 'Youtube' section of this website)

Rifles
Tanaka or Dboys produce K98k bolt action rifles

Assault Rifles
AGM Stg44 (See the 'Youtube' section of this website)

Heavy Weapons
Asahi Mg34 (now long out of manuacture and considered a rare collectable)
Ultima and Shoei both produce airsoft versions of these, but both cost thousands.

Many weapons are not produced in airsoft form on a commercial scale. Many serious WW2 Airsofters have custom made various Airsoft weapons such as the Fg42. These can be found with a quick search on Google. For example type in 'custom airsoft Mg34' and many videos will appear.
Note that some German WW2 airsoft weapons may not be listed and that many companies produce the same model of airsoft gun, for simplicity I have listed one or two manufacturers at most. A simple search on Google will find you whatever airsoft gun you are searching for. See the 'Links' section of this website for reputible airsoft dealers. Be aware that before purchasing an airsoft weapon you must know your country and local laws, this is your responsibility.

Youtube

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PLEASE READ!!!! My Youtube channel has over 1,200 subscribers and 1,140,000 views. Please note that it contains a few old, non-relevant videos which contain old videos of Fallschirmjäger kit that I posted when I was starting my collection. However the site is continually updated with new videos such as the Shoei Fg42 model gun.Click here to view the my Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/fallschirmjager0000?feature=mhee

Shoei Fg42 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9zsKznxR-w&feature=channel_video_title
ZFG42 Scope http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCdO9tgUn4A&feature=relmfu
Airsoft Stg44 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFjg9ateS1M&feature=channel_video_title

Tips and Advice

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I highly recommend that anyone serious about re-enacting Fallschirmjaeger buy Volume 8 of the SOLDAT book. This is the World War Two German Army Combat Collectors Handbook, Volume 8 deals exclusively with the Fallschirmjaeger. By Chris Mason.

He deals with many of the subjects below and was of great help to me and still is.

Gauntlets

Many of the parachutist gloves produced for todays re-enactors are made of black leather, this was not the case. All jump gauntles produced during the Second World War for the Fallschirmjaeger were made of brown leather. These can be found at http://www.paratrooper.fr/ , see the 'Links' section of the website.

Chicken Wire

Chickenwire was commonly used by the paratroops to attach foliage, this was a common practise mainly in the latter stages of the war.There is a common told story by many sellers saying that the jaegers only used a certain kind of chickenwire on their helmets, wire of a certain twist or gauge. In actual fact this is nonsense, chickenwire was in use in farms throughout Europe in a wide variety of guages and twists.

Smocks (Please read, this is the most common error that many start-off enthusiasts make)

Although 'The Kit' section of this blog deals with the various camouflage versions of the smock, this section deals with the ever more common 'Splinter A' smock. The Luftwaffe, of which the Fallschirmjaeger were part of, only ever used 'Splinter B' camouflage. However many retailers offer the Splinter A smock which is incorrect as it never existed. I myself was caught out by this and realised only after 3 years that I had been wearing something that never actually existed, and yes the difference is very noticable. Splinter A was used by the Heer and is much more darker in comparison to Splinter B which has a lighter base colour and a more complex camouflage pattern. Splinter B smocks can be bought from Richard A. Underwood or the Panther Store, see the 'Links' section of this site for the links to these shops. Note that there are varying base colours for Splinter B ranging from dark green to almost tan backgrounds.

Splinter B

Splinter A

K98 Bandoliers

These were never produced in Tan and Water camouflage

Links

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Relevant Links to other reputable suppliers and websites that I have found very useful throughout the years as a source of information.
Links to Suppliers

http://www.richardaunderwood.com/

http://www.panther-store.cz/en

http://www.paratrooper.fr/

http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/reenactors/index.asp

Links to helpful sites and forums

http://fjreenactors.proboards.com/index.cgi

http://www.fallschirmjager.biz/

http://www.fallschirmjager.net/

Links to Fallschirmjager Re-enactor websites

http://www.heavenandhell.org.uk/index.html

http://www.fjr6.co.uk/

Airsoft Retailers

http://www.airsoftworld.net/