Hi to everyone,
WW2 resulted in the deployment of many elite forces among them paratroops pf all nations amongst the most famous was the German Fallschirmjager often known as the Green Devils amongst the most notable of actions was the rescue of the Italian Dictator and also of course the battle for Crete, a version of the Green Devil is the subject of a recent release from Nuts Planet.
Before we look at the release itself lets have some information on these troops :
The main push behind the development of this arm was Goering who wanted to ensure that his Luftwaffe had its share of battle experience and so was very much in favour of the image of the Green Devils being considered an elite unit in its own right within the german armed forces.
Clothing and Equipment
The Fallschirmjäger had a wide variety of special clothing. As they were Luftwaffe personnel, the basic uniform was that of the flying units and in blue rather than the field grey of the Army. The flying blouse was a short waisted, open necked jacket with buttons hidden under a fly front. The trousers were similar to the flying pattern but had a pocket on the right thigh for the gravity knife mentioned above. This was a single bladed knife carried to cut away parachute rigging in an emergency. To operate, the knife was held pointing downward and a button push released the blade. Once the blade was extended, the button was released and this locked the blade in place. The trousers also had an opening on the outside of each leg at knee level. This was to allow knee pads to be donned or removed. Knee pads were necessary because of the face down landing position necessitated by the RZ series of parachutes. Elbow pads were sometimes worn but these fitted over the jacket and smock.
The Fallschirmjäger were originally issued with a high, side-lacing boot. There was no advantage to this type of boot and it was soon replaced by a front lacing boot. In the later part of the war, the troops wore normal German combat boots.
The paratroopers also used a variety of combat smocks. The smock became as much a badge of the Fallschirmjaeger as the rimless helmet. For the jump, the smock was worn over the uniform and combat gear and under the parachute harness. The purpose was to keep the parachute rigging from being caught up in the personal gear. The first smocks had short, tailored step-in legs and removing the smock to put it under the gear was an aggravation in training and a dangerous delay in combat. Later smocks had snaps at the lower edge which could be used to make "legs". The early smocks were also plain grey or grey-green. Later smocks were camouflaged in various patterns but plain smocks were still in evidence at the end of the war.
There was also a special Fallschirmjaeger helmet. In appearance it was like a normal German helmet with the rim cut off and the first helmets were actually made in this fashion. Later helmets were produced to Fallschirmjaeger specification. The helmet harness was more extensive than that of the normal helmet and the interior was padded. A helmet cover was commonly worn, usually in the same pattern of camouflage as the smock.
The Fallschirmjaeger bandolier was made of cloth and worn around the neck. It hung down on both sides of the chest and had loops on the rear through which the waist belt passed. The bandolier's twelve compartments held 120 rounds. there was a similar bandolier for the 20 round FG-42 magazines but it only had eight compartments. The MP38/40 submachine-gun ammunition carriers consisted of two pouches each with space for three clips. there was also a special pouch to carry the 32 round clips for the MP-44 but this was in very short supply. Most Fallschirmjaeger carried spare MP-44 clips intheir smock pockets.
Weapons
The Germans produced the widest range of special and modified items for their Airborne troops. The most famous item was the FG-42, a gas operated semi-automatic rifle made only for the Airborne. Only about 10,000 were made. It was an advanced design that fired full automatic from an open bolt - for cooling - and semi-automatic from a closed bolt - for accuracy. The weapon had a small bipod and fed from a 20 round magazine on the left side. It weighted nearly ten pounds fully loaded. It fired the full size 7.92 MM military round which was really too powerful for the weapon. Even with a bipod it was difficult to control when fired on full automatic.
The standard MP 38 and MP 40 submachine-guns and bolt action Mausers were used by most paratroopers. Some German paratroopers used a shortened and folding version of the standard Mauser. This was not a success and had both a strong recoil and a huge muzzle flash. Late in the war, many Fallschirmjaeger were issued with the MP-44 assault weapon as evidenced by photographs of the 3rd and 5th Fallschirmjaeger Division in the Ardennes and the 1st and 4th Fallschirmjaeger Division in Italy. The MP-44 fired a shortened and less powerful version of the 7.92 standard round. The weapon itself was made of stamped metal and fired either full or semi automatic. The MP-44 was the forerunner of all modern assault rifles. This weapon only went into mass production in 1944 and supply never came close to equaling demand. Despite their high priority most Fallschirmjaeger ended with the war with the standard bolt action Mauser.
The German paratroopers were equipped with what was undoubtedly the best light machine-guns of World War II - the MG 34 and the later MG 42. The MG 42 replaced the MG 34 because it was much easier and cheaper to produce, being made extensively from stamped steel Parts. Weighing only a little over 11.5 kilograms it fired at a phenomenal 1300 to 1400 rounds per minute. The barrel was quick and easy to change and the weapon was very tolerant of dust and dirt. When equipped with a tripod it made a very useful medium machine-gun. Each German infantry squad (10 to 12 men at full strength) was equipped with one MG-42 light machine-gun and this went a long way toward overcoming the relatively slow firing rate of the bolt action Mausers. The fast firing MG 42 was a Major factor in German defensive abilities throughout the war. The MG 42 was the prototype of all modern General purpose machine-guns and in slightly modified form is in still in service as a standard weapon with the German, Italian and Yugoslavian armies.
The Germans were the first to employ recoilless artillery, using a 75 MM version as early as Crete. The 75 MM gun (321 pounds) was broken down into Parts and parachute dropped. Later a 105 MM version weighing 855 pounds was introduced. German mountain and jaeger troops also used recoilless artillery.
Two types of "squeeze-bore" anti-tank guns, in 28 MM and 42MM were used by the Airborne forces. These gave a strong punch for their caliber but the shortage of tungsten needed for the special shot put these guns out of service by early 1943. The Airborne pattern of the 28 MM gun only weighed 260 pounds.
Parachutes
The worst parachutes used by a Major power were those of the Germans which were based on the Italian "Salvatore" design. The German RZ (RUCKENPACKUNG ZWANGAUSLOSUNG or, rucksack packed to open) series of chutes (primarily the RZ-16 and the RZ-20) had a single strap between the back of the body harness and the chute. This resulted in a face down position which required knee and elbow pads and a forward roll upon landing. (Employment of this type of parachute is curious since German air crew used a chute that had lift webs attached to the shoulders like the British and American models.) This landing position led to many landing injuries. To allow for proper deployment, the paratrooper had to leap forward in a straight body dive when Jumping. Control during the descent was almost impossible except for a superbly trained and agile trooper and even then little control was possible. The forward roll landing also kept the parachutist from carrying much equipment on his body. Except for pistols, grenades and the occasional submachine-gun, German paratroopers had to rely on containers for their main combat equipment. The chute was attached to the harness with four clips which, like the American chute, were difficult to undo when under fire or when the trooper was being wind dragged. The Germans issued each Fallschirmjaeger with a gravity knife to cut the rigging in an emergency. The opening shock of this canopy first parachute was also very harsh but the chute would fully deploy in under 40 meters which meant a lower drop altitude and less time dangling helpless in the air. By the Crete invasion, the Germans deployed various colored parachute canopies for camouflage and to aid in the identification of commanders and/or containers.
As always there are many books available all of which are of great interest and full of information here are a few:
Continued in next post:
Nap
WW2 resulted in the deployment of many elite forces among them paratroops pf all nations amongst the most famous was the German Fallschirmjager often known as the Green Devils amongst the most notable of actions was the rescue of the Italian Dictator and also of course the battle for Crete, a version of the Green Devil is the subject of a recent release from Nuts Planet.
Before we look at the release itself lets have some information on these troops :
The main push behind the development of this arm was Goering who wanted to ensure that his Luftwaffe had its share of battle experience and so was very much in favour of the image of the Green Devils being considered an elite unit in its own right within the german armed forces.
The Fallschirmjäger had a wide variety of special clothing. As they were Luftwaffe personnel, the basic uniform was that of the flying units and in blue rather than the field grey of the Army. The flying blouse was a short waisted, open necked jacket with buttons hidden under a fly front. The trousers were similar to the flying pattern but had a pocket on the right thigh for the gravity knife mentioned above. This was a single bladed knife carried to cut away parachute rigging in an emergency. To operate, the knife was held pointing downward and a button push released the blade. Once the blade was extended, the button was released and this locked the blade in place. The trousers also had an opening on the outside of each leg at knee level. This was to allow knee pads to be donned or removed. Knee pads were necessary because of the face down landing position necessitated by the RZ series of parachutes. Elbow pads were sometimes worn but these fitted over the jacket and smock.
The Fallschirmjäger were originally issued with a high, side-lacing boot. There was no advantage to this type of boot and it was soon replaced by a front lacing boot. In the later part of the war, the troops wore normal German combat boots.
The paratroopers also used a variety of combat smocks. The smock became as much a badge of the Fallschirmjaeger as the rimless helmet. For the jump, the smock was worn over the uniform and combat gear and under the parachute harness. The purpose was to keep the parachute rigging from being caught up in the personal gear. The first smocks had short, tailored step-in legs and removing the smock to put it under the gear was an aggravation in training and a dangerous delay in combat. Later smocks had snaps at the lower edge which could be used to make "legs". The early smocks were also plain grey or grey-green. Later smocks were camouflaged in various patterns but plain smocks were still in evidence at the end of the war.
There was also a special Fallschirmjaeger helmet. In appearance it was like a normal German helmet with the rim cut off and the first helmets were actually made in this fashion. Later helmets were produced to Fallschirmjaeger specification. The helmet harness was more extensive than that of the normal helmet and the interior was padded. A helmet cover was commonly worn, usually in the same pattern of camouflage as the smock.
The Fallschirmjaeger bandolier was made of cloth and worn around the neck. It hung down on both sides of the chest and had loops on the rear through which the waist belt passed. The bandolier's twelve compartments held 120 rounds. there was a similar bandolier for the 20 round FG-42 magazines but it only had eight compartments. The MP38/40 submachine-gun ammunition carriers consisted of two pouches each with space for three clips. there was also a special pouch to carry the 32 round clips for the MP-44 but this was in very short supply. Most Fallschirmjaeger carried spare MP-44 clips intheir smock pockets.
Weapons
The Germans produced the widest range of special and modified items for their Airborne troops. The most famous item was the FG-42, a gas operated semi-automatic rifle made only for the Airborne. Only about 10,000 were made. It was an advanced design that fired full automatic from an open bolt - for cooling - and semi-automatic from a closed bolt - for accuracy. The weapon had a small bipod and fed from a 20 round magazine on the left side. It weighted nearly ten pounds fully loaded. It fired the full size 7.92 MM military round which was really too powerful for the weapon. Even with a bipod it was difficult to control when fired on full automatic.
The standard MP 38 and MP 40 submachine-guns and bolt action Mausers were used by most paratroopers. Some German paratroopers used a shortened and folding version of the standard Mauser. This was not a success and had both a strong recoil and a huge muzzle flash. Late in the war, many Fallschirmjaeger were issued with the MP-44 assault weapon as evidenced by photographs of the 3rd and 5th Fallschirmjaeger Division in the Ardennes and the 1st and 4th Fallschirmjaeger Division in Italy. The MP-44 fired a shortened and less powerful version of the 7.92 standard round. The weapon itself was made of stamped metal and fired either full or semi automatic. The MP-44 was the forerunner of all modern assault rifles. This weapon only went into mass production in 1944 and supply never came close to equaling demand. Despite their high priority most Fallschirmjaeger ended with the war with the standard bolt action Mauser.
The German paratroopers were equipped with what was undoubtedly the best light machine-guns of World War II - the MG 34 and the later MG 42. The MG 42 replaced the MG 34 because it was much easier and cheaper to produce, being made extensively from stamped steel Parts. Weighing only a little over 11.5 kilograms it fired at a phenomenal 1300 to 1400 rounds per minute. The barrel was quick and easy to change and the weapon was very tolerant of dust and dirt. When equipped with a tripod it made a very useful medium machine-gun. Each German infantry squad (10 to 12 men at full strength) was equipped with one MG-42 light machine-gun and this went a long way toward overcoming the relatively slow firing rate of the bolt action Mausers. The fast firing MG 42 was a Major factor in German defensive abilities throughout the war. The MG 42 was the prototype of all modern General purpose machine-guns and in slightly modified form is in still in service as a standard weapon with the German, Italian and Yugoslavian armies.
The Germans were the first to employ recoilless artillery, using a 75 MM version as early as Crete. The 75 MM gun (321 pounds) was broken down into Parts and parachute dropped. Later a 105 MM version weighing 855 pounds was introduced. German mountain and jaeger troops also used recoilless artillery.
Two types of "squeeze-bore" anti-tank guns, in 28 MM and 42MM were used by the Airborne forces. These gave a strong punch for their caliber but the shortage of tungsten needed for the special shot put these guns out of service by early 1943. The Airborne pattern of the 28 MM gun only weighed 260 pounds.
Parachutes
The worst parachutes used by a Major power were those of the Germans which were based on the Italian "Salvatore" design. The German RZ (RUCKENPACKUNG ZWANGAUSLOSUNG or, rucksack packed to open) series of chutes (primarily the RZ-16 and the RZ-20) had a single strap between the back of the body harness and the chute. This resulted in a face down position which required knee and elbow pads and a forward roll upon landing. (Employment of this type of parachute is curious since German air crew used a chute that had lift webs attached to the shoulders like the British and American models.) This landing position led to many landing injuries. To allow for proper deployment, the paratrooper had to leap forward in a straight body dive when Jumping. Control during the descent was almost impossible except for a superbly trained and agile trooper and even then little control was possible. The forward roll landing also kept the parachutist from carrying much equipment on his body. Except for pistols, grenades and the occasional submachine-gun, German paratroopers had to rely on containers for their main combat equipment. The chute was attached to the harness with four clips which, like the American chute, were difficult to undo when under fire or when the trooper was being wind dragged. The Germans issued each Fallschirmjaeger with a gravity knife to cut the rigging in an emergency. The opening shock of this canopy first parachute was also very harsh but the chute would fully deploy in under 40 meters which meant a lower drop altitude and less time dangling helpless in the air. By the Crete invasion, the Germans deployed various colored parachute canopies for camouflage and to aid in the identification of commanders and/or containers.
Continued in next post:
Nap
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