1. Fallschirmjäger-Division

In the Netherlands, the primary objectives are Maas bridges and airfields near major cities. The bridges at Dordrecht and Moerdijk are decisive for the German advance. Troops of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 seize and hold them. 9. Panzer-Division later relieves the paratroopers. Heavy fighting develops around the airfields near The Hague. The attack on the Ypenburg airfield at Rijswijk fails. Queen Wilhelmina and the Dutch government escape to England. Paratroopers at the airfields become trapped in close combat. Ammunition shortages force surrender when reinforcements of 22. Infanterie-Division (Luftlande) fail to arrive. Motorcycle troops and infantry from that division are flown in as planned. Around 1,200 captured paratroopers are transported to Great Britain as prisoners of war soon after the initial fighting. Heavy fighting also occurs at the Rotterdam airfield. German armoured troops relieve the paratroopers there. Together they encircle the city. Dutch command is distracted by the inland landings. Resistance against German spearheads weakens. No further elements of the division take part in the remaining campaign. The Netherlands capitulates on May 15^th, 1940, one day after the heavy air raid on Rotterdam.

After the Westfeldzug ends, the division expands to three regiments. Support companies are enlarged into battalions. Sturmabteilung Koch becomes an independent Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment. It trains for parachute and glider landings. The division now contains four Fallschirmjäger regiments and additional combat support battalions.

In 1941, the division deploys during the conquest of Greece. After German forces break the Metaxas Line, Allied troops retreat south. On April 25^th, 1941, Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2 drops with three battalions on both sides of the Corinth Canal. A Fallschirm-Pionier company lands by glider. The objective is a rapid crossing to prevent an Allied defensive line in the Peloponnese. After a brief firefight, the bridge is stormed. Demolition is prevented at first. A stray hit detonates ammunition stacked on the bridge. The central span collapses after capture. Around 1,400 British soldiers are captured during the operation.

After operations on the Greek mainland, the Wehrmacht’s largest airborne assault follows. This is the landing on Crete. Axis forces attack to remove the threat on their southeastern flank. The assault begins on May 20^th, 1941, in the Battle of Crete. The division lands in several battle groups. The initial objective is seizure of the airfields. These are to support the landing of elements of 5. Gebirgs-Division.

Group West targets Chania and Maleme. Generalmajor Eugen Meindl commands it. It includes Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment and Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3. Group Centre targets Rethymno. Oberst Sturm commands it. It includes Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2 without II Battalion. Group East targets Iraklion. Oberst Bräuer commands it. It includes Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 and II./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2.

On May 20^th, 1941, at about 07:15 hours, Unternehmen Merkur begins. The Luftwaffe bombs the drop zones. At Maleme, British anti-aircraft fire becomes ineffective early. While bombing continues, gliders of I./Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment land west of the airfield. New Zealand troops prevent an immediate seizure in close combat. The drop of the 2., 3., and 4. battalions of the first wave proceeds with few aircraft losses. Only seven of 493 Junkers Ju 52 aircraft are lost. Paratroopers descending meet heavy defensive fire. Many are hit while still in the air. After landing, Allied resistance remains strong.

The second wave is delayed by refuelling and take-off problems. Group Centre drops late. It lands near Rethymno at about 16:15. It lands near Heraklion at about 17:30 hours. The preceding bombardment occurs hours earlier. Damage is repaired hastily before the drop. Defensive fire again causes heavy casualties. By the end of the day, none of the main objectives are secured. At sunset, only about 6,000 of 10,000 landed troops remain combat-ready.

On May 21^st, 1941, Oberst Ramcke, aged fifty-two, drops near Maleme. He takes command of Group West after Generalmajor Meindl is wounded. Maleme runway remains under fire. Junkers Ju 52 aircraft land regardless. They bring reinforcements at heavy cost. By 17:00, German forces secure Maleme airfield and Hill 107. On May 22^nd, 1941, the airfield becomes a functioning base. Transport aircraft deliver reinforcements continuously. The expanding lodgement at Maleme decides the battle. On May 26^th, 1941, the operational decision turns decisively in Germany’s favour. British command orders evacuation during the night of May 27^th, 1941. Chania falls on May 27^th, 1941. Souda Bay port falls on May 28^th, 1941. Rethymno capitulates on May 29^th, 1941.

The 7. Flieger-Division remains on Crete until July 1941. It then returns home for replenishment. Losses on Crete prevent immediate deployment in Unternehmen Barbarossa. From September 1941, the division deploys on the Eastern Front in several battle groups. Operations include the Schlüsselburg area and the Stalino area. In 1942, elements take part in anti-partisan operations near Smolensk.

In summer 1942, elements move to France for Unternehmen Herkules, the planned capture of Malta. The plan is cancelled after Afrika Korps successes in North Africa. Instead, the Ramcke Fallschirm-Brigade forms. It fights as ground troops in North Africa from August 1942 onward. During the reorganisation of the paratroop arm in 1942 and 1943, Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2 transfers to form the 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division. It is replaced by the newly created Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 4.

On May 1^st, 1943, the division becomes the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division. It is renamed and reorganised. Units scattered across the Eastern Front are gathered. They assemble as a division in France. On July 10^th, 1943, the division is alerted. It is airlifted to the Rome area. Elements are also airlifted to Sicily. These include Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3, Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 4, the Maschinengewehr- und Pionier-Bataillon, I Battalion of the Artillerie-Regiment, and elements of the Panzerjäger-Abteilung.

After heavy fighting, these elements withdraw to the Italian mainland by August 17^th, 1943. The division then receives orders to defend Apulia. After the Allied landings at Salerno on September 9^th, 1943, the regimental staff and I Battalion of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3 march to Salerno. They come under 16. Panzer-Division. The battalion recaptures Battipaglia from British forces. During the beachhead fighting, III Battalion of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3 deploys. I and III Battalions of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 4 also deploy.

On September 18^th, 1943, command recognises the beachhead cannot be eliminated. The deployed elements withdraw and rejoin the division in Apulia. The division holds a defensive line there. It faces the British 1^st Airborne Division landed in the Gulf of Taranto. Until mid-September 1943, the division halts British movement northward, apart from the Salerno detachments. In mid-September 1943, the division disarms Italian units in its sector.

Around September 20^th, 1943, the division defends the general line Potenza to Matera and the coast near Bari. After a British landing near Bari on September 22^nd, 1943, Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 on the left flank comes under heavy attack. It withdraws north via Molfetta and Barletta to Canosa and the area north of Barletta. The line lies beyond the Ofanto River. The right flank withdraws via Spinazzola to Melfi. On September 25^th, 1943, and September 26^th, 1943, the division retreats along Ascoli, Cerignola, and Trinitapoli. It moves into the Apulian plain on both sides of Foggia. On September 27^th, 1943, it abandons this area under pressure.

At the end of September 1943, the division withdraws across the plain. It delays on the line Campobasso, Sant’Elia, Colletorto, Serracapriola, and Torre Fortore. In October 1943, a commando force of British XIII Corps captures Termoli from the sea. It overcomes the local Kampfgruppe of the division. A counterattack by 16. Panzer-Division fails on October 4^th, 1943. The left flank then withdraws to positions north of Termoli. Around October 8^th, 1943, the right flank withdraws across the Biferno. A few days later, the full front withdraws behind the Trigno between Bagnoli and Tufillo.

In mid-October 1943, Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 and most of the division leave the front. They transfer to the Roccaraso and Castel di Sangro area. They construct the Gustav Line from Gaeta via Cassino and Castel di Sangro to Fossacesia. The line follows the Garigliano, Rapido, and Sangro rivers. Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3 and Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 4 remain forward. They come under 29. Panzergrenadier-Division. The front remains quiet until early November 1943. Then heavy fighting develops near Tufillo. The two regiments withdraw northwest. Tufillo, Palmoli, and Torrebruna fall on November 5^th, 1943. A few days later, the front withdraws to the Sangro.

In early December 1943, Allied forces cross the Sangro in the sector of 78^th Infantry Division. 26. Panzer-Division and 90. Panzergrenadier-Division fail to contain the breakthrough. On December 15^th, 1943, the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division redeploys from Abruzzo. It moves to the threatened coastal sector. On the same day, Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3 establishes a cordon around Ortona. House-to-house fighting continues until December 28^th, 1943. The division then withdraws from Ortona. It takes new positions north of the town. Toward the end of 1943, Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 repels Canadian attacks near Francavilla on the coastal road. The Adriatic front then stabilises.

After the Allied landings at Anzio and Nettuno on January 22^nd, 1944, the division forms a Kampfgruppe. It consists of the staff and III Battalion of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 and Fallschirm-MG-Bataillon 1. It deploys to the beachhead. On January 25^th, 1944, the Allied attack on Cassino and its heights begins. The division withdraws from the Adriatic sector. It transfers to the Cassino front as reinforcement.

Heavy defensive fighting continues until February 18^th, 1944. The Allies then break off the offensive. The division reorganises during the following quieter period. Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3 holds the town. Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 4 holds Hill 593. Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 holds the adjacent sector to Monte Caira. On March 15^th, 1944, a renewed Allied offensive begins. A massive air raid and artillery preparation strike Cassino. The division suffers extremely heavy losses. It holds its positions until March 22^nd, 1944. The Allies then suspend the attacks.

After ten days of rest and refitting, the division reorganises again. Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 4 and Fallschirm-MG-Bataillon 1 now defend the town and monastery hill. Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3 is reinforced by mountain troops. It takes the adjacent sector up to Monte Caira. Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 remains in divisional reserve.

On May 11^th, 1944, the third battle of Cassino begins. Allied forces break into the Liri valley via the Gari. This outflanks the monastery hill. Polish units attack the town and abbey. Hill 593 changes hands several times. To avoid encirclement, the division abandons Monte Cassino on May 18^th, 1944. It withdraws to the northwest.

The withdrawal passes via Arce and Frosinone. It continues via Alatri, with some units also moving via Anagni and Fiuggi. At the end of May 1944, the division passes through the Subiaco gorge. In early June 1944, elements fight near Tivoli. They face the US VI Corps advancing east from Rome. Under constant air attack, the division withdraws via Arsoli, Carsoli, and Rieti to Terni.

Around June 13^th, 1944, a gap opens west of the Tiber. It lies between 10. Armee and 14. Armee near Terni. The division receives orders to close the gap south of Lake Trasimeno. It moves to the area southwest of Perugia. The division fights heavy Allied attacks near Chiusi. It then fights on the western shore of the lake near Pozzuolo. It holds until the end of June 1944. Losses are heavy. Over the next six weeks, it retreats on both sides of the Florence road. It fights into the Apennines as far as areas south of Arezzo.

In mid-August 1944, the division transfers from the right wing of 10. Armee. It moves to the Adriatic coastal sector. The purpose is to block British 8^th Army along the coastal road. It also secures the flank of the Green Line protecting the Po valley. In the second half of August 1944, it blocks British breakthroughs near Pesaro, Cattolica, and south of Rimini. Defensive fighting is heavy.

After the situation stabilises on the left wing of 10. Armee, the division refits briefly near Imola. In the second half of October 1944, it moves to positions southeast of Bologna. Allied command is expected to strike there. Through winter 1944 and into spring 1945, the division defends the Apennine foothills southwest of Castel San Pietro. Monte Grande and Monte Cerere change hands several times in December 1944 and January 1945.

In February 1945, a reorganisation within 10. Armee subordinates the division to I. Fallschirm-Korps. The corps takes over the sector between Bologna and areas northeast of Imola in mid-February. Although weakened, each regiment provides a battalion to form 10. Fallschirmjäger-Division in spring 1945.

On April 10^th, 1945, and April 11^th, 1945, the Allied offensive in northern Italy begins. The remnants hold positions until mid-April 1945. They then retreat toward the Po on both sides of the Ferrara road. The division is no longer motorised. American forces overtake it before it reaches the Po. The division largely surrenders. Some remnants cross the Po and withdraw into the Dolomites. The last elements surrender in Südtirol on May 2^nd, 1945.