German Paratroopers Vol.III: Campaigns and Combat Operations, Decorations, Ephemera

This book concludes the three-volume series covering World War II  German paratroopers and their uniforms and equipment. This time, the contents cover those topics not included in the previous volumes.

Initially, the operational history of the German airborne forces between 1936 and 1945 is summarised. This section includes detailed views of more than 45 accurately uniformed mannequins, over half of which were assembled explicitly for this project. They illustrate the appearance of German paratroopers from their beginnings in Regiment “General Göring” through the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht in May 1945.

Aside from the exhaustively covered paratroopers of the Luftwaffe, the approximately 2,000 army and Waffen-SS paratroopers receive their own chapter in this book. Along with rare uniform items, documents and many hitherto unpublished photos are shown here. A further section devotes nearly 100 pages to specific qualification and formation insignia of the airborne forces– parachutist badges, cuff bands and specific unit insignia – as well as typical decorations and awards along with their award documents.

This volume also presents service record books (Wehrpässe) and pay books (Soldbücher), as well as other personal papers used by the Wehrmacht that were also used by personnel of the airborne forces. The chapter also includes a section that covers paratroopers’ ID discs in detail. The next chapter contains biographical sketches of 20 paratrooper privates, non-commissioned officers and officers, and shows related items from their estates. These individuals are representative of the approximately 250,000 men who served in airborne units between 1936 and 1945. A final chapter includes assorted memorabilia that did not fit thematically into other sections, yet is closely related to the German airborne forces. This volume contains more than 350 period photographs, of which more than 200 have never been published.

Book Data

Author: Karl Veltze
Language: English
Pages: 368
Photos: Approx. 1000s colour and black & white photos
Physical: Hardcover with dust jacket, 305x230mm, portrait

Chapters

Introduction
Acknowledgements

1. Combat operations

Peacetime
Poland 1939
Scandinavia 1940
Belgium, Netherlands 1940
Greece 1941
Eastern Front 1941/42
North Africa 1942
Eastern Front 1942/43
Mediterranean Theater 1943
Eastern Front 1943/44
Normandy, Northern France 1944
Northwestern Europe 1944/45
Italy 1944/45
Final Battles 1945

2a. Army paratroopers

Fallschirm-Infanterie-Kompanie and Bataillon
Paratroopers of the “Brandenburgers”

2b. Waffen-SS paratroopers

3a. The parachutist badge

Qualification Certificate
The Luftwaffe Parachutist Badge
Luftwaffe Award Documents
The Army Parachutist Badge
Army Award Documents
The Glider Pilot’s Badge

3b. Cuff titles

Landespolizeigruppe “General Goring”
“General Goring” Regiment
Fallschirmjager-Regiment 1
Fallschirm-Division
Fallschirmjager-Regiment 2
Fallschirmjager-Regiment 3

3c. Formation and unit badges

Cloth Badges
Airborne Engineers
Fallschirmjager-Regiment 3
Fallschirmjager-Brigade “Ramcke”
Metal Badges
Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment
Sturm-Regiment Tradition Badge
1. Fallschirm-Korps
2. Fallschirm-Korps
3. Fallschirmjager-Division
4. Fallschirmjager-Division

3d. Awards and documents

Peacetime Awards
Wartime Awards
The Iron Cross
Other Wartime Awards
Combat Badges
Non-Portable Awards

4. Identity disks and personal documents

Wehrpass
Soldbuch (Pay Book)
Tarnausweis (Deceptive Identification Card)
Erkennungsmarke (Identity Disc)
Flugbuch/Absprungkarte (Flight Log/Jump Card)
Other Documents

5. Estates of paratroopers

6. Canteen ware, printed matter and more

Canteen Ware and Souvenirs
Printed Matter
Unit-Internal Items
Curiosities

Appendixes

Abbreviations
Bibliography
Endnotes

About the author

Born in 1962, Karl Veltzé has been interested in military history and, in particular, the history of the German airborne forces since his youth – not least because his father was among the first who volunteered for the airborne troops of the young German Bundeswehr in 1956. Mr Veltzé himself did his national service from 1983 to 1984 with Fallschirmjäger-Bataillon 252 in Nagold, Germany. Following the Bundeswehr, he studied modern history and English literature at the University of Tübingen. Although Mr Veltzé has translated some titles covering contemporary and military history, including several for the Zeughaus Verlag, this is his first book. He is an avid collector of paratrooper memorabilia, albeit that of the French airborne forces of the 1946-54 Indochina war.