From the beginings of World War II, German airborne operations were planned for each year. In 1940, paratrooopers jumped into Norway, Belgium, and a large scale jump into Holland in 1940. A paratroop landing was also planned as part of the invasion of England in Operation SEELOEWE. Another major drop occurred the following year in 1941 on the island of Crete. Click here to learn more about the 7th Flieger Division that were parachuted into Crete in OPERATION MERCURY in May 1941.
And, in 1942 a paratroop drop was planned as part of the German invasion of Malta. The operation never materizlized, but in 1943 a drop was made on the Greek island of Leros, and another airborne drop was made during the Ardennes offensive in 1944. Click here for a detailed appraisal of World War II German airborne operations.
As early as 1935 there was a German paratroop unit in existence. And a parachute training school was in opertion at Stendal. Trainees were all volunteers, standards were high, and training was demanding. During jump training , which ranged from six to eight weeks, trainees made six jumps, including one night jump. The German Army Paratrooper Badge was awarded for the first time in 1937. Click here to see the badge.
The school prepared paratroopers to undertake missions under adverse conditions and to take independent actions against a superior force.
Unlike the flared helmet worn by ground troops which provided a head protectoin, the round-shaped, narrow rim paratrooper helmet was without forehead and neck protection. A fork-shaped chin and neck strap and a thin layer of foarm rubber inside the helmet gave it a snug fit.
The battle dress worn by German paratroopers was unique in that it was a waterproof knee-length smock with two zippered breast pockets and two buttoned deep thigh-pockets. Also worn were lined leather gloves, stout leather, rubber soled jump boots rubber knee-protectors, and cloth ankle-windings.
The parachute system included a "one-point" suspension harness that left the hands free, which meant paratroopers could jump with their weapon slung in front of the chest so they could fire their submachine gun as they descended. But, as explained in the book, Airborne by Tom Clancy, "This rarely happened in practice...individual weapons were packed in a container that was separately parachuted from the aircraft, and many troopers wre killed as they struggled to retrieve and unpack their weapons."
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