1st Parachute Division (Germany)
| 1st Parachute Division 7th Air Division | |
|---|---|
Fallschirmjäger | |
| Role | Airborne forces |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Karl-Lothar Schulz Kurt Student |
The 1st Parachute Division (
Operational history
The division was formed in October 1938 under the command of Major-General Kurt Student. At the start of World War II, the division contained two parachute regiments; it was brought up to full strength in 1941. In April 1940, the division took part in the invasion of Denmark and Norway during Operation Weserübung, successfully seizing several airfields.
The German plan for the invasion of
The division took part in the Battle of Crete. The Allied forces on the island put up a stubborn defense and the troops of the 7th Fliegerdivision took heavy losses. With the aid of the follow-on reinforcements, and the capture of the airfield allowing resupply however, the Allies were forced to evacuate the island by 29 May.
In September 1941, the division was transferred to the Eastern Front, fighting in the vicinity of Leningrad, Stalino and later taking part in anti-partisan warfare near Smolensk. In the summer of 1942, the division was transferred to France where it trained for the planned capture of Malta. After this operation was cancelled, elements of the division saw combat in North Africa.[2]
The division took part in the July 1943 fight against the
By January 1945, the German I Parachute Corps was deployed to the
Order of battle
- HQ Staff
- 1. Panzerjäger Battalion
- 1. Pioneer Battalion
- 1. Flak Battalion
- 1. Medical Battalion
- 13. Nebelwerfer Company
- 14. Panzerjäger Company
- 1. Fallschirmjäger Regiment
- 3. Fallschirmjäger Regiment
- 4. Fallschirmjäger Regiment
- 1. Artillery Regiment
- Supply Troops
War crimes
Members of various units of the division committed war crimes in Italy between 1943 and 1945. A massacre by members of the 1. Fallschirmjäger Regiment occurred on November 21, 1943, in Pietransieri, a frazione of Roccaraso in Abruzzo. A total of 128 unarmed civilians, mostly women and children, were slaughtered in the Massacre of Pietransieri. After they refused to leave the village, civilians were rounded up and executed by gunfire and explosives and their farms were set on fire and demolished.[4][5] According to a project funded by the German federal government and led by a commission of historians Atlante delle Stragi Naziste e Fasciste in Italia (Atlas of the Nazi and Fascist Massacres in Italy), nearly 400 Italian civilians were murdered by members of the 1st Parachute Division by the end of the war.[6]
Commanders
| Date | Commander |
|---|---|
| September 9, 1938 | Generalleutnant Kurt Student |
| May 16, 1940 | Generalleutnant Richard Putzier |
| October 1, 1940 | Generalleutnant Wilhelm Süssmann |
| May 20, 1941 | Generalmajor Alfred Sturm |
| October 1, 1941 | Generalleutnant Erich Petersen |
| August 1, 1942 | General der Fallschirmtruppe Richard Heidrich |
| January 4, 1944 | Generalmajor Hans Korte |
| February 21, 1944 | General der Fallschirmtruppe Richard Heidrich |
| November 18, 1944 | Generalmajor Karl-Lothar Schulz |
References
- ^ Brongers, E.H. De slag om de residentie. Aspekt B.V., Uitgeverij. p. 320.
- ^ Kühn, Volkmar. Deutsche Fallschirmjäger im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01044-5.
- ^ "7th Flieger Division: Student's Fallschirmjager Elite (Spearhead) by Bruce Quarrie, Chris Ellis: New Paperback (2001) | Ergodebooks".
- ^ "PIETRANSIERI ROCCARASO 21.11.1943| Atlante stragi nazifasciste". Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- OCLC 915930985.
- ^ "1. Fallschirmjäger-Division | Atlante stragi nazifasciste". Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- Bohmler, Rudolf. Monte Cassino: a German View. Cassell, 1964. ASIN: B000MMKAYM
