Versuchsabteilung Friedrichshafen
Sturmabteilung Koch
Luftlande-Sturm Regiment 1
The
Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 was a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
Fallschirmjägerare German paratroopers. Fallschirmjäger of Germany in World War II were the first to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They came to be known as the "Green Devils" by the Allied forces they fought against...
RegimentA regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. A regiment can be broken into two distinct categories, one being an administrative unit which is responsible for non-operational management of battalions , while the other being a deployable combat...
which captured the Belgian
Fort Eben-EmaelEben-Emael was a Belgian fortress between Liège and Maastricht, near the Albert Canal, defending the Belgian-German border. Constructed in 1931–1935, it was reputed to be impregnable. But on 10 May 1940, 78 paratroopers of the German 7th Flieger landed on the fortress with gliders...
during the
Battle of FranceIn World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed from 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations...
, assaulted
CreteThe Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. The battle began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur Greek and Allied forces along with Cretan civilians defended the...
, and fought on the
Russian FrontThe Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of war between the European Axis powers, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia and Finland , and the Soviet Union which encompassed central and eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Versuchsabteilung (Research Battalion) Friedrichshafen was formed at
Hildesheimis a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hannover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
on 2 November 1939 from elements of the 1st Company of I./Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1 and the Pionier-Zug (Engineer Platoon) of II./Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1, but was soon renamed after its commander,
HauptmanHauptman is the surname of:* Herbert A. Hauptman , mathematician and winner of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistry* Judith Hauptman , feminist Jewish Talmudic scholar* William Hauptman , writer...
Walter Koch, as Sturmabteilung (Assault Battalion) Koch.
Versuchsabteilung Friedrichshafen
Sturmabteilung Koch
Luftlande-Sturm Regiment 1
The
Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 was a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
Fallschirmjägerare German paratroopers. Fallschirmjäger of Germany in World War II were the first to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They came to be known as the "Green Devils" by the Allied forces they fought against...
RegimentA regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. A regiment can be broken into two distinct categories, one being an administrative unit which is responsible for non-operational management of battalions , while the other being a deployable combat...
which captured the Belgian
Fort Eben-EmaelEben-Emael was a Belgian fortress between Liège and Maastricht, near the Albert Canal, defending the Belgian-German border. Constructed in 1931–1935, it was reputed to be impregnable. But on 10 May 1940, 78 paratroopers of the German 7th Flieger landed on the fortress with gliders...
during the
Battle of FranceIn World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed from 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations...
, assaulted
CreteThe Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. The battle began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur Greek and Allied forces along with Cretan civilians defended the...
, and fought on the
Russian FrontThe Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of war between the European Axis powers, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia and Finland , and the Soviet Union which encompassed central and eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
History
Versuchsabteilung (Research Battalion) Friedrichshafen was formed at
Hildesheimis a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hannover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
on 2 November 1939 from elements of the 1st Company of I./Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1 and the Pionier-Zug (Engineer Platoon) of II./Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1, but was soon renamed after its commander,
HauptmanHauptman is the surname of:* Herbert A. Hauptman , mathematician and winner of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistry* Judith Hauptman , feminist Jewish Talmudic scholar* William Hauptman , writer...
Walter Koch, as Sturmabteilung (Assault Battalion) Koch. It was intended to open the way into Central Belgium by capturing the formidable modern
Fort Eben-EmaelEben-Emael was a Belgian fortress between Liège and Maastricht, near the Albert Canal, defending the Belgian-German border. Constructed in 1931–1935, it was reputed to be impregnable. But on 10 May 1940, 78 paratroopers of the German 7th Flieger landed on the fortress with gliders...
defending the
Albert CanalThe Albert Canal is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, named after King Albert I of Belgium. It connects the major cities Antwerp and Liège and the Meuse and Scheldt rivers. It has a depth of 3.40 m, a free height of 6.70 m and a total length of 129.5 km. The maximum capacity is a barge...
as well three bridges over the Canal. The
DFS 230The DFS 230 was a German transport glider operated by the Luftwaffe in World War II. It was developed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug with Hans Jacobs as the head designer. The glider was the German inspiration for the British Hotspur glider and was intended for paratrooper assault...
gliders of 17./KGr z.b.V. 5 were to be used to allow the assault groups to silently land virtually on top of their objectives, hopefully surprising the defenders and preventing them from either destroying the bridge or interfering with the German attack.
The battalion was divided into four Sturmgruppen (Assault Groups) for the invasion of Belgium on 10 May 1940. Sturmgruppe Beton (Concrete), with 96 men landing in 11 gliders, captured the bridge at Vroenhoven, suffering 7 dead and 24 wounded in the process. Sturmgruppe Eisen (Iron) consisted of 90 men in 10 gliders that captured the bridge at Canne, losing 22 dead, 26 wounded, not least due to one glider being shot down by anti-aircraft fire with only 6 survivors. Sturmgruppe Stahl (Steel) had 91 men crammed into only 9 gliders to assault the bridge at Veldwezelt. It succeeded at the cost of 8 dead, 16 heavily and 16 lightly wounded. Sturmgruppe Granit (Granite) landed on top of the fort with 83 men in 11 gliders and neutralized the fort at the cost of 6 dead and 20 wounded. The Belgians were unable to muster any serious counterattacks against the paras before they were relieved on 11 May. They played no further part in the Battle of France, but were withdrawn back to Germany to recuperate.
Two more battalions were formed during the fall of 1940 and the unit was redesignated as
Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 (Air Landing Assault Regiment). A fourth battalion was raised during the winter of 1940/41, although it was organized similarly to a regular infantry regiment's heavy weapons battalion with companies of single-barreled 150 mm Do-Gerät 38 rocket launchers, 37 mm
Pak 36The Pak 36 was a German anti-tank gun that fired a 3.7 cm calibre shell. It was developed in 1936 by Rheinmetall and first appeared in combat that year during the Spanish Civil War. It formed the basis for many other nations' anti-tank guns during the first years of World War II. The Kw. K...
anti-tank guns and 20 mm
Gebirgsflak 38The FlaK 30 and improved FlaK 38 were 20 mm anti-aircraft guns widely used by various German forces throughout the Second World War...
mountain anti-aircraft guns as well as an engineer company. Details are unclear, but at least some of the anti-tank guns had been distributed among the fourth company of each line parachute battalion by the time of Operation Merkur.
The regiment didn't participate in the opening stages of the invasions of Greece and Yugoslavia, but was kept in reserve until it was needed for the invasion of Crete. Its 1st battalion landed by
DFS 230The DFS 230 was a German transport glider operated by the Luftwaffe in World War II. It was developed by the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug with Hans Jacobs as the head designer. The glider was the German inspiration for the British Hotspur glider and was intended for paratrooper assault...
gliders towed by
Ju 52sThe Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Lufthansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
of LLG 1, but the rest of the regiment was parachuted in the vicinity of
MalemeMaleme is a town and airport 16 km to the west of Chania, in North Western Crete, Greece. It is located in Platanias municipality, in Chania prefecture....
airfield on 20 May 1941. They landed almost on top of the New Zealand 5th Infantry Brigade, part of the 2nd New Zealand Infantry Division and suffered severely at their hands. However, reinforced by several battalions of the
5th Gebirgs (Mountain) DivisionThe German 5th Mountain Division was established in the Austrian Tirol in October 1940, out of regiments taken from the 1. Gebirgs-Division and the 10. Infanterie Division. Its first action was in the 1941 Balkans Campaign, when it took part in Operations Marita and Merkur; in the latter it was...
that landed the next day they were able to force the New Zealanders to retreat. This would be the regiment's only time to see action as a cohesive regiment during the war.
The regiment required months to replace all of its casualties and it wasn't until 27 September 1941 that the II. Battalion was flown to Russia as a substitute for the missing II./Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1 when the 7th Flieger Division was called to reinforce the German defenses southeast of Leningrad against heavy Soviet attacks. There it would remain until the 1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment was withdrawn in mid-December 1941. In May 1942 it was redesignated as the II. Battalion of the new Fallschirmjäger Regiment (FJR) 5.
Next to be summoned east in the regiment's new role as elite 'firemen' was the IV. Battalion which would substitute for 2nd Fallschirmjäger Regiment's missing third battalion. It left Germany in mid-November to shore up German defenses near Stalino. There it remained until the regiment was transferred to the Novgorod area beginning 17 March 1942. The regiment finally began to return to Germany on 6 July 1942. IV. was transferred to the training area of Mourmelon le Grand in France in October 1942 where it was temporarily designated as
Lehrbatallion der Erdkampfschule der Luftwaffe. It served as the school troops for the Luftwaffe's junior officer and NCO leadership schools there. In early 1943 it was redesignated as II./FJR 6 and assigned to the 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division.
I. Battalion was flown to
SmolenskSmolensk is a Russian city and the administrative centre of Smolensk Oblast, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
on 6 December 1941 and then moved to the Juchnow area, west of
KalugaKaluga is a city in western Russia, located on the Oka River 188 km southwest of Moscow. It is the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast. Population: It is served by Kaluga Grabtsevo Airport.-History:...
, to bolster the German defenses there. It was transferred to France in May 1942. It was eventually redesignated as I./FJR 12 in January 1944.
The regimental Stab (Headquarters) accompanied I. Battalion to Russia, but was used to control many of the Luftwaffe units forced into a ground-combat role by the Soviet winter counter-offensive. It was redesignated as Stab Luftwaffe-Division Meindl in February 1942.
Sources are unclear on III. Battalion's activities during this period, but it is known that its 10. Company was sent to the
RzhevRzhev is the uppermost town situated on the Volga River. It is located in Tver Oblast of Western Russia, 49 km southwest of Staritsa and 126 km from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga...
area on 3 January 1942, under the command of the Fallschirmjäger-MG-Bataillon (Parachute Machine-gun Battalion), to reinforce 9th Army's defenses. It was transferred to France on 10 April 1942. It was redesignated as III./Fallschirmjäger Regiment 5 in May 1942.
Commanders
- Walter Koch, 2 Nov 39 - 31 Aug 40
- Eugen Meindl
Eugen Meindl was a highly decorated German Fallschirmjäger and general during World War II.-Biography:Eugen Meindl was born in Donaueschingen. He served with the artillery from July 27, 1912...
, 1 Sep 40 - 21 May 41
- Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke
Hermann-Bernhard "Gerhard" Ramcke was a German general. He was a recipient of the Knights Cross with Swords, Oak Leaves, and Diamonds, one of only 27 people in the German military so decorated.- Early life and WWI :...
, 21 May 41 - 18 Jun 41
- Eugen Meindl, 19 Jun 41 - 26 Feb 42