{"id":127340,"date":"2020-06-21T13:53:29","date_gmt":"2020-06-21T17:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=127340"},"modified":"2020-06-21T13:53:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T17:20:42","slug":"hunters-from-the-sky-german-fallschirmjagers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunters-from-the-sky-german-fallschirmjagers\/","title":{"rendered":"Hunters from the Sky: German Fallschirmjagers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Hunters
The German Fallschirmjagers were not the world\u2019s first paratroopers. However, they were the first to use airborne tactics effectively. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At 0500 on the morning of\nMay 10, 1940, Hauptmann Karl-Lothar Schulz stood shivering in the door of a\nLuftwaffe Ju-52 tri-motor transport as it droned toward the Dutch Vliegveld\nWaalhaven airfield in Rotterdam. The young Hauptmann\u2019s mind tried unsuccessfully\nto assimilate an overwhelming amount of information. In addition to the pending\ncombat parachute jump, assembly in the drop zone under fire, actions on the\nobjective, and the inevitable fear of a violent gory death, he also carried an\ninordinate personal share of the burden for the success of Fall Gelb, the\noverarching German invasion of the Low Countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
The German Fallschirmjagers were part of the Luftwaffe and were carefully selected and aggressively trained. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Schulz\u2019s III.\/FJR 1 Battalion was hand-selected and exquisitely well-trained. The evening prior his Regimental commander, Oberst Brauer, had confided, \u201cSchulz, your mission is the most important of the entire regiment. You have to take Waalhaven so that the air-landed forces of the 22. Infanterie-Division can follow.\u201d It was a lot for a young man to process, even one as hardcore as this young German Captain of paratroops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
These guys figured it out as they went along. Jumping a German parachute out of a Junkers Ju-52 was an invariably wild ride. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Faster than he had\nexpected the pilot of his Auntie Ju dropped down to around 200 meters and made\nhis final turn toward the airfield. Schulz and his newly-minted\nFallschirmjagers had the element of surprise and he rode the lead machine, so the\ncopious Dutch antiaircraft emplacements remained silent. The jump horn sounded,\nand Schulz dove headfirst out into the grey morning sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
German parachutes were more awkward and less controllable than their American counterparts. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His parachute attached at a single point behind his neck, so Schulz was helpless as he floated some 90 meters to the earth below. The eccentricities of his chute design typically required about eighty seconds of standing upright to get clear of the cumbersome thing after landing. It also oriented the trooper forward and necessitated knee and elbow pads to help mitigate injury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
German Fallschirmjagers typically jumped with little more than a handgun, a gravity knife, and a grenade or two. From left to right are the Browning Hi Power, the P08 Parabellum, and the Walther P38. The Hi Power was built in Belgium during the occupation. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The prime detriment,\nhowever, was that Germany\u2019s early sky troopers typically had to jump\nessentially unarmed with only a handgun and gravity knife. Small arms, support\nweapons, ammunition, and demolitions were simultaneously dropped from\nunderneath the Ju-52 in a specially-designed canister called a Fallschirmbombe.\nThe difficulty getting clear of the chute after landing combined with the\ninevitable rigors of retrieving a weapons canister on a chaotic drop zone made\nthese early German airborne operations particularly hazardous. Hauptmann Schulz\nhad all this and more on his mind as he slammed into the packed Dutch soil of\nWaalhaven airfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young\nMen Go To War<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Hunters
The MG34 GPMG (General Purpose Machinegun) gave small unit commanders access to serious mobile automatic weapons fire. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Hunters<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Schulz raised his flare\ngun skyward and launched a prearranged signal. The hissing flare brought his\nmen like moths to a flame. The first German soldier to join him was Leutnant\nSchuller along with his machinegun detachment. By now the Dutch defenses were\nfully alerted. Tracer fire crisscrossed the airfield grounds, and larger\ncaliber antiaircraft fire licked hungrily up toward the following Junkers\ntransports, connecting with several in a brilliant display of pyrotechnics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
The belt-fed MG34 became the center of gravity for German Infantry operations. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Schuller laid his MG34 team out to help secure the landing area as the rest of the German troops rallied around Schulz. Suddenly from across the wide expanse of the airfield, a trio of military trucks came roaring up brimming with Dutch Marines. Without waiting for orders the German machinegunner settled in behind his heavy belt-fed machinegun, drew a bead on the lead vehicle, and squeezed the bottom portion of the gun\u2019s heavy trigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
Most everybody carried spare ammo for the MG34 and MG42 GPMG\u2019s. The Fallschirmjagers referred to their distinctive baggy paratrooper smock as a \u201cBone Bag.\u201d <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The MG34 exploded firing\nheavy 7.92mm rounds at a cyclic rate of 900 rounds per minute. The assistant\ngunner kept belted rounds feeding smoothly in from the left. The long burst of\nfire connected with the grill of the lead truck and chewed it to pieces. The\ndead driver fell against the wheel, and the heavy truck slewed to the side\nbefore rolling over and settling on its roof. The other two trucks slid to a\nhalt, and their cargo of Dutch Marines piled out under withering German fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nCool Head Under Fire<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Hunters
Though relatively lightly armed, German Fallschirmjagers compensated with aggressiveness and violence of action. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Schulz assigned his subordinate commander’s specific objectives as they reported in, primarily the airfield\u2019s many antiaircraft emplacements. If they couldn\u2019t get these fast-firing guns neutralized the follow-on Ju-52\u2019s would fly into a meat grinder. Once he had issued his orders Hauptmann Schulz grabbed Leutnant Schuller and his machinegun team along with a few other Fallschirmjagers and climbed into the two remaining Dutch trucks. Racing to the airfield administration buildings under fire, Schulz and his men deployed in a nearby drainage ditch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
The MP38 is distinguishable from the similar MP40 that came later by the longitudinal grooves in the receiver tube and a dime-sized hole in the magazine well. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shielded from the Dutch defensive fire the German combat team advanced undercover to the building complex and breached the main doors. Schulz led the way with his fellow troopers, most of them wielding MP38 submachine guns. The MG34 team followed close behind to offer heavy fire support as needed. In minutes the admin buildings were taken and the shocked Dutch commander made prisoner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
The Fallschirmjagers responded to the threat and neutralized the final antiaircraft gun to make way for follow-on air-landing forces in Ju-52 transports. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There followed a fierce air battle between Allied Hurricanes and German Bf109 fighters that resulted in losses on both sides. Two Ju-52 transports landed full of support troops as well as Schulz\u2019s immediate commander, Oberstleutnant von Choltitz. As they were consolidating their position, a previously unknown antiaircraft gun opened up and destroyed the next two Junkers planes. The Fallschirmjagers neutralized the final AA position and secured the airfield for extensive follow on forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nWorld\u2019s First General Purpose Machinegun<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Hunters
The Maxim machinegun changed the way men killed each other. However, even in its later forms, the Maxim was heavy and cumbersome in action. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hiram Stevens Maxim\nintroduced the planet to the devastating capabilities of the belt-fed\nmachinegun back in 1884. Maxim\u2019s action drove both the German MG08 as well as\nthe British Vickers gun throughout the hemoclysm that was the First World War.\nHowever, these water-cooled guns were heavy and relatively immobile. Taking\nlessons learned from the trenches, the Germans secretly crafted a revolutionary\nnew belt-fed support weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
The German MG34 represented a sea change in machinegun design. The gun\u2019s influence over modern weapons is evidenced even today. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Hunters<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The German MG34 was a recoil-operated,\nopen-bolt, belt-fed, air-cooled machinegun that locked via a rotating bolt and\nweighed 27 pounds unloaded. Featuring a quick change barrel and a fire selector\nbuilt into the trigger, the MG34 was the world\u2019s first belt-fed machinegun light\nenough to be serviced by one man in the assault. It was this remarkable\nmobility that ultimately fundamentally changed Infantry combat. Before the MG34\noffensive Infantry operations orbited around the rifle. After the MG34 such\nstuff orbited around the machinegun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
Assault drums carried 50 rounds in non-disintegrating belts. Ammo boxes packed five such belts linked continuously together. The long starter tab on the end lets you load the gun without opening the top cover. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Hunters
The MG42, shown here fired off of its integral bipod, was a cheaper, more reliable replacement for the MG34. Both guns served side by side until the end of the war. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The MG34 was an expensive\nand relatively finicky design with meticulously machined parts and tight\ntolerances. The subsequent stamped steel MG42 was cheaper and more reliable.\nBoth guns fed from 50-round drums or 250-round boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
The MG34, though heavy, was portable enough to be fired on the move. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Hunters
The complicated Lafette tripod incorporated an optical sight, featured a remote trigger, and weighed a whopping 42 pounds. It was, however, a rugged and stable firing platform. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The MG34 could be fired\noff its integral bipod, on a complicated Lafette tripod, or even from the hip\nwhile on an assault. The Germans produced some 577,000 copies. The MG34 was\nused throughout WW2 on all fronts and was commonly encountered in Vietnam as\nwell as the various perennial Middle Eastern conflicts.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denouement<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Hunters
The German Fallschirmjagers showed the world what could be accomplished when sky soldiers seized an airfield via a coup de main. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Airfield seizure is one of the primary missions of airborne forces today. The US Army Rangers are artists at it. Back in 1940, unproven troops using unproven tactics shook the world\u2019s foundations with radical operations like the seizure of the Waalhaven Airfield. Modern armed conflict would never be the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
German experiences with airborne operations had a powerful influence on subsequent US and British parachute training and employment. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The German Fallschirmjagers played a critical role in Axis combat operations throughout World War 2. After the massive losses at Crete, the Germans never committed to another large-scale airborne operation, leaving the Fallschirmjagers to fight on all fronts as elite Infantry. The Allies, however, took these lessons to heart and made extensive use of Airborne forces, particularly during the invasion of Normandy, Operation Market Garden in Holland, and Operation Varsity, the airborne drop across the Rhine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
Paratroopers of all nations enjoy an elite brotherhood. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Airborne forces enjoy a\nwell-earned esprit de corps. As a former Army paratrooper myself, I have had\nthe thrill of leaping out of a perfectly good airplane into pitch darkness.\nLittle compares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hunters
The Ten Commandments of the German Airborne were codified in WW2. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A captured Fallschirmjager\nin Greece was found to be carrying the Ten Commandments for the Airborne. Many\nof these dicta are timelessly applicable to elite forces even today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are the elite of the Wehrmacht. For you, combat shall be\nfulfillment. You shall seek it out and train yourself to stand any test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Cultivate true comradeship, for together with your comrades you\nwill triumph or die.<\/li>
  2. Be shy of speech and incorruptible. Men act, women chatter;\nchatter will bring you to the grave.<\/li>
  3. Calm and caution, vigor and determination, valour and a\nfanatical offensive spirit will make you superior in attack.<\/li>
  4. In facing the foe, ammunition is the most precious thing. He who\nshoots uselessly, merely to reassure himself, is a man without guts. He is a\nweakling and does not deserve the title of paratrooper.<\/li>
  5. Never surrender. Your honour lies in Victory or Death.<\/li>
  6. Only with good weapons can you have success. So look after them\non the principle\u2014First my weapons, then myself.<\/li>
  7. You must grasp the full meaning of an operation so that, should\nyour leader fall by the way, you can carry it out with coolness and caution.<\/li>
  8. Fight chivalrously against an honest foe; armed irregulars\ndeserve no quarter.<\/li>
  9. Keep your eyes wide open. Tune yourself to the top most pitch.\nBe nimble as a greyhound, as tough as leather, as hard as Krupp steel and so\nyou shall be the German warrior incarnate.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"Hunters
    The Fallschirmjagers wore a distinctive abbreviated helmet that set them apart from their comrades in the rest of the German armed forces. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"Hunters
    Despite the dark reprehensible nature of their leadership and their cause, the German Fallschirmjagers were accomplished warriors. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"Hunters
    The MG34 was a world-changing weapon. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"Hunters<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Inspiration for this project came from Jump into Hell<\/em> by Franz Kurowski. Special thanks to www.worldwarsupply.com<\/a> for the cool replica Fallschirmjager gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Back in 1940, unproven troops using unproven tactics shook the world\u2019s foundations with radical operations like the seizure of the Waalhaven Airfield. Modern armed conflict would never be the same.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":127359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[257,772],"tags":[132,102,752,636,2482,1323],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-127340","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-historical-guns","8":"category-will-dabbs","9":"tag-buzz","10":"tag-feature-articles","11":"tag-historical-guns","12":"tag-history","13":"tag-paratroopers","14":"tag-world-war-ii"},"yoast_head":"\nHunters from the Sky: German Fallschirmjagers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hunters from the Sky: German Fallschirmjagers - Will Dabbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunters-from-the-sky-german-fallschirmjagers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hunters from the Sky: German Fallschirmjagers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Back in 1940, unproven troops using unproven tactics shook the world\u2019s foundations with radical operations like the seizure of the Waalhaven Airfield. 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However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\\\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal and the movie \u201cAliens.\u201d www.word-monkey.com Experience: -Professional Writer-thousands of publishing credits for dozens of titles -Mechanical Engineer\\\/Practicing Physician -Instrument-rated Commercial Pilot -Sunday School Teacher\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.word-monkey.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/will.dabbs.9\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/drwildmanmd\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/author\\\/willdabbs\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hunters from the Sky: German Fallschirmjagers","description":"Hunters from the Sky: German Fallschirmjagers - Will Dabbs","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunters-from-the-sky-german-fallschirmjagers\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hunters from the Sky: German Fallschirmjagers","og_description":"Back in 1940, unproven troops using unproven tactics shook the world\u2019s foundations with radical operations like the seizure of the Waalhaven Airfield. 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