German forces hold up Allied advance north of Rome (1944)

In June 1944, German forces held up the Allied advance north of Rome due to a series of strong defensive lines and strategic terrain. The Allies faced the Gustav Line, a heavily fortified position stretching from the coast to the Apennines, including Monte Cassino. This line, and other German defenses like the Volturno and Barbara lines, forced the Allies into a prolonged and costly campaign.

Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 720 - 21 June 1944
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-DzDJmt5F8

German and Italian Troops near Tobruk

German troops, including a Paratrooper, inspects an Italian anti-aircraft position near Tobruk in 1942. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Rechenberg.

Source :
https://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/german-paratroopers/21535/tobruk

Fallschirmjäger Training in Norway

At Banak airfield in Norway, a Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) non-commissioned officer shortly before a joint demonstration with 8./LLG 1 (Lulftlandegeschwader 1). The picture was taken autumn 1943 by Wolfgang Stocker from Kriegsberichterzug XII. Fliegerkorps

Generalmajor Joseph "Beppo" Schmid (facing the camera in the middle, Kommandierender General XII. Fliegerkorps)

Source :
https://imagesdefense.gouv.fr/fr/catalogsearch/advanced/result/?auteur=1509513

Army Paratroopers Group Picture

Nice group picture of  Fallschirmjäger Infanterie members. Notice the Heeresspringerabzeichen (heer paratrooper badge) and the rare white gothic “L” on the shoulder boards. Stunning image!

Source :
https://www.kometmilitaria.com/product-page/fallschirmj%C3%A4ger-infanterie-fik-group-picture

Fallschirmjäger Anti-Partisan Operation

ECPAD Archives (FALL AOK F1648 L02)

1. Fallschirmjäger-Division in an anti-partisan operation in the region of Molise, Italy, October 1943. Veterans of "Merkur" in Crete are interrogating people of the village of Montefalcone Nel Sannio, Puglia. Note the variety of ammo pouches for Kar 98k and FG 42.

 

ECPAD Archives (FALL AOK F1648 L07)
1. Fallschirmjäger-Division unit searching the area for partisans and interrogating the population of the village of Montefalcone Nel Sannio (Puglia).

ECPAD Archives (FALL AOK F1648 L08)
1. Fallschirmjäger-Division in an anti-partisan operation at Montefalcone Nel Sannio (Puglia). Firepower is all!

ECPAD Archives (FALL AOK F1648 L09)
1. Fallschirmjäger-Division unit searching the area for partisans and interrogating the population (including Carabinieri) of the village of Montefalcone Nel Sannio (Puglia).

Source ;
ECPAD Archives

Fallschirmjäger Training with Motorcycles

"Alarm an die Maschinen!!!!" 11.Kompanie /  III.Bataillon / Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1  at the Truppenübungsplatz Bergen-Hohne (Bergen-Hohne military training area), Germany. The picture was probably taken in the summer of 1941, after Crete operation and before the next assignment to the northern sector of the Eastern Front. Funny that they had those motorbikes for free and tuday it costs close to 60,000 euros/dollars!

"Wilhelm, always keep your hands on the handlebars when you are driving blindfolded!" - "Yes, sergeant major!"

Source :
Maddin Maddin photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=510697089944138&set=gm.4728044367222687

Bio of Hauptmann Raimund Eckel

 

 

Hauptmann Raimund Eckel. He joined the Fallschirmtruppe in 1940, aged 19, and first saw service in Sanitäts-Kompanie.7. In the spring of 1942 he joined Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 4 and at the end of 1943 took command of the regiments Panzerjäger Kompanie in the area of Tollo-Ortona in Italy, where the Kompanie took part in heavy defensive fighting where he personally destroyed 6 enemy tanks in close combat! In March 1944 he took part in the second battle of Cassino and at the end of August 1944 took part in heavy fighting within the Grün-Linie against Canadian armour. Eckel died in September 1957.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2661435550762425&id=2260074320898552

Fallschirmjäger Pioneer

 

 

Amiens (France), May-June 1943. Erprobung.Kommando from XI. Fliegerkorps. Judging by what is visible, this container is destined to engineers: smoke grenades, smoke canisters, explosive loads, fuzes, etc. Details in these photos are fantastic! All of the content seem to be smoke generating munitions (the fact that this packing is prior to a field exercise following a jump, lots of smoke ammo sounds logical). The bending lad is holding a 3 kg demolition slab with three types of fuzes.

Source :
ECPAD Archives, courtesy of Blanluet Christophe
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158975562398308&set=gm.2742198149380746

Waffen-SS Patarooper

Portrait of SS Paratrooper with the rank of Oberscharführer

Source :
https://germanmilitaryrelics.com/index.php/papers-books-photos/german-elite-waffen-ss-portrait-wwii-elite-waffen-ss-portrait-2-wk.html

Fallschirmjäger at the Fornebu Aerodrome

German Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 (FJG 1) rest and regroup at the Fornebu aerodrome after capturing the surrounding area during Operation Weserübung; the German invasion of Norway. On 9 April 1940, both Denmark and Norway were simultaneously invaded by German troops. Controlling Norway was important to Germany for three primary reasons: securing the western coast as part of the defensive Atlantic Wall, as a base for naval units, including U-boats to target Allied shipping in the North Atlantic, and to secure shipments of iron-ore from Sweden through the port of Narvik. Fornebu, Bærum, Norway. April 1940. Image taken by Willi Ruge.

Source :
http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/143396722415/german-luftwaffe-fallschirmj%C3%A4ger-paratroopers

Königstiger with Fallschirmjäger at the Ardennes Offensive

King Tiger ‘222’ commanded by SS-Untersturmführer Kurt Sova from schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 501 was part of Kampfgruppe Peiper and was photographed at Kaiserbaracke on 18 December 1944 with a load of paratroopers from Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 9 of the 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division.