A rare collection of personal photographs following Nazi Germany’s airborne soldiers on their missions through the Balkans, Crete, and Russia. The photos in this book are taken from an unpublished album that belonged to a member of the elite German Paratroopers. First Sgt Wilhelm Plieschen served with Fallschirmjager Machine Gun Battalion 7, which suffered very heavy losses in the invasion of Crete, then saw bloody conflict as Hitler’s “Fire-fighters” on the Russian Front and later put up fierce resistance in places such as Monte Casino. The revealing images that Jon Sutherland has compiled for us depict these struggles in dramatic detail, ranging from photographs taken en route to Crete of the paratroopers in a JU52 to 20 May 1941, when Plieschen was dropped over Crete. Some show other paratroopers drifting down and others feature formations of German aircraft amidst flak. Additionally, Sutherland has included amazing images depicting Germans on the deck of the badly damaged and abandoned HMS York in Souda Bay. There are photographs showing Major Erich Schulz decorating paratroopers on Crete and the then Commander of the Fallschirmjager, General Kurt Student, inspecting the troops. We later pay witness to Plieschen in Russia, where outstanding rare photos of paratroopers in heavy winter camouflage clothing portray the men enduring the heavy fighting that occurred in the region. “This intriguing book for the military historian consists of 125 contemporary photographs of the German Elite paratrooper regiment the Fallschirmjager during World War II.” —HistoryOfWar.org

Crete's invasion by German paratroopers in 1941 became and remains the role model for all airborne military operations in the twentieth century. Crete was a military centre with major naval strategic importance, and the Allies had expected an Axis seaborne invasion to capture it. Instead, an elite attack force of crack airborne troops, followed by transport aircraft, took the island in hours and the Luftwaffe's dominance of skies ensured that no Allied naval retaliation was possible. This book explains the organisation of the operation and proceeds to document with first hand accounts from actual participants in the invasion force each step of the battle.

Few of the combatants of World War II have captured the imagination as compulsively as the Fallschirmjäger. Boldness and courage were vital characteristics in the rigorous selection process, and their training was highly demanding. Hitler's airborne troops were involved in some of the most daring actions of the whole war; from the 1940 assault on Eben Emael and the invasion of Crete in 1941, to the rescue of Mussolini and the attempt on Tito's life. In addition, they saw service as elite line infantry in the key theatres of North West Europe, North Africa and the Eastern Front. This title looks at the life and experiences of the average Fallschirmjäger, and includes first-hand accounts from different theatres and periods of the war.

A little more than 30,000 men of the Wehrmacht and SS qualified to wear the famed Fallschirmschtzenabzeichen, or Paratrooper Badge, between 1936 and 1944. The badges they wore, and the images of the men who wore them, are avidly sought by collectors and historians around the world today. The authors have assembled over 300 indoor and outdoor posed portrait photographs of the Fallschirmjger for this volume, most never before published, providing a fascinating representation of the photographers art in World War II and a superb study of their uniforms, badges and insignia. In poses ranging from fierce to thoughtful and even poignant, the German paratroops of World War II are seen here in perfect focus, as they wanted to be seen, preserved in deliberate portraiture for posterity.

This is one of four guides addressing the subject of modelling a German Fallschirmjäger figure model. The major items of Fallschirmjäger uniform and equipment are covered, with an emphasis on specially designed paratrooper items. Clear step-by-step instructions allow the reader to recreate realistic figures in miniture scale with confidence and ease. Among the tutorials covered in this guide are face painting, creating complex camouflage patterns, weathering clothing, and figure conversion techniques, as well as vignette and diorama settings for your figures (creating groundwork and balancing composition). This title provides a detailed, step-by-step guide to modelling a Fallschirmjäger on the Eastern Front, 1944. It also provides a comprehensive list of available aftermarket products and kits of all scales. This guide forms part of Osprey Modelling 31 Modelling Fallschirmjäger Figures ebook.

This is one of four guides addressing the subject of modelling a German Fallschirmjäger figure model. The major items of Fallschirmjäger uniform and equipment are covered, with an emphasis on specially designed paratrooper items. Clear step-by-step instructions allow the reader to recreate realistic figures in miniture scale with confidence and ease. Among the tutorials covered in this guide are face painting, creating complex camouflage patterns, weathering clothing, and figure conversion techniques, as well as vignette and diorama settings for your figures (creating groundwork and balancing composition). This title provides a detailed, step-by-step guide to modelling an early Fallschirmjäger, Operation Merkur, May 1941. It also provides a comprehensive list of available aftermarket products and kits of all scales. This guide forms part of Osprey Modelling 31 Modelling Fallschirmjäger Figures ebook.

This is one of four guides addressing the subject of modelling a German Fallschirmjäger figure model. The major items of Fallschirmjäger uniform and equipment are covered, with an emphasis on specially designed paratrooper items. Clear step-by-step instructions allow the reader to recreate realistic figures in miniture scale with confidence and ease. Among the tutorials covered in this guide are face painting, creating complex camouflage patterns, weathering clothing, and figure conversion techniques, as well as vignette and diorama settings for your figures (creating groundwork and balancing composition). This title provides a detailed, step-by-step guide to modelling a Fallschirmjäger in Italy, 1943. It also provides a comprehensive list of available aftermarket products and kits of all scales. This guide forms part of Osprey Modelling 31 Modelling Fallschirmjäger Figures ebook.