Fallschirmjaeger! - A Collection of Firsthand Accounts and Diaries...

Greg Way
Fallschirmjaeger! - A Collection of Firsthand Accounts and Diaries by German Paratrooper Veterans from the Second World War
308 strani, mehka vezava, 256 čb fotografij in ilustracij.

Kratek opis v angleškem jeziku:
Paratroopers or Fallschirmjäger as they are known in German, were the elite parachute troops (Fallschirmtruppe) of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Although the Americans and Italians, and to a greater extent, the Russians had experimented with airborne troops, it was the Germans who pioneered vertical envelopment using parachute, glider-borne and air-landed troops to conduct successful airborne operations in the early stages of the war. The man considered as the innovator and father of the German airborne forces was General Kurt Student and his vision would add a new dimension to warfare inspiring both the British and Americans to develop their own airborne forces. The newly raised Fallschirmjäger formations took part in airborne and glider operations from April to May 1940 in Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Holland to attack and hold vital airfields, bridges and in one case an impregnable Belgian redoubt in support of ground operations in the west. On 20 May 1941, Fallschirmjäger formations would take part in their largest airborne assault of the war, Operation Mercury, the airborne invasion of Crete. Due to the heavy losses incurred during this operation, Hitler vetoed any further large scale airborne operations. With the exception of several small scale parachute and glider missions, Fallschirmjäger were mainly utilised as elite infantry for the remainder of the war fighting on all fronts and often used as a fire brigade to support conventional forces.This book is the result of several years of written correspondence, telephone interviews and meetings with veteran Fallschirmjäger between 1999 and 2006 and contains the memoirs of seventeen pre to mid-war volunteers and one late war conscript. The following stories and diaries feature vivid battlefield memories that reflect the reality of war. On the other hand many of the stories convey the lighter hearted moments or gallows humour that has remained etched in their memories. The one common factor shared by almost all of these men is captivity, whether captured during bitter fighting or surrendering at the end of hostilities. These men and thousands like them would be shipped off to POW camps in the USA, Britain and France until their repatriation, in some cases from several months to several years after the end of the war. Their words provide a fascinating insight into their training, combat, capture and subsequent captivity, creating an important historical record of their military service during the Second World War. Sadly, many of these men have now passed away and oral histories such as these now belong to an ever decreasing number of elderly veterans. There are several excellent publications that utilise extracts from veteran’s first-hand accounts to compliment the historical text of a battle or campaign. Rarely do you see a book purely containing veterans oral histories describing their military experience from their personal perspective and in their own words. The veterans featured in this book took part in the both the airborne operations and ground campaigns on many fronts during the war from the heat of Crete and Africa to the frozen battlefields of Russia and East Prussia and from the fields and hedgerows of Normandy to the mountains of Italy. Their words provide a fascinating insight into their training, combat, capture and subsequent captivity, creating an important historical record of their military service during the Second World War.

"This is a unique collection of interviews and correspondence with 16 Fallschirmjager veterans collected by the author over a period of seven years. The major operations are well covered, but I did find the less well-known operations equally, if not more fascinating. What really makes this a must have addition over and above the memories of combat drops, is the numerous insights into recruitment, training, family life and the experiences of life as a POW. Recommended." Mike Peters, International Guild of Battlefield Guides

"...gives readers a good look at the human side of German frontline troops, which is a view that is often overlooked in English language publications on the war." Argunners Magazine

".....contains an unusually high amount of private photographs, some modern photos of equipment and battle sites plus other types of illustrations like drawings and documents........Fallschirmjäger! gives the reader good insights into the wartime service and captivity of a cross-section of German paras, and should be of special interest to those researching Crete and Monte Cassino." Lars Gyllenhaal blog

"This is much more than a simple collection of interviews and diary excerpts from former German Second World War paratroopers (Fallshirmtruppe). These are very personal and detailed accounts from those who fought in key battles and campaigns throughout Europe and North Africa. One gets a feet-on-the-ground sense of what these battles were really like." Air Power History

"...a very interesting book for anyone that is interested in WWII, regardless of your interest in the parachutes, which to me adds another intriguing aspect, as they floated into some interesting places at times. [...] Very highly recommended." Britmodeller.com

"As mentioned, such a record will form a rare and vital source of insight to future historians when the chance to talk to veterans will have gone. In this regard, Greg Way is to be applauded for his endeavours." The Aviation Historian Magazine

"This is much more than a simple collection of interviews and diary excerpts from former German Second World War paratroopers (Fallshirmtruppe). These are very personal and detailed accounts from those who fought in key battles and campaigns throughout Europe and North Africa. One gets a feet-on-the-ground sense of what these battles were really like." Air Power History

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