Airborne Operations: A German Appraisal, Historical Study (German Report Series) [Dept. of the Army Pamphlet No. 20-232]

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Airborne Operations: A German Appraisal, Historical Study (German Report Series) [Dept. of the Army Pamphlet No. 20-232]

This pamphlet was written for the Historical Division, EUCOM, by a committee of former German officers (see the list of Contributors below).

It comprises a review of German airborne experience in World War II, an appraisal of German successes and failures, the reasons for the apparent abandonment of large-scale German airborne operations after the Crete operation, the German experience in opposing Allied and Russian airborne operations, an appraisal of the effectiveness of these operations, and the probable future of airborne operations.

It was believed that the contributors to this study represented a valid cross-section of expert German opinion on airborne operations. Since the contributors include Luftwaffe and Army officers at various levels of command, some divergences of opinion were inevitable; these were listed and, wherever possible, evaluated by the principal German author. However, the opinions of Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring are given separately and without comment wherever they occur in the course of the presentation.

This study is concerned only with the landing of airborne fighting forces in an area occupied or controlled by an enemy and with the subsequent tactical commitment of those forces in conventional ground combat. The employment of airborne units in commando operations, or in the supply and reinforcement of partisans and insurgents, is not included in this study, nor is the shifting of forces by troop-carrier aircraft in the rear of the combat zone. Such movements, which attained large size and great strategic importance during World War II, should not be confused with tactical airborne operations.

Originally published 5 October 1951 by the Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C., as a soft cover booklet measuring 6 × 9 inches.

Military Reference Library #L192

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Contents

Preface
The Contributors
- Generalmajor Hellmuth Reinhardt, committee chairman and principle author
- Generalleutnant Werner Ehrig
- Oberst Freiherr von der Heydte
- Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring
- General der Fallschirmtruppen Eugen Meindl
- Generalleutnant Max Pemsel
- Generaloberst Kurt Student
- General der Infanterie Guenther Blumentritt
- Oberst Albert Emmerich
- General der Flakartillerie August Schmidt
- General der Kavallerie Siegfried Westphal
- Oberst Fritz Ziegelmann
Foreword by Gen. Franz Halder, Chief of Staff of the German Army, 1938-42
German Airborne Operations in World War II
- Principles of Employment
- Airborne Tactics
- Parachute Troops
- Air-Transported Troops
- Troop-Carrier Units
- Reasons for Success and Failure
- German Air Landings After Crete
Allied Airborne Operations in World War II
- Passive Defense Measures
- The German Warning System
- Counterattack in the Air
- Anti-aircraft Defense Fire
- Counterattack on the Ground
- Counterlanding Into the Enemy Airhead
- An Appraisal of Allied Air Landings
- Reflections on the Absence of Russian Air Landings
Conclusions
- Evaluation of Past Airborne Experience
- Limitations of Airborne Operations
- Advantages of Airborne Operations
- Requirements for Success
- Anti-airborne Defense
- Future Possibilities
Appendix: Notes on German Airborne Operations
- Equipment of German Parachute Troops
- German Employment of Troop-Carrier Units
- Technique and Tactics of Airborne Operations

Specifications

68 pages

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