Fallschirmjäger is the collective term for the German airborne units of the interwar period and the Second World War. The first parachute unit was organized in Nazi Germany in 1936, possibly as a result of observations made during Soviet maneuvers the previous year. The first parachute squad was created on the initiative of Herman Göring and was assigned to the Luftwaffe. A year later (1937), the first unit of this type was subordinated to the Wehrmacht, or rather to the Ground Forces. In 1938, these units were combined and expanded to form the 7th Aviation Division under the command of General Kurt Student. It consisted of parachute infantry, troops trained to carry gliders, and infantry carried to the battlefield by airplanes. In the course of the Second World War more Fallschirmjäger units were created, incl. in 1943, on the basis of the 7th Aviation Division, the 1st and 2nd Parachute Divisions were established. In the period 1939-1941, the German Fallschirmjäger was used for its intended purpose (for example, during the fighting in Western Europe in 1940), but after the heavy losses suffered during the fighting in Crete in 1941, the German parachute troops began to use primarily as elite infantry units, in which role they proved very effective, earning them the nickname "Green Devils" among the allies.
RED DEVILS W/WELBIKE AND DROP TUBE CONTAINER ARNHEM 1944 DRAGON, THE BOX CONTAINS 4 FIGURES AND THE SCOOTER TO ASSEMBLE AND PAINT. GLUE AND COLORS NOT INCLUDED. SCALE 1:35
GRAN SASSO RAID (OTTO KORZENY SERIES FALLSCHIRMJAGER) 39-1945 DRAGON, THE BOX CONTAINS 4 PARATROOP SOLDIERS TO ASSEMBLE AND FINISH, GLUE AND COLORS NOT INCLUDED, SCALE 1:35
Based on the experience of the First World War, the German military paid close attention to the development of weapons for both light and heavy infantry machines in the interwar period. The result of these efforts was the introduction into service of the highly successful MG34 machine gun in 1934, which replaced the less handy and much heavier MG08 rifles or the MG 08/15. During World War II, another design was introduced, equally successful, but cheaper to produce - the MG42. Both of these rifles were the de facto basic machine guns of German infantry and armored grenadiers during WWII. Their very high rate of fire and high ballistic parameters meant they were perceived as the basic support weapon at the level of a platoon or company, and often even a squad. Interestingly, due to the relatively low weight, they could be successfully used both in attack and defense. Quite often, in the course of combat operations, the soldier responsible for maintaining the MG34 or MG42 would be given 2 to 3 rounds of ammunition to ensure that the rest of the team was firing the machine guns without interruption.
