2 Kompanie, 1 Batt, fallschirmjager Regiment 2
Moderator: SchnellMeyer
2 Kompanie, 1 Batt, fallschirmjager Regiment 2
The unit we portray spanned the whole of WWII, from the Invasion of Holland, through Greeces, Crete, Russia, North Africa, Italy, France and finally ending their days defending Germany itself. details to follow.
Which reminds me, will Gerry be at Stoneleigh.-
Hoffman Grink
lol, will do PD, saw Gerry at the weekend, he is fighting fit as usual.
For everyone else a 'poufe' was the german slang for a brothel, see you dont find that in books, I love asking Gerry all these bizarre questions, we spent a very drunken hour or so at Detling discussing German brothels.....the things you learn....tsk
For everyone else a 'poufe' was the german slang for a brothel, see you dont find that in books, I love asking Gerry all these bizarre questions, we spent a very drunken hour or so at Detling discussing German brothels.....the things you learn....tsk
The 1st battalion was raised on the 26/8/1939 at Gardelegan from cadres of Fjr1 as part of the new 2nd Fallschirmajager Regiment. The 2nd battalion was raised on the same date in Tangermunde whilst the 3rd battalion and the regimental staff was formed later on 21/5/ 1940.
The 1st battalion first saw action at Deblin and Dukla pass in the Polish campaign. Their main objective was to stop senior Polish officers escaping.
Fallschirmjager Regiment 2 took part in 'Fall Gelb', the German attack on Holland. Unit break down was as follows.
FJR2 (may 1940 - Fall Gelb)
Stab not formed.
I-FJR2 - Co. Hptm. Noster
Adj. Oblt. O. Heckel
Nachr. Oblt. Jacobi
Pio. Olt. Eckleben
Obg. G. Kutzki, W. Hasselkus, J. Kröpfl(Y+),
Ojg.
Uffz. H. Eilers(YD+),E. Emrich(YD+), Schmans(D+)
1 komp. Olt. Schlichting(Y+)
? Zug Lt. R. Tappen
? Zug
3 Zug Lt. Cording(D+) P. Schulz(Y+)
gefr. W. Preute,
Obg. W. Becker, J. Vetter, H. Birkner(YD+), K. Haubold(Y+), W. Herr(Y+), E. Hitz(Y+),
Ojg.
Uffz. S. Böhme(Y+), Eilens, Emrick, Hiertmann, J. Holtsch, K. Krüger, H. Maslinger(D+), W. Ripe, Wild, Wolsche, B. Papendorf(Y+), A. Schulz(Y+), K. Heitmann, W. Thiel(YD+), E. Viertel(YD+),
Fw. Wölschke
Ofw. G. Häussler(Y+),
2 komp. Hptm. Merten
1 Zug
2 Zug
3 Zug
Obg. W. Ebeling, H. Franz, E. Karraas, G. Keller, G. Lehwald, H. Vogt, O. Beckmann(YD+), S. Gerson(YD+), K. Meine(Y+),
Ojg.
Uffz. H. Gorseneck, W. Krüger, Vogt, M. Künz(D+), H. Kilian(Y+), Wuhrmann, A. Volk(YD+),
Fw.
3 komp. Olt. Von Roon
1 Zug Olt. Genz Grup Fw. H. Kiebarth Grup Obj.Czupalla Grup Ofw. A. Meier (W+) Obg. A. Philipp(O+) Uff.H. Röpke(O+),
2 Zug Lt. Hauber Fw. Görtz
3 Zug Fw. H. Neubecker (V+) Obg. W. John(V+), Grup Fw. H. Kiebarth
Obg. Schulz(V+), W. John(V+), F. Stock(W+),
Ojg. Blau, Tschorn, F. Stock, Piepeburg(Pzbuch),
Uffz. G. Götz(O+), Busch,
Fw.
Ofw.
Indeling Zug1: Zugtrupp&Zugfuhrer, 1 Granatw.trupp, 1 Panzerbuchsentrupp, 2 jagertruppe.
4 komp. Hptm. Morawetz
? Zug ?
? Zug Fw. K. Windisch(V+)
? Zug Oblt. K. Lüdke(Y+)
Obg. H. Schmidt(V+), K. Gründel, G. Hornig(D+), M. Kaspurz(D+), W. Sierla(Y+), W. Wroblewski(YD+),
Ojg.
Uffz. F. Patzki, H. Oemick,
Fw.
The main objectives for this operation where the airfields at Valkenburg, Ypenburg and Ockenburg. The jumps on the 3 airfields at Valkenburg, Ypenburg and Ockenburg were planned in order to capture the Dutch Royal family and the Miltary High Command at the Hague. At Valkenburg Airfield the jump went well but on landing they found the runway surface unsuitable for the incoming JU-52 transports carrying the 47th Infantry Regiment. The Dutch then launched a series of counter attacks on the airfield.
At Ypenburg the Dutch had littered the airfield with debris to damage incoming aircraft, they also had strong AA defenses. Many JU-52's were lost during the assault, those that were not shot down flew on to the aifield at Ockenburg, some even landed on the main road connecting Rotterdam to the Hague. The paras that did land at Ypenburg quickly found themselves surrounded by Dutch forces.
The situation was the same at Ockenburg where many JU-52's had been destroyed in the air and on the ground, the men on the ground were encountering heavy resistance.
The attack on the Hague was finally called off and all the forces involved were ordered to move out into the direction of Rotterdam. The Dutch forces hassled them all the way but the German forces managed to get their on the 12th - 13th May.
Corinth Canal
This was the only German airborne operation of the war to be conducted without General Kurt Student’s knowledge, as all the orders for the operation came directly from OKW to General Alexander Lohr, commander of Luftflotte IV and controller of air operations in the Balkans.
Hitler decided on the operation on the 20th April 1941, his 52nd birthday. It was codenamed "Hannibal" and it was hoped that by capturing the bridge at Corinth the Germans would cut off retreating British troops who were heading south to the Peloponese to be evacuated from the Greek mainland.
It was decided to use General Wilhelm Sussmann’s Fallschirmjäger Detachment which included the 2nd Regiment, which was still stationed in Plovdiv, Bularia after being stood down from the shelved plan to capture the island of Lemnos.
The Corinth Canal itself is a waterway that runs through a dramatic gorge, which divides the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland. There was only one road bridge crossing this formidable natural obstacle. It could not be crossed by any other means because of the sheer sides of the cliffs.
In the early hours of the 26th April, gliders and JU-52 transport aircraft left airfields in Greece for the short journey to Corinth.
At daybreak, several DFS-230 light assault gliders landed on the approaches to the bridge carrying 54 Fallschirm-Pioneer's under the command of Leutnant Häffner. They were also accompanied by a war correspondent named Von der Heide, who had come along to record the event.
The defence of the bridge was in the hands of an Australian Infantry Company, along with some Greek Troops and three tanks. Within 10 minutes the engineers had overcome the defenders and had managed to remove most of the demolition charges, leaving them stacked up near the centre of the bridge.
About the same time the allied troops attempted a counter-attack. Small arms fire was heard from the other side of the bridge and some of the Assault Engineers along with the War Correspondent rushed across to meet the attack, moments later the charges on the bridge were detonated destroying the bridge and killing the Paratroopers and the war correspondent who were on it. The remains of the bridge fell 200ft down into the gorge below.
The reason for the detonation remains unclear. A stray bofors round from a survivng AA gun may have been responsible, some witnesses say they saw 2 British Ofiicers run on to the bridge firing their weapons seconds before the explosion. Other sources say that British snipers hit the charges that had been carelessly stacked in one place on the bridge. Maybe the cause will be never known. Although the bridge was destroyed, makeshift repairs by the Paras had it usable later the same day.
Shortly after the explosion men of the 1st & 2nd Battalions, 2nd Regiment, jumped from their JU-52 transports into the Corinth area. The 1st Battalion (Hauptmann Kroh) jumped to the north of the bridge, the 2nd Battalion(Major Pietzonka WIA, replaced by Hauptmann Schirmer) to the south. Within a few minutes the men of the 5th Kompanie, 2nd Battalion had captured 11 AA positions around the bridge area. The other Kompanies secured the areas on each side of the airhead, including the town of Corinth along with its garrison.
During the short operation the Fallschirmjäger of the 2nd Regiment managed to capture almost 12000 British, Commonwealth and Greek troops who were heading into the Peloponese.
On the afternoon of the 27th, the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Regiment jumped in to secure the area surrounding Corinth and mop up any resistance still left.
The Germans lost 63 killed, 16 missing and 174 wounded in the operation, another success with minimal losses. This was not to be the case during their next operation in Crete a month later
More to come - all of these details and more canbe found on the fjr2 website.
http://www.fjr2.org.uk
The 1st battalion first saw action at Deblin and Dukla pass in the Polish campaign. Their main objective was to stop senior Polish officers escaping.
Fallschirmjager Regiment 2 took part in 'Fall Gelb', the German attack on Holland. Unit break down was as follows.
FJR2 (may 1940 - Fall Gelb)
Stab not formed.
I-FJR2 - Co. Hptm. Noster
Adj. Oblt. O. Heckel
Nachr. Oblt. Jacobi
Pio. Olt. Eckleben
Obg. G. Kutzki, W. Hasselkus, J. Kröpfl(Y+),
Ojg.
Uffz. H. Eilers(YD+),E. Emrich(YD+), Schmans(D+)
1 komp. Olt. Schlichting(Y+)
? Zug Lt. R. Tappen
? Zug
3 Zug Lt. Cording(D+) P. Schulz(Y+)
gefr. W. Preute,
Obg. W. Becker, J. Vetter, H. Birkner(YD+), K. Haubold(Y+), W. Herr(Y+), E. Hitz(Y+),
Ojg.
Uffz. S. Böhme(Y+), Eilens, Emrick, Hiertmann, J. Holtsch, K. Krüger, H. Maslinger(D+), W. Ripe, Wild, Wolsche, B. Papendorf(Y+), A. Schulz(Y+), K. Heitmann, W. Thiel(YD+), E. Viertel(YD+),
Fw. Wölschke
Ofw. G. Häussler(Y+),
2 komp. Hptm. Merten
1 Zug
2 Zug
3 Zug
Obg. W. Ebeling, H. Franz, E. Karraas, G. Keller, G. Lehwald, H. Vogt, O. Beckmann(YD+), S. Gerson(YD+), K. Meine(Y+),
Ojg.
Uffz. H. Gorseneck, W. Krüger, Vogt, M. Künz(D+), H. Kilian(Y+), Wuhrmann, A. Volk(YD+),
Fw.
3 komp. Olt. Von Roon
1 Zug Olt. Genz Grup Fw. H. Kiebarth Grup Obj.Czupalla Grup Ofw. A. Meier (W+) Obg. A. Philipp(O+) Uff.H. Röpke(O+),
2 Zug Lt. Hauber Fw. Görtz
3 Zug Fw. H. Neubecker (V+) Obg. W. John(V+), Grup Fw. H. Kiebarth
Obg. Schulz(V+), W. John(V+), F. Stock(W+),
Ojg. Blau, Tschorn, F. Stock, Piepeburg(Pzbuch),
Uffz. G. Götz(O+), Busch,
Fw.
Ofw.
Indeling Zug1: Zugtrupp&Zugfuhrer, 1 Granatw.trupp, 1 Panzerbuchsentrupp, 2 jagertruppe.
4 komp. Hptm. Morawetz
? Zug ?
? Zug Fw. K. Windisch(V+)
? Zug Oblt. K. Lüdke(Y+)
Obg. H. Schmidt(V+), K. Gründel, G. Hornig(D+), M. Kaspurz(D+), W. Sierla(Y+), W. Wroblewski(YD+),
Ojg.
Uffz. F. Patzki, H. Oemick,
Fw.
The main objectives for this operation where the airfields at Valkenburg, Ypenburg and Ockenburg. The jumps on the 3 airfields at Valkenburg, Ypenburg and Ockenburg were planned in order to capture the Dutch Royal family and the Miltary High Command at the Hague. At Valkenburg Airfield the jump went well but on landing they found the runway surface unsuitable for the incoming JU-52 transports carrying the 47th Infantry Regiment. The Dutch then launched a series of counter attacks on the airfield.
At Ypenburg the Dutch had littered the airfield with debris to damage incoming aircraft, they also had strong AA defenses. Many JU-52's were lost during the assault, those that were not shot down flew on to the aifield at Ockenburg, some even landed on the main road connecting Rotterdam to the Hague. The paras that did land at Ypenburg quickly found themselves surrounded by Dutch forces.
The situation was the same at Ockenburg where many JU-52's had been destroyed in the air and on the ground, the men on the ground were encountering heavy resistance.
The attack on the Hague was finally called off and all the forces involved were ordered to move out into the direction of Rotterdam. The Dutch forces hassled them all the way but the German forces managed to get their on the 12th - 13th May.
Corinth Canal
This was the only German airborne operation of the war to be conducted without General Kurt Student’s knowledge, as all the orders for the operation came directly from OKW to General Alexander Lohr, commander of Luftflotte IV and controller of air operations in the Balkans.
Hitler decided on the operation on the 20th April 1941, his 52nd birthday. It was codenamed "Hannibal" and it was hoped that by capturing the bridge at Corinth the Germans would cut off retreating British troops who were heading south to the Peloponese to be evacuated from the Greek mainland.
It was decided to use General Wilhelm Sussmann’s Fallschirmjäger Detachment which included the 2nd Regiment, which was still stationed in Plovdiv, Bularia after being stood down from the shelved plan to capture the island of Lemnos.
The Corinth Canal itself is a waterway that runs through a dramatic gorge, which divides the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland. There was only one road bridge crossing this formidable natural obstacle. It could not be crossed by any other means because of the sheer sides of the cliffs.
In the early hours of the 26th April, gliders and JU-52 transport aircraft left airfields in Greece for the short journey to Corinth.
At daybreak, several DFS-230 light assault gliders landed on the approaches to the bridge carrying 54 Fallschirm-Pioneer's under the command of Leutnant Häffner. They were also accompanied by a war correspondent named Von der Heide, who had come along to record the event.
The defence of the bridge was in the hands of an Australian Infantry Company, along with some Greek Troops and three tanks. Within 10 minutes the engineers had overcome the defenders and had managed to remove most of the demolition charges, leaving them stacked up near the centre of the bridge.
About the same time the allied troops attempted a counter-attack. Small arms fire was heard from the other side of the bridge and some of the Assault Engineers along with the War Correspondent rushed across to meet the attack, moments later the charges on the bridge were detonated destroying the bridge and killing the Paratroopers and the war correspondent who were on it. The remains of the bridge fell 200ft down into the gorge below.
The reason for the detonation remains unclear. A stray bofors round from a survivng AA gun may have been responsible, some witnesses say they saw 2 British Ofiicers run on to the bridge firing their weapons seconds before the explosion. Other sources say that British snipers hit the charges that had been carelessly stacked in one place on the bridge. Maybe the cause will be never known. Although the bridge was destroyed, makeshift repairs by the Paras had it usable later the same day.
Shortly after the explosion men of the 1st & 2nd Battalions, 2nd Regiment, jumped from their JU-52 transports into the Corinth area. The 1st Battalion (Hauptmann Kroh) jumped to the north of the bridge, the 2nd Battalion(Major Pietzonka WIA, replaced by Hauptmann Schirmer) to the south. Within a few minutes the men of the 5th Kompanie, 2nd Battalion had captured 11 AA positions around the bridge area. The other Kompanies secured the areas on each side of the airhead, including the town of Corinth along with its garrison.
During the short operation the Fallschirmjäger of the 2nd Regiment managed to capture almost 12000 British, Commonwealth and Greek troops who were heading into the Peloponese.
On the afternoon of the 27th, the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Regiment jumped in to secure the area surrounding Corinth and mop up any resistance still left.
The Germans lost 63 killed, 16 missing and 174 wounded in the operation, another success with minimal losses. This was not to be the case during their next operation in Crete a month later
More to come - all of these details and more canbe found on the fjr2 website.
http://www.fjr2.org.uk
some aditional info :- during some period of September and October 1944 I/FJR 2 was part of Kampfgruppe Chill
Also part of this Kampfgruppe was FJR 6.
Strength reported on 24.0.44 of I/FJR 2 was :-
- 5 officers
- 81 Unterofficers
- 465 Other ranks
Heavy weapons:-
l.MG = 45
S.MG= 3
m.Gr.W = 10
8.8 R Pz. B. = 17
Also part of this Kampfgruppe was FJR 6.
Strength reported on 24.0.44 of I/FJR 2 was :-
- 5 officers
- 81 Unterofficers
- 465 Other ranks
Heavy weapons:-
l.MG = 45
S.MG= 3
m.Gr.W = 10
8.8 R Pz. B. = 17
Some additional info and I would like to know if anyone else has any details from this.
I/Fjr2 had replacements from SA-Standarte 'Feldherrenhalle' in December 1944, so many in fact it was allowed to wear the 'Feldherrenhalle' cuff title!
Now I know the SA-Standarte 'Feldherrenhalle' were to be parachute trained as per order dated 8 September 1938. And again stipulated in an order 25 jan 1939 that any members unfit for parachute training were to serve with the Regiment 'General Goring' on the out break of war.
At the out break of war only one battalion was parachute trained and came under the command of 7th fleiger Div (and I think became part of Fallschirmjager Regiment 1) and the rest of the standarten was formed into Infantry regiment 'Feldherrenhalle' and Panzergrenadier Division 'Feldherrenhalle' , conrary to previous orders.
What I want to know was what was the duty, composition and role of the standarte during the war. Now I have heard of 2 Fallschirmjager veterans who were tranfered to the standarte during the war in order to give parachute training. So what is the role of this unit? its all a bit confusing? any help much appreciated.
Thanks
I/Fjr2 had replacements from SA-Standarte 'Feldherrenhalle' in December 1944, so many in fact it was allowed to wear the 'Feldherrenhalle' cuff title!
Now I know the SA-Standarte 'Feldherrenhalle' were to be parachute trained as per order dated 8 September 1938. And again stipulated in an order 25 jan 1939 that any members unfit for parachute training were to serve with the Regiment 'General Goring' on the out break of war.
At the out break of war only one battalion was parachute trained and came under the command of 7th fleiger Div (and I think became part of Fallschirmjager Regiment 1) and the rest of the standarten was formed into Infantry regiment 'Feldherrenhalle' and Panzergrenadier Division 'Feldherrenhalle' , conrary to previous orders.
What I want to know was what was the duty, composition and role of the standarte during the war. Now I have heard of 2 Fallschirmjager veterans who were tranfered to the standarte during the war in order to give parachute training. So what is the role of this unit? its all a bit confusing? any help much appreciated.
Thanks