Jump Into Hell: German Paratroopers in World War II

by Franz Kurowski

Overview

As a crucial part of the blitzkrieg that swept across Western Europe in the spring of 1940, German paratroopers made combat drops in Denmark and Norway and then won a brilliant victory in their assault on the Belgian fortress of Eben-Emael. Their most famous airborne operation came in Crete in 1941 when they captured the island but with such high casualties that Hitler would not allow another major drop. Also organized as motorized infantry for ground attacks, the paratroopers saw action at Monte Cassino in Italy, in Normandy, and on the Eastern Front.

First time in English

Action-adventure narrative about elite German airborne troops

Covers recruitment, organization, training, and combat on all fronts

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811705820
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/15/2009
Pages:	355
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Franz Kurowski served as a reporter in the German Army during World War II and later wrote over one hundred books.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 From Paratroopers to Airborne Forces, the Buildup 1

Chapter 2 Paratroopers at War 16

Chapter 3 Put to the Test 28

Chapter 4 Between the Campaign in the West and Crete 62

Chapter 5 Hell was a Place Called Crete 73

Chapter 6 Paratroopers in the Soviet Union 188

Chapter 7 Rebuiding the Airborne Corps 213

Chapter 8 Sicily and Italy 248

Chapter 9 The End in the West 296

Rank Comparisons 348

Select Bibliography 349

Acknowledgments 352

Index 353