2. Fallschirm Jäger Division

 

This division was not really engaged in the battle in Normandy. It had been badly mauled on the eastern front and was located at the training facility at Köln - Wahn on D-Day. Six days later it received orders to move to the Brest area.1 It was far from ready for combat and it also lacked several vital components.

The 6. Fs.Jäg.Rgt. was ready for action, but it had been sent away to the Carentan - Lessay - La Haye du Puits area and was subordinated to the 91. Div. This regiment is covered separately.

Most of the artillery regiment did not join the division before it was surrounded in Brest. The I. Abteilung was with the division, equipped with twelve 10,5 cm LG. The II. and III. Abteilungen were at the artillery school in Luneville in eastern France.2

On 24 June it was reported that the Flak Abteilung was with the II. Fs.Korps in Normandy.3 This battalion lost most of its equipment on 28 July.4

The Fs.Jäg.Rgt. 2. and 7 were with the division in Brest, except for I./ Fs.Jäg.Rgt. 2, which was forming in Germany.5 Also present was the Fs.Pz.Jäg.Abt. 2.6 It is unclear if these units were up to strength or not. It is certainly possible that some of their men had been sent away as replacements to the parachute units fighting in Normandy.

Also the division was supposed to have a mortar battalion (Fallsch.Granatwerfer-Bataillon 2), which was raised in Verdun 20 May 1944. It did however not move westwards, but saw action in eastern France during September.7

All these deficiencies caused the division to be quite weak. It was reported that it had the following strength on 1 July 19448:

Authorized

On Hand

Shortage

Officers

306

161

145

Other ranks

10813

6470

4343

Hvy AT Guns

60

4

56

LG 29

12

12

0

Mortars

108

28

80

Machine guns

739

497

242

Motorcycles

442

92

350

Passenger cars

286

20

266

Trucks

1147

59

1088

The low authorized strength was due to the fact that many parts of the division were located elsewhere.

The strength of the division increased slowly. At the end of July it had 162 officers and 7 389 other ranks.10

Until 5 September the garrison in Brest lost 619 killed in action, 1 965 wounded and 2 799 missing.11 How many of these casualties that was incurred by 2. Fs.Jäg.Div. is unclear.

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Notes:

1

W. Kammann, Der Weg der 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division (Schild-Verlag, München 1972) p. 82 & 89.

2

See Übersicht über den Stand der Art. Einh., Anlage 33 zum KTB des höheren Artilleriekommandeurs der Fallschirmtruppe, KTB Nr. 1, BA-MA RL 33/3 and Höh. Art. Kommandeur Abt Ia, Az 11 Br. B. Nr. 797/44 geh. 18.8.44, BA-MA RL 33/3.

3

Ferngeschpräche und Besprächungen AOK 7 Ia, Besprächung mit Chef II.Fs.Korps, 24.6.44, T312, R1566, F000322.

4

See Ziegelmann, MS # B-489, p. 4.

5

See W. Kamman, Die Geschichte des Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2 1939 bis 1945 (Goldhammer, Scheinfeld 1987) p. 182f and W. Dierich, Die Verbände der Luftwaffe 1935 - 1945 (Motorbuch, Stuttgart 1976) p. 637. See also Lagekarte 7. Armee, Stand 22.6.44, BA-MA RH 20-7/138K.

6

G. Tessin, Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS (Mittler & Sohn, Frankfurt am Main and Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1966-1975).

7

W. Kammann, Der Weg der 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division (Schild-Verlag, München 1972) p. 102 - 105.

8

W. Kammann, Der Weg der 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division (Schild-Verlag, München 1972) p. 90.

9

A recoilless artillery gun.

10

W. Kammann, Der Weg der 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division (Schild-Verlag, München 1972) p. 91.

11

OB West Nachtrag zur Tagesmeldung 5.9.44, Fernschreiben an OKH, T378, R313, F6266105.