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Welcome to the 5th Fallshirmjager Division
Fallshirmjager translated means Paratrooper Hunter. They were the elite airborne and ground units of the Luftwaffe.
On November 5th, 1936, the Fallshirmjager would be awarded the Fallshirmschutzenbzeichen(Paratrooper Insignia featuring a
gold eagle gripping the letters FJ).
The Germans were the very first to drop soldiers behind, far behind enemy lines. Operation Mercury was the very first
operation conducted entirely by airborne troops. The target was the Greek island of Crete. The Fallshirmjagers would eventually
conquer the island, in a hard 10 day battle.
After Crete, the Fallshirmjagers would never again be used in large scale airborne operations again. However, these
elite, highly trained soliders would conduct smaller scale operations throughout the war, culminating the pinnacle battle
that won them a place in the annals of military history. That place of battle was the Benedictine Monastary on the hilltop
town, in Italy, called Monte Cassino.
The Fallshirmjager Divisions throughtout World War 2 were awarded a total of 134 Knights Crosses between the years
1940-1945. The actions in the west saw the award of 24 Knights Crosses, whereas the following year after Crete 27 were awarded.
Out of the 134 Knights Crosses, 15 of them were with oakleaves, 5 with oakleaves w/swords, and 1 with oakleaves,swords and
diamonds.
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