Obergefreiter: 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division

(Author's Collection)

     There are numerous photographs from World War Two that are very well known as they have been reprinted in books and magazines time and time again until they are easily recognized. This particular photograph is one of those. Taken in the city of Weywertz, Belgium on January 15, 1945 by SGT Bill Augustine who was with the 16th. Infantry Regiment, 1st. Infantry Division, the photograph is of a Luftwaffe Obergefreiter hiding his face from SGT Augustine's camera with his hand. Captions often equate this to the soldier not wanting to be photographed and capture forever his shame at becoming a prisoner of war.

     The Obergefreiter, whose rank was equivalent to a Corporal, belonged to the 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division (3rd. Parachute Division). Formed in October 1943 near Reims, France, the division's cadre was made up of experienced Fallschirmjägers from the disbanded 6. Fallschirmjäger-Division and it was expected that the unit would be at full strength and trained by February 1944. Despite the Luftwaffe having long ceased airborne operations, some 90% of the men in the division qualified for their Fallschirmschützenabzeichen (Parachutist's Badge) by successfully completing six jumps. The unit was well equipped and by March 1, 1944, it had a total of 15,075 men on strength. Although the division was to be motorized, there was significant difficulty in providing the division with the vehicles it needed to achieve this and even with the commandeering of civilian vehicles, it was never able to attain more than 40% motorization by June 1944. In that month, the division went into action against U.S. forces on June 12, 1944 in the St. Lô area, deployed under II. Fallschirm-Korps. The advance elements of the division had set up positions on Hill 192 which provided the Germans a commanding view of the eastern approaches to St. Lô. The U.S. launched multiple attacks against Hill 192 which the Fallschirmjägers stubbornly repelled inflicting significant casualties on elements of the 38th. Infantry Regiment and the 23rd. Infantry Regiment. So stiff was the Fallschirmjägers resistance that U.S. soldiers started calling a piece of ground near Hill 192 as “Purple Heart Draw”. Nevertheless, the Fallschirmjägers were eventually forced to withdraw from Hill 192 to positions behind St. Lô. In St. Lô proper, elements of 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division punished the 115th. Infantry Regiment of the 29th. Infantry Division but despite the resistance, the unit was withdrawn from St. Lô and the city fell to the Americans on July 19, 1944. Many of the U.S. soldiers held the Fallschirmjägers in high regard and one battalion commander of the 116th. Infantry Regiment, 29th. Infantry Division is quoted as saying: “You know those Germans are the best soldiers I ever saw. They’re smart and they don’t know what the word ‘fear’ means. They come in and they keep coming until they get their job done or you kill them....”

     When Operation Cobra kicked off on July 25, 1944, the 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division continued to put up a tough fight, as did other elements under II. Fallschirm-Korps, but the onslaught of U.S. forces kept pushing the Fallschirmjägers further and further back. Although the Fallschirmjägers could gain local superiority and halt Allied attacks, overall, they were unable to collectively stem the advance and continually withdrew to new defensive positions. By August 10, 1944, the 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division was a shell of its former self. In addition to the combat, the unit was subjected to aerial bombardment and strafing attacks from fighter-bombers, artillery shelling, and was running low on fuel and ammunition in addition to losing a sizable portion of its heavy weapons. The unit became trapped within the Falaise Pocket and on August 19, the II. Fallschirm-Korps was ordered to break out of the pocket, which it was able to do, escaping into Belgium. From September to October 1944, losses were made up by the transfer of men from three Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen (Luftwaffe Field Divisions), the 22nd., 51st., and 53rd. Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen into the 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division. Elements from the division were involved in the fighting around Arnhem under Kampfgruppe Becker which took place from September 17-26, 1944. The division was committed as a whole during the Ardennes Counteroffensive which commenced on December 16, 1944 where it was attached to Kampfgruppe Peiper. Led by SS-Obersturmbannführer Joachim Peiper, the kampfgruppe fought until December 24, 1944 when it could advance no further and American attacks saw the unit cut off from resupply and so it had to abandon all of its vehicles and retreat into Belgium. Of the 3,000 men in the kampfgruppe which began the counteroffensive, only 717 remained to escape of which some included men from 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division.

     Some colorists of this photograph have chosen to use the goldgelb (golden yellow) color for the rank collar tabs which was the waffenfarb (service color) for parachutists. However, the original photograph appears to show a darker color, likely tiefrot (deep red) which was used by flak (anti-aircraft) and artillery personnel. Thus, he was likely part of 3. Fallschirmjäger Artillery Battalion or 3. Fallschirmjäger Flak Battalion. For decorations, he is wearing the Fallschirmschützenabzeichen in the center of his fliegerbluse with the Sportabzeichen (Sports Badge) to the right of it and the Hitler-Jugend-Abzeichen (Hitler Youth Badge) to the left. Interestingly, the Sportabzeichen, instituted in 1913, can still be earned today. The Hitler-Jugend-Abzeichen was earned for excelling in athletics, field craft, and political indoctrination. He has also received the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (Iron Cross 2nd. Class) as evidenced by the ribbon through his fliegerbluse's button hole. Over his uniform he is wearing the Luftwaffe Feld-Division Jacke (Luftwaffe Field Division Jacket) in the first Sumpfmuster (literally “marsh pattern“) camouflage pattern. This is identified by the presence of a Luftwaffe splinter pattern (Splittermuster) within the camouflage though the edges are “burred“ rather than left sharp. Today, collectors call this pattern “tan and water“ while others use Luftwaffe-Sumpfmuster to identify the Luftwaffe pattern. The item in his left hand is the belt buckle to his belt.

     Of interest is the German sanitäter (medic) seen in the background. He is wearing the Heeres Rotes-Kreuz Hemd für Sanitäter (Army Red Cross Medic Vest) which was widely utilized starting in the summer of 1944. Made of cotton, the vest had a large red cross on the front and back and was tied at the waist by cloth tapes. It made the sanitäter far more conspicuous than the regulation Red Cross brassard which was normally issued and that only fit around the sleeve of the left arm. 

Primary Sources:

Davis, Brian L. Uniforms and Insignia of the Luftwaffe, Volume 2: 1940-1945 (London: Arms and Armour Press, 1995)

Windrow, Martin Luftwaffe Airborne and Field Units (London: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1972)

Fallschirmjäger: 1. Luftlandedivision

     The post-World War Two German military, the Bundeswehr, was founded on November 12, 1955. Initially, nearly every trace of German wartime uniform aesthetics was banished and it was the United States which provided the major influence in uniform design. The U.S. also provided much of the armaments for the Bundeswehr such as rifles, tanks, support weapons, heavy weapons, and other equipment, such as steel helmets and field gear. Despite this, some aspects of German uniform items survived, typified by the usage of the Einheitsfeldmütze (field cap) and gamaschen (gaiters), the latter worn with U.S. style leather boots. By 1957, as German industry was more and more able to supply the Bundeswehr, uniform items and equipment that hearkened back to World War Two returned. This included Marschtiefel (marching boots), a revised service dress uniform, and the wide-spread usage of camouflage uniforms in a post-war variant of the wartime Splittermuster (Splinter Pattern).

     The photograph depicts a fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) belonging to one of the units that made up the 1. Luftlandedivision (1st. Airborne Division) which was established on January 1, 1956. He is sporting the Kampfanzug (battle suit) in the Bundeswehr-Splittermuster camouflage pattern but on a uniform unique to the fallschirmjäger forces. It is believed only about 1,000 uniforms were made. It differed from the standard Kampfanzug in having upper pockets with zipper closures (rather than snaps), pockets added to the sleeves, and two pockets on the rear of the blouse. The matching trousers also differed from the regular issue Kampfanzug by having zippers on the pockets. The Bundeswehr camouflage is distinct from the wartime Splittermuster in that during the printing, the screen was purposely allowed to slip which resulted in white borders on some of the edges of the splinter patterns and this can clearly be seen on his uniform. There were also two variants of this camouflage in which the strich (raindrops) differed. The most common had thin, light gray strich printed close together while the other, more rare variant, had sparse black strich. The fallschirmjäger here most likely has the more common strich coloration though it is difficult to make it out. His stalhelm (steel helmet) was a post-war copy of the helmet used by fallschirmjäger during World War Two. For a weapon, he has a G1, which was the German designation for the Belgian FN FAL (Fusil Automatique Léger; Light Automatic Rifle). Germany ordered several thousand for the Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS; Federal Border Guard) as the Bundeswehr was already equipped with U.S. supplied weapons. However, in November 1956, Germany ordered 10,000 rifles for the Bundeswehr and these were put into service as the G1 and remained in use for a short period of time before being replaced in 1959 by the Spanish CETME Modelo 58. The reason for this is that the Belgian company FN, refused to grant Germany the production rights to the FAL.

     As a note, the Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS) was formed on March 16, 1951 and because it operated under the Bundesministerium des Innern (Federal Ministry of the Interior) rather than the Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (Federal Ministry of Defence), the BGS was a heavy user of uniforms and equipment which either were wartime surplus or patterned almost exactly like the World War Two types and styles. This included the stalhelm which was virtually unchanged from World War Two (the Bundeswehr wore U.S. style helmets) and their own use of Splittermuster. It is thought that the Splittermuster used by the BGS was made off the same printing equipment as the pattern is almost an exact replica to the wartime pattern. However, it is distinguished from the World War Two pattern by having a very pale grey background and that the reverse side of the camouflage is solid white.

The Soviet 37mm ChK-M1 Anti-Tank Gun: Sidecar Armament Extreme

     Prior to World War One, the motorcycle was starting to be seen as a viable replacement for bicycles. The Germans were the first to introduce the motorcycle into military service in 1904 and by 1914, both the British and the United States also had motorcycles as part of their military forces. Not surprisingly, the usage of motorcycles continued through the post-WW1 years and when World War Two began, all of the major warring powers utilized motorcycles of various makes. Motorcycles were used by couriers, messengers, and as transports for men and matériel but the largest use of motorcycles was by scouts conducting reconnaissance operations. Not too surprisingly, sidecars were often attached to motorcycles. This permitted the motorcycle to carry a passenger, cargo, and in some cases, used to carry wounded away from the front line. As a vehicle used by the military, sidecar equipped motorcycles were soon fitted with weapons, even as far back as World War One. German Zündapp KS 600 and BMW R12 motorcycles with their sidecars fitted with Maschinengewehr 34 machine-guns are a common image in many books on World War Two. There were attempts to equip sidecars with heavier weapons and perhaps the Russians can take the grand prize for the largest gun ever fitted to a motorcycle/sidecar combination.

     Prior to the 1930s, the Soviet Union did not have much in the way of indigenous motorcycles and relied heavily on imports. In fact, during World War One and into the Russian Civil War, the major brands of motorcycles in use by the Russian military were Indian and Harley-Davidson. By the mid-1930s, the Soviets were well on the path to producing their own motorcycles such as the TIZ-AM-600 (a copy of the British BSA Sloper 600), the PMZ-A-750, and the Dnepr M-72 (copy of the BMW R71). Still, Harley-Davidson motorcycles continued to see use and during World War Two, the Soviets received over 30,000 Harley-Davidson WLA motorcycles via Lend-Lease. So, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle was selected for the testing of a sidecar mounted ChK-M1 37mm anti-tank gun as a means of moving the gun around the battlefield. As a side note, the gun was also fitted to Lend-Lease Willys MB Jeeps and the GAZ-67 (the Soviet equivalent to the Jeep) among other transports.

     The ChK-M1 was the final result of development of the ChKSh-1 which appeared in prototype form in the summer of 1941. The intent was to produce a anti-tank gun that could be airdropped and provide airborne troops with some capability to tackle enemy armor. Testing showed that the gun was flawed. It was deemed overly complex, had a slow rate of fire (between 8 to 10 rounds per minute), was inaccurate, and the armor penetration of the 37mm round was found wanting. In 1942, the Soviets set up a special design bureau, OKBL-46, to continue development of the ChKSh-1 and two designs emerged, the ChK-M1 and the ZIV-2. Between April 18, 1943 and May 28, 1943, both guns were put to the test but it was the ZIV-2 that came out the loser and the ChK-M1 was ordered into production on June 14, 1944. The first examples started to enter service in July 1944 and production continued through June 1945 with some 472 guns being produced.

     The ChK-M1 had several features designed to both lighten the weight (in keeping with the need to be airdropped) and limit both size and recoil. The gun barrel was surrounded by a cylindrical shroud and within the shroud was a inert mass and a recoil spring. When the gun was fired, the barrel recoiled a maximum of 3.9 inches and the inert mass disengaged from the barrel, moving backwards 3.5 feet, compressing the recoil spring which then moved the gun back into battery. The entire gun, excluding the muzzle brake, was 7.6 feet long. The muzzle brake also added to the reduction of the rearward recoil. A good crew was able to put 15 to 25 rounds through the gun. The ChK-M1 fired the BR-167 armor-piercing round which weighed 1.7 pounds (7 ounces being the charge weight) and the penetration was approximately 20mm at a 60 degree slope and 25mm at a 90 degree angle from 500 meters. The other round the ChK-M1 fired was a high-explosive round, the OR-167. The 1.6 pound round had a 7 ounce explosive warhead fitted with a MG-8 fuze.

     Some question if the ChK-M1 was actually able to be fired from the sidecar. The answer to that is that yes, it could, if the crew had no option to dismount the gun. The photograph makes it appear as if the gunner is resting the breech on his shoulder but he is not. When the gun recoiled, the breech would move to the right of the gunner's shoulder. The man seated behind the driver was the loader and both he and the driver carried ammunition in backpacks so in action, he would pull rounds from the driver's pack to hand to the gunner or load the gun himself. The ChK-M1 was fired via a trigger, which can be seen in the gunner's right hand. His left hand was used to effect traverse and what little elevation and depression the gun had via a vertical grip offset to the left of the breech. The far more normal operation of the ChK-M1 was for the crew to dismount it from the motorcycle, assemble the carriage, and deploy it in the ground role. A skilled crew could do this in 80 seconds. To that end, behind the loader were the simple, all-metal spoked wheels and carriage legs while the gun shield can be seen secured to the side of the sidecar. The gun shield was not large and had a meager 4.5mm of armor thickness which was, at best, proof against some small arms and fragments. The gunner was provided with a periscopic sight which allowed him to keep his head low and behind the gun shield. The entire gun carriage was very low and provided only 5 degrees of elevation and at most, 5 degrees of depression. The carriage also provided 45 total degrees of traverse. The low profile of the weapon usually forced the crew to operate the gun from the sitting or prone position. A typical ChK-M1 team consisted of six men and two motorcycles. The motorcycle shown here included the driver, gunner, and loader while the second motorcycle was manned by the driver, the gun team commander, and a ammunition bearer.

     The ChK-M1 had a total weight of 478 pounds and it could be carried easily within the two major Russian airborne troop gliders; the Antonov A-7 and Gribovsky G-11. It could also be carried by the Lisunov Li-2 (the Soviet copy of the Douglas DC-3). The gun was usually airdropped via parachute from the Ilyushin Il-4 but the Li-2 was also used for airdrops as well. The sole user of the ChK-M1 was the 98th. Guards Infantry Division, its personnel from the 13th. Guards Airborne Division that had been formed on December 20, 1943. On January 19, 1944, the unit was included within the 37th. Guards Airborne Corps until reorganized again December 18, 1944 to the 103rd. Guards Rifle Division. The unit never saw combat during World War Two. On June 7, 1946, the unit became the 103rd. Guards Airborne Division and reformed on October 15, 1948 after absorbing several other units. Finally, on April 25, 1955, the unit was disbanded. It was likely just as well that the division did not see action as the ChK-M1 was not well liked in service. It was found that the barrel rapidly wore out while the accuracy of the BR-167 round dropped off quickly. In addition, the penetration value of the round was, by 1944 and into the early post-war period woefully inadequate in comparison to the later war Soviet 45mm anti-tank guns (such as the 45mm M-42). Finally, crews complained that the simple sight of the ChK-M1 suffered in low-light conditions, something that also plagued the 45mm guns but rather than improve the ChK-M1, the 45mm guns were recommended to be improved upon rather than a light gun that had little value.