The German Parachute Division (Motorized), circa 1944 only
Divisional Troops
Divisional Headquarters
Motorcycle Platoon
Field Police Unit
Divisional Signals Unit
Reconnaissance Company
Three Parachute Infantry Regiments, each comprised of;
Regimental Headquarters (including one bicycle Reconnaissance Platoon)
Heavy Mortar Company - three Platoons each of three 12-cm mortars (could be replaced on an equivalent basis by 7.5-cm infantry guns).
Anti-tank Company - one Platoon with three towed 7.5-cm guns and three Platoons each with eighteen 8.8-cm Panzerschreck launchers.
Pioneer Company
Regimental Supply Column
Three Parachute Battalions - click on The German Parachute Battalion link for more detail.
Divisional Artillery Regiment
Regimental Headquarters
Two Light Battalions – each with twelve towed 10.5-cm howitzers, divided into three Batteries with four guns per Battery.
Heavy Battalion – with twelve towed 15-cm howitzers, divided into three Batteries with four guns per Battery.
12-cm Mortar Battalion - with thirty-six 12-cm mortars, divided into three Batteries of twelve mortars, each Battery with three Platoons of four mortars.
Anti-tank Battalion - one Company with twelve towed 7.5-cm guns in three Platoons of four guns each. One Assault Gun Company with fourteen assault guns, in three Platoons each of four guns and two for Company Headquarters.
Anti-aircraft Battalion - eighteen 2-cm and twelve 8.8-cm guns in five Batteries, each of six identical weapons.
Engineer Battalion
Battalion Headquarters
Four Pioneer Companies
Supply Column
Supply
Supply Troops
Administrative Troops
Maintenance Troops
Medical
Two Medical Companies
Field Hospital
Points of note
The last Divisional scale parachute operation mounted by the Germans was the assault on Crete in 1941. From that time onwards, the Parachute Divisions were increasingly deployed as elite infantry, and by 1943 were organised more as Motorized Divisions than airborne forces. The above overview depicts the Parachute Division of around May 1944, which was a sizeable infantry formation with good artillery support, but a long way from being air portable.
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