1st Bn/1st FJ Reg. Holland/Norway

German unit histories, lineages, OoBs, ToEs, commanders, fieldpost numbers, organization, etc.

Moderator: Tom Houlihan

Post Reply
JeffF,
Supporter
Posts: 138
Joined: Thu May 27, 2004 3:18 pm

1st Bn/1st FJ Reg. Holland/Norway

Post by JeffF, »

In a U.S. Army historical series book on the Northern Front (Norwary & Finland) it mentions that during the fighting at Narvik that the 1st Bn/1st Fallshirmjager Regiment was sent to reinforce the German force there in JUN '40. I remember reading that this unit was also involved in the campaign in Holland in MAY of '40 and took significant casualties. how was it able to recover and be brought up to strength so quickly? Wasn't this unit also the one that provided the small parachute detachments that supported the initial German invasion of Norway in APr '40? Sounds like this battalion was worked very hard unless some of its subordinate companies were replaced by parachute companies of other battalions.

In all the parachute assaults in '40 one never reads about the 3rd Bn/2 FJ Regiment. Was this unit not yet operational? What was its status in MAY of '40?
User avatar
tigre
Patron
Posts: 6958
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2005 5:42 pm
Location: Argentina

Re: 1st Bn/1st FJ Reg. Holland/Norway

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D; an old thread, but the complement is justified...................

Fallschirmtruppe in Narvik 1940.

After the recapture of Narvik on the part of the allies, the troops of General Dietl withdrew to the east and occupied defensive positions there. Determined to regain the initiative, the German High Command mounted a new operation to reinforce the mountain hunters by dropping paratroopers. Volunteer soldiers from 1. and 2./GJR 137 took an eight-jump crash course because parachute troops were committed to Holland. At the same time recruits formed a new 1./FJR 1 at Stendal and were transferred to Norway where they joined the veterans of the old 1./FJR 1, these troops constituted the first jump group over Narvik. On May 19, 1940 the remnants of I./FJR 1 returned to Stendal from Holland and set off for Norway on May 24, 1940.

During the entire period paratroopers were dropped at Björnfell, east of Narvik according to the following schedule:

May 14, 1940 parts of the 1./Fsch.Jg.Reg.1
May 16, 1940 parts of the 1./Fsch.Jg.Reg.1
May 18, 1940 rest of the 1./Fsch.Jg.Reg.1
May 23, 1940 2./Geb.Jg.Reg. 137
May 25, 1940 1./Geb.Jg.Reg. 137
May 26, 1940 parts of the 2./Fsch.Jg.Reg.1
May 28, 1940 parts of the 3./Fsch.Jg.Reg.1
May 29, 1940 Parts of the 3. and 4./Fsch.Jg.Reg.1
June 02, 1940 2 platoons Fsch.Jg
June 07, 1940 1 platoon of the 2./Fsch.Jg.Reg.1 (with Oberst Meindl on board, still as commander of GAR 112).

Of the 760 paratroopers sent to Norway, only 375 jumped over Narvik (bad weather prevented the airlift of all Fallschirmjägers) and together with the 164 paratroopers of the 1./FJR 1 they added 539 men who saw action in this battle.

Source: Deutsche Falschirmjager im Zweiten Weltkrieg.
Bildchronik der Fallschirmtruppe 1935-45.
https://virtualgrenadier.com/sale_item.php?iid=3794

Cheers. Raúl M 8).
Attachments
Assembling after the drop of the I./FJR 1 troops................................
Assembling after the drop of the I./FJR 1 troops................................
image136.jpg (24.25 KiB) Viewed 2585 times
Prior to withdrawal from Narvik...................................
Prior to withdrawal from Narvik...................................
image012.jpg (43.31 KiB) Viewed 2585 times
Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
User avatar
Prosper Vandenbroucke
Enthusiast
Posts: 473
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:01 pm
Location: Braine le Comte - Belgium
Contact:

Re: 1st Bn/1st FJ Reg. Holland/Norway

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke »

Hi Raul,
I didn’t know if it’s thru but I was reading this :

In April 1940, the 1st battalion of the 1st Regiment was used to capture key airfields in Denmark and Norway. These missions were partially successful, and the airfields proved key staging bases for the Luftwaffe to transport troops to Norway as well as fighter aircraft operating out of Denmark. A later, company-sized airdrop operation at Dombås proved a failure, however, as the unit quickly ran out of supplies and was taken prisoner by the Norwegian Army.[1]
By 14 May, the rebuilt 1st Company (of the otherwise in the Netherlands occupied) 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment was parachute dropped at Narvik, Norway to reinforce the German mountain troops in the battle for that key port

It’s an abstract of this website :
https://military-history.fandom.com/wik ... _(Germany)

Kindly regards from Belgium
Prosper :wink: :wink:
User avatar
tigre
Patron
Posts: 6958
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2005 5:42 pm
Location: Argentina

Re: 1st Bn/1st FJ Reg. Holland/Norway

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D; hey Prosper, good to know about you.....AFAIK your reading it is true, I think Lt. Ernst Mössinger led the new 1. Company..Cheers. Raúl M 8).
Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
Post Reply