Just finished this interesting book about the Fallschirmjager. They made some strong statements. They mention they were better than any opponent one on one. That they stopped a Ranger Battalion and two supporting armored units cold with not near the material that the Allies possessed. They did not provide much detail of their encounters with the 101st Airborne which I found interesting. They gave the impression of a very capable unit.
Please correct if I'm wrong but I believe that the invasion of Noway was considered to be the first or one of the first times that paratroopers were used in combat. http://www.fallschirmjager.net
Well, let's face it, everyone who was in a good unit thinks their unit is the best! The FSJ's were a good unit but the finally had to give way before American mass.
Take the book with a large grain of salt... WRT, the 6th Fallschirmjager vs. the 2nd Ranger Battalion and the two Armored units at Bergstein. Where was the 6th Fallschirmjager during all this? The 6th's participation in this battle is not mentioned in "The Siegfried Line Campaign" http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/007/7-7-1/CMH_Pub_7-7-1.pdf Nor does the 6th figure prominently in "Victory Was Beyond Their Grasp: With the 272nd Volks-Grenadier Division from the Huertgen Forest to the Heart of the Reich" by Douglas E. Nash So where was the 6th Fallschirmjager in this battle and what actions did they take?
what's the point in making claims like that? your best troops, when out in the field on their own, are bound to get slaughtered if they're fighting a regular force that enjoys both rear line support and heavy weaponry. proven in monte cassino, in market garden, dien bhen phu, most recently in mamasapano philippines, and god knows where else.
