Re: GZGL DSII - Hostile Environment Suited Infantry

John M. Atkinson wrote:

> I'm thinking Crete.  Sure the Germans won, but that silly habit (among
> others) gutted the Falschirmjaeger[sp?] so badly they were never used
as
> parachute troops again.  I'm not saying it might not be done--a lot of
>

I'm not trying to dispute your main argument but just a few points of
clarification here:

1. Many Germans dropped into Crete with their weapons. Some even dropped
hand
carrying their Mg34s! There is even footage. However it is true that the
vast
majority of heavy weapons and other equipement and even some unit's
rifles
dropped in cannisters.
2. The Germans conducted several parachute drops after Crete including
battlaion
and regimental sized drops on to such places as Africa, Leros (the
seizure of
which helped keep Turkey from joining the Allies), Sicily, (where they
jumped at
the same time and palce as Brit paras!), Yugoslavia (in a raid against
titos
mountain HQ.<that was the SS paras>, The bulge (quite a fiasco that had
more to
do with the transport pilots than anything else) as well as company
sized or less
Special operations jumps.

Los
<Amateur Kreta SME>