Wwii Nazi German Luftwaffe Rz-20 Parachute Ww2

German LW FSJ RZ-20 Harness & Parachute in Carrying Bag In excellent condition a complete German Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger / Paratrooper RZ-20 Type Parachute and Harness. The set comes in the original matching carrying bag as found and is of equal number stamped. The harness is in a very light used condition with no damage of wear or age. Inside the harness is the RZ-20 Camouflage parachute still present and in a complete condition with lines, ropes and static line. Also is the always missing maintenance booklet present. Formation: The 7th Air Division, later called the 1st Parachute Division, was formed in 1938. It carried out airborne operations in the early stages of the war, including the successful capture of Fort Ében-Émael in Belgium. It later fought in the Battle of Crete but after heavy losses there, Hitler refused to consider using his troops in a significant airborne role again. It became the 1st Parachute Division in 1942, when it was reformed in Russia. The division existed as a fighting unit until the German surrender in Italy of 2 May 1945, one week before the end of World War II in Europe. The 2nd Parachute Division was formed in France under the command of Generalleutnant Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke in early 1943, based on the 2nd Parachute Brigade that had fought in North Africa. Sent to Rome as part of the occupation force when the Italian government began to reconsider its war effort, it later fought in Ukraine and in western France. The majority of the division was cut off and surrounded in Brest during the German retreat from France, resulting in the Battle for Brest, that lasted until September 1944. A new 2nd Parachute Division was formed in November 1944 and the following year was involved in fighting in Arnhem, during the Rhine crossings and in the Ruhr Pocket with Army Group B. The 3rd and 4th Parachute divisions were formed in 1943. The 4th also contained Italian paratroopers drawn from the 184th Infantry Division "Nembo" and 185th Infantry Division "Folgore". The 3rd fought during the Normandy campaign; it was largely destroyed in the Falaise Pocket in August 1944. It was then reformed and took part in the Battle of the Ardennes, and ended the war in the Ruhr Pocket where it surrendered to US troops in April 1945. The 4th fought exclusively on the Italian front including the Battle of Anzio, Rome and on the Gothic Line. It surrendered to Allied forces in April 1945. The 5th Parachute Division was formed in France in 1943. It was involved in the fighting in Normandy after D-Day and most of its personnel were killed or captured in the Falaise Pocket. It was reformed in the Netherlands with Luftwaffe ground crew. It fought in the Ardennes offensive and along the Rhine before its survivors surrendered at the end of the war. The 6th and 7th Parachute divisions were formed in 1944 in France and Germany respectively and fought on the western front as regular infantry. Both divisions surrendered at the end of May. The 8th, 9th and 10th were Fallschirmjäger by name only, as they were hastily formed in late 1944–early 1945 from a disparate collection of Luftwaffe units, including ground crews. They never reached divisional strength and were under-trained and mostly ill-prepared for combat. The 8th fought in the Netherlands before being destroyed in the Ruhr Pocket while the 9th and 10th fought on the rapidly collapsing Eastern Front, including within Germany. The 9th fought in the Battle of the Seelow Heights and in the Battle of Berlin before being destroyed in April 1945; the 10th surrendered to Soviet army forces in May 1945. The typical Fallschirmjäger infantry paratrooper's uniform included the paratrooper helmet M36, which differed heavily from the typical M1935, M1940, and M1942 Stahlhelm. Paratrooper helmet M36 was often worn with fine or wide netting, often made of chicken wire. During the 1939–41 period, the Fallschirmjäger uniform consisted of a pair of Field Grey trousers, a Field Blue tunic and a green jump smock. The webbing was often made of brown leather in this period, although M1940 webbing differed. The FG-42 rifle was used heavily by units of the Fallschirmjäger. The RZ 20 Fallschirmjäger parachute only had a single contact point, making control impossible and landing difficult. Because of this they did not jump with rifles, and instead got them from a canister attached to a separate parachute. World War II: Poland: During the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, the Fallschirmjäger were sent to occupy several airfields between the Vistula and Bug rivers. Denmark: The occupation of Denmark in April 1940 was the Fallschirmjäger's first operational jump, with paratroopers landing to secure strategic airports and bridges in Denmark. Ninety-six Fallschirmjäger jumped from nine Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft to secure Storstrøm Bridge, connecting the island of Falster with Zealand and the coastal fortress on Masnedø island. The landing opened the way for a battalion o