Fallschirmjäger: German Paratrooper 1935-45 (Warrior) [Paperback]

Bruce Quarrie (Author), Velimir Vuksic (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Warrior | Publication Date: October 25, 2001

Few of the combatants of World War II have captured the imagination as compulsively as the Fallschirmjäger. Boldness and courage were vital characteristics in the rigorous selection process, and their training was highly demanding. Hitler's airborne troops were involved in some of the most daring actions of the whole war; from the 1940 assault on Eben Emael and the invasion of Crete in 1941, to the rescue of Mussolini and the attempt on Tito's life. In addition, they saw service as elite line infantry in the key theatres of North West Europe, North Africa and the Eastern Front. This title looks at the life and experiences of the average Fallschirmjäger, and includes first-hand accounts from different theatres and periods of the war.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Insights into the real lives of history's fighting men, packed with full colour illustrations, highly detailed cutaways, exploded artwork of weaponry and armour, and action-packed battle scenes.

About the Author

Bruce Quarrie graduated with honours from Cambridge University in 1968 and started work as a journalist with the Financial Times. He wrote his first book, on wargaming, in 1974. Bruce's principal interest was in World War II, and his definitive Encyclopedia of the German Army was even translated and published in German. Bruce passed away on 4 September 2004.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (October 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841763268
• ISBN-13: 978-1841763262
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great., June 3, 2004

By 

Michael J. D. Auben (Madison, AL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fallschirmjäger: German Paratrooper 1935-45 (Warrior) (Paperback)

Another interesting book from Osprey, this one suffers from a few annoying flaws. The author starts the book with a several page digression into the political and social situation in German at the time of the Second World War. Interresting perhaps, but it has nothing to do with the subject of the book, and it wastes too many of the already limited number of pages.

Then, when he finally gets to the actual subject matter, the author attempts to use a poorly executed and inconsistently implemented first-person narrative to describe the training undergone by German Paratroopers. As usual the best part of any Osprey book is the illustrations, but ever here they are not quite up to the standards of most of the other titles in this series.

Overall, while the title does provide some useful information on the subject, there are better books available.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Death from Above, January 9, 2002

By 

Eduardo J. Tellez A (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fallschirmjäger: German Paratrooper 1935-45 (Warrior) (Paperback)

Another Great title for the fans of the German Airborne Troops or best know by their german name Fallschirmjager, this book from the serie Warrior publish by Osprey try to introduce us to the everyday life of one Jager from the trainning camps to the last great battles for a lost cause in the battlefields of the European and North African fronts, if you would like to begin to study this elite force this book would really help you but if you already know something or have read others book you would find nothing new only the great plates from the Illustrator Velimir Vuksic(7 Col) and some rare photographs(50).

A nice Chronology and Introduction make this book unique for me, this was a nice part of it,also the first accounts with the study Belief and belonging are very fascinated, I recomended this book but as a small intro to this great Elite Force. Other great books related with this one also from Bruce Quarrie are "German Airborne Troops 1939-45" and "7thFlieger Division Students Fallschirmjager Elite" which would help understand life and experiences of the average trooper.

From other Authors,"Hitler's Sky Warriors German Paratroopers in Action 1939-1945" by Christopher Ailsby is a great illustrated edition. "Weapons & Equipment of the German Fallschirmtruppe" by Alex Buchner,"Green Devils, German Paratroopers 1939-1945" by Jean-Yves Nasse and a new title "Fallschirmjager In Action 1939-1945" by Willi Zahn,a great account is "Heaven and Hell: War Diary of a German Paratrooper" by Martin Poppel, for the famous battle of Crete(the last jump for many Fallschirmjager) are two nice books that I recommend, one by Jean-Yves Nasse "Fallschirmjagers in Crete"(fully illustrated with many Photos and Maps)and the other is "Crete:The Battle and the Resistance" by Antony Beevor