2. Fallschirmjäger-Division
/ Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2
Formed in 1943 in western France (Vannes/Bretagne
area) under the 7.Armee. The Division was formed from Fallschirm-Jager-Regiment
2 and the II/Fallschirm-Artillerie-Regiment 1. The two new Regiments of the
division, FJ.6 and FJR.7, were formed from various other units such as the
Luftwaffen-Feld-Bataillon 100, IV/Luftlande-Sturm-Rgiment 1 and the Lehr
Battalion/Fliegerkorps XI.
June 1943 the Division was ordered to Italy,
and took up station guarding the coast between Tiber estuary and Tarquinia. In
August of 1943 the unit moved into Rome, to disarm its garrison. On the 12th of
August 1943, the 1st company of FJR.7 participated in the rescue of Mussolini at
Gran Sasso d'Italia.
In the next two months, the division remained
stationed near Rome, but part of the division participated in two major actions:
17 Sept 1943 (II.FJR.7) the battle at Elba and 12 Nov 1943 (I/FJR.2) the battle
at Leros. The rest of the Division remained in reserve.
In late November 1943 the Division
transferred to the eastern front and saw action around Zhitomir and Kirovgrad.
In May of 1944 the depleted division moved to
Koln-Wahn for a period of rest and rebuilding. In less than a month the Division
moved again, this time to Normandy. The Division's journey from Germany to
France was constantly hampered by Allied air attacks. There it was joined by the
new FJR.6, how ever this was to be short lived. On D-Day the regiment again
became independent. They finally arrived at their areas on the 19th/20th June,
by which time the Allied beachheads had become firmly established and allied
forces were moving into the Norman countryside.
General Bernhard Hermann Ramcke, commander 2nd Parachute Division was ordered to
concentrate his division around the Brittany port of Brest. This was an obvious
objective for the Allies because of the need for decent harbor facilities.
The 2nd & 7th Regiments, both short of a Battalion each, took up positions
around the port, ready to repel any allied assault. General Ramcke's garrison
was being continually drained of manpower to support depleted units in Normandy.
By mid August, American forces had completely surrounded Brest, part of the
division still trapped outside the town had to fight their way back through the
encirclement. The 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment managed to escape from the
surrounding forces.
The Paras and the other German units defending the Brittany port had to endure
endless bombing and artillery attacks by the Americans. Meanwhile in Brest, the
majority of the 2nd Division was mobilized to areas facing the allied advance.
Brest fell on 19 Sept 1944. The division surrendered except FJR.6 and I/FJR.2,
which escaped the encirclement. The order for reformation was issued on 24 Sept
1944 and all remnants of the old division were united in Amersfoort, Holland.
The new division was combat ready in early December 1944, with three new
regiments: FJR.2, FJR.7, and FJR.23. The Division went into combat in January
1945. It ended the war in the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945.
Bernhard Hermann Ramcke was
born on January 24th 1889 into a family of farmers. He decided not to follow in
the family trade but instead joined the Navy. Ramcke fought on the Western Front
in WW1 as a Marine Infantryman. He took part in the fighting at Flanders and was
awarded both Iron Crosses. In 1918 he was awarded the Imperial Prussian Service
Cross and promoted to Leutnant. He ended WW1 as an Oberleutnant and remained in
the post war 100 000 man army of the Reichswehr.
He was promoted to Hauptmann on February 1st 1927, Major on September 1st 1934
and Oberstleutnant on March 16th 1937. On July 19th 1940, Ramcke was transferred
to the 7th Flieger Division and on July 31st joined the Fallschirmtruppe and was
awarded the parachute qualification badge at the age of 51.
He first served in a parachute replacement Battalion and tried everything in his
power to procure heavy weapons for the 7th Flieger Division. It was only after
promotion to Oberst and command of the battalion did he manage to obtain his
request.
Ramcke took part in the planning of troop employment in the forthcoming
operation to invade Crete. He did not fly into Crete on May 20th but was chosen
by General Student to drop into Maleme on the 21st. The commander of the Sturm
Regiment, Oberst Meindl had been seriously wounded on the first day of the
invasion and Group West lacked a capable commander to carry on with the momentum
of the attacks at Maleme. Maleme had now become the primary objective of the
invasion.
At 1800 on May 21st, Ramcke and 500 Fallschirmjäger reinforcements dropped into
Crete west of the Tavronitis and east of the airfield at Maleme. Upon landing,
Ramcke was briefed on the current situation by Oberleutnant Göttsche, the
Nachrichtenoffizier of Luftlande Sturmregiment Stab. (I personally know a
veteran who was present when Ramcke landed near Maleme. He was messenger for
St.Rgt.Stab.Kompanie and was dispatched westward to inform Hauptmann Gericke of
Ramcke's arrival. This short journey through bandit country was a tough
experience and one that he does not like to talk about)
Oberst Meindl had been evacuated, many of the Sturm Regiment officers had been
killed or wounded in the fighting. However, there was some good news. Maleme
airfield had been captured but enemy artillery spotters were dug in on the
slopes of Hill 107, which overlooked the airfield and were directing fire on to
the airstrip. One assault group was about to launch an attack on Hill 107 and
the first of the JU52's carrying the badly needed Mountain Troops had just
landed, although under heavy artillery fire. Once grouped, the Gebirgsjäger were
ordered to head south and outflank the enemy positions. Two battle groups of
Fallschirmjäger were ordered eastwards to try and break through to Group Centre
at Chania.
In the evening of the 21st, Ramcke was informed that the assault on Hill 107 had
failed. Hours later he was informed that the seaborne armada had been destroyed
whilst en-route to Crete.
Overnight on 21st/22nd, the NZ defenders on Hill 107 withdrew from their
positions fearing they would be outflanked. The empty positions were found early
morning on May 22nd. More and more JU52's began to land on the airfield at
Maleme, no longer under artillery fire. The Gebirgsjäger commander, General
Ringel, landed on the 22nd and Ramcke handed over command of German forces in
the west of the island. He then joined his battlegroups who had broken out to
the east and took part in the fierce fighting for the Platanias Ridge, which
overlooked the northern coast toward Chania.
During the night of 24th/25th. Ramcke's forces broke through to Oberst Heidrich
at Galatos. The New Zealand defenses line was smashed by Stuka dive bombers and
the way to Chania was open. The town fell on May 27th.
Ramcke was appalled at the atrocities carried out by the Cretan population and
ordered many reprisals. Villages where mutilated bodies of Fallschirmjäger were
discovered were raised to the ground.
Operation Mercury ended on June 2nd and on the 18th Ramcke returned to his
replacement battalion to teach the men valuable lessons learnt on Crete.
On August 1st 1941, Ramcke was promoted to Generalmajor.
On August 21st, Ramcke was ordered to Göring’s HQ at Goldap in East Prussia and
presented with the Knights Cross.
In early 1942, Ramcke served briefly with the Italian Army before being recalled
to Berlin with new orders.
Rommel had asked Berlin for reinforcements to be sent to North Africa. Early in
the summer of 1942, General Student received orders to form a Fallschirm-Brigade
to be sent to Africa. Ramcke was given command of 4 Jäger Battalions, an
Artillery Battalion and a Signals & Pioneer Platoon and an Anti-Tank Kompanie,
to be known as Fallschirm-Brigade Ramcke.
They arrived in Africa in July 1942 and were to be used to exploit any gap in
the El Alamein line and break through to the Suez Canal, the British lifeline to
the far-east.
Montgomery launched a counteroffensive in October 1942, which successfully broke
the Axis line. The Ramcke Brigade were threatened with being cut off and
surrounded. Due to the lack of transport, Ramcke's men had to march back toward
the German lines but the line had moved due to increasing British pressure. As
far as the German command was aware, the Ramcke Brigade was missing in action.
Whilst marching across the desert Ramcke's men intercepted and captured a
British 8th Army supply column and the trucks were used to drive through the
British lines and back to the safety of German held territory.
Ramkce was then posted back to Germany and was given command of FJD2. On
November 13th 1942, he was informed that he was the 145th recipient of the Oak
leaves to the Knights Cross.
FJD2 was being raised in Brittany, France from remnants of his African Brigade
and veterans of the eastern front. It was subordinated to the German 7th Army
until May 1943 when it went to Southern France, subordinated to General
Student's XI Flieger Korps.
When the Allies invaded Sicily in July 1943, FJD2 was put on standby south of
Rome. When the Italian Army capitulated in September 1943 it was FJD2 who
restored order in Rome. Units from the Division carried out 4 air assaults
whilst in Italy.
On September 9th, II/FJR6, parachuted onto Monte Rotondo north east of Rome to
capture the Italian general staff. On September 12th, I/FJR7 landed in gliders
on the Gran Sasso to rescue Mussolini. On September 17th, III/FJR7, parachuted
onto the island of Elba to capture the Italian garrison stationed there.
After order had been restored, FJD2 assumed coastal defiance duties until early
November 1943 when it was mobilized for Russia. The division arrived in Russia
between November 17th-27th minus 3 battalions, (On November 12th, I/FJR2
parachuted onto Leros. 2 other battalions were still committed in Italy).
The division took up position near the Russian held town of Zhitomir and whilst
in Russia the division suffered heavy casualties. Ramcke left the division on
two occasions and rejoined them again in March 1944. He returned to Berlin
before the division was withdrawn from Russia to Cologne in May of that year
when he resumed command.
The losses to FJD had been appalling; it would be the last time that Ramckes
division would fight in Russia.
On June 13th, FJD2 was ordered to move to Brittany to defend against further
allied airborne assaults. The divisions FJR6 had been operation in Normandy
since May 1944 and had taken heavy casualties in the Cotentin Peninsula.
The division suffered heavily in its transit to Brittany. Allied aircraft ruled
the skies above Normandy and Brittany and the French Resistance movement was
attacking any German units they could find.
On August 3rd, elements of FJD2 were attacked at Avranches.
On August 5th, the divisional recon battalion was almost destroyed near Gouarec.
FJR7 saw fierce fighting at Hulegoat and suffered heavy casualties.
On August 8th, US forces approached the town of Brest and demanded their
surrender. When FJD2 arrived, Ramcke took command of Brest as senior officer and
when the fighting continued Ramcke found his forces were facing 3 US armored
divisions and constant attacks by resistance units.
Ramcke successfully managed to evacuate 40 000 civilians from the Brest area
before new American assaults began on August 20th.
On September 1st, Festung Brest was completely surrounded. The gauge of the
fighting at Brest can be measured by the amount of Knights Crosses that were
awarded. 7 Knights Crosses were awarded with many recommendations. 6 of these
were to men of FJR7.
On September 13th, Ramcke was again asked to surrender by US General Middleton.
Ramcke refused and the fighting continued until September 19th, when American
forces reached Ramcke's command bunker. General der Fallschirmtruppe Bernhard
Hermann Ramcke surrendered Fortress Brest and resistance ceased in the evening
of the 19th, the same day he was awarded the Swords (99th Recipient) & Diamonds
(20th recipient) to the Knights Cross.
Ramcke was shipped to the USA as a POW and later to England and France. In
France he managed to escape from captivity but soon gave himself up. He was
given an additional 5 years sentence, which was subsequently dropped.
Ramcke's only wish whilst in captivity was that his men were fairly treated. He
had always been affectionately called "Papa" by his men.
On his release, Ramcke returned to Germany and died on July 4th 1968 at Kappeln
in Northern Germany.