This book displays the previously unpublished photographs of First Sergeant Wilhelm Plieschen's collection, each accompanied by detailed captions to explain the landscape, equipment and personalities they show. Also included are many photographs of graves; colleagues, perhaps even friends of Plieschen; a sombre reminder of the cost of war.

Pegasus Archive

This intriguing book for the military historian consists of 125 contemporary photographs of the German Elite paratrooper regiment the Fallschrimjager during World War II. The photos are the personal collection of first Sgt Wilhelm Plieschen who severed with the machine gun battalion. The photos are often poignant and give a fantastic insight into the real life of the German paratroopers during their campaigns, the fact that most of the photos aren’t posed and show aspects of military life not normally photographed adds great value.

The photos follow in mostly chronological order the campaigns through Greece and the Balkans and the massive airborne assault on Crete and finally the Russian front. The most fascinating section is the section on the battle for Crete. Here the photos offer many interesting views of one of the largest airborne operations in World War II and are certainly the strongest part of the book giving a real flavour and feel of the battle. The accompanying text to the photos places them in context and often (but not always) explains what is shown in the pictures.

For most people the text offers very little information apart from placing the photos in context and the book is a fairly light read but then it is intended as a visual record rather than a serious discussion of the campaigns / subject. As a companion book to a more serious study of Hitler's Fire brigade this book will be a nice addition if you are looking for depth and detail look elsewhere.

History of War

The photos in this book are taken from an unpublished album belonged to a member of the elite German Paratroopers. First Sgt Wilhelm Plieschen served with Fallschirmjager Machine Gun Battalion 7. There are photographs showing Major Erich Schulz decorating paratroopers on Crete. There are outstanding rare photos of paratroopers in heavy camouflage clothing.

reenacting ww2

An accumulation of photographs like no other. First Sergeant Wilhelm Plieschen served in the Fallschrim-Maschinengewehr-Battalion in which he fought many of the important battles for Germany in World War II. His rare, historic photographs gathered together in this book span the heated climates of Crete to the bitter cold battle-fields of Russia where we steal a glimpse at the lesser documented winter-camoflague worn by the paratroopers. Jon Sutherland and Diane Canwell's extensive research had them visiting the areas in which Sergeant Plieschen fought and photographed to give their audience as vivid a description as possible to compliment the catalogue of photographs they gathered. An exciting read of Hitler's risk taking and barely comprehendible missions which were placed upon the Fallschirmjager deployed, Sutherland and Canwell retell for us the seizing of fort Eben Emael against impossible odds, the attempt at capturing the Dutch royal family and the many losses of fallen comrades Wilhelm suffered. This is a great account from the German side of the second World War well researched by the authors and the photographs are a rare contribution to the many different faces of war showing how adaptable a soldier must be. A very interesting much recommended read.

Tom

The photos in this book are taken from an unpublished album belonged to a member of the elite German Paratroopers. First Sgt Wilhelm Plieschen served with Fallschirmjager Machine Gun Battalion 7. They suffered very heavy losses in the invasion of Crete and then saw bloody conflict as "Hitler s Fire-fighters" on the Russian Front and put up fierce resistance in places such as Monte Casino. The photographs were taken in Austria, Romania, Bulgaria Greece and Russia. There are photographs taken on an airfield on 15 May 1941 of paratroopers with kit on the ground and in front of their transport aircraft. There are a number of photographs taken en route to Crete with photographs of the paratroopers in a JU52 and shots looking out from the plane.On 20 May 1941, Plieschen was dropped over Crete. There are a set of photographs taken by the paratrooper moments after he had landed on the island. Some show other paratroopers drifting down and others feature formations of German aircraft amidst flak.There are very good images showing Germans on the deck of the badly damaged and abandoned HMS York in Souda Bay. There are photographs showing Major Erich Schulz decorating paratroopers on Crete. Further on in the set are photos showing the then Commander of the Fallschirmjager, General Kurt Student inspecting the troops.

Spartacus Educational

Fallschirmjager is a narrated collection of photographs of the elite WWII German paratroop regiment. The photographs show men of the Fallschirmjager, both informally, and in action, in the Balkans, Greece, Crete and Russia.
But what made this book stand out from the crowd for me is that the photos were taken by one man, Wilhelm Plieschen, a First Sergeant in the 7th Flieger Division. Leafing through what is, in effect, a soldier's photograph album, it's very easy to empathise with Plieschen. Admittedly, the pictures lack the technical gloss of better known collections taken by professional war photographers. Some of them are the typical sort of posed shots that all of us with military experience have tucked away somewhere or other. Whilst others are hastily snapped pictures taken minutes after landing on the battlefield. One picture, taken whilst airborne, is especially poignant, clearly showing the trepidation on the men's faces as they sit inside their Ju52 [aeroplane] heading towards the drop zone in Crete.
A well written narrative interprets each picture on the same page making it very straightforward to read without having to flick back and forth between pages. At £14.99 it's not a cheap book: But anyone with an interest in WWII airborne forces will find it well worth the price.

Robert Widders