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Product Description
The photos in this book are taken from an unpublished album that belonged to a member of the elite German Paratroopers. First Sgt Wilhelm Plieschen served with Fallschirmjager Machine Gun Battalion 7, which suffered very heavy losses in the invasion of Crete, then saw bloody conflict as Hitler's "Fire-fighters" on the Russian Front and later put up fierce resistance in places such as Monte Casino. The revealing images that Jon Sutherland has compiled for us depict these struggles in dramatic detail, ranging from photographs taken en route to Crete of the paratroopers in a JU52 to 20 May 1941, when Plieschen was dropped over Crete. Some show other paratroopers drifting down and others feature formations of German aircraft amidst flak.Additionally, Sutherland has included amazing images depicting 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 and the then Commander of the Fallschirmjager, General Kurt Student inspecting the troops. We later pay witness to Plieschen in Russia, where outstanding rare photos of paratroopers in heavy winter camouflage clothing portray the men enduring the heavy fighting that occurred in the region.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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.
(The reviewer, Robert Widders, is a writer, historian and ex-soldier. He received a free review copy of Fallschirmjager from the publishers. But he did not receive any fee or inducement to write this review and is not linked to the publishers in any way.)
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.
(The reviewer, Robert Widders, is a writer, historian and ex-soldier. He received a free review copy of Fallschirmjager from the publishers. But he did not receive any fee or inducement to write this review and is not linked to the publishers in any way.)
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Images of War in the Balkans
21 Oct 2010
Format:Paperback
Wilhelm Plieschen of 2nd Company of 7th Flieger Division visually plots the progress as his division travels through Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and finally Crete as they put down insurrection in early 1941. There will also be 23 pages of pictures as the division marches into Russia in the winter of 1941-42. The division was split up with some heading to Leningrad while the rest moved to the Kiev sector.
The core of this book are the photos and is supplemented by a modest summary of the trek through the Balkans and Crete. The brief summary targets new or casual readers. While some of the photos are interesting, there isn't one notable battle action photo. The photos consists of the paras at rest between fighting or sightseeing among the ruins in Athens. There are no close up shots of paras jumping from planes or landing and there are only a few aerial or coastal pictures. The photos of gypsies, the villagers and their towns and countryside going about their lives are probably the most interesting.
A small Bibliography is included.
The core of this book are the photos and is supplemented by a modest summary of the trek through the Balkans and Crete. The brief summary targets new or casual readers. While some of the photos are interesting, there isn't one notable battle action photo. The photos consists of the paras at rest between fighting or sightseeing among the ruins in Athens. There are no close up shots of paras jumping from planes or landing and there are only a few aerial or coastal pictures. The photos of gypsies, the villagers and their towns and countryside going about their lives are probably the most interesting.
A small Bibliography is included.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
FJ Photos
11 Oct 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Most of the images are administrative in nature and not of combat. There are very few photos of FJ's in fiekd gear or combat.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Interesting new images
10 April 2011
Format:Paperback
Could be titled "Images of a Paratrooper" follows an enlisted fallschirmjager from the Para MG Battalion of 7 Fleiger Division through training, Crete and Russia.
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