paratrooper photo album NAGOLD

[Uncle Kurt]

I got for my collection, an extreme nice paratrooper photo album.
The paratroopers were in the 3./Fallsch.-Jg. Battalion 252 in Nagold.
Have fun watching

[Uncle Kurt]

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[Uncle Kurt]

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[Uncle Kurt]

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4.

[Uncle Kurt]

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[Uncle Kurt]

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[Collectinsteve]

Wow! Nice album!! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

What is the timeframe? Mid 1960s?

My father was a US paratrooper in 1960-1962. He jumped out of planes like the ones in the pictures. They called them "flying coffins", or something like that. The reason was the paratroopers were concerned about having their chutes catch on the tail of the plane. I don't know if that ever happened, but they certainly didn't want to find out!

Steve

[Uncle Kurt]

Hi Steve,
Yes, the album is from the period 1964 - 1966
The story of the aircraft I do not know
In the first (old) of the Bundeswehr paratroopers we these aircraft as revered as the Ju-52 in the first eagles 1936-1945.
I find the album just because the Super paratrooper was stationed in Nagold.

[irish]

Excellent photos thanks for sharing.

[Collectinsteve]

Of course it's from mid 1960s... there is that Datum column with the dates printed so nicely in it! Silly me

Steve

[Gordon Craig]

Unkle Kurt,

That is a super album for pictures of uniforms of all types worn by FJ during that time period.
The airplane appears to be a C-119. I have flown many miles in them. A sure way to go deaf. I oftern wondered how paratroopers jumped out of these things successfully. The clam shell doors moved up and down independantly while in flight and how would you open them while in flight? Jumping out the door they are using to enter the aircraft in one of the pictures doesn't work as it is right in front of the propeller of the engine on the left side of the aircraft. When my squadron flew these aircraft we were not allowed to carry civilians as passengers because the propllers had a nasty habit of falling off in flight.

Regards,

Gordon

[Guardian 5]

Herr Onkel - Zehr schoen!

Great views of the G3A4 and paras in field gear. The gents in picture 5 look like Confederate Infantrymen from the U.S. Civil War. What is it that they have slung around their shoulders; zelts?

Are there any pictures of paratroopers wearing wings on a "felt louse" field uniform? I have yet to see an example of this.

Again, great pictures. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Gordon - I think the aircraft in question may be a Nord 2501 Noratlas, a French designed aircraft adapted by the Luftwaffe in 1956. Attached is a wiki picture taken by Rosario Van Tulpe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nord_Noratlas

It certainly bears a deep resemblance to the C-119 "Flying Boxcar" which was employed by the U.S. 11th Airborne Division personnel who assisted the Bundeswehr in setting it up its own jump school.

Regarding the sticky question of "hung jumpers". This is an extremely rare occurence. When a para exits an aircraft during a static line jump, he or she free falls for approximately four seconds before the main chute deploys. This is usually more than adequate time to allow the jumper to clear the wings and tail of the aircraft. When a jumper gets hung up, there are three courses of action that I'm aware of:
1. If possible, the jumpmaster and remaining jumpers can pull the hung jumper back into the aircraft.
2. The jumpmaster can cut the shroud lines and depend on the hung jumper to successfully deploy his reserve parachute.
3. The airfield fire department can cover the landing strip in foam to cushion the jumper when the aircraft lands (talk about road rash....)
Yes, paratroopers carry those fancy knives for a reason, not to just look cool....

Finally, from what I've read, BW fallis were very fond of the Noratlas and refered to it as "gute alte NORA". If the wiki write-up is to be believed, the aircraft had a very distinguished operational career serving from the Suez invasion of 1956 to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1971.

All the best - TJ

[Gordon Craig]

TJ,

You are probably correct about the type of aircraft used.

Regards,

Gordon

[Collectinsteve]

TJ,

I always thought my Dad's reaction to the plane's design was more likely "campfire talk" than actual fact. You know what I mean... there's the battle hardened Master SGT who fought in WW2 and in Korea, sitting around with the greenhorns, telling them horror stories late into the night. Some of them, no doubt, designed for the humor of the senior NCOs. Ah... I can almost hear the tall tales now

Steve

[Ralph P]

Great thread discussiion and photos...it is also interesting to see the dial of death chutes being own...