FJ positions in Italy? - April/May 1945

[Humble480]

Hello,

I am working on trying to put together some information on where the Fallschirmjager divisions ended up in Italy in late April/early May 1945.

I think that at the end of April the 4th Fallschirmjager Division was fighting in Verona and the 1st Fallschirmjager Division was fighting in Vicenza. Is this correct? Does someone have a more detailed breakdown and where they moved over April 28 to May 2, 1945? I'd assume that they were pretty scattered.

Did the 1st Fallschrimjager Division end the war in Vicenza or did they make it toward Trento/Bozen?

Looking at Google Maps you can tell what a formidable position these elite divisions took up in Verona and Vicenza - trying to keep open the escape routes back toward Germany.

I have also read there that was a lot of partisan activity in the mountains, which might have led to the Pedescala Massacre of civilians. Does anyone have more information about this? I could not find anything online. All I could find is that the 4th Fallschirmjager Division was somehow involved, but looking at the map does it look more likely that it was the 1st Fallschirmjager Division?

Thanks so much for your help. I know we have a lot of experts on this forum!

[Gil]

I know that they surrendered in Valsugana (see Borgo Valsugana on the map)

[Willi Z.]

A great idea for a thread! I look forward in how much information can be gathered.

[Humble480]

In regards to Vicenza, here is a great link to a soldbuch grouping on the forum to a Major of III./Fallschirm.Art.-Reg.1 who destroyed an American tank with a panzerfaust on April 28, 1945:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...25#post7955925

It is wild to think about a Major of a Fallschirmjager Artillery Regiment destroying a tank with a panzerfaust. Just shows you how hectic things were at the end of the war.

I think in the context of these two elite Fallschirmjager divisions trying to hold open the roads toward Germany for other units to escape makes more sense why there was such intense fighting in Vicenza so late in the war. Without the context I think the action seems very unnecessary otherwise with tens of thousands of troops on the Italian front surrendering. What do you think?

I have not been able to find a lot of information about the fighting in Verona or further north, except for that elements of the 4th Fallschirmjager Division surrendered in Verona.

[Humble480]

Gil, thank you for the information about Valsugana. That led me to this post way back from 2004 that talks about the Fallschirmjager leaving their gear behind there!

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ghlight=trento

Here is the excerpt (from member IFG):

"The story goes that right here in the Valsugana (Valley some 40 km east of Trento) a large number of FJ's were bottled up, they were in people's homes the majority at a military barracks in Levico (at Roncegno you had SS, Rovereto, Caldonazzo, Pergine and also Arco I think he said, all were "invaded" by retreating FJ's. Some surrendered here but a lot were taking their uniforms/kit off and exchanging it for civilian clothes so they could get through the partisans ring and get to Alto Adige (Sud Tirol for the locals) and then to Austria.

A.M. tells me that during this time a wealth of equipment and uniforms was left simply in people's houses or at this military barracks I mentioned. Oh and a monastery here too. So days after the war and for a long time people were pretty much swimming in FJ gear. This friend of AM still has the road sign for 10./FJR1 from right here where I live...So basically the Sturm helmet was originally left in a doctors house basement along with a lot of other FJ items...

...so much was found in this area (and a lot just getting thrown away or recycled) at one time that it was mind boggling."

[mufasa]

Here a interesting US report, the photos in this research were taken in Roncegno Terme, immediatelly Afterhours Borgo Valsugana on May 2, 1945 at the end of the fight between the paratroopers of the 1st Fallschirmjäger Division, and the Americans of the 88th infantry division, the former in retreat and the latter in advanced through the Valsugana


http://www.anaroncegno.com/2-maggio-1945.html

[Humble480]

Mufasa,

Thank you for the great link! That has a lot of information. I also have a few books that I am reading through at the moment. I'll post some updated in the future once I put more of the pieces together.