Thank you WJW for posting three fascinating images of gliders used by the 1st Kompanie of the Luftlande Sturm Regiment during the invasion of Crete.
Stijn, the numbers painted on the side of each glider used by Sturmgruppe Genz when compared with the numbers painted on the sides of gliders used by other groups look quite different. The numbers painted on the gliders used by Sturmgruppe Genz are rather large and are rather crude. The colour looks to be a very light colour, possibly white. What do you think?
I believe that a shell fired by one of the AA guns hit a wing of glider No. 8, which was carrying Oberjäger Hahn's section. As a consequence the glider came crashing down upon one of the AA guns.
Unfortunately Hahn and the pilot, Klimke, were killed by MG fire from the battery while attempting to exit the glider, while five of the remaining Fallschirmjäger suffered broken arms and legs arising from the hard landing.
Volkmar Kuhn in his book on the Fallschirmjäger makes refers to an Obergefrieter Holzmann who apparently survived the landing and attacked the gun emplacement with a grenade.
Does anyone have any information about Hans Holzmann? I am particularly interested in any information that confirms that Hans Holzmann was a member of the 1st Kompanie of the Luftlande Sturm Regiment.
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