6th Regiment in Normandy

[Russ Bednarek]

I'm searching for the table of organization for the 6th Fallschirmjager during the Battle of Normandy.
Also, does anyone know what the predominate weapon used by the 6th at this time?
Thanks in advance.
Russ

[FJR6]

Hello,

FJR6 started the Normandy campaign with a standard 3 battalion organisation plus the usual Regimental formations (Pionier, Panzerabwehr, etc.).
The Regiment re-organized officially at least once during the campaign by mid-June when the companies were sort of equalized and the Regimental formations beefed up and made into a 4th battalion. When the Regiment was rebuilt at Guestrow in fall of 1944, it retained the 4 battalion structure.

During the retreat from Normandy and the breakthroughs from the various cauldrons, the Regiment was forced to re-structure again, this time into small Kampfgruppen which were easier to move through the Allied lines.

To be honest, the story of this Regiment is so eventful that it is close to impossible to write all what would be necessary in this thread. Please forgive me for suggesting that you buy my book "Die Löwen von Carentan" which will be available shortly from VS-Books (www.vs-books.de). The book will contain the complete Regimental history including the Normandy campaign and has lots of veteran accounts in it.

As for the weapons used, the main weapon used by the FJR6 paratroopers was the Kar 98k, with MP38s and MP40s for the squadleaders, assistant squadleaders and senior troopers. There were some (say few) FG42s, but since none of the surviving veterans can really remember having ever seen one up close, they must have been a rare item. Pistols were in good supply, though, mainly P08s, some P38s.
Later in Holland the Regiment was issued some boxes full of Stgw 44s which went to the most experienced soldiers.

I hope this was at least a bit useful for you.
If you have further questions, just drop me a PM and I'll be trying to be of as much help as I can.

best regards,
Volker

[JYN]

FJR 6 - 6th of June 1944

Regimentskommandeur : Major von der Heydte (1907)
Adjutant : Hptmn. Peiser
Rad. Zug : Lt. v. Cube
Stabarzt Dr. Roos
Stabarzt Dr. Thalheim
Feldpost Nr.49323

I.Bataillon (Feldpost Nr.49057)
Kommandeur : Hptmn. Emil Preikschat (1912)
Adjutant : Oblt. Reese
Arzt : Stabarzt Dr. Ferl
1.Kompanie : Oblt. Billian
2.Kompanie : Oblt. Schulz
3.Kompanie : Hptmn. Bucher
4.kompanie : Lt. Scherer

II. Bataillon (Feldpost Nr.55056)
Kommandeur : Hptmn. Rolf Mager (1917)
Adjutant : Oblt. Engelhardt
Arzt : Stabarzt Dr.Holtz & Dr. Beisel
5.Kompanie : Hptmn. Herrmann
6.Kompanie : Lt. Brunnklaus
7.Kompanie : Lt. v. Sacha Borzestwoski
8.Kompanie : Oblt. Graf Bethusy-Huc

III.Bataillon (Feldpost Nr.50370)
Kommandeur : Hptmn. Horst Trebes (1916)
Adjutant : Lt. Treuherz
Arzt : Stabarzt Dr. Schad
9.Kompanie : Oblt. Wagner
10.Kompanie : Oblt. Priebe
11.Kompanie : Oblt. Märk
12.Kompanie : Oblt. Pöppel

13.Kompanie : Oblt. Nahde
14.Kompanie : Oblt. Geck
15.kompanie : Hptmn. Hauch
16.Kompanie : ?, 17.Kompanie : ?, 18.Kompanie : ?, 19 : Kompanie : ?
20.Kompanie :

Strenght on 19 May 1944 : 3 457
Then went up to 4 500 with the add of 16.17.18.19.20.Kompanie.

- HQ on D-Day : L'hôtellerie (by Gonfreville, North of Périers).
- I.Bataillon : St-Jores - Mont-Castres' Sector.
- II. Bataillon : By Lessay.
- III. Bataillon : Between Carentan and Périers. HQ at Rougeval.
- Hospital : Sainteny then the St-Quentin' farm near Rougeval.

Jean-Yves

[Si1964]

Volker, is the book just printed in German??

[JYN]

A nice Sodbuch

Obergefreiter Plank (Schiessauzeichnung T.Stufe by 42/43)
joined the 12./FJR 6 on the 7th February 1944.
The 12.Kompanie was a MG Coy with Oblt. Martin Pöppel as Chief.
This Soldbuch has been closed on the 15.02.44. Plank probably received another Soldbuch and probably did D-Day.
See page 1. You could see Martin Pöppel' signature.
He is the author of the book
Heaven and Hell "The War Diary of a German Paratrooper"
I love this document !


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD><TD>



If any of you guys have some docs related the FJR 6 it will be good to continue an interesting thread, specially with the 6th which is coming on Sunday ?
Jean-Yves
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[JYN]

<TABLE class=tborder cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD class=alt2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>If any of you guys have some docs related the FJR 6 it will be good to continue an interesting thread, specially with the 6th which is coming on Sunday ?
Jean-Yves
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->__________________
"Grass doesn't grows on busy streets"
<!-- / sig --></TD></TR><TR><TD class=alt1><!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: postbit_onlinestatus --> <!-- END TEMPLATE: postbit_onlinestatus --> </TD><TD class=alt2 align=right><!-- controls --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[JYN]

This picture has been sent to me
by Horst Pfeiffer from the 9./FJR 6.
It has been taken by June 1944 by Méautis.




Jean-Yves

[JYN]

I met him on 6h June 1989 at Ste-Mère-l'Eglise (me on the left).
He is signing my vet's book.

[Gary T]

I posted this in Die Kneipe but this seems like a more relevant thread.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews...name_page.html

[Chris Chalupa]

Thanks for posting the link here, bitter sweet story. Was that Uhlig they are making reference to as wearing the iron cross? I can't think of another para exploit during the Normandy campaign where so small a group captured so many as he did in Sieves Island. I am not an expert, but was wondering.

[JYN]

Hi Gary and Chris,

Thank you for your addition in this thread. I was thinking that events as D-Day ceremonies could bring more replies in this thread. So we could easily go further and talk more about FJs troops in Normandy.. a sort of Day by Day way of remember where they were and who they fought !
Jean-Yves

[Chris]

Volker, either your e-mail isn't working or mine isn't. This posting is a last ditch effort to make contact. Six JPEGs were sent to you last week as attachments but I have no idea whether you got them.

[Russ Bednarek]

FJ In Normandy

Hi Gary and Chris,

Thank you for your addition in this thread. I was thinking that events as D-Day ceremonies could bring more replies in this thread. So we could easily go further and talk more about FJs troops in Normandy.. a sort of Day by Day way of remember where they were and who they fought !
Jean-Yves

I agree with Jean-Yves..........I'd love to talk and learn more about the FJs during the Normandy Campaign. Today I received Niklas Zetterling's "Normandy 1944". Great read so far, debunks several myths regarding the Normandy Campaign, and gives a very brief account of the 2,3,5 and 6 Fallschirmjager Division, but a very nice organizational history of each.

Russ

[Óscar G]

Hi everyone:
I´ll try to make a significant contribution to this interesting thread. Although I can´t show any document belonging to Fallschirmjägers from FJR6, I´d like to show some photos taken in a trip trough Normandy made two years ago. I´ll follow in this way what´s been suggested here. My intention in making this route was to know in person the places where the FJs fought and tried to stop and slow down (for 6 days) the landing.
I´m posting some photos that depict the area where FJR6, specifically I./FJR6, saw heavy fightings agains US troops (and US paratroops from 101st Airborne Division) who went inland from Exit 2 at Utah Beach. Apart from being an interesting "historical area", every little town in this route surprised me with a quite beatiful landscape and some fantastic traces from the Middle Ages

[Óscar G]

This is the church of Ste. Marie du Mont, the last town before reaching Utah Beach. From this tower, early in the morning of June 6th, Von der Heydte could look at the overwhelming landing of men and material (there is a great description of this moment written by Von der Heydte himself in Jean-Yves´ "Green Devils")