SS Jumpers

[MikeP]

A new member of my SF discussion group refers to a friend in Germany who claimed to have served with SS Paratroopers and made 57 combat jumps.
The group members all of whom are old time SF, many of whom spent a lot of time at Bad Tolz are calling BS on this-I am wondering if anybody here has any resources or comments regarding this.
I know nothing of the SS parachute formations except I have heard it was a fairly small enterprise.

Thanks

Mike P

[Mike C]

Utter, utter bull****. What Army in the war made 57!!! combat jumps (an average of one every 5 weeks of the war). Spare me...

Mike

[Ardennes]

fairly small enterprise is a good way to put it. 57 total jumps, including training, might be considered a stretch for an FJ that wasn't an instructor, but to go further to an SS FJ, well, that would be a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng stretch. The SS FJ's jumped into Yugoslavia and when the unit was reconstituted, some may have jumped as part of the Ardennes offensive - although I don't believe they were officialy part of the airborne contingent of that operation?

[MikeP]

Appreciate your responses, the fellow who brought it up is a new member but he has a long and distinguished military history and has authored some military texts.
I agree on the jump numbers as do the others in the group a couple of whom made combat jumps in korea and some under other circumstances.
I don't really understand how he believes that figure.
I do have the name of the guy making the claim but am not at liberty now to give it out-would there be any published lists of any of these guys?
I have not read up on any of this stuff in a long time.
In the early sixties I had a lot of german stuff-it was fairly cheap and plentiful-repro daggers were being introduced at the time but most other stuff was original.
I lost interest after my military service and sold about all of it.
I like to lurk about these boards just to see what is up.
I am simply aghast at the prices of things today.
Good luck in your collecting.
Again thanks for the reponses.

[Willi Z.]

Hi Mike,
Your observations about the hobby are certainly true. Many who used to collect have dropped out. There are a number of reasons for the crazy prices that some items bring, but it is collector interest that plays a major role in this. I find that newer collectors are more focused, due to the high cost and number of fakes, and really become more the specialist than those in the past.

As for combat jumps in WWII, I have a grouping to an FJ who made 3 combat jumps (Dombas and Narvik, Norway and then Crete). That is already extremely rare. So, I would have some severe doubts. As Mike (Ardennes) mentioned, would be even tough for a jump instructor to have that many training jumps during that era.

[JamesM]

I concure with all of the above —

Giving the guy the benefit of the doubt, maybe he meant "combat-equipment" jumps???


- James

[Simon O.]

If he's sticking by 57 combat jumps, just ask him where and when? I don't think you'd need all 57 either, just ask for 10.

[Aave Johns]

Translation Mistake

Perhaps a mistake in what he was trying to say? He may have been in 57 combat days or engagements as an SS para. But if he says jumps then forget it, two at the most.

Regards
Johnsy