1st Parachute Corps (Germany)
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2022) |
| I Fallschirmkorps | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1944–45 |
| Disbanded | 1945 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Luftwaffe |
| Type | Fallschirmjäger |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Alfred Schlemm Richard Heidrich |
TheI Fallschirmkorps (1st Parachute Corps)was one of the main German Luftwaffe Corps during World War II.
History
[edit]This Corps was formed on 1 January 1944 in Rome fromAlfred Schlemm'sheadquarters staff, including from theII Luftwaffe Field Corpsand the XIII Luftwaffe Air Corps. The Corps fought exclusively in Italy. During it existence, it was composed of the1stand4th Parachute Divisionsand several Infantry Divisions.
The 1st Parachute Corps were initially dispatched from Rome to bolster theWinter Linealong theGarigliano River,but were urgently transferred to oppose the Allied beachhead atAnzioas part ofOperation Shingle.[1]By 18 January 1944, under orders from Field MarshalAlfred Kesselring,their role specifically involved protecting the coastal sector near Rome.[2]The 1st Parachute Corps were made headquarters in charge of the operation to defend the coastal area of Anzio for three days until passing command to Colonel GeneralEberhard von Mackensen,commander of the Fourteenth Army in northern Italy. And at 0830 on the 22nd, Kesselring directed GeneralHeinrich von Vietinghoffto transfer the headquarters and all combat troops that could be spared of the I Parachute Corps to the Anzio area as quickly as possible.
Allied troops landed in Anzio on 22 January 1944. At 1700, the I Parachute Corps established a defensive line at the Anzio beachhead and took command of all arriving troops, by which point it was clear a major landing was taking place.[1]Of the 1st Parachute Corps, only the 29th Panzer Division were reported to put up significant resistance during the landing.[2]The Corps fought at Anzio for the next three months. Schlemm was cited in the official Armed Forces Communiqué and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his efforts.[3]
Later on, the Corps fought in theBattle of Monte CassinoandBattle of Bologna.The Corps capitulated on 3 May 1945 in the Trento – Bolzano – Belluno area in Northern Italy.[4]
Commanding officer
[edit]- General der FliegerAlfred Schlemm(1 January 1944 - 1 November 1944)
- General der FallschirmtruppeRichard Heidrich(1 November 1944 - 23 January 1945)
- GeneralleutnantHellmuth Böhlke(acting, 23 January 1945 - 7 February 1945)
- General der Fallschirmtruppe Richard Heidrich (7 February 1945 - 3 May 1945)
Sources
[edit]- ^abVigo, Milan (2014)."The Allied Landing at Anzio-Nettuno, 22 January–4 March 1944: Operation SHINGLE".Naval War College Review.67.
- ^abThe German Operation at Anzio: A Study of the German Operations at Anzio Beachhead from 22 Jan 44 to 31 May 44.Alexandria, VA: German Military Documents Section. April 1946.
- ^Clark, Lloyd (2006).Anzio: the friction of war: Italy and the battle for Rome 1944.London: Headline Review.ISBN978-0-7553-1420-1.OCLC69022358.
- ^Kurowski, Franz (2010).Jump into hell: German paratroopers in World War II.Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books.ISBN978-0-8117-4323-5.OCLC774393101.
