British Paratrooper vs. Fallschirmjäger Book Review

By Rachel E. Veres

Review

"British Paratrooper vs. Fallschirmjäger" pits British airborne troops against their German counterparts from 1942 to 1943.  And it's the first in Osprey's new "Combat" series.

After a brief introduction primarily recapping Germany's foray into airborne forces, author David Greentree dedicates the first half to dissecting each side's doctrine and capabilities.  Plates comparing opposing combatants uniforms and equipment visually outline this portion.

The adage "Those who don't know history are condemned to repeat it" aptly recaps the second half.  Despite observing their adversary's initial successes and mistakes, British military leadership failed to draw salient lessons – and repeated the errors in Tunisia and Sicily!

Forty-two historic photographs, campaign maps with timelines, and artwork by Johnny Shumate supplement Greentree's superlative narrative.

An analysis and conclusion highlight how British and German paratroopers viewed each other – and some lessons learned.  Unit organizations, bibliography and an index complete contents.

Only one, albeit minor, criticism – readers might miss, as I did, the miniscule military unit symbols on page 2.  I don't need reading glasses, but I practically had to hold the book to my nose.  Enlarging both the table and the comparative ranks listing would help.

Readers seeking similar Osprey references should check the inside front and back covers – including Sicily 1943 (subject of my February 2013 Cybermodeler review).  I can also recommend Osprey's Fall of Eben Emael (see my March 2013 Cybermodeler review), detailing the Belgian fort's capture by 90 Fallschirmjäger.

Highly recommended.

My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!