Hitler's Paratrooper : The Life and Battles of Rudolf Witzig

Rudolf Witzig entered the history books as the heroic captor of Belgium’s supposedly impregnable fortress Eben Emael in May 1940 – the first time that glider-borne troops were used in the war. To many people, he is also known as the commander of the battle group that fired the first shots of the Tunisian campaign.Remarkably, next to nothing has been written about him as an individual. This biography, completed with the full support of Witzig’s widow and son, is a comprehensive history of the man and also provides important new detail on the German parachute arm that he served.In the course of his service, he was awarded the coveted Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. He could not be awarded the decoration because he had not yet earned the Iron’s Crosses 2nd and 1st class – to resolve the problem he was awarded all three on the spot.Witzig was involved in Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete, but was seriously wounded during the fighting. After his recovery, he was sent to Tunisia where he was credited with several successful defensive actions. He ended the war in captivity, surrendering to the Allies on 8 May 1945, the day after his name was placed on the Honor Roll of the Luftwaffe.

"A valuable study... a must-read for everybody interested in the topic of German Fallschirmjäger in the Second World War" (Volker Griesser, author of The Lions of Carentan ). Rudolf Witzig entered the history books as the heroic captor of Belgium's supposedly impregnable fortress Eben Emael in May 1940—the first time that glider-borne troops were used in the war. To many people, he is also known as the commander of the battle group that fired the first shots of the Tunisian campaign. Remarkably, next to nothing has been written about him as an individual. This biography, completed with the full support of Witzig's widow and son, is a comprehensive history of the man and also provides important new detail on the German parachute arm that he served. In the course of his service, Witzig was awarded the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, even though he had not yet earned the Iron Crosses 2nd and 1st class. To resolve the problem, he was awarded all three on the spot. Witzig was involved in Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete, but was injured during the fighting. After his recovery, he was sent to Tunisia where he was credited with several successful defensive actions. He ended the war in captivity, surrendering to the Allies on May 8, 1945, the day after his name was placed on the Honour Roll of the Luftwaffe. "A gripping biography, providing a tough, gritty and compelling study of a German soldier." — Firetrench "A unique, well-written and impeccably researched account of the Third Reich's evolving fortunes as witnessed on numerous battlefronts by a highly decorated Fallschirmjäger officer." —MarkJ. Reardon, author of Defending Fortress Europe

“A valuable study . . . a must-read for everybody interested in the topic of German Fallschirmjäger in the Second World War” (Volker Griesser, author of The Lions of Carentan ). Rudolf Witzig entered the history books as the heroic captor of Belgium’s supposedly impregnable fortress Eben Emael in May 1940—the first time that glider-borne troops were used in the war. To many people, he is also known as the commander of the battle group that fired the first shots of the Tunisian campaign. Remarkably, next to nothing has been written about him as an individual. This biography, completed with the full support of Witzig’s widow and son, is a comprehensive history of the man and also provides important new detail on the German parachute arm that he served. In the course of his service, Witzig was awarded the coveted Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, even though he had not yet earned the Iron Crosses 2nd and 1st class. To resolve the problem, he was awarded all three on the spot. Witzig was involved in Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete, but was injured during the fighting. After his recovery, he was sent to Tunisia where he was credited with several successful defensive actions. He ended the war in captivity, surrendering to the Allies on May 8, 1945, the day after his name was placed on the Honour Roll of the Luftwaffe. “A gripping biography, providing a tough, gritty and compelling study of a German soldier.” — Firetrench “A unique, well-written and impeccably researched account of the Third Reich’s evolving fortunes as witnessed on numerous battlefronts by a highly decorated Fallschirmjäger officer.” —Mark J. Reardon, author of Defending Fortress Europe "A valuable study ... a must-read for everybody interested in the topic of German FallschirmjAger in the Second World War" (Volker Griesser, author of The Lions of Carentan). Rudolf Witzig entered the history books as the heroic captor of Belgium's supposedly impregnable fortress Eben Emael in May 1940-the first time that glider-borne troops were used in the war. To many people, he is also known as the commander of the battle group that fired the first shots of the Tunisian campaign. Remarkably, next to nothing has been written about him as an individual. This biography, completed with the full support of Witzig's widow and son, is a comprehensive history of the man and also provides important new detail on the German parachute arm that he served. In the course of his service, Witzig was awarded the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, even though he had not yet earned the Iron Crosses 2nd and 1st class. To resolve the problem, he was awarded all three on the spot. Witzig was involved in Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete, but was injured during the fighting. After his recovery, he was sent to Tunisia where he was credited with several successful defensive actions. He ended the war in captivity, surrendering to the Allies on May 8, 1945, the day after his name was placed on the Honour Roll of the Luftwaffe. "A gripping biography, providing a tough, gritty and compelling study of a German soldier."--Firetrench "A unique, well-written and impeccably researched account of the Third Reich's evolving fortunes as witnessed on numerous battlefronts by a highly decorated FallschirmjAger officer."--Mark J. Reardon, author of Defending Fortress Europe Rudolf Witzig entered the history books as the heroic captor of Belgiums supposedly impregnable fortress Eben Emael in May 1940 the first time that glider-borne troops were used in the war. To many people, he is also known as the commander of the battle group that fired the first shots of the Tunisian campaign. Remarkably, next to nothing has been written about him as an individual. This biography, completed with the full support of Witzigs widow and son, is a comprehensive history of the man and also provides important new detail on the German parachute arm that he served. In the course of his service, he was awarded the coveted Knights Cross of the Iron Cross. He could not be awarded the decoration because he had not yet earned the Irons Crosses 2nd and 1st class to resolve the problem he was awarded all three on the spot.Witzig was involved in Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete, but was injured during the fighting. After his recovery, he was sent to Tunisia where he was credited with several successful defensive actions. He ended the war in captivity, surrendering to the Allies on 8 May 1945, the day after his name was placed on the Honour Roll of the Luftwaffe.Rudolf Witzig was born on 14th August 1916 in Westphalia. His military career started in 1935 when he was accepted as an officers candidate. He went on to win the Knights Cross, which was awarded by Hitler personally. Witzig died on 3rd October 2001 at the age of 85. Gilberto Vilhermosa is a serving member of the US military in Yemen. This is his second book. [Elib] Rudolf Witzig was born on 14th August 1916 in Westphalia. His military career started in 1935 when he was accepted as an officer’s candidate. He went on to win the Knight’s Cross, which was awarded by Hitler personally. Witzig died on 3rd October 2001 at the age of 85. Gilberto Vilhermosa is a serving member of the US military in Yemen. This is his second book. Bisac Code 1: HIS027100; Bic Code 1: HBWQ; HISTORY / Military / World War II Long overdue biography of a pivotal soldier, written with exclusive access to family papers and new family interviews. Superbly illustrated with previously unpublished photographs.