Hunters from the Sky: The German Parachute Corps, 1940-1945

by Charles Whiting

After the first stunning victories of Germany's Parachute Corps, Churchill and other Allied leaders ordered the formation of their own paratroopers, copying the German model. The Red Devils, the Screaming Eagles, Les Paras and others based their equipment and reckless bravado on Germany's 'hunters from the sky,' a highly successful group of soldiers until 1941, when their huge losses during the invasion of Crete reduced their effectiveness in the eyes of Hitler's generals. Whiting tells the complete story of the Parachute Corps and their founder, General Kurt Student, who commanded the paratroopers on their initial victories in Europe, their Pyrrhic conquest of Greece, their mission to rescue Mussolini, and their last drop into Allied-surrounded territory.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Military History, World War II, War, Nonfiction, Germany

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Charles Whiting was a British writer and military historian and with some 350 books of fiction and non-fiction to his credit, under his own name and a variety of pseudonyms including Ian Harding, Duncan Harding, K.N. Kostov, John Kerrigan, Klaus Konrad, and Leo Kessler.

Born in the Bootham area of York, England, he was a pupil at the prestigious Nunthorpe Grammar School, leaving at the age of 16 to join the British Army by lying about his age. Keen to be in on the wartime action, Whiting was attached to the 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment and by the age of 18 saw duty as a sergeant in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany in the latter stages of World War II. While still a soldier, he observed conflicts between the highest-ranking British and American generals which he would write about extensively in later years.

After the war, he stayed on in Germany completing his A-levels via correspondence course and teaching English before being enrolled at Leeds University reading History and German Language. As an undergraduate he was afforded opportunities for study at several European universities and, after gaining his degree, would go on to become an assistant professor of history. Elsewhere, Whiting held a variety of jobs which included working as a translator for a German chemical factory and spells as a publicist, a correspondent for The Times and feature writer for such diverse magazines as International Review of Linguistics, Soldier and Playboy.

His first novel was written while still an undergraduate, was published in 1954 and by 1958 had been followed by three wartime thrillers. Between 1960 and 2007 Charles went on to write over 350 titles, including 70 non-fiction titles covering varied topics from the Nazi intelligence service to British Regiments during World War II.

One of his publishers, Easingwold-based Rupert Smith of GH Smith & Son said he was a quiet man and prolific writer.

"He's one of a band of forgotten authors because he sold millions of copies and still, up to his death was doing publishing deals.He was the kind of man who was very self-effacing, one of Britain's forgotten authors, still working at 80 years of age, with his nose down and kicking out books."

Charles Henry Whiting, author and military historian died on July 24 2007, leaving his wife and son.

Reviews

[David Lucero · Rating 5 out of 5]

'A historical look at the first formation of its kind which changed the strategy of warfare.'

After many years of regret for having sold my copy of this book back to Used Bookstores, I made good on my promise to get my hands on another copy and read this. I first became interested in paratroopers upon learning of the 1983 American invasion of Grenada. A year later I joined the U.S. Army and by 1985 I was wearing a maroon beret while serving in B Company, 1/325 Airborne Infantry Regiment.

Throughout my training I recall how American history books regarded the German paras as among the boldest troops in the war. In this book readers will learn how these pioneers embarked on a new kind of warfare which called for daring, stealth, cunning, and ferocity. Striking the enemy in the rear, sometimes landing right on top of them with gliders and parachutes, the German paras created fear and havoc among surprised troops. This allowed large tank and infantry formations to move swiftly into battle. Victory upon victory fell to the Germans. They defeated 1,500 Belgian troops in the Maginot Line with only 90 paras! (one of their greatest feats in the war)

For some months' time the Germans did not divulge to the press the full operations of their paras, keeping them secret in order to make good use of surprise attack (a paratrooper's greatest weapon). However, the Battle of Crete changed everything for them as readers will learn in this carefully, well-written account of Charles Whiting's book. I was glad to read this book again and this time I'm keeping it in my personal collection for another read sometime in the future.

(From my earlier review)
I found a copy of this book in Wahrenbrocks Bookstore, one of the largest and oldest in San Diego, CA. Unfortunately, this bookstore closed due to online competition and the Great Recession. I love history and WWII in particular. It is my opinion that WWII marked one of the greatest advancement in human history.

For instance, the discovery of penicillin, medicine in general including plastic surgery for pilots burned in their cockpits. The advancement of science (rockets), and the splitting of the atom.

As a veteran I took particular notice of Germans paratroopers, the first of their kind. This book brings attention to Germany's first paras who struck fear in the hearts of enemies. Whiting describes how the world had no idea of their effectiveness until Holland fell. You read about their 'Father of the German Airborne Paratroopers,' and how he had to fight to keep his units afloat.

The Germans mounted the 1st combat assault where the enemy was defeated largely by airborne troops, and how the battle of Crete nearly marked the end of German paratroopers. Hitler even declared how the German paratroopers were the toughest in the Wehrmacht (army), tougher even than the Waffen SS! But the loss of so many paratroopers (about 20,000) incorrectly caused Hitler to believe the days of the paratroopers were over.

You learn of this because when the Allies found out the Germans were mounting an air assault on the strategic island of Crete, England had about 35,000 men on the island and were in the process of evacuating them to North Africa for the ongoing fight there. Churchill ordered his commanders to "take full opportunity of killing as many of the precious paratroopers as possible." Yes, they were that much of a threat in the minds of the Allies. In fact, wild rumors spread how Germans dressed as nuns (if you can believe it) were falling from the sky and attacking the enemy on all fronts.

You'll learn of their tactics, heroes, how they infiltrated the Gran Sasso in Italy to take part in rescuing Mussolini, and much more. Unfortunately, I sold my copy (a big regret now), and plan on obtaining another for my personal collection. Can't wait to read it again!

[Checkman · Rating 1 out of 5]

2.5 STARS WITH QUALIFIERS (changed to 1 star after further contemplation)

This is still a very readable account of the German Fallschirmjäger paratroopers during world War II, but it's important to understand that Mr. Whiting has a small bibliography, only a few maps, a handful of photographs and engages in some rather selective history telling. Mr. Whiting focuses almost entirely on the actions of the paratroopers in Western Europe, basically skips the entire year of 1942, and never mentions the darkest chapter of the organization's history; The Massacre of Kondomari (June 2, 1941). By doing so Mr. whiting has essentially written a very skillful propaganda piece.

I discovered Hunters From The Sky thirty-eight years ago when I was thirteen years old. I was a huge World War II buff and, unknowingly, had fallen under the sway of the historians who advocated the "clean Wehrmacht" myth. I was also a huge fan of the elite units and would read anything I could find about paratroopers, SAS, British Commandos, mountain infantry and so forth. The idea of square-jawed warriors fighting an honorable war and holding the Nazis in low regard just clicked with my thirteen year old world view. Remember the scene in "The Eagle Has Landed" (1976) where the honorable German officer (portrayed by Michael Caine) helps the young Jewish girl in her attempt to escape the evil SS? Sadly she doesn't make it, but he and his men stand tall nevertheless. Not surprisingly the movie was one of my favorites (I own it and still watch it incidentally). Mr. Whiting was one of the historians who fed my belief in the honorable German enemy. I was very young and loved the ideas of good guys and soldiering.

Hunters From The Sky was just the ticket. Written in a semi-novelistic style it made the history pop off the page. Instead of pages of dull accounting of companies and battalions fighting over a few square miles of territory; I got a book that told of intrepid paratroopers rushing across forts, landing on mountaintops and frustrating superior forces (the British and Americans). Even the final chapter about the disastrous paratroop drop in the Battle of the Bulge was thrilling and bittersweet. Many of the paratroopers are written in a flattering light to include General Kurt Student. General Student seemed to be the ultimate idea of the brave and honorable German officer from the Prussian school of leadership. I read this book straight through twice and referred to it many times over the following years. I also read many of Mr. Whiting's other books throughout high school. When I became a university student ,and a history major, I came to understand that Mr. Whiting was writing pop-history and did not meet the academic standards for historical research. Basically I outgrew his work, but I held onto a few of his books to include Hunters.

Recently I picked it up and read it again. It's still an exciting read. Tightly edited and professional. Mr. Whiting knew how to tell a story and I found myself returning to my younger days. However one thing stood out like that proverbial sore thumb; The Massacre of Kondomari (2 June 1941) is just not there......as if it never happened. There is a chapter dedicated to the Invasion of Crete and the horrific losses that the paratroopers sustained in that bitter campaign, but it never even hints at any criminal behavior on the part of the paratroopers. Yet it did happen. Infuriated over losses suffered at the hands of civilians on Crete Goring ordered reprisals and General Student had them carried out. Somewhere between 23 - 60 civilians were murdered (the lower number is the German estimate).

A journalist was allowed to be present and took multiple photos of the atrocity - all of which can be found on Wikipedia and other Internet sites. They are high quality black & white photos. The operation was commanded by Captain Horst Trebes. Captain Trebes was a decorated combat veteran (Knights Cross of the Iron Cross) and was every inch of the perfect German officer. He was also a war criminal as was General Student. After the war General Student was charged with war crimes, but only imprisoned until 1948 and then released for medical reasons. Greece requested that he be extradited, but that request was denied. The allies had already decided that a strong West Germany was needed and concerns about Communism trumped others. I didn't learn of this until the late nineties when the Clean Wehrmacht Myth was being torn down. It's a fact and all the apologists in the world can't change it. Mr. Whiting is guilty of omitting it entirely. It was out there in 1974 ,and he probably knew about it, but it didn't fit the Myth which turns a book of pop-history into a work of propaganda.

CONCLUSION

Hunters From The Sky is an entertaining read, but don't rely on it as a definitive account of the German paratroopers during World War II. It's a skillful genre piece (some call the genre "Wehrmacht Porn") written during in the early seventies when the Cold War was a very real thing and West Germany was a crucial member of NATO. Look at it as an artifact from the Cold War that actually reflects the concerns of the time, but you will have to read between the lines so to speak.

UPDATE: (27 APRIL 2023)

I have to knock my rating down to a one. It's readable and one can learn much from it, but It isn't "great" because of such omissions. Mr. Whiting should have known better as a historian.

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick and easy read about the Fallschirmjäger during World War 2. It covers most of their daring exploits at the beginning of the war through to their bitter defensive battles against overwhelming odds at the end. The book is not focused on the battle plans of these engagements, but focuses more on the key men in the corps and their thoughts, as well as some insight from their opposition during the conflict and then also little individual stories of certain soldiers. What the book is lacking though is their deployments on the Eastern Front as the book focuses mainly on their battles with the Western Allies. Some photos and maps would also have added value to the book.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billed as a history of the German Parachute Corps, this is a very readable light romp through the period 1933-1945. Without getting in to too much detail, we follow the major figures and the formations from inception through Ebn Emael, to Crete, and then the bleeding white as the Third Reich disintegrates. Kurt Student and his disciples are proven right- and then killed off one by one with their regiments, ground down by healthier Allied formations. Whiting tells the whole story, a bit too lovingly, but with most of the warts and all. A great book for junior readers, but adults will find this quite enjoyable and military enthusiasts/wargamers/modellers will be quite interested. One annoying point- Whiting loves his "Hunters from the Sky" for Fallschirmjager, the term the Germans used for their troopers, but the term "Jager" mean BOTH "hunter" or militarily "rifleman", so it's not really apt. "Sky Riflemen" or "Sky Light infantry"is more on point.

[Miles Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prolific Charles Whiting, who cranked out books by the score under a variety of names and pseudonyms for decades, has produced yet another highly readable, somewhat cannibalized, unevenly researched book in HUNTERS FROM THE SKY. For those unfamiliar with Whiting, he was a veteran of WW2 on the British side, who spent the back half his life writing about the war in a pop-historical vein, often from unorthodox angles. Like David Irving, he tried to use mostly firsthand sources and frequently interviewed participants from the German side, sometimes in person, to get the view "from the other side of the hill." Unlike most historians, he did not shy away from defeats and disasters suffered by the Allies but actually focused harsh light on them. This makes his books often very eye-opening, even the bad ones.

HUNTERS is not one of the bad ones. Nor is it one of his best. It is a typical middling Whiting book, written in a white heat using only about a dozen sources, and frequently borrows from his other published works, a practice he kept up his entire career, and one which makes reading him sometimes an exercise in re-reading. HUNTERS is the story of Germany's parachute elite parachute corps, which was hastily conceived in the late 1930s from air force volunteers. With no traditions to fall back on, and no experiences to learn from -- there had never been an airborne attack in history, and only the Soviets had even practiced large-scale parachute drops -- a resolute officer named Kurt Student set about building an airborne force, innovating its tactics, and subjecting it to harsh training. Whiting, in his typical fast-paced, novel-type style, follows these eager recruits through their first war-campaigns in Holland, Belgium and Norway in 1940, bold operations which shocked the world and galvanized the British and Americans to imitate the successful Germans. Later, he examines how Student's overconfidence led him to undertake the airborne invasion of Crete in 1941, a reckless operation which, while ultimately successful, cost so much in blood that even Hitler was shocked and dismayed, and from then on limited his "sky hunters" to small-scale jumps and commando operations, employing them mainly as elite ground troops for the rest of the war. It was, of course, in this role that they achieved their apotheosis, the epic defense of Monte Cassino in Italy in 1943, during which a handful of these "Green Devils" held off an an entire Allied army for months, inflicting terrible casualties and only retreating when they were directly ordered by Field Marshal Kesselring to do so. Whiting details this battle, and many others, culminating in their last gasp -- the battles of the Bulge (1944 - 1945) and the Reichswald, where the last of these gallant troops went out on their collective shield. While lavish in his praise for their courage and stubbornness in battle -- many Allied commanders considered them the best soldiers of WW2 on any side -- Whiting is equally critical of the doctrinaire, tactical and strategical mistakes which marked their existence. He makes it clear that between Student's reluctance to learn from his mistakes and Hitler's misreading of the lessons of Crete, Germany relegated what might have been more decisive weapons into a role where they could only die heroically.

Whiting shows many flashes of top form in this book, especially when examining the virtually unknown campaign in Brest, where cut-off paratroopers under a ferocious leader named Hermann Ramcke held out against the U.S. Army for 3 months, and the small-scale airborne operations in late 1943 that saw the Germans capture the islands of Kos and Rhodes near Turkey, a move which may have kept Turkey from joining the Allies. There's also interesting asides on an attempt to kill Tito in Yugoslavia, and the rescue of Mussolini by a mixed force of paratroops and SS. It's at its weakest, however, where Whiting was unwilling or unable to do research or spend time; he glosses over the whole year 1942 in a single page, and recycles many anecdotes he's used in other books. Obviously, given the nature of his work, that was inevitable, but how many times can we hear the story of Peiper and Van Der Heydte in the Battle of the Bulge?

All in all, and despite its flaws, I consider this book a good use of my time. It's fast, it's fun, and if it's also flawed, well, that's Whiting. He was a writer who had a particular set of skills and way of doing things and stuck to it fanatically for his entire career. It produced books that are immensely readable and memorable but often shallow. Still, I'd rather read Whiting ten times than David M. Glantz once. Style is a factor whose value to the historical profession has never been properly appreciated.

[Matt Gallant · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was decent

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional view from the other side

I enjoyed reading the history of our enemy's development of one of their most ferocious military units. It also shows the ineptness of Hitler.

[Jemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite good if you're interested in learning more about these pioneers of something so remarkable and yet so quickly outdated. Covers most of the major topics and many minor ones, including an attempt to capture/kill Tito which I'd never even heard of (and I'm quite well informed historically). Overlooked are Norway and Nijmegen/Arnhem, which is odd and the explanation for the former (towards the end of the book) is flimsy.

The style is unusual, being written somewhat like a thriller but that will probably appeal to a wider audience than a regular history. Certainly, this is better than the other Whiting history I read, where he is too involved.

[Colin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly easy read that details the actions of various German paratrooper units during WWII.

However, the book has a limited bibliography and consistently only pulls from a single, one-sided account. Additionally, included maps are simple and few and far between. Overall the book is a puff piece meant to paint the German paratrooper in the most heroic light while conveniently overlooking unattractive bits of history.

For instance, Kurt Student, General of the German paras and one of the central characters of the book, is painted as a successful, if misunderstood, hero. Unfortunately, the book seems to forget to mention his multiple convictions as a war criminal for the execution of prisoners in Crete - a battle to which the books dedicates multiple chapters yet fails to mention this black mark.

Additionally, the book purports to give a "comprehensive" history of the German parachute corps from 1940-1945 yet skips the entire year 1942.

While it's written to be an easily digestible story about brave soldiers another reviewer pegged its true nature: an interesting bit of propaganda.

[Peter Toomey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written, poorly researched, awkward prose at times reading like a book meant for children. I'm about 1/4 of the way through the book and only plan to finish it because I need it for my annual reading challenge. If not for that, I'd toss this one aside unfinished and would move on to something else. I'm quite happy I only paid a couple bucks for this, though it's not really even worth that.

Edit: I gave up after a couple more pages. This book is unreadable. Truly awful.

[M.Bowtle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine example of the futility of conflict. My father was at Mount Casino and was disgusted with the way that battle, in particular, was conducted. It makes one consider the mind set of the men involved when compared with such as the tank corps and infantry.

[MMc14 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book - a part of the history of WWII that I was not familiar with.

To me, the book gives a good general history of each of the specific battles/time frames, without getting bogged down in the details of each.

Perhaps some more, and even some better, maps would be a nice addition.

[eric j mcquiston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tough soldiers!

I enjoyed reading about these brave men of the parachute Corp and the outstanding officers who lead them. These men were warriors!

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well written book on the military history of the German Paratroopers of World War II.

[Abhinav Mishra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. The editing is a little loose at times with a few grammatical errors but the content is fascinating for anyone even mildly intrigued by World War stories.

[tom crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enlightened

Told you a lot about both sides of the conflict. Didn't really know must how many men died on both sides. Also what great things they accomplished on both sides It was also very sad with all that lost of lives

[E Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not my normal reading genre, but one of my "take a random book off the shelf and read it" program.
Whenever I do read a book that involves tales of wars and battles, I think of General Sherman's concise commentary on war - "War is Hell".
Kurt Student was the commander of the first German parachute division. Hermann Goring was an advocate of a parachute division and Hitler thought it would be very effective for its element of surprise.
Their first operation was in the attack on Holland and Belgium in May of 1940. The paratroopers
did not have any long term training, they parachuted from gliders and their weapons and supplies
were parachuted separately.
Their next major operation was the invasion of Crete. Then, Hitler decided they no longer had the element of surprise and used them in normal combat.
They did participate in the defense of Italy, and then in the freeing of Mussolini after he was arrested and held captive in a fortress on Gran Sasso, and a failed attack against Tito.
Their final action was in the Battle of the Bulge. By this time, very few of the original members
were still around and many of Germany's soldiers were worn down and disheartened.
The author describes the operations from both the German side and the Allied side and I had trouble
keeping straight who was where and sometimes even who was who. When different commanders were referenced by name, I sometimes wasn't sure who was German and who was British, American,Scottish or whatever the case might be.
The main impression I got from this book was the unbelievable numbers of casualties on both sides. Sometimes there were only a handful of men left after a battle. Also I was impressed by the courage, drive, and determination of the men on each side. And then every once in awhile there was
an act of chivalry. A general shaking the hand of his defeated opponent, the Germans burying their dead as well as the enemy dead on Crete and erecting a memorial with one side honoring the Germans and the other side honoring their opponents.

[Al Lock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fallschirmjager. Elite Soldiers of the Luftwaffe. Heroes of Eban Emal, Crete, Monte Cassino and Arnhem. This book tells the story of the WWII Fallschirmjager from their foundation until the very end, including both their great successes and their failures (and the one case that is both). Well written, easy to read.

- updated review after rereading (2022) - I've done a lot more reading of other sources since originally ready this book.

This book does not cover the entire history of the Fallschirmjager, in fact, it misses a great deal of it, and it has a number of myths that it passes on that aren't actual facts. The entire bibliography consists of 15 books, almost all of them autobiographies (which are not the best sources). The footnotes make extensive commentaries, but often give no sources for those commentaries. There are also very few footnotes (a total of 47). The book is ok, but it's not really a serious history. It's a bit of fluff based primarily on General Student's memories.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of the German paratroop corp. I thought it was very well written, and certainly seemed historically accurate.

[Vikas Datta]

Most informative, engrossing and tragic in its own way..

[A. Lee White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging

Blow by blow account of the German paratroopers from formation to total destruction. Truly sad is the waste of well trained men.