A Bridge NOT too far - German Paratroopers take Moerdijk-bridges - Kurt Student/Fritz Prager - Ju 52

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This nice German Fallschirmjäger or paratrooper training film from 1939 shows the 1st Regiment and fits in nicely with todays video. This unit, being lead by Captain Fritz Prager, played a key role during the invasion of the Netherlands which began on May 10, 1940. We’ll take a look this operation in two parts using a combination of primary historical sources.

In May of 1940 the heart of the Netherlands which is protected by the broad estuaries of the lower Rhein and the flood areas of the Zuiderzee was surrounded by fortified locations and water crossings to create a fortress. If left in enemy hands it could become a base for landing English forces to strike at the German flank. The German paratroopers were tasked with capturing the bridges at Moerdik and Dordrecht which would allow Rotterdam to be taken.

We’ll start off with a map in this Illustrierter Beobachter collection from 1940 that I was able to buy with money I got from my Patreon supporters last month. Without them the further development of this content really wouldn’t be possible. Patreon supporters also get access to raw film footage that can’t be shown here. You can open a free account on my website military1945.com and see an example clip

This footage was actually taken after the campaign in the west was completed to document the operation. Captain Prager who had been diagnosed with colon cancer before the operation did lead his troops into battle but wasn’t present during this reenactment.

The 1st Fallschirmjäger Div. was an elite unit that in 1940 was made up of two regiments and was lead by General Kurt Student. In 1941 it would be brought up to full strength. For reasons of secrecy until 1943 it would be referred to as the 7th Air Division.

The Ju 52 was the aircraft used to transport the paratroopers. In each plane 12 fully geared paratroopers tightly packed on canvas benches could be flown. While over enemy territory the planes flew as close to the ground as possible in order avoid being easily targeted by flak. With a maximum speed of 171 miles per hour and cruising speed of 121 miles per hour stealth was relied upon heavily. Fully loaded, the Ju 52 had a maximum round-trip range of 729 miles.

The objective, the bridges of Moerdijk, are reached. Its easy to see how important the capturing of these bridges in tact would be for the attacking ground troops advancing into the fortified area.