Ramcke Parachute Brigade

Fallschirmjäger-Brigade Afrika<br/>Fallschirmjäger-Brigade Ramcke<br/>Luftwaffen-Jäger-Brigade 1<br/><br/>The Fallschirmjäger-Brigade Ramcke was an elite German Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Brigade which saw action in the Mediterranean Theatre during World War II.

History

Following the costly success of Operation Mercury, the airborne assault on Crete in 1941, several elite Fallschirmjäger units were formed into an ad-hoc brigade under the command of veteran commander Oberst Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke. The brigade was slated to take part in Operation Hercules, the planned invasion of Malta.

When the attack was cancelled, the Brigade, now named Fallschirmjäger-Brigade Afrika, was sent to join Rommel's Deutsches Afrika Korps in North Africa.

In April 1942, the brigade was renamed Fallschirmjäger-Brigade Ramcke. After arriving in North Africa in July 1942, the brigade performed excellently, providing a counter to Stirling's Special Air Service, which had been wreaking havoc with the Axis command, control and logistical system. Ramcke's unit next formed a part of the spearhead during the DAK's assault towards the Suez Canal, fighting alongside the Italian 25th Infantry Division Bologna before British opposition solidified near the town of El Alamein.

The brigade was then heavily engaged in the Second Battle of El Alamein. During the German withdrawal, the brigade was cut off behind enemy lines and written off as lost by Rommel. Despite this, on 3...
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