Villahermosa, Gilberto Hitler's Paratroopers in Normandy. The German II Parachute Corps in the Battle for France, 1944

In June 1944, the Allied forces, desperately fighting to gain a foothold in Normandy and then break out of the narrow bocage, faced a bewildering array of German Wehrmacht formations. Among them was the newly formed German II. Paratrooper Corps. This report examines the feats of arms of the II German Parachute Corps and its commander Eugen Meindl from the Allied landings on 6 June until the end of August 1944. Meindl was the epitome of a high-ranking German paratrooper commander in the Second World War. He was tough, experienced and aggressive and cared deeply for his troops. His paratroop corps fought tenaciously for three weeks before being forced to retreat. Trapped with the bulk of the German 7th Army in the Falaise pocket, Meindl and his paratroopers maintained their discipline and were selected by the Supreme Commander West to lead the German breakout to the east. That they managed to do so despite heavy losses, while so many around them died or surrendered, is a testament to their dedication and fighting spirit. Their story is worth telling.