Fallschirmsjäger training....
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Lucky13
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Why did the German fallschirmsjägers use a single strap parachute, what was the benefits?
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Lucky13
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Benevolens Magister
No benefit Jan, just a fairly crude harness and suspension system.
So much for German engineering! 
Old Wizard
2nd Lieutenant
Good ones Jan!
For anyone interested I'd recommend
"The German Fallschirmtruppe 1936-41 - It's Genesis and Employment in the First Campaigns of the Wermacht" by Karl-Heinz Golla. ISBN 9781909384569.
The only reservation is that some of the translation is a clunky as the title!
I'm not sure if those are RZ 1 or RZ 16 parachutes being used, the latter was introduced in 1940. The essential difference was the way the lines were packed, as a bundle in the RZ1, greatly increasing the chances of a 'line over' which, according to the Luftwaffe caused 'full deployment to be hindered and the rate of descent accelerated'. I'm no expert, but that seems to be stating the bleeding obvious! The RZ 16 featured rows of loops or sleeves sewn onto the bag through which the lines were looped.
Neither had any sort of quick release system for the harness, meaning that to divest himself of the harness the paratrooper had to at least kneel or even stand, which might not be a brilliant plan in a contested DZ. The RZ 20 was the first to feature a quick release system, I think it was available in 1941 for Crete.
The RZ 1 had a 6m static line with a 'tensile strength' [translation?] of 500Kg which could be cut by the edges of the Ju 52 fuselage if the jumper was forced under by the slipstream (despite the rather spectacular swallow dive style exit). This led to several fatal accidents. Later static lines were rated at 1100Kg.
The whole system was fairly basic and even experimental, but then so to was that being developed by the British slightly later.
My own Grandfather was involved in the training of the nascent British parachute force at Ringway, and in the early days there were many fatal accidents. During one period he told me that they resorted to dropping dummies in an effort to solve various issues, live jumps being suspended, due to a spate of these accidents.
Cheers
Steve
"The German Fallschirmtruppe 1936-41 - It's Genesis and Employment in the First Campaigns of the Wermacht" by Karl-Heinz Golla. ISBN 9781909384569.
The only reservation is that some of the translation is a clunky as the title!
I'm not sure if those are RZ 1 or RZ 16 parachutes being used, the latter was introduced in 1940. The essential difference was the way the lines were packed, as a bundle in the RZ1, greatly increasing the chances of a 'line over' which, according to the Luftwaffe caused 'full deployment to be hindered and the rate of descent accelerated'. I'm no expert, but that seems to be stating the bleeding obvious! The RZ 16 featured rows of loops or sleeves sewn onto the bag through which the lines were looped.
Neither had any sort of quick release system for the harness, meaning that to divest himself of the harness the paratrooper had to at least kneel or even stand, which might not be a brilliant plan in a contested DZ. The RZ 20 was the first to feature a quick release system, I think it was available in 1941 for Crete.
The RZ 1 had a 6m static line with a 'tensile strength' [translation?] of 500Kg which could be cut by the edges of the Ju 52 fuselage if the jumper was forced under by the slipstream (despite the rather spectacular swallow dive style exit). This led to several fatal accidents. Later static lines were rated at 1100Kg.
The whole system was fairly basic and even experimental, but then so to was that being developed by the British slightly later.
My own Grandfather was involved in the training of the nascent British parachute force at Ringway, and in the early days there were many fatal accidents. During one period he told me that they resorted to dropping dummies in an effort to solve various issues, live jumps being suspended, due to a spate of these accidents.
Cheers
Steve
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There are actually two carry lines which attached to the waist of the jumper. This is why many are leaning forward as they descend. I don't know the rate of descent of modern parachutes for paratroops, but these German parachutes gave a typical rate of descent of around 5 metres/16 feet per second, which looks quite quick in the film above, but is I believe slower than some modern systems.
Cheers
Steve
