Kurt Student

Kurt Student was a German Luftwaffe general who helped develop German airborne forces and commanded paratroopers during World War II.

Hermann Göring: Hermann Göring was a leading Nazi official and commander in chief of the Luftwaffe. As Luftwaffe chief, Göring oversaw the service in which Student built Germany’s airborne forces.
Battle of Fort Eben-Emael: The 1940 German assault on a Belgian fortress using glider-borne troops and shaped charges. The assault demonstrated the tactical surprise possible with carefully prepared airborne units.
Fallschirmjäger: Fallschirmjäger were German airborne infantry trained for parachute and air-landing operations. Student’s command helped form and employ these elite German airborne troops.
German occupation of Crete: German occupation of Crete lasted from the island’s capture in 1941 until German withdrawal in 1945. Student’s invasion began an occupation marked by reprisals against the civilian population.
Ernst Udet: Ernst Udet was a German First World War flying ace and senior Luftwaffe official. Udet’s support for dive-bomber development shaped the aircraft available to German airborne operations.
Battle of Crete: The 1941 German invasion of Crete, a major campaign fought largely through airborne and air-transported forces. Student commanded the invasion, which captured the island at exceptionally high cost to German paratroopers.
DFS 230: The DFS 230 was a German transport glider used to deliver troops and equipment during the Second World War. Gliders gave Student’s forces a way to land assault teams with greater precision than parachutes allowed.
Kondomari massacre: The 1941 execution of Cretan civilians by German forces at Kondomari after the Battle of Crete. Student ordered reprisals after the invasion, and German troops carried out massacres including this one.
Bernhard Ramcke: Bernhard Ramcke was a German general who commanded paratroopers in several Second World War campaigns. Ramcke was among the commanders who carried Student’s airborne formations into later campaigns.
Operation Mercury: The German code name for the 1941 airborne invasion of Crete. This operation was the central test of Student’s airborne command and planning.

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