The division was formed in October 1938 under the command of
Major-General Kurt Student. At the start of World War II, the division contained two parachute regiments; it was brought up to full strength in 1941. In April 1940, the division took part in the invasion of Denmark and Norway during
Operation Weserübung, successfully seizing several airfields. The German plan for the invasion of
Belgium and the
Netherlands in May 1940 called for the use of the 7th Fliegerdivision to aid in the advance through the capture of key bridges and the fortress of
Eben Emael. The
invasion of the Netherlands included the majority of the 7th Fliegerdivision in cooperation with the
22nd Air Landing Division. This force was grouped as the 11th Fliegerkorps, and commanded by Kurt Student. The attack on The Hague was a failure: the high loss of transport planes grew to quite dramatic proportions. Many paratroopers and air landing troops were captured, hundreds were killed or wounded and 1,536 prisoners of both divisions were transported to England. (The
Rotterdam Blitz on 14 May 1940 led to Rotterdam's surrender.) The Eben Emael assault was a complete success with both the fort itself and 1,000+ enemy captured. The division took part in the
Battle of Crete. The Allied forces on the island put up a stubborn defense and the troops of the 7th Fliegerdivision took heavy losses. With the aid of the follow-on reinforcements, and the capture of the
Maleme airfield allowing resupply however, the Allies were forced to evacuate the island by 29 May. In September 1941, the division was transferred to the
Eastern Front, fighting in the vicinity of
Leningrad,
Stalino and later taking part in anti-partisan warfare near
Smolensk. In the summer of 1942, the division was transferred to
France where it trained for the
planned capture of Malta. After this operation was cancelled, elements of the division saw combat in
North Africa. The division took part in the July 1943 fight against the
Allied invasion of Sicily. For the remainder of the war, the division fought in the
Italian Campaign. From 14–27 December 1943, the division, under General-Lieutenant
Richard Heidrich, saw action against the
1st Canadian Division in the
Battle of Ortona. Later the division was concentrated in the defense of the
Winter Line south of
Rome, defending against the advance of the
British Eighth Army, commanded by Lieutenant-General
Oliver Leese. In February to May 1944, the 1st Parachute Division took part in the
Battle of Monte Cassino, and in late May and June it fought against the Allied
Operation Diadem later retreating to the north of Rome. They formed part of the
German I Parachute Corps, along with the German
4th Parachute Division. By January 1945, the German I Parachute Corps was deployed to the
Adriatic coast behind the Senio Rivier. The
Allied advance resumed on 8 April, and the 1st Parachute Division was forced into a steady withdrawal toward the
Po River by the British Eighth Army. Elements of the Polish II Corps captured the 1st Parachute Division’s battle flag, and on the morning of April 21, the
3rd Carpathian Rifle Division entered Bologna ahead of the American 34th Division. By 25 April, the division had completed the river crossing. They immediately set off on a final march toward the
Alpine Mountains. Finally, the German surrender in Italy came on 2 May 1945, and included the men of the 1st Parachute Division. The
unconditional surrender of Germany followed a week later. ==Order of battle==