SS Fallschirmjaeger Battalion 500/600
A brief outline of the Battalion.
The battalion was formed from prisoners from the SS and Polizei penal camp in
Danzig Matzkau. Prisoners made up about 70% of its complement, the unit was
called SS Fallschirmjäger Battalion 500. There are three distinct periods in the
battalion's history
1. From its formation in 1943 up to the completion operation Rosselsprung shows
the battalion is at its strongest.
2. As the Lithuania fire brigade the unit was at its weakest. The ORBAT for this
period it’s a bit subjective. While it reflects its combat strength of the unit there is
no information to say if it kept its four company structure or it combined them
into one or two companies. Personally if a player or scenario designer wants to
combine battalion into two companies that is equally valid.
3. In the last phase the battalion received Wehrmacht replacements, the prisoner
complement drops to about 30% and the battalion is renamed SS
Fallschirmjäger Battalion 600. The battalion became part of Otto Skorzeny’s SS-
Jagdverbande group. The first company participated in the Ardennes Offensive
and based on the number US vehicles it captured it may have had the option to
mount a company in captured vehicles. After the Ardennes the battalion and the
SS-Jagdverbande group were transferred back to the Eastern Front and spent
the remainer of the war there. Between April 26 1945 and May 2nd 1945 the
battalion managed to cover 200km to cross over into the American zone and
surrender to the Americans.
I would consider this unit to be of Veteran status.
References; Michaelis Rolf SS-Fallschirmjager Battalion 500/600 A Shiffer military history book.
Baker James Fallschirmjager ORBAT Fire and Fury Games.
Online sources;
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-15705.html
http://www.feldgrau.com/
http://w1.183.telia.com/~u18313395/normandy/ - German forces in Normandy
SS Fallschirmjäger Battalion 500
Oct 1943-June1944
BATTLE GROUP-1.43
Fallschirmjäger Battalion
HEADQUARTERS ELEMENT
Command
HQ x1 Commander GE-46
MANOEUVRE ELEMENTS
x3 Fallschirmjäger Company ME-1.43
x1 Heavy Weapons Company ME-2.43
ATTACHMENTS
Forward Air Controller (a)
(a) The Forward air controller is available for operation Rosselsprung –the attack on Drvar to capture Tito
MANOEUVRE ELEMENT-1.43 MANOEUVRE ELEMENT-2.43
Fallschirmjäger Company Heavy Weapons Company (b)
Command Command
HQ x1 Commander GE-46 HQ x1 Commander GE-46
x9 Fallschirmjäger GE-67 x3 Light Machine Gun GE-49
(x3 panzerfaust) Pioniere Zug
x3 Light Machine Gun GE-49 x3 Pioniere GE-47
Organic Fire Support (1 Flamethrower)
x1 80mm Mortar GE-52 Heavy Machinegun Zug
x 4 Heavy Machine Guns GE-50
Organic fire support
x2 80mm Mortar GE-52
x2 75mm Recoilless Gun DAK-39
x2 light trucks GE-35 (c)
(b) Elements from the Heavy weapons company maybe attached to any company or the battalion commander.
(c) Light Trucks are not available in parachute drop situations.
SS Fallschirmjäger Battalion 500
July 1944-October1944 Lithuanian Fire Brigade
BATTLE GROUP-1.44
SS Fallschirmjaeger Battalion 500
HEADQUARTERS ELEMENT
Command
HQ x1 Commander GE-46
MANOEUVRE ELEMENTS
x3 Fallschirmjaeger Company ME-1.44
x1 Heavy Weapons Company ME-2.44
MANOEUVRE ELEMENT-1.44 MANOEUVRE ELEMENT-2.44
Fallschirmjaeger Company Heavy Weapons Company (a)
Command Command
HQ x1 Commander GE-46 HQ x1 Commander GE-46
x3 Light Machine Gun GE-49
x2 Fallschirmjäger GE-67
Pioniere Zug
(2 panzerfaust)
x1 Pioniere GE-47
x 3 Light Machine Gun GE-49 (1 Flamethrower)
Heavy Machinegun Zug
x 4 Heavy Machine Guns GE-50
x3 Panzerschreck GE-51
Organic fire support
x2 80mm Mortar GE-52
x2 75mm Recoilless Gun DAK-39
x2 light trucks GE-35 (b)
(a) Elements from the Heavy weapons company maybe attached to any company or the battalion
commander
(b) May substitute any captured allied light truck as a tow vehicle.
SS Fallschirmjäger Battalion 600
November 1944 to May 1945
BATTLE GROUP-1.45
Fallschirmjäger Battalion
HEADQUARTERS ELEMENT
Command
HQ x1 Commander GE-46
MANOEUVRE ELEMENTS
x3 Fallschirmjaeger Company ME-1.45
x1 Heavy Weapons Company ME-2.45
ATTACHMENTS FROM FEB 1945
x1 75mm Pak40 AT Gun GE-41
x1 Sdkfz 11 Medium Prime Mover GE-30
X1 Stug IIIG GE-13
Organic fire support
x1 Heavy SS Infanterie-Geschutze kp ME-3
MANOEUVRE ELEMENT-1.45 MANOEUVRE ELEMENT-3
Fallschirmjaeger Company (b) (a) Heavy SS Infanterie-Geschutze kp
Command Command
HQ x1 Commander GE-46
HQ x1 Commander GE-46
Organic Fire Support (b)
x5 Fallschirmjäger GE-67 x3 150mm SiG Infantry Gun GE-39
(x3 panzerfaust)
x3 Light Machine Gun GE-49 x3 Sdkfz 11 Medium Prime Mover GE-30
(a) The guns may also operate as separate unit
MANOEUVRE ELEMENT-2.45 attachments.
Heavy Weapons Company (a) (b) When operating as attachment to the Battalion, use as
Command direct support
HQ x1 Commander GE-46
x3 Light Machine Gun GE-49
Pioniere Zug
x3 Pioniere GE-47
(1 Flamethrower)
Heavy Machinegun Zug
x 4 Heavy Machine Gun GE-50
x4 Panzerschreck GE-51
Organic fire support
x2 80mm Mortar GE-52
x2 75mm Recoilless Gun DAK-39 (c)
x2 light trucks GE-35 (d)
(a) Elements from the Heavy weapons company maybe attached to any company or the battalion
commander
(b) From December 1945 can mount one coy in captured US vehicles 1x M3 H/T US-08, 1x M3a1
white scout car US-37 and 2x Jeeps (no MG) US-13
(c) May upgrade one 75mm recoilless to a 105mm recoilless GE-66.
(d) May substitute any captured allied light truck as a tow vehicle.
