The 4th Parachute Division, (), was a divisional-sized formation in the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

It was formed in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, in November 1943, from elements of the '' 2 Fallschirmjäger Division'' and the XII Battalion of the Italian paratrooper regiment 184th Infantry Regiment "Nembo". Its first combat action was against the Allied landings at Anzio (

Operation Shingle The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II that commenced January 22, 1944. The battle began with the Allies of World War II, Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle, an ...

) as part of the '' I. Fallschirm Korps'' in January 1944. After Anzio, the division fought a rear guard action in front of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, and was the last German unit to leave the city on 4 June; it withdrew towards

Viterbo Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

Firenze Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and then managed to halt the Allies at the

Futa pass The Futa Pass or La Futa Pass () is a Pass (geography), pass in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, at an elevation of . It is located in the ''comune'' of Firenzuola, in the Metropolitan City of Florence. It separates the valleys of Mugello (region), M ...

.Quarrie, p 46
In the winter of 1944/1945 it was positioned on the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...

. In March 1945, the division had to send the II Battalion, ''12 Fallschirmjäger Regiment'' and the 2nd Company from the ''Pionier Battalion'' to the new ''10 Fallschirmjager Division'', which was being formed in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. It then fought at

Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...

and

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

and surrendered to the Allies on May 2, 1945.

War crimes

The division has been implicated in Pedescala massacre (

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

), between 30 April and 2 May 1945, when 63 civilians were executed.

Order of battle

Structure of the division: * Headquarters * 10th Parachute Regiment * 11th Parachute Regiment * 12th Parachute Regiment * 4th Parachute Artillery Regiment * 4th Parachute Tank Destroyer Battalion * 4th Parachute Engineer Battalion * 4th Parachute Signal Battalion * 4th Parachute Anti-Aircraft Battalion * 4th Parachute Heavy Mortar Battalion * 4th Parachute Field Replacement Battalion * 4th Parachute Divisional Supply Group

Commander

Heinrich Trettner Heinrich "Heinz" Trettner (19 September 1907 – 18 September 2006) was a German general who served in the Spanish Civil War, and during World War II and the Cold War. From 1964 to 1966, he served as Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, the he ...

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Quarrie Bruce, ''German Airborne Divisions: Mediterranean Theatre 1942–45'', Osprey Publishing, 2005, * Windrow Martin, ''Luftwaffe Airborne and Field Units'', Osprey Publishing, 1972, {{Nazi war crimes in Italy Fallschirmjäger divisions Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 War crimes of the Wehrmacht