This reference takes a very detailed look at Fallschirmjäger helmets – more than a third of this volume is dedicated to them – , it also deals with the paratroopers’ special equipment (gasmask bags, hand grenade bags, ammunition bandoleers, medic equipment). The standard field equipment is covered next, followed by a chapter devoted to the individual and crew-served weapons utilized by the German airborne forces; among these are both versions of the special FG 42 paratrooper rifle. The parachutes used by the German paras are examined on 40 pages, whilst the last chapter looks at their drop containers. Included is the development of the many pieces of equipment used by the German paratroopers from the early days to the last days of the Third Reich, describing in great detail the characteristics of the various models. Collectors and military enthusiasts will be able to study some of the rarest original pieces and find a lot of interesting and new information in these pages. The full-color photographs of the various items are accompanied by hundreds of period photos, more than 150 of them not published before, showing helmets, equipment and weapons in wear. Excellent!! H/C.367p.