Fallschirmjäger-Lehrkompanie
Italien 1943

General der Fallschirmtruppe

Eugen Meindl

Born July 16, 1892, Eugen Meindl competed in the 1914 Olympics in track and field, was an accomplished world-class mountain climber and guide with the initial conquests of several mountain peaks, and was an excellent skier and horseman. He painted and did wood carving for relaxation. (Many thanks to Klaus Meindl for much of these interesting insights and pictures of his father.)

Klaus relates that on his father's commissioning in 1911, he had to pay 10,000 Marks, bring two horses and provide for their feeding. During World War One, he was a captive balloon observer and was shot down three times!

At the beginning of World War Two, Meindl commanded the Wehrmacht Gebirgs-Artillerie-Rgt 112 in Graz. During the 1940 Norway campaign, he parachuted into the Battle of Narvik without (!) any formal parachute training. Afterwards, Göring then asked Meindl personally to build the new Sturmregiment, and promoted him to General.

On 1 September, 1940, one year to the day after the war started, Meindl took command of the Luftwaffe's newest parachute regiment, the Luftlande-Sturmregiment. Unlike other Fallschirmjäger regiments with three battalions each, the Sturmregiment contained a fourth battalion of heavy weapons, and was specially trained to deploy in gliders and by parachute assault. After this unique Sturmregiment was established, General Meindl was awarded the Ehrendegen des Reichsmarschalls (Reichsmarschal's Honor Dagger) by Göring himself.

During the Crete invasion, Meindl's Sturmregiment successfully captured the Maleme airfield and the strategically important Hill 107. Shortly after the Sturmregiment's assault onto the island, Meindl was severely wounded.

After his recovery, Meindl commanded the Luftwaffefelddivision Meindl in Northern Russia during the bitter defensive winter, offensive summer and partisan battles.

Klaus notes that the famous Meindl Badge seen on his father's and many other's caps was a personal award for merit. These were made of the Meindl family's own sterling silver...literally from his own pocket. Note that Meindl also favored the a private purchase version of the tropical tunic.

assault. After this unique Sturmregiment was establish General Meindl was presented the

Later, during the parachute branch expansion in 1943, he was appointed Chief Inspector of all Luftwaffe Field Units. Before the Normandieschlacht, Meindl took charge of the II. Fallschirm-Korps, which he commanded with distinction until May, 1945.

Known as 'Papi' to his men (Klaus notes it was just 'Papi', not 'Papi Meindl'), he was a soldier's soldier. His last orders to Klaus during the Normandieschlacht was, "Bring the men home!"

Klaus Meindl has generously provided these details of his father's military career:

EUGEN, Albert, Max MEINDL (07.16.1892 - 01.24.1951) General der Fallschirmtruppe und Kommandierender General des II. Fallschirm-Korps

Decorations from World War I:

E.K.II, E.K.I, Tuerkischer Halbmond erster Klasse (Turkish Halfmoon), Hohenzollern-Orden (Klaus mentions that Eugen was considered to young for the Por Le Merite...)

Decorations from World War II:

Spange zum E.K. II (Poland), Spange zum E.K.I, Narvik-Schild (Norwegen), Ritterkreuz als Generalmajor und Kommandeur des Luftland-Sturmregiments (Kreta), Deutscher Kreuz im Gold, Meindl-Abzeichen (Russland), Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz als Generalleutnant und Kommandeur des II. Fallschirm-Korps (Normandie), Schwerter zum Ritterkreuz als General der Fallschirmtruppe und Kommandierender General des II. Fallschirm-Korps und andere Einheiten.

 

Leutnant Klaus Meindl

Gefreiter Meindl after service in Russia - 1942

Klaus, born on August 21, 1924, followed in his father's footsteps by joining the Fallschirmtruppe and in 1941 at the age of 16 (!). He was assigned to Gruppe 1 (Drubba), Zug 1 (Arpke, RKT), Kompanie 1 (Oblt. Delika), Battalion 1 (Maj. Koch, RKT) of the Hildesheim-based Sturmregiment, and attended jump training at Braunschweig. He also became a glider assistant pilot as leader of the glider's Sturmgruppe.

Klaus mentions here that even though the Sturmregiment was commanded by his father, in his own words, "I absolutely got nothing for free!" At that time his father was the oldest, and he was the youngest Fallschirmjäger in the Sturmregiment.

Assigned to Luftwaffe-Felddivision Meindl, he took part in the bitter defensive winter, offensive summer and partisan battles of 1941-42, and contracted malaria in the process. He was awarded the Ostfrontmedaille and the Meindl Badge, contracting yellow fever prior to attending officer candidate school in Fuerstenfeldbruck and Czestochowa, Poland.

Oberjäger Meindl (looking left at front with black dot) nach dem Harz - 1942

On promotion to Leutnant in 1943, he was at Casino later was awarded the EKII. He was then assigned to the XIII. Fliegerkorps, subsequently to the II. Fallschirmkorps in Normandie.

During the Normandieschlacht, Leutnant Meindl was assigned to Major Stephani's FJR9 under 3.FJD in Brittany. During the Normandieschlacht, Meindl and his men were heavily engaged against the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division in the fierce fighting around St. Lo, and escaped the Falaise pocket. He led the escape and brought out 3 Generals and 1600 other Fallschirmjäger. Besides a mentions in OKW dispatches, he was awarded the EKI and the Luftwaffe Erdkampfabzeichen.

Near Mons, Belgium he was wounded and captured by the U.S. Army on September 4, 1944. Shipped to Kenedy, Texas, he remained a POW for 28 months, when he was returned to Konstanz to his sister, Ursula. In the 1950's, Meindl and his wife moved to the United States, where he was a warehouse supervisor in Alexandria, VA.

We are honored to have Klaus and his wife, Marie-Louise, as our guests for the event.

Klaus Meindl and his beautiful wife, Marie-Louise.