The Luftwaffe Field Divisions were units of the German military that were assembled from surplus Luftwaffe personnel, mostly ground crews, and used as regular infantry troops primarily on the Eastern Front. The first Luftwaffe Field Divisions were raised in late 1942. Rather than incorporating these units into the German Army, Hermann Göring insisted in keeping them under the command of the Luftwaffe. All together about 20 divisions were put together, totaling almost a quarter million men. The performance of these units in the battlefield was poor, given their limited training as infantry. So much so that the Soviets sometimes targeted them in their attacks, recognizing them as the weakest link. This was made easier by the fact that the Luftwaffe Field divisions wore a distinctive field blue uniform. About a year later, command and control of these divisions passed to the Heer, and Army officers were incorporated into their ranks. Many of these divisions were decimated so badly that they ended up being dissolved and the surviving troops were absorbed by other units. In terms of plastic toy soldiers, they had not been represented until Mars recently released a set. Let's take a look.
Mars German Luftwaffe Field Division
Not much to tell them apart from regular infantry or, even trickier, from Waffen SS. When I have seen them in pictures, they are usually wearing cammo smock or the tent quarters, which is what several of these guys are wearing. In general, a set with a good degree of action and combat poses. Given the terrible casualty rates that they suffered, I suppose it is fitting that they included a figure getting hit.
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