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Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 176, 26 July 1940, Page 5

has been studied. The helmet, for instance, though it resembles the ordinary German steel helmet, has no shield or peak, and is held by twin straps on each side, one in front of the ear and one behind it. It looks rather like a racing motor cyclist's crash hat. The tunic is double-breasted and is in the blue-grey colour of the German air force. It is cut loose, is open at the neck, and has a turned-down collar., No buttons show. Trousers are rather like plus-fours, with the end tucked in over half-knee boots laced at the side. These boots are a pood ankle protection for a rough landing. Gauntlet gloves are worn. Equipment Divided. The equipment is divided up between that carried by each parachutist and that dropped separately in special containers with their own automatic parachutes. Each man has a knife for disentanglement, a gas mask and a haversack. He is armed with a sub-machine-gun capable of firing 600 rounds a ' minute, and with hand grenades. The . separate containers, which are dropped , at the rate of one to every four or five men, hold ammunition, rifles, field glasses, compasses, spades, smoke candles and wire. ' Parachute troops are organised in ■ 1 battalions, and for each battalion there ' i are auxiliary weapons. These are a 3in mountain gun, medium and light mortars, heavy machine-guns, light machineguns and machine-gun pistols. Those are also dropped in containers. Speed Needed in Defence. For defence against parachute troops, as against other modern methods of warfare, speed is the vital factor. The [parachutists ought to be tackled before they can form up, but the difficulties are obviously great. They are usually preceded by reconnaissance aircraft, and the thing for defenders to remember is that the German parachutists are trained to work rapidlv and to kill and destroy almost indiscriminately. This form of war is one which is not! likely to be employed on its own, for it is really effective only in collaboration with the movements of other troops. T-he scheme is always to sandwich the troops which are being attacked between heavy forces advancing in and harassing parachute troops working in the rear. They are useful for taking strategic points.