Where are the US airforce and Navy ground Units

[Abbott Shaull]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Actually, it was the other way around. Late in the war, German air force and navy personel were funneled into Volksgrenadier divisions (basically another attempt at reorganizing the standard infantry division TOE due to shortages of manpower and equipment).

At the beginning of the war and in it's first few years, the Germans fielded Luftwaffe field divisions, mostly due to the political influence of Goering. They didn't really distinguish themselves in battle, though. Apart from the Herman Goering division, Luftwaffe field divisions were generally more poorly equipped than regular Wermacht units and they suffered greatly as a result. Most of them were decimated on the Eastern Front. By early 44, there were only a few left and they were soon to be destroyed during the Bagration offensive and the Normandy campaign. Survivors or remnants of the Luftwaffe field divisions were absorbed into the army.

Most historians and analysts agree that the manpower should have been used as replacements for regular army units in the first place. Luftwaffe ground combat divisions were a waste.

I can't see NATO commanders making this same mistake twice. Air Force personel would be assigned to existing army units as replacements and Navy personel would go either to army or Marine units.

The German Airborne units of WWII were part of the German Air Force too...