4th Parachute Division (Germany)

Fallschirmjäger-Division), was a divisional-sized formation in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

It was formed in Venice, Italy, in November 1943, from elements of the 2 Fallschirmjäger Division and the XII Battalion of the Italian 184th Infantry Regiment "Nembo".

[1] Its first combat action was against the Allied landings at Anzio (Operation Shingle) as part of the I. Fallschirm Korps in January 1944.

[1] After Anzio, the division fought a rear guard action in front of Rome, and was the last German unit to leave the city on 4 June; it withdrew towards Viterbo Siena Firenze and then managed to halt the Allies at the Futa pass.

[3] The division has been implicated in Pedescala massacre (Veneto), between 30 April and 2 May 1945, when 63 civilians were executed.