Air Assult forces in German?

[Hammers]

What is the term or if there is none what would be a suitable retro-name for the troop type made famous in Vietnamn (Air Cavalry, Air Assult, VTOL carried infantry...)?

[Aldramelech]

Well there were Fallshirmjager (Paratroops) and there were Luftlande (Air Landing).

The most famous example of the latter was the 22nd  Luftlande-Division that were landed in Crete once the airfields had been captured by the Fallshirmjager.

[Westfalia Chris]

You could translate "Air Cavalry" as "Luftkavallerie". However, a more pulpengerman term would be "Luftsturm-" (~air[borne] assault...), followed by a term corresponding to the size of unit:

Luftsturmzug - Airborne Assault Platoon
Luftsturmkompanie - Airborne Assault Company
Luftsturmbataillon
Luftsturmregiment

"Luftlande-" is commonly used for non-paratrooper, non-helicopter airborne troops. "Fallschirmjäger" is used for paratroopers. I think that "Luftsturm" was actually used in the 1960s and 70s to describe US air assault formations in reports on Vietnam.

[Weird WWII]

Great name Chris!  I've been wondering what to call my FJ units equipped with Dragons helos.  Noting cooler then seeing a sky full of German helos dropping their FJ commandos.  Well, maybe Captain America kicking the shit outta them, but its all still cool.

Brian

PS
Here is our take on Air Assault in our WWWII gaming.
http://whattheminiatures.com/forum/index.php?topic=199.0

[Hammers]

Wikipedia claims that the contemporary nomenclature for the Bundeswehr unit is Division Luftbewegliche Operationen

[Westfalia Chris]

Wikipedia claims that the contemporary nomenclature for the Bundeswehr unit is Division Luftbewegliche Operationen

That does sound reasonable, if militarily dry. Speaking as a German, I would still prefer "Luftsturmdivision", pronounced with a rrrolling r. 

[carlos marighela]

Surely it is obligatory in these circumstances to incorporate the phrase '99 Luftballons' into the title? Then you can include a mini of a cute girl with bad  '80s hair into the unit.

By the way the original seems to have aged remarkably well.

[Hammers]

That does sound reasonable, if militarily dry. Speaking as a German, I would still prefer "Luftsturmdivision", pronounced with a rrrolling r.  

Got nuthin' with a zed in there some where to?

[Westfalia Chris]

Got nuthin' with a zed in there some where to?

Make it "Zehntes Luftsturmregiment z.b.V.", then.   

(Tenth Air Assault Regiment, Special Operations)

[Parriah]

LuftStarkerstrumdivision?

[Westfalia Chris]

LuftStarkerstrumdivision?

Even in Pulpengerman, that doesn't make any sense at all! 

[Parriah]

Yeah, but it sounds great tho, don't it?

[Westfalia Chris]

Yeah, but it sounds great tho, don't it?

Honestly, not to a German, as it doesn't make any sense AND is grammatically and lexically incorrect.

Won't vouch for you uppitty colonials though, as you tend to like all sorts of strange things.

[Plynkes]

To my anglophone ear it sounds like the name of a gang of guitar-playing airborne nudists.

[earthdog]

LuftStarkerstrumdivision

Babelfish strikes again! Just out of curiosity, what were you trying to translate when you ended up with that?

Air Strong Assault Division??