| Special Operations Division Division Spezielle Operationen |
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Special Operations Division Shoulder Insignia |
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| Active | (1956–1994, 1994–2001); 2001–present |
| Country | Germany |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Airborne warfare and special operations division |
| Size | About 10,600 soldiers |
| Part of | German Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Stadtallendorf |
| Motto | Ready for action, at any time, worldwide! Einsatzbereit, jederzeit, weltweit! |
| Anniversaries | April 1, 2001 |
| Engagements | Somalian Civil War Bosnian Civil War Albanian Civil War Kosovo War Afghanistan War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Major General Hans-Werner Fritz |
| Notable commanders |
Lieutenant General Hans-Otto Budde, former commander of the German Army |
The Special Operations Division (Division Spezielle Operationen) is an airborne division of the German Army. Its staff is based at Stadtallendorf. The structure and tasks of this division are unique within the modern German military. Division Special Operations was created as 1st Airborne Division (1. Luftlandedivision) in 1956 and reflagged twice in 1994 and 2001 as Airmobile Forces Command/4th Division (Kommando Luftbewegliche Kräfte/4. Division) and eventually as Special Operations Division. The division leads three combat brigades and divisionary troops, all of which are fully air-mobile. Troops of this division or its respective predecessors have taken part in all overseas deployments of the German Army and were largely involved in their preparation. It is the most combat-proven unit of the German military.
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Created in 1956, 1st Airborne Division's main tasks were to act as the backbone of counterattacks behind the enemy lines of the Warsaw Pact and to respond to hostile breaks through allied front lines. The very first commanders of this unit were illustrious paratrooper generals such as Bern von Baer and Hans Kroh, both recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. 1st Airborne Division existed throughout the Cold War and was eventually replaced by Airmobile Forces Command/4th Division, a division-sized formation the duties of which shifted to more complex scenarios of current days.
This happened mainly in view of two incidents in 1994 and 1997 where German citizens had to be rescued from Rwanda and Albania, once even by foreign troops as the German military lacked of adequate forces to carry out evacuation operations on their own. One of the three existing brigades (Airborne Brigade 25 "Black Forest") was drawn on to provide the headquarters for the German Army's new special forces unit, the Special Forces Command.
The first overseas deployment of this division took place in 1961 when its troops rendered humanitarian assistance to Morocco after a devastating earthquake. From there on 1st Airborne Division or its successors deployed troops to Somalia, Croatia, Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Congo. The paratroopers saw extensive action in Afghanistan. With four of the nation's highest awards for gallantry—among others—having been awarded to its members, the division's Paratrooper Battalion 263 is the most decorated unit of the German Army.
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