Good point. Some collectors tend to think of Luftwaffe small arms only in terms of pistols for pilots or "drilling" survival guns. But it is well to remember that in the German organization, the air force was charged with two missions that were given to the army under the U.S. structure, airborne operations and anti-aircraft defense.
While the airborne (glider and parachute) troops were not active as such after the Pyrrhic victoty in Crete (they fought as infantry in Holland in 1944), they still had small arms, including the FG.42 which was developed especially for them.
In the other role, Luftwaffe troops manned anti-aircraft guns not only in Germany and conquered countries but right at the front. Probably the best known artillery piece of WWII, the "German 88", was officially named the 8.8cm Fliegerabwehrkanone (FLAK) and whether that most versatile gun was used in an anti-aircraft, anti-tank, or field artillery role, it was manned by Luftwaffe troops.
Jim
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