Unternehmen Strösser
The 6. Panzer-Armee were informed on 10 December 1944 of another special mission, this time of a more orthodox nature, intended to facilitate its advances. This was Unternehmen Strösser, which called for airborne troops in the early hours of the first day behind the American positions in the north, to either open the roads in he Hohes Venn for the oncoming armor or to form a secure position between Eupen and Verviers during the period before a defensive front could be established.
Chosen to command the operation was a much-decorated veteran of the airborne forces, Oberst Friedrich von der Heydte, who a short time before had been posted from commanding Fallschirm. Regt. 6, fighting in Holland, to build a new paratroop training school at Aalten. The school had just started to function when, on 8 Dec. he was ordered to report at once to Generaloberst Kurt Student at the 1. Fallschirm. Armee headquarters at Dinxperlo, about ten kilometers to the south.
He was ordered to form a Kampfgruppe of 800 men, taken from each of the regiments of II. Fallschirmkorps. Because secrecy would have been compromised by moving an entire regiment.