Career
Prager"s battalion was one of the few parachute units to see combat during the Invasion of Poland, where it captured the Wola Gulowska airfield. Although hospitalized for treatment of cancer, Captain Prager had himself dismissed by his doctors to command his 1st Parachute Regiment"s II Battalion during the battle of the Netherlands. His battalion was parachute-dropped on both sides of the Moerdyk bridges across the Meuse.
They managed to seize the Dutch positions, although suffering substantial losses, and particularly seizing intact bridges, being vital to the smooth operation of the German ground forces in the Netherlands theatre.
After holding the bridgehead for three consecutive days ground forces of the XXVIth Army Corps relieved Prager and his troops at Moerdijk. Prager had been wounded during the seizure of the Moerdijk bridgehead, tying him to bed during the rest of the siege.
He did however continue to command his battalion and organise defences time and again, anticipating things to come. Prager was promoted to Major on 19 June 1940 and on 1 July took command of the 3rd Parachute Regiment"s II Battalion.
He died on 3 December 1940 in Braunschweig, of cancer.
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