The German 1st Parachute Army (1st Fallschirm-Armee) was formed in September 1944 to consolidate the various Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger-Units and the Luftwaffe Field Division. It was given the task of defending the 60 mile stretch of the Low Countries between Antwerp and Maastricht with a force of just over 3,000 men.[citation needed]