''Gebirgsjäger'' () are the

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

part of the alpine or

mountain troops Mountain warfare (also known as alpine warfare) is warfare in mountains or similarly rough terrain. Mountain ranges are of strategic importance since they often act as a natural border, and may also be the origin of a water source (for example, t ...

(''Gebirgstruppe'') of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The word '' Jäger'' (meaning "hunter" or "huntsman") is a characteristic term used for

in German speaking countries.

Origins

The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three ''Landesschützen'' regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The mountain infantry of modern Germany carry on certain traditions of the German Alpenkorps (Alpine corps) of World War I. Both countries' mountain infantry share the Edelweiß insignia, established in 1907 as a symbol of the Austro-Hungarian ''Landesschützen'' regiments by Emperor

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

. These troops wore the edelweiss on the uniform collar. When the ''

Alpenkorps The Alpenkorps was a provisional mountain formation of division size formed by the Imperial German Army during World War I. It was considered by the Allies to be one of the best in the German Army. Formation After experiencing considerable diffic ...

'' served alongside the ''Landesschützen'' on Austria's southern frontier against Italian forces from May 1915, the ''Landesschützen'' honoured the men of the ''Alpenkorps'' by awarding them their own insignia: the edelweiss.

Gebirgsjäger in World War II

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-031-2417-09, Russland, Kaukasus, Gebirgsjäger

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

and

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

raised a number of mountain infantry units, identified by the edelweiss insignia worn on their sleeves and caps. These divisions were lightly equipped, with much of the transport provided by mules. They were equipped with fewer automatic weapons than regular infantry, however the

MG 34 The MG 34 (shortened from German: ''Maschinengewehr 34'', or "machine gun 34") is a German recoil-operated air-cooled general-purpose machine gun, first tested in 1929, introduced in 1934, and issued to units in 1936. It introduced an entirely n ...

or MG 42 machine gunners were provided with more ammunition than their regular infantry counterparts. Special equipment was made for them including the G33/40 mauser rifle based on the VZ.33 rifle. Mountain infantry participated in many campaigns, including Operations Weserübung, Silver Fox, Platinum Fox,

Arctic Fox The Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. It is well adapted to living in ...

and Northern Lights. They also served in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

, the

invasion of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island o ...

, the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, the Gothic Line, and the

battles A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

region of France.

Heer (Army) Mountain divisions

* 1st Mountain Division (later 1st ''Volksgebirgs'' Division) * 2nd Mountain Division * 3rd Mountain Division * 4th Mountain Division * 5th Mountain Division * 6th Mountain Division *

7th Mountain Division The 7th Mountain Division (german: 7. Gebirgs Division) was formed through the redesignation of 99th Light Infantry Division, which had fought on the southern sector of the Eastern Front until being withdrawn to Germany in October 1941. In 1942 ...

(previously 99th Light Infantry Division) * 8th Mountain Division (previously Division Nr. 157, 157th Reserve Division, 157th Mountain Division) * 9th Mountain Division (previously Shadow Division ''Steiermark'' and Division zbV 140) *

188th Mountain Division __NOTOC__ German Division Nr. 188 was raised in late 1939. It consisted of the 136th, 138th and 139th Mountain Replacement Regiments and the 112th Artillery Replacement Regiment, plus supporting units. It began the war on border guard duty in the m ...

(previously Division Nr. 188, 188th Reserve Mountain Division)

Waffen SS Mountain divisions

* 6th SS Mountain Division ''Nord'' * 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division ''Prinz Eugen'' * 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS ''Handschar'' (1st Croatian) * 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS ''Skanderbeg'' (1st Albanian) * 23rd Waffen Mountain Division of the SS ''Kama'' (2nd Croatian) * 24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS ''Karstjäger''

Gebirgsjäger in the modern German forces

Upon the creation of the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

in 1956, the mountain infantry returned as a distinctive arm of the

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

army. Until 2001, they were organized as the 1. Gebirgsdivision, disbanded as part of Bundeswehr reductions at the end of the cold war. The successor unit is Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 which has its headquarters in

Bad Reichenhall Bad Reichenhall ( Central Bavarian: ''Reichahoi'') is a spa town, and administrative center of the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is located near Salzburg in a basin encircled by the Chiemgau Alps (including Mount Stau ...

. The battalions of these units are deployed in southern Bavaria, the only high mountain area in Germany touching the Northern

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. Since 2008 the unit is officially called "Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 ''Bayern'' (

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

)" to mark the close relationship between the state and the ''Gebirgsjäger''. In mid-2020, the official Bundeswehr website stated that the brigade had a strength of approximately 5,300 soldiers.

Traditions

The soldiers of the mountain infantry wear a grey cap (''Bergmütze'') with an edelweiß on its left side, stem to the front. This distinguishes them from all other German army soldiers who wear berets and the Austrian army, whose edelweiß has its stem to the back. The formal uniform, which is based on traditional alpine mountain climbing trekking outfits (''Berganzug''), is also different from the standard mainstream German army uniform, and consists of a light-weight grey ski blouse (''Skibluse''), black Stirrup trousers (''Keilhose'') or especially during the summer periods "

Culottes Culottes are an item of clothing worn on the lower half of the body. The term can refer to either split skirts, historical men's breeches, or women's under-pants; this is an example of fashion-industry words taken from designs across history, l ...

" knee-

breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each human leg, leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Weste ...

('' kniebundhose'') similar to knickerbockers, and ankle-height

mountaineering boot Mountaineering, expedition or high altitude boots are a type of footwear used in mountain climbing. They are designed specifically for moving over harsh terrain. Design Not to be confused with hiking boots, mountaineering boots are usually tall ...

s ('' Bergstiefel'') or dual-use mountaineering ski boots. German ''Gebirgsjäger'' traditionally share a very close comradeship and distinct esprit de corps. There is also a special perception of discipline which can for example be seen in a relatively informal relationship between officers and soldiers during normal day duty.

Tasks of the German ''Gebirgsjäger''

The main tasks of the German mountain infantry are: * Warfare in extreme weather conditions * Winter warfare * Warfare in urban terrain * Warfare in arctic, mountain and desert terrain 23 Mountain Infantry Brigade Diagram

23rd Gebirgsjägerbrigade

The structure of the 23rd Gebirgsjägerbrigade is as of May 2020: * Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 (Bundeswehr)

23rd Gebirgsjäger Brigade (Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23), in

Staff and Signal Company 23rd Gebirgsjäger Brigade, in Bad Reichenhall ** GebAufklBtl 230

230th Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion (Gebirgsaufklärungsbataillon 230), in

Füssen Füssen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu, situated one kilometre from the Austrian border. The town is known for violin manufacturing and as the closest transportation hub for the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau ca ...

with

Fennek The Fennek, named after the fennec (a species of small desert fox), or LGS Fennek, with LGS being short for ''Leichter Gepanzerter Spähwagen'' in German (Light Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle), is a four-wheeled armed reconnaissance vehicle p ...

reconnaissance vehicles and KZO drones ** GebJgBtl 231 (1)

231st Gebirgsjäger Battalion (Gebirgsjägerbataillon 231), in Bad Reichenhall with GTK Boxer

armoured personnel carriers An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

232nd Gebirgsjäger Battalion (Gebirgsjägerbataillon 232), in

Bischofswiesen Bischofswiesen is a municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...

with Bv206S ** GebJgBtl 233

233rd Gebirgsjäger Battalion (Gebirgsjägerbataillon 233), in

Mittenwald Mittenwald is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria. Geography Mittenwald is located approximately 16 kilometres to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is situated in the Valley of the River Isar, ...

with Bv206S ** GebPiBtl 8

8th Mountain Engineer Battalion (Gebirgspionierbataillon 8), in

Ingolstadt Ingolstadt (, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an independent city on the Danube in Upper Bavaria with 139,553 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2022). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan area. Ingolstadt is the second largest city in Upper Ba ...

8th Mountain Supply Battalion (Gebirgsversorgungsbataillon 8), in Füssen ** EAZ GebTrgTWes 230

230th Mountain

Pack Animal A pack animal, also known as a sumpter animal or beast of burden, is an individual or type of working animal used by humans as means of transporting materials by attaching them so their weight bears on the animal's back, in contrast to draft ani ...

Operations and Training Center (Einsatz- und Ausbildungszentrum für Gebirgstragtierwesen 230), in Bad Reichenhall Mountain units which are not part of the Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23: * Wappen AusbStpGW

Mountain and Winter Combat Training Base (Ausbildungsstützpunkt Gebirgs- und Winterkampf), in

As the Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 is part of the so-called

stabilisation forces Stabilisation forces (german: Stabilisierungskräfte) are one of the three categories of forces in the (armed forces of Germany), that classify formations according to their levels of equipment, readiness, training and capability. The other categ ...

(''Stabilisierungskräfte''), it lacks any accompanying artillery. Mortar support is provided by the ''Schwere Jägerkompanie'' (heavy infantry company) in every mountain infantry battalion.

Equipment and organization

A mountain infantry battalion consists of about 900 soldiers in five companies. One company is responsible for staff and support duties and has a "Hochgebirgsjägerzug" (special platoon for high mountain fight and reconnaissance) at its disposal. Three companies are consisting of classical mountain infantry, another one is a heavy company which is equipped with the

Wiesel AWC The Wiesel Armoured Weapons Carrier (AWC) is a German light air-transportable armoured fighting vehicle, more specifically a lightly armoured weapons carrier, produced by Rheinmetall. It is quite similar to historical scouting tankettes in size, ...

for mortar support, tank defence and supporting cannon fire with 20 mm guns. Two of the three mountain infantry battalions are equipped with the Hägglund 206S, one with the GTK Boxer. * Equipment of the Gebirgsjäger (selection): **

Bandvagn 206 Bandvagn 206 (Bv 206) (meaning ''"Tracked Vehicle 206"'' in English) is a tracked articulated, all-terrain carrier developed by Hägglunds (now part of BAE Systems Platforms & Services) for the Swedish Army. It consists of two units, with all f ...

Snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

s ** Military versions of the

Unimog The Unimog (, ) is a range of multi-purpose tractors, trucks and lorries that has been produced by Boehringer from 1948 until 1951, and by Daimler Truck (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler AG) since 1951. In the United States and ...

Gebirgsjäger in the modern Austrian forces

Today the traditions of the Austrian mountain infantry are maintained by the 6th Gebirgsbrigade in western

Units

List of active mountain infantry in the

Austrian Armed Forces The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of nati ...

: * 6th Gebirgsbrigade ** Brigadekommando (HQ) in

Absam Absam is a municipality in the Innsbruck-Land District, Tyrol (state), Tyrol (Austria) situated at an altitude of 632 m, which had an area of 51.92 km2 and 6,776 inhabitants as January 2015. Geography Absam is 15 km from Innsbruck, ...

** Stabsbataillon 6 (HQ battalion) in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

** Jägerbataillon 23 (Mountain infantry battalion) in

Bludesch Bludesch is a municipality in the district of Bludenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area af ...

** Jägerbataillon 24 (Mountain infantry battalion) in

Lienz Lienz (; Southern Bavarian: ''Lianz'') is a medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality also includes the cadastral subdivision of ''Pat ...

** Jägerbataillon 26 (Mountain infantry battalion) in Spittal ** Pionierbataillon 2 (Combat engineer battalion) in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

Gebirgs troops in the modern Swiss forces

Specially trained Swiss mountain troops have been a part of the Swiss Army since 1892 when the 3rd Army Corps was established. A central mountain combat school was opened in

Andermatt Andermatt ( rm, ) is a mountain village and municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland. At an elevation of above sea level, Andermatt is located at the center of the Saint-Gotthard Massif and the historical center cross of north-south and e ...

in 1967.

Notable members

Also see

for the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

era unit. *

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg Karl-Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Buhl-Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg (born 5 December 1971), known professionally as Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, is a German businessman and politician of the Christian Soc ...

—German politician *

Hubert Lanz Karl Hubert Lanz (22 May 1896 – 15 August 1982) was a German general during the Second World War, in which he led units in the Eastern Front and in the Balkans. After the war, he was tried for war crimes and convicted in the Southeast Case, s ...

--''General der Gebirgstruppe'' during World War II * Prince Ludwig of Bavaria *

Edmund Stoiber Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber (born 28 September 1941) is a German politician who served as the 16th Minister President of the state of Bavaria between 1993 and 2007 and chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU) between 1999 and 2007. In 2002, he r ...

—German politician *

August Winter General August Winter (born 18 January 1897, Munich – 16 February 1979) was a German officer and General of mountain troops in the German army during World War II. Career Winter joined the Imperial German Army as an officer cadet in 1916 ...

--''General der Gebirgstruppe'' during World War II

Similar units

* Argentina: Cazadores de Montaña (Argentine Army) * France:

Chasseurs Alpins The ''chasseurs alpins'' ( en, Alpine Rangers) are the elite mountain infantry force of the French Army. They are trained to operate in mountainous terrain and in urban warfare. History France created its own mountain corps in the late 19th ...

* Italy: Alpini * Poland:

Podhale rifles Podhale Rifles ( pl, Strzelcy podhalańscy, nicknamed "Podhalańczycy") is the traditional name of the mountain infantry units of the Polish Army. Formed in 1918 out of volunteers of the region of Podhale, in 1919 the smaller detachments of Podh ...

* Romania:

Vânători de munte Vânători may refer to several places: Romania * Vânători, Galați, a commune in Galați County * Vânători, Iași, a commune in Iaşi County * Vânători, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedinţi County * Vânători, Mureș, a commune in Mureș Co ...

* Sweden: Bergsjägare, part of the

Norrland Dragoon Regiment The Norrland Dragoon Regiment ( sv, Norrlands dragonregemente), also K 4, is a Swedish Army unit specialized in arctic warfare and special operations. Located in the province of Lappland, it was historically a cavalry unit that traces its orig ...

* United States: ** 10th Mountain Division ** 172nd Infantry Regiment ** 1st Battalion (Mountain), 157th Infantry Regiment, Colorado Army National Guard * Great Britain ** Royal Marines Commandos. Great Britain's Mountain & Arctic Warfare specialists

References

External links

Lone Sentry: Some Notes on German Mountain Warfare (US WWII ...

Articles, Pictures, Videostreams, Links (in German) about the Gebirgsjaeger

Extensive web site dedicated to the history of Gebirgstruppen

Waffen-SS mountain brigades and divisions - Origins, development and deployment (1942-1945)

Informational Video from BWTV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gebirgsjager Military history of Germany during World War II German Mountain Troops Mountain troops Army reconnaissance units and formations