' (English: General of the

Mountain Troops Mountain warfare or alpine warfare is warfare in mountains or similarly rough terrain. The term encompasses military operations affected by the terrain, hazards, and factors of combat and movement through rough terrain, as well as the strategies ...

) was a category of

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

three-star, a new example of the traditional German '' 'General der'' rank introduced by the ''

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

'' in 1940, comparable to the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

grade OF-8.

Rank and rank insignia

The rank was equivalent to the long established '' General der Kavallerie'' (cavalry), ''

General der Artillerie (English language, en: General of the artillery) may mean: A rank of three-star rank, three-star General of the branch, general, comparable to modern armed forces OF-8 grade, in the Imperial German Army and its contingency armies of Prussian A ...

'' (artillery), and '' General der Infanterie'' (infantry). The ''Wehrmacht'' also introduced ''

General der Panzertruppe ''General der Panzertruppe'' () was a General of the branch rank of the German Army (1935–1945), German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a lieutenant general, above major general (''Generalleutnant''), commanding a ...

'' (armoured troops), ''

General der Pioniere (en: ''General of the engineers'') was a General of the branch rank of the German Army in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level ( OF-8), equivalent to a US Lieutenant ...

'' (engineers), '' General der Fallschirmtruppe'' ( parachute troops) and '' General der Nachrichtentruppe'' (communications troops). Mountain Infantry (''

Gebirgsjäger ''Gebirgsjäger'' () is a German language, German military term for light infantry trained in mountain warfare. Currently used in the militaries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the term includes the word ''Jäger (military), jäger'', anot ...

'') Generals were identifiable by their

edelweiss ''Leontopodium nivale'', commonly called edelweiss () ( ; or ), is a mountain flower belonging to the daisy or sunflower family Asteraceae. The plant prefers rocky limestone places at about altitude. It is a non-toxic plant. Its leaves and f ...

sleeve and cap insignia and the mountain cap (''bergmütze'') worn instead of the peaked cap of officers from other branches of the ''Wehrmacht''. In October 1942 an order was issued that general officers should have gold piping around the crown of the cap to distinguish them more readily from other ranks.

List of officers who were General der Gebirgstruppe

* Franz Böhme (1885–1947) (committed suicide) *

Eduard Dietl Eduard Wohlrat Christian Dietl (21 July 1890 – 23 June 1944) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 20th Mountain Army. He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Military career Born in ...

(1889–1944) (Promoted

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German '' Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank w ...

1/6/1942, killed in plane crash 23/6/1944) * Karl Eglseer (1890–1944) (killed in plane crash 23/6/1944) * Valentin Feurstein (1885–1970) * Georg Ritter von Hengl (1897–1952) * Ferdinand Jodl (1896–1956) *

Rudolf Konrad __NOTOC__ Rudolf Konrad (7 March 1891 – 10 June 1964) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who served as a corps commander. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and, by the end of the war, held the ran ...

(1891–1964) * Hans Kreysing (1890–1969) * Ludwig Kübler (1889–1947) (executed in Yugoslavia) *

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 ...

(1896–1982) *

Julius Ringel Julius 'Papa' Ringel (16 November 1889 – 11 February 1967) was an Austrian general in the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. He fought in the Western and Eastern fronts, as well as the Balkan Campaign.Williamson 2012. Ringel c ...

(1889–1967) *

Ferdinand Schörner Ferdinand Schörner (12 June 1892 – 2 July 1973) was a German military commander and convicted war criminal, who held the rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was the on ...

(1892–1973) (Promoted Generaloberst 1/4/1944,

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (; from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire, (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarsch ...

4/4/1945) * Hans Schlemmer (1893–1973) * Hans Karl Maximilian von Le Suire (1898–1954) * Kurt Versock (1895–1963) * Emil Vogel (1894–1985) * Friedrich-Jobst Volckamer von Kirchensittenbach (1894–1989) * August Winter (1897–1979)

Rank and rank insignia

List of officers who were General der Gebirgstruppe

See also