The 97th ''Jäger'' Division was a light infantry Division of the

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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It can trace its origins to the 97th (Light) Infantry Division () which was formed in December 1940. It was then redesignated the 97th ''Jäger'' Division in July 1942. The division fought in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...

and suffered heavy losses. It was then transferred to the lower

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

river area and fought well during the retreat through

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. It was transferred to

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

in October 1944 and surrendered to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

near Deutschbrod in May 1945.

Background

The main purpose of the German ''Jäger'' Divisions was to fight in adverse terrain where smaller, coordinated units were more facilely combat-capable than the brute force offered by the standard infantry divisions. The ''Jäger'' divisions were more heavily equipped than mountain divisions, but not as well armed as a larger infantry division. In the early stages of the war, they were the interface divisions fighting in rough terrain and foothills as well as urban areas, between the mountains and plains. The ''Jägers'' (hunters in German), relied on a high degree of training and slightly superior communications, as well as their not inconsiderable artillery support. In the middle stages of the war, as the standard infantry divisions were downsized, the Jäger structure of divisions with two infantry regiments became the standard table of organization.

History

On 1 January 1945, the 97th Jäger Division (then part of Army Group Heinrici under

Army Group A Army Group A () was the name of three distinct army groups of the ''German Army (1935–1945), Heer'', the ground forces of the ''Wehrmacht'', during World War II. The first Army Group A, previously known as "Army Group South", was active from Oct ...

) had a strength of 10,113 men.

Commanders

*''

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 ...

Walter Weiß Walter Weiß, also spelt Weiss (5 September 1890 – 21 December 1967), was a German general during World War II. In 1945 he became commander in chief of Army Group North on the Eastern Front. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iro ...

(15 December 1940 – 15 January 1941) *''

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

der Infanterie''

Sigismund von Förster Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

(15 January 1941 – 15 April 1941) *''General der Artillerie'' Maximilian Fretter-Pico (15 April 1941 – 27 December 1941) *''

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

'' Ernst Rupp (1 January 1942 – 30 May 1943) *''

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

'' Friedrich-Wilhelm Otte (30 May 1943 – 3 June 1943) *''General der Infanterie'' Ludwig Müller (3 June 1943 – 12 December 1943) *''Generalleutnant'' Friedrich-Carl Rabe von Pappenheim (13 December 1943 – 17 April 1945) *''Generalmajor''

Robert Bader The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

(17 April 1945 – 8 May 1945)

Area of operations

;As 97th Light Division *Germany (Dec 1940 – June 1941) * Eastern front, southern sector (June 1941 – July 1942) ;As 97th Jäger Division *Eastern front, southern sector (July 1942 – October 1944) *Slovakia (October 1944 – May 1945) see:

Battle of the Dukla Pass The Battle of the Dukla Pass, also known as the Dukla, Carpatho–Dukla, Rzeszów–Dukla, or Dukla–Prešov offensive, was the battle for control over the Dukla Pass on the border between Poland and Slovakia on the Eastern Front of World Wa ...

Order of battle

*'' Jäger Regiment 204'' *''Jäger Regiment 207'' *Reconnaissance Battalion 97 *''Artillerie Regiment 81'' *''Pionier Battalion 97'' *''

Panzerjäger ''Panzerjäger'' (German: literally "armor hunter", more broadly "anti-tank") is a term used for an anti-tank vehicle (self-propelled anti-tank gun), as well as anti-tank units. The term was first used in the Wehrmacht (German armed forces, 19 ...

Battalion 97'' *Signals Battalion 97 *''Feldersatz Battalion 81'' *''Versorgungseinheiten 97'' *''Schlächterei-Kompanie 97''

References

External links

Photographs from personnel of Schlächterei-Kompanie 97 on the Eastern Front
{{DEFAULTSORT:97th Jager Division (Wehrmacht) Jäger Divisions Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945