''Gebirgsjäger'' () is a German military term for

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 ...

trained in

mountain warfare 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 ...

. Currently used in the militaries of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, the term includes the word '' jäger'', another German military term used to denote

troops.

Origins

Imperial German soldiers with skies and snow camouflage air their rifles 1916

The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three ''Landesschützen'' regiments of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. 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 ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

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

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 ...

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 ...

and

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

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

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...

s. They were equipped with fewer

automatic weapon An automatic firearm or fully automatic firearm (to avoid confusion with semi-automatic firearms) is a self-loading firearm that continuously chambers and fires rounds when the trigger mechanism is actuated. The action of an automatic firea ...

s 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 ...

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 species of fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Tundra#Arctic tundra, Arctic tundra biome. I ...

and Northern Lights. They also served in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

, the invasion of Crete, the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

, the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...

, and the battles in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium 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 geomorphological unit and ...

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 (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 (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 (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

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

West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...

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

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

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

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

)" 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 ''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 ...

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 A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a ''stirrup leather''. Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal ...

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 underpants; this is an example of fashion-industry words taken from designs across history, ...

" knee-

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

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

23rd Gebirgsjägerbrigade

As of 1 March 2025 the brigade is organized as follows: * Gebirgsjäger Brigade 23 (Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23), in Bad Reichenhall ** Staff and Signal Company Gebirgsjäger Brigade 23 (Stabs- und Fernmeldekompanie der Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23), in Bad Reichenhall ** Mountain

Pack Animal A pack animal, also known as a sumpter animal or beast of burden, is a working animal used to transport goods or materials by carrying them, usually on its back. Domestic animals of many species are used in this way, among them alpacas, Bact ...

Operations and Training Center 230 (Einsatz- und Ausbildungszentrum für Gebirgstragtierwesen 230), in Bad Reichenhall ** Gebirgsjäger Battalion 231 (Gebirgsjägerbataillon 231), in Bad Reichenhall with Bv206S ** Gebirgsjäger Battalion 232 (Gebirgsjägerbataillon 232), in Bischofswiesen with Bv206S ** GebJgBtl 233

Gebirgsjäger Battalion 233 (Gebirgsjägerbataillon 233), in Mittenwald with Bv206S ** Mountain Reconnaissance Company 23 (Gebirgsaufklärungskompanie 23), in

Füssen Füssen () is a Town#Germany, 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 Sc ...

** Mountain Engineer Company 23 (Gebirgspionierkompanie 23), in

Ingolstadt Ingolstadt (; Austro-Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an Independent city#Germany, independent city on the Danube, in Upper Bavaria, with 142,308 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2023). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan ...

** Mountain Supply Company 23 (Gebirgsversorgungskompanie 23), in Bad Reichenhall and Mittenwald Mountain units which are not part of the Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23: * Wappen AusbStpGW

Mountain and Winter Combat Training Base (Ausbildungsstützpunkt Gebirgs- und Winterkampf), in Mittenwald As the Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 is part of the so-called stabilisation forces (''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 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): ** Wiesel AWC ** Bandvagn 206 **

Snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

s ** Military versions of the

Unimog The Unimog (pronunciation in American English: ''YOU-nuh-mog''; British English: ''YOU-knee-mog''; German: , ) is a Daimler Truck line of multi-purpose, highly offroad capable AWD vehicles produced since 1948. Utilizing engine-driven power tak ...

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 : * 6th Gebirgsbrigade ** Brigadekommando (HQ) in Absam ** Stabsbataillon 6 (HQ battalion) in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal 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 Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

** Jägerbataillon 23 (Mountain infantry battalion) in Bludesch ** Jägerbataillon 24 (Mountain infantry battalion) in Lienz ** Jägerbataillon 26 (Mountain infantry battalion) in Spittal ** Pionierbataillon 2 (Combat engineer battalion) in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

Gebirgs troops in the modern Swiss forces

Specially trained Swiss mountain troops have been a part of the

Swiss Army The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

since 1892 when the 3rd Army Corps was established. A central mountain combat school was opened in

Andermatt Andermatt () is a mountain village and municipalities of Switzerland, 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 ...

in 1967.

Notable members

Also see Alpenkorps for the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 Germany, German businessman, journalist, podcaster, an ...

—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—German politician * August Winter—''General der Gebirgstruppe'' during World War II

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 Military units and formations of Germany German Mountain Troops Mountain troops Army reconnaissance units and formations