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Gebirgsjäger

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File:GebirgsEdelweisscap.jpg
The Edelweiss Insignia

Template:Foreignchar Gebirgsjäger, in English Mountain Huntsmen, is the German designation for mountain infantry. The word Huntsman (Jäger) is the traditional German term for light infantry. The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three "Landesschützen" regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The mountain infantry of Germany carry on certain traditions of the Alpenkorps (Alpine corps) of World War I. Both countries' mountain infantry share the Edelweiss insignia. It was established in 1907 as a symbol of the Austro-Hungarian Landesschützen regiments by Emperor Franz Joseph I. These troops wore their edelweiss on the collar of their uniforms. When the Alpenkorps came to aid the Landesschützen in defending Austro-Hungary's southern frontier against the Italian attack in May 1915, the grateful Landesschützen honoured the men of the Alpenkorps by awarding them their own insignia: the Edelweiss.

Gebirgsjäger in World War II

File:Gebirgsjäger (poster).jpg
WWII Postcard

During World War II the German Army and Waffen-SS raised a number of mountain infantry units.

An entire corps was formed in Norway by 1941. Its divisions were lightly equipped, with much of the transport provided by mules. These mountain infantry were equipped with fewer automatic weapons than regular infantry, however the machine gunners were provided with more ammunition than their infantry counterparts. Mountain infantry were identified by the edelweiss insignia worn on their sleeves and their caps.

Mountain infantry participated in many battles, including Operation Weserübung, Operation Silver Fox, Operation Platinum Fox and Operation Arctic Fox, the operations in the Caucasus, the Gothic Line, the invasion of Crete and the battles in the Vosges region of France.

Famed Wehrmacht sniper Josef Allerberger served within the Gebirgsjäger on the Eastern Front.

Gebirgsjäger in the modern German forces

Honouring tradition, upon the creation of the Bundeswehr in 1956, the mountain infantry returned as a distinctive arm of the German army. Until 2001, they were organized as the 1. Gebirgsdivision, but this division was disbanded in a general reform. The successor unit is Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 which has its headquarters in Bad Reichenhall (Bavaria). Battalions of these mountain infantry are deployed in southern Bavaria.

List of active mountain infantry in the Bundeswehr as of 2007:

  • Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23
    • Stab und Stabskompanie (HQ & HQ Company)
    • Gebirgsjägerbataillon 231 (Mountain infantry)
    • Gebirgsjägerbataillon 232 (Mountain infantry)
    • Gebirgsjägerbataillon 233 (Mountain infantry)
    • Gebirgsaufklärungsbataillon 230 (Reconnaissance bataillon)
    • Gebirgsfernmeldebataillon 210 (Signal bataillon)
    • Gebirgspionierbataillon 8 (Combat engineer bataillon)
    • Gebirgslogistikbataillon 8 (Logistic bataillon)
    • Ausbildungszentrum für Gebirgstragtierwesen 230 (company-sized training center for transport mules)
  • Gebirgs- und Winterkampfschule (international training center for mountain area and winter warfare)
  • Gebirgsmusikkorps (Mountain troops military band)
  • Gebirgssanitätsregiment (Mountain medical support regiment)

The Gebirgsmusikkorps from Garmisch-Partenkirchen is one of the most popular military bands in Germany. It performed for the ISAF in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2002.

Gebirgsjäger in the modern Austrian forces

Today the traditions of the Austrian mountain infantry are maintained by the 6th Jägerbrigade in Innsbruck with the

  • Jägerbataillon 23
  • Jägerbataillon 24
  • Jägerbataillon 26

Traditions

The soldiers of the mountain infantry wear a grey cap (“Bergmütze”) with an edelweiss on its left side. This distinguishes them from all other German army soldiers who wear berets. The formal uniform, which is based on traditional skiing outfits, is also different from the standard German military uniform, and consists of ski jacket, stretch trousers and ski boots.

The “Kaiserjägermarsch” (March of the Kaiserjäger) from 1914 is the traditional military march of the German and Austrian mountain infantry.

See also

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