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Gebirgsjäger, in English Mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
 Huntsmen
Huntsmen (military)

file:Cacadore leichte Infanterie.jpgHuntsmen are soldiers belonging to units which were traditionally raised from huntsmen and could therefore use their hunting skills as part of their military activity....
, is the German designation for mountain infantry
Mountain warfare

Mountain warfare refers to warfare in the mountains or similarly rough terrain. This type of warfare is also called Alpine warfare, named after the Alps mountains....
. The word Huntsman (Jäger) is the traditional German term for light infantry
Light infantry

Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, Harassment and delaying the enemy advance....
. The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three "Landesschützen" regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Kaiserlich und k?niglich Monarchy was a state in Central Europe ruled by the House of Habsburg, constitutionally a personal union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary....
.






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Gebirgsedelweisscap
Gebirgsjäger, in English Mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
 Huntsmen
Huntsmen (military)

file:Cacadore leichte Infanterie.jpgHuntsmen are soldiers belonging to units which were traditionally raised from huntsmen and could therefore use their hunting skills as part of their military activity....
, is the German designation for mountain infantry
Mountain warfare

Mountain warfare refers to warfare in the mountains or similarly rough terrain. This type of warfare is also called Alpine warfare, named after the Alps mountains....
. The word Huntsman (Jäger) is the traditional German term for light infantry
Light infantry

Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, Harassment and delaying the enemy advance....
. The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three "Landesschützen" regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Kaiserlich und k?niglich Monarchy was a state in Central Europe ruled by the House of Habsburg, constitutionally a personal union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary....
. The mountain infantry of Germany carry on certain traditions of the Alpenkorps
Alpenkorps (German Empire)

The Alpenkorps was a provisional mountain unit of Division size formed by the German Army during World War I. It was considered by the Allies to be one of the best units of the German Army....
 (Alpine corps) of World War I. Both countries' mountain infantry share the Edelweiss
Edelweiss

Edelweiss , is one of the best-known European alpine plants, belonging to the sunflower family . The name comes from German language edel and wei? ....
 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
Italian Campaign (World War I)

The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Kingdom of Italy , along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918....
 in May 1915, the grateful Landesschützen honoured the men of the Alpenkorps by awarding them their own insignia: the Edelweiss
Edelweiss

Edelweiss , is one of the best-known European alpine plants, belonging to the sunflower family . The name comes from German language edel and wei? ....
.

Gebirgsjäger in World War II

.]] During World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 the German Army
German Army

The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Traditionally the German military forces have been composed of the Army, the Deutsche Marine, and an Luftwaffe after World War I....
 and Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS

The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel or SS. It was founded in Germany in 1939 after the SS was split into two units but the title of Waffen-SS only became official on 2 March, 1940....
 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
Edelweiss

Edelweiss , is one of the best-known European alpine plants, belonging to the sunflower family . The name comes from German language edel and wei? ....
 insignia worn on their sleeves and their caps.

Mountain infantry participated in many battles, including Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung

Operation Weser?bung was the code name for Nazi Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during World War II and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign....
, Operation Silver Fox
Operation Silver Fox

Operation Silver Fox was a joint Germany-Finland military operation during World War II. Its main goal was the capture of the key Soviet Union port at Murmansk through attacks from Finnish territory....
, Operation Platinum Fox
Operation Platinum Fox

Operation Platinfuchs was a Germany and Finland military offensive launched during World War II. Platinfuchs took place on the Eastern Front and had the objective of capturing the Barents Sea port of Murmansk....
 and Operation Arctic Fox
Operation Arctic Fox

Operation Arctic Fox was the codename given to a campaign by Nazi Germany and Finland forces during the World War II, against Soviet Union Northern Front defences at Salla, in Finland, in July 1941....
, the operations in the Caucasus
Battle of the Caucasus

The Battle of Caucasus is a name given to a series of German and Soviet operations in the Caucasus area during the Eastern Front ....
, the Gothic Line
Gothic Line

The Gothic Line, also known as Linea Gotica, formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennine Mountains during the fighting retreat of Nazi Germany's forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander,...
, the invasion of Crete
Battle of Crete

The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. The battle began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an Airborne forces of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur ....
 and the battles
Drive to the Siegfried Line

The Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine was one of the final Allies of World War II phases in World War II of the Western Front #1945: Invasion of Germany and Allied victory in Europe....
 in the Vosges
Vosges

This article is about the department of France named Vosges. For the mountain range, see Vosges Mountains.Vosges is a France departments of France, named after the local Vosges Mountains....
 region of France.

Famed Wehrmacht sniper Josef Allerberger
Josef Allerberger

Josef 'Sepp' Allerberger was a Germany sniper in the II Battalion of the 144th Gebirgsj?ger Regiment of the German 3rd Mountain Division on the Eastern Front , and was credited with 257 kills....
 served within the Gebirgsjäger on the Eastern Front.

Gebirgsjäger in the modern German forces

Honouring tradition, upon the creation of the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr is the name of the unified armed forces of the Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. The States of Germany are not allowed to maintain armed forces of their own, since the Constitution determines that matters of defense fall into the sole responsibility of the Federal government....
 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
Bad Reichenhall

Bad Reichenhall 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 Chiemgauer Alps ....
 (Bavaria
Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
). Battalions of these mountain infantry are deployed in southern Bavaria.

List of active mountain infantry in the Bundeswehr :

  • 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
      Mule

      In its common modern meaning, a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.Mules are classified as an F1 hybrid.The term "mule" was formerly applied to the infertile offspring of any two creatures of different species....
      )
  • 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
Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a market town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen , in the Oberbayern region, not far from the border with Austria....
 is one of the most popular military bands in Germany. It performed for the ISAF
International Security Assistance Force

International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security and development mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement ....
 in Kabul
Kabul

Kabul is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of approximately three million. It is an economic and cultural centre, situated 5,900 foot above sea level in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River....
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
 in 2002.

Gebirgsjäger in the modern Austrian forces


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

Innsbruck is the Capital of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn River Valley at the junction with the Wipptal , which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some 30 km south of 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 Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
n mountain infantry.

See also

  • France: Chasseurs Alpins
    Chasseurs alpins

    The Chasseurs Alpins are the elite mountain infantry of the French Army. They are trained to operate in mountainous terrain and in urban warfare....
  • Italy: Alpini
    Alpini

    The Alpini, , are the elite mountain warfare soldiers of the Italian Army. They are currently organized in two operational brigades, which are subordinated to the Alpini Corps Command....
  • Poland: Podhale rifles
    Podhale rifles

    Podhale Rifles 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 Podhale Rifles were pressed into two mountain infantry divisions, the Polish 21st Infantry Division and Polish 22nd Infantry Divisions, as well as into...
  • Romania: Vânatori de Munte
    Vânatori de Munte

    The V?natori de Munte are the elite mountain troops of the Romanian Land Forces. They were first established as an independent Army Corps in 1916 during World War I, and became operational in 1917 under Corpul de Munte designation....


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