Although my primary interest is with the Gebirgsjäger, I have always had an interest in the Jäger. I understand that during the 3rd Reich era, there were two types of Jäger – 1st, the traditional Jäger that were organized in battalions and assigned to the 2nd, 4th, 10th, 15th, 17th, and 83rd regiments; and 2nd, the infantry regiments that were renamed in 1942 along with all the other infantry regiments to more traditional titles. There are some questions I have of these units that I’ve never been able to resolve.
Traditional Jäger:
1. Was this only a traditional title given to a few infantry battalions? In other words, with the exception of the green waffenfarbe, did the look and behave like standard infantry? Aside from the green waffenfarbe, was there any other distinguishing piece of clothing, equipment, or insignia that differentiated the Jäger from the regular infantry?
2. When the war began, and the German Army increased the number infantry divisions/regiments, did they continue to create more Jäger battalions, or were there only the ones they had at the start?
3. Did the traditional Jäger adopt the new uniform and insignia distinctions for Jäger troops in 1942?
1942 Jäger:
1. I understand that with the conversion from infantry to Light (Leichte) Infantry and then to Jäger, units were to be organized and equipped liked the Gebirgsjäger, with the exception that they were to wear the oak leaf on the cap and coat sleeve. I know that they wore green waffenfarbe, the Bergmütze, Berghosen, and Bergschuhe (I’ve seen pictures and artifacts), but did they receive other distinctive items like: rucksack, wickelgemaschen, and Tragtier equipment (boxes, wicker baskets, etc.)?
2. How long did it take to re-equip these units? Did they make a concerted effort to change the look of these units, or did they wait until a convenient time when the units were being rested/refitted and simply re-supply them as they would a Gebirgsjäger unit?
3. Although the whole division was renamed Jäger, really only the troops in the Jäger regiments were Jäger (with the green waffenfarbe). How complete was the conversion to the other troops in the division (i.e. artillery, pioneer, signals, etc.)? Did they receive Gebirgsjäger uniforms? Did they universally wear the oak leaves?
Traditional Jäger:
1. Was this only a traditional title given to a few infantry battalions? In other words, with the exception of the green waffenfarbe, did the look and behave like standard infantry? Aside from the green waffenfarbe, was there any other distinguishing piece of clothing, equipment, or insignia that differentiated the Jäger from the regular infantry?
2. When the war began, and the German Army increased the number infantry divisions/regiments, did they continue to create more Jäger battalions, or were there only the ones they had at the start?
3. Did the traditional Jäger adopt the new uniform and insignia distinctions for Jäger troops in 1942?
1942 Jäger:
1. I understand that with the conversion from infantry to Light (Leichte) Infantry and then to Jäger, units were to be organized and equipped liked the Gebirgsjäger, with the exception that they were to wear the oak leaf on the cap and coat sleeve. I know that they wore green waffenfarbe, the Bergmütze, Berghosen, and Bergschuhe (I’ve seen pictures and artifacts), but did they receive other distinctive items like: rucksack, wickelgemaschen, and Tragtier equipment (boxes, wicker baskets, etc.)?
2. How long did it take to re-equip these units? Did they make a concerted effort to change the look of these units, or did they wait until a convenient time when the units were being rested/refitted and simply re-supply them as they would a Gebirgsjäger unit?
3. Although the whole division was renamed Jäger, really only the troops in the Jäger regiments were Jäger (with the green waffenfarbe). How complete was the conversion to the other troops in the division (i.e. artillery, pioneer, signals, etc.)? Did they receive Gebirgsjäger uniforms? Did they universally wear the oak leaves?
Comment