Hitler’s mountain troops or Gebirgsjager were a group of elite soldiers ready
for battle, whatever the conditions. These mountain men were trained to ski,
climb and endure long marches, survive appalling conditions and were given a
role as crack shock troops. Yet many of the campaigns in which the Gebirgsjager
fought were on level ground where they had little opportunity to demonstrate
their unique skills. Instead, they were invariably employed as assault infantry
in conventional battle, a role in which every individual trooper excelled, but
not one for which they had been trained. They fought in virtually all theatres
of World War, notably on the Eastern Front, where operations took them into the
Caucasus. The Gebirgsjager were proud to wear the Edelweiss, the famous badge
that set them apart and distinguished them as Hitler’s mountain men. This superb
book shows the Gebirgsjager in training and action from Poland, Norway and
France, through Yugoslavia, the Eastern Front and in the closing stages of the
War.
