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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The History of an Elite Fighting Force,
By Mr. Truthteller (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Alpine Elite: German Mountain Troops of World War II (Hardcover)
This book was the first history in English of the mountain troops of the German Army in World War II.The book begins with a brief introduction to the formation of these elite forces, including their special trainning. They were initially drawn from the Alpine and other high mountain regions and Germany and Austria as it was believed that they would have a natural ability to not only fight but live in high mountain territory. When Germany invaded Poland there were three divisions of mountain troops ("Gebirgsjaeger") in the German Army. As the war progressed, the number of divisions expanded (including the raising of several Waffen-SS mountain divisions) and they were broadly used in all theatres. For example, German mountain troops fought in all three Army Groups (North, Center, and South) in the war against the Soviet Union. Although trained to fight and live in high mountain conditions, due to the vagaries of war and their excellent skills and physical conditioning, these troops were more often than not used in other areas. Because of their wide use and dispersement, a history of all the campaigns they fought in would be beyond the scope of a book this size. The author wisely discusses the battlefield experiences and successes of different groups of these warriors in various campaigns from the beginnings of the war in Poland to the bitter end in Austria, in between are accounts of the fighting in Norway, the Balkans, Crete, Russia, Uman, the Caucasus mountains, and Finland. Altogether, the book is a very good general introduction but the writing at times seems a bit dry, as the author concentrates on the fighting and movement of troops at the battalion and divisional level. Included are brief chapters at the end on the Order of Battle, Weapons, Uniforms, and mini-biographies of major figures.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Edelweiss,
By
This review is from: Alpine elite: German mountain troops of World War II (Hardcover)
A former British soldier compiles with loving care information about the German elite Gebirgsjaeger ("mountain") divisions in WWII. The book is dedicated to his wife, Edeltraude. Lucas spots the main paradox right away. These devout Catholic men from a loving and generous part of Austrian society were giving their very best to preserve a devil, who, if he had won, would have destroyed their entire way of life. He hints at an answer in their value system: their professionalism, pride of organization loyalty to each other, and above all their boyish glee in mountain-climbing and performing the seeming impossible. These are the men who, practically for a lark, planted the nazi flag atop the inaccessible Mt. Elbrus, where there were never any enemies. With regard to their ultimate fate against the Russian army, Lucas shrinks back from story-telling. ...The book includes black-and-white photos.
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