Gebirgsjäger: German Mountain Trooper 1939-45 (Warrior) [Paperback]

Gordon Williamson (Author), Darko Pavlovic (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2003 | Series: Warrior (Book 74)

Few branches of the German armed forces were represented on so many fronts as the mountain infantrymen, or Gebirgstruppen. From the Blitzkrieg campaigns of 1940, through the invasions of the Balkans and Russia and the North African campaign, to the defence of the Reich 1944-45, the Gebirgsjäger earned a reputation for reliability and courage. Typically each trooper was a supremely fit individual: the need to cover difficult terrain in full kit, without the back-up of a motorised baggage train, demanded this. This new volume examines the recruitment, training, and combat experiences of the common Gebirgsjäger.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Produced to the very high standard that Osprey books have become known for.

From the Publisher

Insights into the real lives of history's fighting men, packed with full colour illustrations, highly detailed cutaways, exploded artwork of weaponry and armour, and action-packed battle scenes.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (July 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841765538
• ISBN-13: 978-1841765532
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #720,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Promising but a bit Disappointing in Places, October 29, 2006

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gebirgsjäger: German Mountain Trooper 1939-45 (Warrior) (Paperback)

Although the Wehrmacht in the Second World War has been covered fairly well in recent military history, one subject that has not been given much attention is the role of German mountain troops in the conflict. In Osprey's Warrior #74, Gebirgsjäger, veteran author Gordon Williamson attempts to shed some light on this heretofore-neglected topic. Unfortunately, the results are a bit disappointing, although the volume does have some merit.

The author follows the normal format for this series, with sections on recruitment and training, daily life, battle, museums and resources, and bibliography. The color plates by Darko Pavlovic, covering typical Gebirgsjäger uniforms and equipment in 1939-45, are probably the best part of the volume. Although the author does a decent job outlining the development of German mountain troops and some aspects of their training, much of the material seems very reminiscent of earlier volumes on German infantry. While the author does detail some of the specific equipment used by German mountain troops and does provide a rough idea of unit organization, there is no real discussion of the composition of a Mountain Division or even a regiment. At the very least, a detailed look at company and platoon organization and weapons would have been useful.

It is in the section on battle that the author really slips and reveals how little fresh research effort went into this volume. On page 32, the author begins discussing how General Eduard Dietl led the 2nd Gebirgs Division in the assault on Narvik and he continues this for several pages. Unfortunately, Dietl was commander of the 3rd Gebirgs Division and that was the unit sent to Narvik, not the 2nd (which did dispatch a small amount of reinforcements later). It is hard to see how the author could have much such a factual mistake, given the fact that this information is readily available. The author's discussion of mountain infantry operations does improve, but it was hard getting over this early lapse in credibility. Finally, the author diverges onto the subject of SS Mountain infantry and spends 5 pages on these do-nothings, which were low-quality, late-war formations. The author should have remained focus on the elite army mountain units rather than spending considerable space discussing a subject better left to the Osprey volumes on the SS.

Overall, Gebirgsjäger is adequate but a bit disappointing in places. On the plus side, the photographs and color plates are quite good. However, the author's narrative is spotty, sometimes good and other times full of holes or veering off-track. The level of research standing behind this volume is modest, at best.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reference on these elite troops, February 6, 2011

By 

James D. Crabtree "Doc Crabtree" (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gebirgsjäger: German Mountain Trooper 1939-45 (Warrior) (Paperback)

Germany's mountain soldiers were considered especially tough and physically fit. As a result, they often found themselves in combat not just in the mountains but also anywhere where the local environment was especially daunting. In almost all cases they handled themselves well. This book dicusses not just the German army's mountain troops but also those of the SS which were organized later. Unlikely other books of this type there is very little discussion of extended campaigns in which these troops participated. However, this is offset by detailed information about the specialized equipment used by these troops and the excellent artwork produced to illustrate the gebirgsjager in various combat conditions. Well-illustrated with photos as well.

4.0 out of 5 stars A fairly good introduction to this little covered branch of the Werchmant, February 14, 2009

By 

Yoda (Hadera, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gebirgsjäger: German Mountain Trooper 1939-45 (Warrior) (Paperback)

This Osprey book provides a fairly good introduction to this littel written about branch of the German Army. It follows the typical Osprey format for this series (i.e., chapters on recruitment and training, daily life, etc.). The chapters cover their topics fairly well (for a 64 page book). By reading, one gets a good overview of background of these troops, the main weapons they used, etc.). The book is also well illustrated in terms of both photographs of the period showing various topics (i.e., light artillery and infantry weapons) and various color plates showing, in great detail and excellent color (even by Osprey standards) a variety of uniforms (ski, desert, etc.) and equipment used. If you are a figurine builder looking for color schemas to follow this book would fulfill your requirements.

The one weakness of the book, and why it is deserving of a four star instead of a five star rating, involves the combat history presented of the troops. Far too much emphasis is given on asceteric fronts and little known Gerbirgsjager divisions instead of the major divisions and the major fronts. There are about 6 pages of discussion on combat history and about half of those are on Yugoslavia (i.e., independent of rest of Balkans) and on the relatively poor quality of the divisions there. In a short book like this more emphasis should have been placed on the major division's performance and combat histories (or at least divisions that more typified the Gebergsjager).