The German Mountain Troops in the First World War

The First World War marked the birth of the German mountain troops. Deployed on all fronts, the mountain formations developed into special units of high-alpine warfare, which placed special demands on the soldiers, then as now. During the First World War, for example, German ski soldiers provided close-range and longrange reconnaissance in the wintry Vosges Mountains and later mountain artillerymen brought their guns into position at dizzying heights in the Dolomites. In the impassable terrain of the Romanian forest Carpathians, Jäger battalions and pack-animal columns were able to stay on the enemy’s trail where no one else could. In the process, the versatile mountain soldiers not only defied the enemy, but also the adversities of nature, which took their toll with extreme cold, avalanches and falling rocks.

This book provides a comprehensive account of the development, methods and operations of the German mountain troops in the First World War. In addition to the hitherto largely unexplored history of the first ‘snowshoe’ units, the main focus is on the campaigns in the Dolomites in 1915 and on the Isonzo in 1917. Again and again, eyewitnesses have their say, giving vivid insights into everyday life in the mountains.

On more than 500 pages, this fundamental work also documents details on the uniform and equipment of the mountain troops. Hundreds of contemporary photographs, maps and original objects, some of which have never been shown, from the holdings of the Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt and the Museum of Military History in Rastatt illustrate the book.

Furnished with detailed annotation and bibliographies, the book opens up a wealth of further research possibilities. An extensive document appendix also bundles a large amount of information and data on various mountain formations and thus complements the main text. Details on the formation and composition of important units are listed here.