Gebirgsjäger in afrika ?

[David Lehmann]

Do somenone know if there were german mountain troops in Afrika Korps ?
I know they fought in western Europe, especially Italy, on the eastern front and in Greece, Kreta, in the Balkans ... but were they engaged in north Afrika ? I cannot find evidence of that, although there is seemingly an african badge for mountain troops :

http://www.afrika-korps.de/uniformen.htm

[Andy H]

Gebirgs-Infantrie Regiment (mot) 756 served under 334 Infantry Division in North Africa, that's the nearest I can find to a true Gebirgs unit.

Hi Ho Silver Away

[MadJim]

You beat me chesire!
They fought in Tunisia. The rest of the 334th was a regular infantry unit. I wrote a little article on them for the Europa magazine if anybody is interested.

[Marcus]

MadJim,

Any chance of you posting that article?

/Marcus

[flakbtg500]

Hi Panzermeyer,

Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 756 fought under DAK in Tunisia during 1943.
Fought against Allied in Op. EILBOTE II at the end of January 1943 and supporting TIGER tanks of SCHWERE PANZER-ABTEILUNG 501. In middle of March this unit formed 334. Infanterie-Division (commanded by Col. F. Weber) together at 2 panzergrenadier regiments and one artillery regiment.

Regards
Fabio

[David Lehmann]

Thanks everybody !
I am interested by the article too

By the way lokking fot info about that I discoverde that an other regiment of the same division (754. IR) had a batallion composed of french volunteers called "Phalange Africaine" :

During it's last two months fighting in Africa, the 334.Inf.Division's 754.Inf.Rgt.(mot.) had attached to it a diminutive unit of Vichy French origin called the "Phalange Africaine." This obscure unit had it's start upon the advent of the Anglo-American landings in Nov.1942. Feeling directly threatened by the new Allied threat to it's African domain, Vichy organized a "volunteer" force to aid the Italo-German cause which it initially named the "Legion Imperiale." The first and only Battalion of the grandly named "Legion" was formed as the "Phalange Africaine' with a strength of 300 Frenchmen and 150 Algerian Moslems. It was armed with a mixture of French and German small infantry weapons, while the colonial uniform of the French Army, along with the German stahlhelm and Afrika-korps greatcoat made up it's uniform. It saw brief combat in Tunisia alongside the remnants of "Kampfgruppe Krause" (334.Inf.Div.), and in the last days of April was renamed the "LVF en Tunisie" (Legion Volontaire Francaise in Tunisia). The unit (LVF e.T.) passed into captivity alongside the rest of the Axis forces in North Africa on May 8, 1943

[K.Kocjancic]

Is there any info on combat efficiency of the Gebirgsjäger in Africa?

[CNE503]

I believe that one company in Sonderverband 288 was a Gebirgsjäger one. I think that some men of this company were sent from Greece by airlift as reinforcements in Bardia in November 1941. Sonderverband 288 later fought in Egypt and became Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Afrika" under 90. Leichte Division sometimes in 1942.

Concerning their efficiency:
1) If I'm not mistaken, I think that the Gebirgsjäger Regiment 756 defended effectively the strategic location of "Long Stop Hill" against the British 78th Infantry Division;
2) Gebirgsjäger or not, these soldiers were firstly infantrymen able to operate as infantrymen. I don't think that they should have been better or worse than anyone else. The speciality is rarely a sign of prowess, training, officers and NCOs value, motivation are. In this case, they seem to have been as good a unit as others in the Panzerarmee "Afrika", especially when involved in a defensive fight on rugged terrain in Tunisia.

Cheers,

CNE503

[HakiBey]

Hello and thanks for allowing me to join. My father was stationed in Africa as a Gebirgsjaeger. He was a Second Lt. in SV 288.I am just trying to figure out how to post properly...please bear with me.