Schneeschuh-Brigade

[Hardigan]

Hello all

I'm looking for info on the Schneeschuh-Brigade , Can't find any info ! Was it part of a Division and was there just one ?

Thanks

Hardigan

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[cerial killer]

I think the Schneeschuh-Brigade was the WW I version of the first German Gebirgsjäger, and not a WWII unit.
As far as I recall the Schneeschuh-Brigade was an independant unit.

[Hardigan]

Here you can see that General der Infanterie Johannes Mayer was one of the Kdrs. of the Schneeschuh-Brigade in '42

http://www.geocities.com/%7Eorion47/

[Dieter Zinke]

Because of actuel events I want to ask again.
This unit remains a mystery, I can nowhere find any further information concerning the historical background and the detailed configuration.
I' m helpless.

Dieter Z.

[Bernd R]

Me too ! Am I correct stating that this unit is mentioned only in connection with the command of Gen. Dr. Dr. Johannes Mayer ? Time period Jan - March 1942. And we are speaking about the area of Heeresgruppe Nord ?
A whole Brigade !! Winter 1941/42 is the time of the first pure Ski-Bataillon ever, the Schle(e)brügge Btl., formed out of the Hochgebirgsjägerschule. First hypothesis : this Brigade has nothing to do with Ski.

Bernd

[Dieter Zinke]

Me too ! Am I correct stating that this unit is mentioned only in connection with the command of Gen. Dr. Dr. Johannes Mayer ? Time period Jan - March 1942. And we are speaking about the area of Heeresgruppe Nord ?
A whole Brigade !! Winter 1941/42 is the time of the first pure Ski-Bataillon ever, the Schle(e)brügge Btl., formed out of the Hochgebirgsjägerschule. First hypothesis : this Brigade has nothing to do with Ski.

Bernd

That' s exactly my mind. But I can find nowhere any information about the unit under the command of Dr. rer. pol. Dr.-Ing. Johannes Mayer.

Dieter Z.

[Harri]

To me this somehow "sounds similar" to the "Bergschuh-Division" (7. Geb.Division). This nickname is said to be derived from the division emblem which was a mountain boot (Bergschuh).

It could well be some ad hoc combat group formed during the Soviet winter attack in 1941/42.

The questions:

1. Was there any unit with a snowshoe (Schneeschuh) unit emblem? I think too this name has nothing to do with ski troops because snowshoes can be basically used instead of skis, not together with them. Somehow this name would hint to the mountain troops (or there is spelling mistake).

2. Which unit Johannes Mayer led or which post had then? I mean the odd winter outershoes Germans used may be the starting point of this nickname?

[Dieter Zinke]

2. Which unit Johannes Mayer led or which post had then? I mean the odd winter outershoes Germans used may be the starting point of this nickname?

The commands of Dr. Dr. Johannes Mayer:
06.02.1940 Kommandeur des Infanterie-Regiments 501
16.01.1942 Kommandeur der Schneeschuh-Brigade
22.03.1942 mit der Führung der 329. Infanterie-Division beauftragt


Dieter Z.

[Simon Orchard]

With both the 290 ID (IR 510) and the 329 ID being part of the X armeekorps around the period of interest it would not seem illogical to look more closely at the X armeekorps Jan-Mar. '42. So NARA microfilm roll T314-459 looks promising as well as perhaps 457 and 458.

[Bernd R]

I started with a wikipedia entry about Johannes Mayer and a Schneeschuh-Kampfgruppe. Don't want to work with this mainly of course. Further digging resulted in the following which surely is to confirm with other references but I think it is not that uncorrect and a base for further research.

We are south of STARAJA RUSSA with X. Armee-Korps. West of the Demjansk pocket. After splitted off from the II. AK (pocket) the X. AK gathered various troops, one unit apparently was

Sicherungs-Regiment Mayer ; or Gruppe Mayer

I conclude that this unit is identical to the so-called Schneeschuh-Brigade .
Grp. Mayer (Kdr. Dr. Dr. Johannes Mayer) took part also in the relief of Demjansk - Unternehmen "Brückenschlag" - with the task to cover the right flank. Task before "Partisanenbekämpfung".
A map : http://www.ne.jp/asahi/wwii/panzer/imag ... mjansk.jpg
One example for a mentioning of Sich.Rgt. Mayer : http://www.manns-world.de/126ste/daten_ ... ionen.html

Dieter, interestingly SS-Staf. Hellmuth Becker took over from Mayer. That's one for you.

So, what would be perfect : Demjansk experts who can add and go on here ? There has to be something in the literature.

And the question : more info about the Sich.Rgt. / Gruppe Mayer would be fine. And how did it happen that the unit was called Schneeschuh-Brigade also ? NARA material on X. AK is one chance to find answers, Yes.

Best regards
Bernd

[Simon Orchard]

Or of course the orignals at BAMA for those of you with easier access to it. In any case it would seem a reasonable amount of material from the Korps Ia including Kriegsgliederungen remain.