Finnish Jaegers

[subskipper]

What was the main differences between the regular forces and the Jaeger units in terms of training and equipment and such? What was the primary missions for the Jaegers (reccon??, disruption of enemy lines of cummunication??)?



~Henric Edwards

[Rasputin17]

I think the Jaegers were the elite formations of the Infantry. Today there exist two different types of Infantry formations in the Finnish Army - Infantry and Jaegers, the Jaegers being the elite.

Regards

Martin

[Tiwaz]

From what I learned in the army....

Main difference between Jaeger and Infantry is that Jaeger company is 1-2 squads smaller but much more mechanized. Jaegers have more trucks and other toys to move them around.

That is current system.

Not sure how it was before but I'll see if I can dig some info about it.

[subskipper]

I'm looking for info on the ww2 era jaegers but any insight into the present system is of course interesting too.




~Henric Edwards

[Antti V]

I think jaegers have seen always more elite troops than any other troops in Finnish army.

Historically Jaegers are seen as elite of Finnish army due those 2000 men who went to Germany in 1915 and returned Finland 2 years later as men of German JR 27. They trained and leaded Finnish army in Civil War (white troops) and WW2.

So I think that their name does include something magical which "makes" them better than others. Maybe they are also better trained than other units of Finnish army (hardly), but they do have anyway better toys than other kids in block do have

[subskipper]

Thank you Antti!



~Henric Edwards

[JTV]

I think jaegers have seen always more elite troops than any other troops in Finnish army.

Historically Jaegers are seen as elite of Finnish army due those 2000 men who went to Germany in 1915 and returned Finland 2 years later as men of German JR 27. They trained and leaded Finnish army in Civil War (white troops) and WW2.

So I think that their name does include something magical which "makes" them better than others. Maybe they are also better trained than other units of Finnish army (hardly), but they do have anyway better toys than other kids in block do have

Germans established Prussian Jaeger Battalion 27 from Finnish volunteers at 1915. When Finnish Senate (Finnish legal government) asked its men to be returned to be used in Finnish White Army during Finnish Civil War of 1918 Germans brought that unit back from Eastern front and disestablished it. In Finland Mannerheim spread them around White Army to be used as officers and NCOs (White Army had serius shortage of trained officers and NCOs before this). Large amount of ex-Prussian Jaeger Battalion 27 men made military career in Finnish Army after 1918 war, during WW2 large number of them served as battalion, regiment, brigade, division and army corps commanders.

Basically jaeger battalions were light infantry that acted as bicycle infantry during summer and as ski-infantry during winter. Roots of jaeger battalions were in bicycle battalions established at 1920's, these were renamed to jaeger battalions at late 1930's (this process was not yet complete when Winter War started, but become complete before start of Continuation War).

During WW2 Finnish Army had 5 - 6 jaeger battalions (6th was established at 1942). They had only young and physically fit men (while Finnish infantry regiments had men of various ages and physical shapes), this combined with hard training and battle experience soon made them elite. Speciallyin the Continuation War jaeger battalions of Jaeger Brigade (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th) were certainly elite. From the other two (they were in Cavalry Brigade) the 1st was elite but I am not so sure if 6th could be described as elite or just "very good" (lot of new recruites with no battle experience at the start).

Regimental and battalional HQs of each infantry regiment also had one jaeger platoon directly under their command. These also had typically the best quality soldiers and were used as "fire-brigades" of those HQs. Mainly they were specialised in attacks and counter-attacks. They also typically also had very large casuality rates, as they usually got the most dangerous missions.

JTV (who served at Karelian Jaeger Battalion of Finnish Army 1992 - 1993).

BTW: I don't think its just the best "toys" even nowadays. In mobilisation the jaeger brigades would be formed from men of younger age-groups then infantry brigades and local troops (younger men tend to be more physically fit and healthier as an average). Combine this with best "toys" and some of the old "jaeger spirit" (troops that think they are elite, try to act accordingly) and you will have all the basic building blocks needed to make troops that have good likelyhood of becoming elite in battle. I don't think that any troops can be actually called "elite", unless they have been seen battle and succeeded well in that. (Its the real battle that finally makes troops elite or not, as battle experience and how well troops do in battles are the final factors in this equation). Hopefully we never have to test if the Jaeger Brigades of today could become elite or not.

[subskipper]

Thank you JTV!

As always a very good post.




~Henric Edwards

[Dan]

Very nice post indeed, and thanks

Warm regards
Dan

[Rasputin17]

Hi everybody

Can someone please give me info on the Finnish Jaeger Brigade, how it was organizted, its commanders and its history.

Thanks

Martin

[Antti V]

Hi everybody

Can someone please give me info on the Finnish Jaeger Brigade, how it was organizted, its commanders and its history.

Thanks

Martin

You mean Finnish Jaegers in Germany 1915-1917? If so, here is something in English:
http://www.pp.clinet.fi/~pkr01/history/lockstdt.html

[Rasputin17]

I actually meant the Jaegers in WW2
But thanks for the info

Martin

[JTV]

I actually meant the Jaegers in WW2
But thanks for the info

Martin

That was during Continuation War (1941 - 1944).

Basically it just had:
- Brigade HQ & supply units
- 2nd Jaeger Battalion
- 3rd Jaeger Battalion
- 4th Jaeger Battalion
- 5th Jaeger Battalion
- Panzer-Jaeger Battalion (=AT-gun battalion)
- Signal Company

Check this page from my site:
http://www.ankkurinvarsi.net/jaeger/FORMATIONS4.htm

In each jaeger Battalion:
- All jaeger battalions had 3 rifle companies and 1 MG-company.

- Rifle companies of Jaeger battalions had 4 platoons and each platoon had 4 squads, each squad had 9 men (weaponry of each squad 2 or 3 Suomi SMGs + 6 or 7 Mosin-Nagant rifles)

- MG-company had 3 platoons of that each had 4 machineguns (7.62 mm) and at-platoon which had at-rifles, satchel charges or panzerfausts+panzerschrecks

- Jaeger Battalion also had light mortar platoon, in TO&E it had 3 mortars of 81 - 82 mm, but in reality often having just one 81 or 82 mm mortar or even captured 50 mm mortars were favored (this allowed the mortar crew to carry more mortar shells with them).

[subskipper]

JTV,

I just got to tell you that I have saved all of your posts (together with others posted by our Finnish experts) and now have a almost 10 page long Word document about various parts of the Finnish armed forces in ww2.




~Henric Edwards