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Hochgebirgsjager 4th Battalion History

Unit history:

1st Gebirgsjager Div was established in 1938. It saw active service in southern Poland as part of Army Group South. It was then posted to the Western Front to fight in France, taking a distinctive part in the crossings of the Maas, the Aisne and the Loire Rivers. It was planned that this division would be the basis for the invasion of Great Britain. It fought in the war against Yugoslavia and then moved with other army units to the East for the invasion of Russia. 

The division was part of Army Group South participating in the Uman encirclement and helped capture Stalino and Mius. Later in 1942 as part of the First Panzer Army, it fought in the Donetz region. The 1st Division was one of two that commenced activities into the Caucasus, a very mountainous region on the southern flank of Russia. It saw further action in Serbia in Yugoslavia again and Greece until April 1944, when it moved into Hungary, serving with the Second Panzer Army. The Division surrendered to the Russian forces in the Eastern mountainous region in Austria called Steiermark.

Our unit, the Hochgebirgsjager 4th Battalion, was formed in 1943 from elements of the No.98 Batt of the 1st. Div. These men were already serving in the Caucasus. It was felt there was a need for high alpine jager units to patrol and fight the Russian foe at higher altitudes in the Caucasus. After a period of time in the Caucasus, the Battalion was moved to Italy to help hold the Allied advance in that theatre of the war..

Reenactment unit history

About four years ago I decided it was time to start another Gebirgsjager reenactment group. My family was at that time living in beautiful Te Anau, right in the heart of the Fiordland National Park. I have been a deer stalker for most of my life and being in and enjoying the mountains has been a natural part of my life.
It was not a hard decision to make in terms of which Gebirgsjager unit I was going to depict in my reenactment hobby: The Hochgebirgsjager or High Alpine Jager of course. From these early days, purchasing WWII equipment has been my main focus and at the same time recruiting keen men into the hobby.
We have attended both Wanaka and Omaka Airshows and contribute in the ground theatre displays.