1.Gebrigs-Division

Lineage

• Gebirgs-Brigade
• 1.Gebrirgs-Division

Campaigns

• Poland 1939
• Western Campaign 1940
• Balkan Campaign 1941
• Eastern Front 1941-1943
• Balkan/Italian Fronts 1943-1945

History

In September 1939, the 1.Gebirgsjäger-Division took part in the Campaign in Poland as part of ArmeegruppeSüd where it operated in Southern Poland. Operating out of Slovakia, the 1.Gebirgs crossedthe Polish frontier after its sister Division, the 2.Gebirgsjäger-Division,has already crossed the frontiner and started its way inland. The 1.Gebirgs was to the right of the 2.Gebirgs,and once it was through, it headed eastwards, towards the Dulka Pass. The Division fought and capturedthe Dukla Pass in the Carpathian mountains and thereafter began a race to try and take the well defendedcity of Lemberg, over 150 miles to the east. Lemberg, or Lvov in Polish, was a crucial point in themuch larger advance of the entire XVIII.Korps which was tasked with aiding inthe encirclement of all the Polish forces retreating to and already in southern Poland. Therace to the city was spearheaded by a Kampfgruppe of the 1.Gebirgs-Division that consisted offour Kompanies of Jäger with artillery, anti-tank and pionier support. Behind this GebirgsKampfgruppe spearhead was the rest of the Division which would advance behind it on the singleroad leading to Lemberg. The Kampfgruppe reached the approacheds to Lemberg on September 14th andimmediately began to establish lines around the city to prepare for the eventual assault to capturethe it. The rest of the Division following behind arrived shortly after and from the15th until the 20th of September, the 1.Gebirgs-Division fought to hold and expand its linesagainst fierce Polish counter-attacks. The fighting was fierce, and as the Division wasliterally at a point well ahead of any other German units and facing stiff anddetermined Polish attacks, the situation became very tense for the Jäger attacking anddefending in the lines around Lemberg. So fierce in fact was the fighting leading up to andincluding the battles for Lembergthat the Division lost 243 men KIA and 400 WIA, an amazingly large number considering theview that Poland is thought of as a virtual German walk-over. In the end, the1.Gebirgs-Division did not actually storm Lemberg as planned as the Soviet invasion of Polandmade this earlier requirement moot. The capture of the city would likely have been bloody for theDivision though, and as a result of the fierce fighting at the approaches to the city, the Polesdefending it insisted upon surrendering only to the men of the 1.Gebirgs-Division as a sign of theirmutal respect. This took place on September 21st, 1939.

After the Campaign in Poland, the Division was transfered to the Western Front to take part in the Campaign in France. In France, the 1st Gebirgsdistinguished itself in the crossings of the Maas, Aisine and Loire Rivers. After the Campaign in France, the Division was posted to take part in theplanned invasion of Great Britian, and then for the planned invasion of Gibraltar, but in both cases, the planned operations were canceled.

After training for the above two invasions, the Division was transfered to Austria to take part in operations in Yugoslavia.On April 9th, 1941, two years after the Division was formed, it crossed the Yugoslav frontier andfought through central Yugoslavia with the bulk of the German forces.

After the Campaigns in Yugoslavia, the Division took part in the Invasion of the Soviet Union.Moved into the Ukraine as part of XLIX.Gebirgskorps of Heeresgruppe Süd, the Division tookpart in the encirclement of Soviet forces at Uman and the capture of Stalino in late autumn of 1941.The Division then occupied positions around Mius until May of 1942 when it was transferred to theDonetz region under the control of XI.Armeekorps. In the summer of 1942 the1.Gebirgs-Division advanced into the Cacausus as part of the German summer offensive.While fighting in this region the 1.Gebirgs-Division was eventually split into two groups,Division Lanz under the temporary command of General Lanz with major portions of the 4.Gebirgs-Division and the other under Oberst von Le Suire alongside the remaining units of 4.Gebirgs. The secondad-hoc formation of the 1. and 4.Gebirgs under Le Suire fought in the highest positions held by anyunit in all of German military history when the 4300 meter heights of Mt. Elbrus in the deep Caucasus regionwas held by the Gebirgsjäger against repeated Soviet attacks and the harsh high alpine elements.

The Division took part in the fighting withdrawl from the Caucasus region until it was pulled outand posted to Serbia in 1943. For the next many months the Division was transfered from one region to the next, posting from Serbia to Yugoslavia to Greece and then to Corfu. InApril, 1944 the Division was part of OHW/OKH reserve until it was posted to Hungary and then back to the Balkan Region again. In December, 1944the Division was again moved to Hungary where it took part in offensives against the Red Army, and was then moved to the Austrian Region in 1945where it surrendered to the Americans in May of 1945.

Organization

*Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 100 was used to help form the 5.Gebrigs-Division on 11.03.40

Commanders

War Service