The following brief overview of the
Jäger is based on the work of Hermann Cron, the 2nd part of the
article is based on research by Hartwig Busche
The Jäger Battalions
The Prewar Jäger Battalions
consisted usually of men who were or were destined to become, foresters. During
the war this changed and men from other walks of life joined the Jäger but even
then the Jäger recruits were above average material compared to other branches
of the army.
As the war progressed they were used
tactically in the same role as the infantry, their special fields of knowledge
seldom being called for. At the beginning of the war, attached to Cavalry
Divisions, they usually had a Bicycle company and a Motor pool to give them
mobility. Later in the war the mountains became the domain of the Jäger.
Fighting in Tirol, the Karpathans and the Italian Alps gave the incentive to
create Jäger Divisions while Jäger Regiments served in Macedonia.
At the outbreak of the war the four
Company Jäger Battalions superficially resembled the Infantry Battalions, but
the Jägers had double the number of Ammunition wagons, They had their own machine Gun Company, a
Bicycle company and a Jäger Kraftwagen Kolonne with 10 Vehicles, giving them
more mobility and firepower than an infantry battalion.
The 1st and 2nd
Bavarian Jäger battalions started the war without their own machine Gun
Companies and the reserve Jäger battalions in 1914 had no Machine Guns, no
Bicycle Company and no trucks. Later in the war they would get a machine Gun
Company.
There were no Landwehr or Landsturm
Jäger units. Left: The Stereotypical Jäger, at home in the forest
In 1915 the active Jäger battalions
received a 2nd Bicycle Company and in August 1916 all Jäger
Battalions were increased to having two Machine Gun companies and a Minenwerfer
Company with 8 light Minenwerfer. In 1917 the Bicycle Companies were removed to
form Bicycle battalions and were no longer considered Jäger.
The following section borrows
heavily from Busche’s Formationsgeschichte and explains where the Jäger
Battalions disappeared to…
Amalgamation and Evolution of the
Jäger Battalions
In May of 1915 the process of
amalgamating Jäger and Reserve Jäger Battalions into newly created Jäger
Regiments began.
The loss of independence was not
appreciated by all Jäger battalion commanders, but the restructuring was born
of tactical necessity. To justify their existence in the age of mass troop
concentrations the Jäger Battalions had to sacrifice part of their traditional
tactical autonomy/initiative.
For the rest of the army it was a
big advantage. In the Kavallerie Divisions the Jäger Regiments became the
Divisional commander’s new muscle. In the Infantry and Reserve Divisions they
shared the trials and tribulations which came with being a fixed part of a
frontline division. In the divisions in the Vogesen the Jäger were the young
blood, the raiders and assault troops who livened up sectors occupied by older
Landwehr and Landsturm troops. The Jäger Regiment commanders were usually
younger than their infantry counterparts.
Throughout the war the Jäger
Battalions succeeded by in large in maintaining their elite status. This was
accomplished not only by the better than average recruits, but also by their
experience at mountain warfare where they fought in the Vogesen, the Alps, the
Karpathans as well as in Romania, Serbia and Macedonia.
The following Jäger Regiments were set up in 1915
Bayer. Jäger
Regiment Nr. 1 The Regiment was formed in May 1915
as part of the Alpenkorps. The Regiment had just one M.G. company per Battalion
as M.G. Gebirgs Formations were usually attached to the regiment. The first commander of the Regiment
was Major Paulus from the 4. b.I.R.
Left: 2 members of the 2nd Bavarian Jäger Battalion from Aschaffenburg
Jäger
Regiment Nr. 2 The Regiment was formed in May 1915
as part of the Alpenkorps. The Regiment had just one M.G. company per Battalion
as M.G. Gebirgs Formations were usually attached to the regiment. The first commander of the Regiment
was Oberstleutnant von Götze (ex Jg.-Btl.-Nr. 8, killed in an accident in May
1915)
Jäger Bataillon Nr. 10 (Major von Rauch), Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 10
(Major von Lattorf), Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 14 (Major von Krahmer-Möllenberg)
Jäger Regiment Nr. 3 The Regiment was originally formed
in May 1915 as part of the Alpenkorps.
The core of the regiment were the
bayerisches Schneeschuh Bataillon I and the Schneeschuh Bataillon II. Each of
these had four Companies. In April 1915
Schneeschuh Bataillon II was split into two Battalions, each with three
companies. The Schneeschuh Bataillon I became I.
/ Jäger Regt. Nr. 3 while the Scheeschuh Bataillon II formed the II./ Jäger
Regt. Nr. 3 and III./ Jäger Regt. Nr. 3. The fourth battalion, IV./ Jäger Regt.
Nr. 3 was formed from the 4. Komp. of the I. Bataillon along with members of
the Ersatz Abteilung and select members of the Bavarian Landwehr Infantry
Regiments active in the Vogesen. By Juli 1915 each Battalion had an
active strength of 24 Officers and 1013 other ranks. The original Regimental commander
was Oberstleutnant Dürr.
The Battalion Commanders
I. Oberstleutnant Steinitzer, II. Hauptmann d. Res. Paulcke, III.
Hauptmann d. L. Ziegenmeyer, IV. Hauptmann von Winckler
Jäger-Regiment
Nr. 4
The Regiment was formed on the 4th of July 1916 Jäger Bataillon Nr. 11, Reserve
Jäger Bataillon Nr. 5, Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 5 It was part of the 200th
Infantry Division, original commander Oberstleutnant Lehmann from Jäger-Bataillon
Nr. 9 )
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 5
The Regiment was formed in July 1916 Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 17,
Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 18, Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 23 It was part of the 200th
Infantry Division, original commander Oberstleutnant Thümmel from I.R. 145)
Jäger Regiment Nr. 6
The Regiment was formed in July 1916 Jäger Bataillon Nr. 5, Jäger Bataillon Nr. 6, Jäger Bataillon Nr. 14
In September 1916 the Jäger
Bataillon Nr. 14 left the regiment and resumed its independent status, the
Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 2 joined the regiment in April 1917)
Left: a member of the 14th Jäger Battalion
It was part of the 195th
Infantry Division, original commander Major von Koecknitz from I.R. 152
Sächsisches
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 7
The Regiment was formed in August 1916 Sächsisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 13, Sächsisches Reserve Jäger- Bataillon
Nr. 25, Sächsisches Reserve Jäger- Bataillon Nr. 26 It was part of the 197th Infantry
Division, original commander Oberst Pudor from I.R. 172
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 8
The regiment was formed in August
1916 Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 4, Reserve
Jäger Bataillon Nr. 16,
Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 24 It was part of the 195th
Infantry Division, original commander Major Freiherr von Meerscheidt-Hüllesem
from I.R. 136
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 9
Originally formed in Galizien August
1916 as “Regiment Veith” (Commander of the Ulanen Regiment Nr. 14) it was
renamed Jäger Regiment Nr. 9 Jäger Bataillon Nr. 8, Sächsisches Reserve Jäger- Bataillon Nr. 12, I/
Landwehr Infanterie Regiment Nr. 15 In Novemeber 1916 the L.I.R. Nr.15
Battalion left the regiment and was replaced in 1917 by the Sächsisches Reserve
Jäger- Bataillon Nr. 13. Later in 1917 the Regiment was disbanded. The Jäger
Bataillon Nr. 8 Became independent once again while the 2 Saxon Battalions
joined Jäger-Regiment Nr. 10 It was part of the 199th Infantry
Division, original commander Major von Notz of the XX. Armee Korps.
Sächsisches Jäger-Regiment Nr. 10
The regiment was formed in 1917 as
part of the 11. Armee in Mazedonia Sächsisches Reserve Jäger- Bataillon Nr. 12, Sächsisches Reserve Jäger-
Bataillon Nr. 13 The Regiment was attached to the 11.
Armee, the commander was Oberst von Carlowitz
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 11
The Regiment was formed in October
1917 on the Italian front. The regimental staff was the staff of the Dragoner
Nr. 4 Garde Reserve Jäger Bataillon, Garde Reserve Schützen Bataillon, Jäger
Bataillon Nr. 1 The Regiment was part of the
Deutsche Jäger Division, the commander was Oberstleutnant Freiherr von
Bettendorf
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 12
The Regiment was formed in October
1917 on the Italian front. The regimental staff was the staff of the Ulanen
Regiment Nr. 2 Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 2, Reserve Jäger
Bataillon Nr. 1, Jäger Bataillon Nr. 12 (from 1.12.1917) The Regiment was part of the
Deutsche Jäger Division, the commander was Oberstleutnant von Pappritz of the
Ulanen Regiment Nr. 2
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 13
The Regiment was formed in October
1917 on the Italian front. The regimental staff was the staff of the 8.
bayerische Chevauleger-Regiment Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 8,
Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 20, Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 21 The Regiment was part of the
Deutsche Jäger Division, the commander was Oberstleutnant von Bibra of the 8,
bayerische Chevauleger-Regiment
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 14
The Regiment was formed in May 1918,
the staff came from the disbanded R.I.R. 233 Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 15,
Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 19, Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 22 The regiment came under the command
of the 101. Reserve Infanterie Brigade, the commander was Oberstleutnant
Riesenthal of the Reserve Infanterie Regiment 233
Bayerisches
Reserve-Jäger-Regiment Nr. 15
Formed in August 1918 in the Caucasus as the Kaukasisches Jäger-Regiment Nr. 1. It
consisted of the bayerisches Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon and freshly trained
released POWs who were formed into a Bahn-Schütz-Bataillon. On the 20th of September
they were renamed b. Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 15 which consisted of a staff
and the two battalions. The Regiment was commanded by Major Scheuring from the
8. B.I.R.
The 29. B.I.R. (Jg.-R.) was an
anomaly. Formed in 1916 with the Bayerisches Reserve Jäger Bataillon Nr. 1, IV.
Batl. bayerisches Reserve Infanterie Regiment Nr. 4 and the III./Reserve
Infanterie Regiment Nr. 79 as the 29. B.I.R. In October 1916 the IV./b.R.I.R.
Nr. 4 left to join the 25. B.I.R. and the III./R.I.R. Nr. 79 joined the R.I.R.
440.
The Staff and the b. Res. Jäg. Btl.
Nr. 1 (designated as III. Batl.) left for Romanian where they were joined by
the Res.-Jg.-Btl. Nr. 7 (Designated I.
Batl.) and the Res.-Jg.-Batl. Nr. 9 (Designated II. Batl.). In November 1917 it
was renamed “29. b.I.R. (Jäger-Regiment)”
In August 1918 the b. Res. Jäg. Btl.
Nr. 1 left to form the b. Jäger-Regiment Nr. 15
The commander of the 29. B.I.R.
(Jäger Regiment) was Oberst Aschauer of the 8. B.I.R. the battalion commander I./
Major von der Gröben , II./ Hauptmann Schneider , III. / Major Scheuring.
Jäger Bataillon Nr. 27
Another anomaly was the Jäg.-Batl.
Nr 27, essentially established to train Finish recruits for their war of
independence. The first volunteers arrived in the Lockstedter Lager training
grounds in February 1915. By the end of August the numbers had reached 1 000
men. The Training unit was renamed Jäger Bataillon Nr. 27 in May 1916. It
consisted of four Jäger Companies, 1 Pionier Company, 1 MG Company, 1 Section
of light Field Howitzers and a band. The battalion was under the command of the
Stv. General Kommando of the IX. Armee Korps. The original commander was Major
Max Bauer who had left by the time the unit was disbanded in February 1918.
Above: Men of the 11th Jäger battalion and what seems to be a member of the 24th Reserve Jäger battalion, missing the "R" on his helmet cover
Overview of the Jäger Battalions
Garde-Jäger-Bataillon Independent Garde-Schützen-Bataillon Independent Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 1 1917
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 11 Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 2 1917 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 12 Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 3 1918 Jäger-Sturm-Bataillon Nr. 3 Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 4 Ostsee-Division Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 5 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 6 Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 6 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 6 Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 7 1917 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 12 Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 8 Independent Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 9 Independent Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 10 1915 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 2 Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 11 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 4 s. Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 12 s.
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 10 s. Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 13 1916 s. Jäger-Regiment Nr. 7 Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 14 Independent Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 27 1918 Disbanded Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 31 1916 Küstenschutz, immobil (s. S. 90) 1. b. Jäger-Bataillon 1915 b. Jäger-Regiment Nr. 1 2. b. Jäger-Bataillon 1915 b. Jäger-Regiment Nr. 1 Garde-Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon 1917 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 11 Garde-Reserve-Schützen-Bataillon 1917 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 11 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 1 1917 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 12 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 2 1917 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 6 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 3 Independent Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 4 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 8 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 5 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 4 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 6 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 4 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 7 1918 29. b. I.R. (Jg.-R.) Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 8 1917 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 13 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 9 1918 29. b. I.R. (Jg.-R.) Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 10 1915 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 2 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 11 Independent s. Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 12 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 9 s. Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 13 1917 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 9 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 14 1915 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 2 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 15 1918 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 14 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 16 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 8 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 17 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 5 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 18 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 5 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 19 1918 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 14 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 20 1917 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 13 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 21 1917 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 13 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 22 1918 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 14 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 23 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 5 Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 24 1916 Jäger-Regiment Nr. 8 s. Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 25 1916 s. Jäger-Regiment Nr. 7 s. Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 26 1916 s. Jäger-Regiment Nr. 7 b. Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 1 1918 29.
b. I.R. (Jg.-R.) b. Reserve-Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 2 1915 b.
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 1
The following Jäger Regiments were set up in 1915
Jäger-Regiment Nr. 11
