The 1st Mountain Division (german: 1. Gebirgs-Division) was an elite formation of the German ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

'' during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and is remembered for its involvement in multiple large-scale war crimes. It was created on 9 April 1938 in Garmisch Partenkirchen from the Mountain Brigade (german: Gebirgs Brigade) which was itself formed on 1 June 1935. The division consisted mainly of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

ns and some

Austrians , pop = 8–8.5 million , regions = 7,427,759 , region1 = , pop1 = 684,184 , ref1 = , region2 = , pop2 = 345,620 , ref2 = , region3 = , pop3 = 197,990 , ref3 ...

Poland and France

The 1st Mountain Division fought in the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

as a part of

Army Group South Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group So ...

and distinguished itself during fighting in the Carpathians and at Lwów. On 8 September 1939 in Rozdziel village its soldiers committed a war crime (killing 6 civilians and 3 POWs, burning houses) and attempting to execute another 250 civilians. It subsequently took part in the Battle of France as a part of XVIII Army Corps and was selected to take part in the planned operations against the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

(

Operation Sea Lion Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion (german: Unternehmen Seelöwe), was Nazi Germany's code name for the plan for an invasion of the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. Following the Battle o ...

) and

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

( Operation Felix) but both operations were cancelled. With ''Felix'' cancelled, the division took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941 as part of the 2nd Army.

Eastern Front and Balkans

The 1st Mountain Division participated in

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

, (the invasion of the Soviet Union). On 30 June, the division captured

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...

. There, the Germans discovered several thousand bodies of prisoners who had been executed by the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

, as they could not be evacuated. The 1st Mountain Division continued its advance into the Soviet Union, participating in the breakthrough of the Stalin Line and the advance to the

Dniepr } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and ...

and

Mius The Mius (, ) is a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Миус< ...

rivers. In May 1942, the division fought in the Second Battle of Kharkov and then participated in the offensive through southern Russia and into the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

(

Operation Edelweiss The Battle of the Caucasus is a name given to a series of Axis and Soviet operations in the Caucasus area on the Eastern Front of World War II. On 25 July 1942, German troops captured Rostov-on-Don, Russia, opening the Caucasus region of t ...

). In a symbolic propaganda move, the division sent a detachment to raise the German flag on Mount Elbrus on 21 August. Although the feat was widely publicized by Goebbels, Hitler was furious over what he called "these crazy mountain climbers," his rage lasting for hours. However, by December 1942 with Soviet forces en-circling the 6th Army at Stalingrad, the 1st Mountain Division, as part of the 17th Army, was ordered to withdraw to the

Kuban bridgehead The Kuban Bridgehead (german: Kuban-Brückenkopf), also known as the "Goth's head position" (), was a German military position on the Taman Peninsula, Russia, between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Existing from January to October 1943, the ...

. In April 1943, the division was posted to Yugoslavia, where it participated in the anti-Partisan offensive named Case Black, and later

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

where it took part in anti- partisan operations. In November 1943, the division returned to Yugoslavia, where it took part in operations

Operation Kugelblitz Operation Kugelblitz ("ball lightning") was a major anti- Partisan offensive orchestrated by German forces in December 1943 during World War II in Yugoslavia. The Germans attacked Josip Broz Tito's Partisan forces in the eastern parts of the Ind ...

, Schneesturm and Waldrausch. In March 1944, the division was engaged in the

Operation Margarethe Operation Margarethe (''Unternehmen Margarethe'') was the occupation of Hungary by German Nazi troops during World War II that was ordered by Adolf Hitler. Course of events Hungarian Prime Minister Miklós Kállay, who had been in office from ...

(German occupation of Hungary). After Operation Rübezahl in Yugoslavia in August 1944, the division took part in defensive fighting against the Red Army in the Belgrade Offensive, and suffered severe losses. During the operation, the division commander, General Stettner, was killed in the battle on 17 October on

Avala Avala ( sr-cyr, Авала, ) is a mountain in Serbia, overlooking Belgrade. It is situated in the south-eastern corner of the city and provides a great panoramic view of Belgrade, Vojvodina and Šumadija, as the surrounding area on all sides ...

mountain near Belgrade. In late November, it was transferred in Baranja, to the most endangered spot of the German defense. It was renamed ''1. Volks-Gebirgs-Division'' in March 1945. Its final major operations were near

Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and ...

(

Operation Spring Awakening Operation Spring Awakening (german: Unternehmen Frühlingserwachen) was the last major German offensive of World War II. The operation was referred to in Germany as the Plattensee offensive and in the Soviet Union as the Balaton defensive operati ...

) against the

3rd Ukrainian Front The 3rd Ukrainian Front (Russian: Третий Украинский фронт) was a Front of the Red Army during World War II. It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southweste ...

. Two months later the division surrendered to the Americans in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

War crimes

During the

, soldiers from the division assisted in the round-up of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

civilians from Przemyśl for forced labour, and photos of this were printed in newspapers
Photos 7 and 8
During the Case Black operation in Yugoslavia, the division and other units committed crimes against prisoners of war and civilians. In the after-battle report on 10 July, the division reported that it took 498 prisoners, 411 of whom were shot. On 6 July 1943 a unit from the division attacked the village of Borovë in Albania. All of the houses and buildings were completely burned or otherwise destroyed. Among the 107 inhabitants killed were five entire families. The youngest victim was aged four months, and the oldest 73. On 25 July 1943, soldiers from the division attacked the village of Mousiotitsa in

after a cache of weapons was found nearby, killing 153 civilians. On 16 August 1943, the village of Kommeno was attacked on the orders of ''

Oberstleutnant () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedi ...

'' Josef Salminger, the commander of ''GebirgsJäger Regiment 98''. A total of 317 civilians were killed. The 1st Mountain Division murdered 5,200 Italian soldiers from the 33rd Infantry Division "Acqui" in September 1943 on the Greek island of Cefalonia after they had surrendered. The division also executed all officers and non-commissioned officers of the 151st Infantry Division "Perugia", who had surrendered in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

in early October 1943. After the killing of ''Oberstleutnant'' Josef Salminger by Greek partisans, the commander of XXII ''Gebirgs-Armeekorps'' ''General der Gebirgstruppe''

Hubert Lanz Karl Hubert Lanz (22 May 1896 – 15 August 1982) was a German general during the Second World War, in which he led units in the Eastern Front and in the Balkans. After the war, he was tried for war crimes and convicted in the Southeast Case, s ...

ordered, on 1 October 1943, a “ruthless retaliatory action” in a 20 km area around the place where Salminger had been attacked. In the village of Lyngiades, 92 of its 96 residents were executed. The division's war crimes are described in H. F. Meyer's book ''Bloodstained Edelweiss: The 1st Mountain Division in the Second World War''.

Commanders

*''

General der Gebirgstruppe General der Gebirgstruppe (Literally: General of the Mountain Troops) was a category of German Army three-star, a new example of the traditional German 'General der' rank introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1940, comparable to the NATO grade OF- ...

'' Ludwig Kübler (1 Sep 1939 – 25 October 1940) *''General der Gebirgstruppe''

(25 Oct 1940 – 17 Dec 1942) *''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

'' Walter Stettner Ritter von Grabenhofen (17 Dec 1942 – 18 October 1944) * Generalmajor

August Wittmann __NOTOC__ August Wittmann (20 July 1895 – 29 March 1977) was a general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Life and career August Wittmann was born in Munich on 20 July 1895. He ent ...

(19. October 1944 – December 1944) *''Generalleutnant'' Josef Kübler (27 Dec 1944 – 10 March 1945) *''Generalleutnant''

(17 Mar 1945 – 8 May 1945)

Order of battle

1939

*98. Mountain Infantry Regiment **3 Battalions *99. Mountain Infantry Regiment **3 Battalions *100. Mountain Infantry Regiment **3 Battalions *4. '' Panzerabwehr'' (anti-tank) Battalion *79. Mountain Artillery Regiment **4 Battalions *54. Signals Battalion *54. Pioneer Battalion *54. Supply Troops *Service Troops

1941

*98. Mountain Infantry Regiment **3 Battalions *99. Mountain Infantry Regiment **3 Battalions *54. Field Medical Battalion *44. ''Panzerabwehr'' Battalion *79. Mountain Artillery Regiment **4 Battalions *54. Signals Battalion *54. Pioneer Battalion *54. Supply Troops *Service Troops

1943

*98. Mountain Infantry Regiment **3 Battalions *99. Mountain Infantry Regiment **3 Battalions *44. ''

Panzerjäger ''Panzerjäger'' ( German "armour-hunters" or "tank-hunters", abbreviated to ''Pz.Jg.'' in German) was a branch of service of the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. It was an anti-tank arm-of-service that operated self-propelled ...

'' Battalion *79. Mountain Artillery Regiment **4 Battalions *54. Mountain ''Jäger'' Battalion *54. Reconnaissance Battalion *54. Mountain Signals Battalion *79. Mountain Field Medical Battalion *54. Mountain Pioneer Battalion *54. Mountain Pack Mule Battalion *54. Supply Troops *Service Troops

Notable members

Ferdinand Schörner Ferdinand Schörner (12 June 1892 – 2 July 1973) was a German military commander who held the rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' in the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. He commanded several army groups and was the last Command ...

War criminal and the last living German field marshal, holder of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds * Wego Chiang son of the Chinese leader General Chiang Kai-shek served in ''I./Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98'' in 1937 – 1939, reaching the rank of ''

Leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High Ge ...

'' before returning to China at the outbreak of war.

Footnotes

References

* *

, Max Pemsel: ''Gebirgsjäger. Die 1. Gebirgs-Division 1935–1945''. Podzun, Bad Nauheim 1954. * Hermann Frank Meyer: ''Blutiges Edelweiß. Die 1. Gebirgs-Division im Zweiten Weltkrieg'', Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2008, .
Online
. * Hermann Frank Meyer: ''Kommeno. Erzählende Rekonstruktion eines Wehrmachtsverbrechens in Griechenland''. Romiosini, Köln 1999, . * * *Ralph Klein, Regina Mentner & Stephan Stracke (2004), ''Mörder unterm Edelweiss: Dokumentation des Hearings zu den Kriegsverbrechen der Gebirgsjäger,'' {{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II , commons=y , commons-search=1st Mountain Division (Wehrmacht) 1 Military units and formations established in 1938 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 1938 establishments in Germany 1945 disestablishments in Germany Nazi war crimes in Poland Nazi war crimes in Greece Military units and formations of Germany in Yugoslavia in World War II Axis war crimes in Yugoslavia War crimes of the Wehrmacht