Luftwaffe Gebirgs?

[LuftwaffeFD]

Been looking into this subject recently and have found a fair bit of info on the Wehrmacht Awards forum, but found very little unit info. In the majority the chaps in the pictures with the Edelwiess worn the correct way are Gebirg trained Luftwaffe men or Gebirgs than have transfered to the Luftwaffe later on. The chaps who you see wearing it back to front are part of KG 51.

Was Luftwaffe Field Regiment 503 part of XIX Gebirg Corps?

Does anyone have any further info on this or seen and pictures in passing?

Cheers
Danny

In Italy? - Note issue of mountain kit. (WEISSESEE. 25th July 1943 bombed and sunk at Hamburg)


Shiney!


Norway?


Recovered Italy 1945 from a Luftwaffe Signals Unit in the Mountains.


KG 51





Spanners in the works, worn the correct way but this man is supposedly of KG51!!


Cheers for your help in advance!
Danny

[Stadler]

There was no regular "Luftwaffe Gebirgsjager" units at all. Pictures show LW Units which operated in mountain areas- Flak & Signal troops. They were isiued with: LW Bergmutze, Windjacke, mountain boots, putees and feldgrau mountain trousers.

Units of KG51 were authorised to wear Edelweiss on their caps because it was their emblem.

Here discussion: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... giment+503

[LuftwaffeFD]

So no infantry units as such but defently Signals, Flak and depending on how you translate the postcard on the last page "Flugmelder" Aircraft Detector possibly part of signals?

Now does anyone know if these units were mearly attached to a Gebirgs unit or would have done some Gebirgs training themselves?

Danny

[Stadler]

They were independent from Army. Yhese units operated in mountain areas for their special purposes. Flak, Signals and other LW units such as navigation units. I don't konw if they even were specially trained for mountain service, probably only a simple course was made for them.
GJ uniform pieces were issued to help these units stand in mountain terms.

[LuftwaffeFD]

From what it seems on the WA Forum some collectors have come across specifically LW marked and issued mountain kit. So it seems these units were well organised and equipped.

Wish I could find more specific details on these interesting little units! As I can feel an impression coming along lol!

Danny

[dagda]

Mountain kit was issued to fallschirmjager in mountainous areas, issue notices are in the LW soldbuch. Plenty of pics of FJ with gebergs boots, wind anoraks, issued luftwaffe bergmutze, and so on! Plus in a few theatres gebirgs and fallschirmjager served side by side.

[martin12ss]

It's my understanding from what I've read that the issue of mountain equipment primerily went to crews who manned radio stations for ground-aircraft transmition in mountainous areas. They were not attached to the regular army and included in these stations there must have been flak crews.
I doubt if FJ were issued with such equipment/clothing and it is more likely to have been obtained from neighbouring units.
The use of the eidelwiess on some of the pictures seem to also be used as unit emblems, especially the aircrew pic.

[dagda]

I be interested to know how you came to the conclusion that they(fallschirmjager), were not issued such equipment and that it was borrowed? Not been smart are anything, but curious and always wish to expand my knowledge. When that luftwaffe bergmutzes were manufactured as well as feldblau putees, plus gebirgs boots seem to be an issue as lots of photos in Cassino/italy and even on the western front in 1944,shoew them in wear, particularly FJ pioneer units for some reason. Wind anoraks seem to be confined to Italy, and there is entries for such articles in the Luftwaffe soldbuch.

[Franz repper]

just missed this in a sale by klaus B

[Franz repper]

still for sale

[LuftwaffeFD]

Pictures now sold

Danny