Norway Unit

[Broadsword]

I've been reading James Lucas' books "Alpine Elite" and "Storming Eagles" and I came across a unit of Gebirgsjaeger that jumped with the Fallschirmjaeger west of Hundalen in Norway. This isn't mentioned in "Storming Eagles" and although the Fallschirmjaeger unit is mentioned jumping into Norway there is no mention of what Gebirgs unit jumped with them. It is also mentioned that the Gebirgs were "hastily" put together for this jump.

Does anyone know anything about this small group of Gebirgs that jumped? I would think that these guys would be very "Elite" in the sense that they were Mountain troops that were also Airborne "qualified". I also have to wonder if they wore both the Fallschirm badge and the Gebirgs badge. I'm also curious what sort of training they went through, as hastily could mean thrown out the door and told to figure it out. My curiosity also bends to if there were any other Mountain troops that were also Airborne qualified throughout the war and what action, if any, they saw.

[Christoph Awender]

Hello

Well, I always have a problem with the term "elite" and especially "very elite". I know several veterans of the units that jumped there as they were from GJR 137 which was raised around my hometown. They did not see themselves as "very elite". Their training was a 8 day basic jumping course making them scared as hell when they went into action.

Jumped for reinforcing Narvik:
23. 5.: 1 Offz., 65 Mann der 1./137.
25.5.: 10.00 Uhr springen 1 Offz. und 53 Mann der 2./137 glatt ab. Am Nachmittag springen 1 Offz. und 44 Mann der 2./138 ab. Um 19.00 Uhr springen 1 Offz. und 53 Mann der 1./137 ab.

/Christoph

[Broadsword]

Thanks for the reply Christoph. An 8 day jump school by todays standard wouldn't cut it, but what do you really need to know right? The first jump I made I was scared too but my thinking is they didn't get too many practice jumps in.

You have to admit that with a combat jump in an Alpine unit you were in Elite company, unless that was par for the course in the German Army. Today the more experiences and the more schools and training the more apt you are to be put in a unit not everyone can be in.

I appreciate the response.....

~Mark