Original German WWII Gebirgsjäger Mountain Troop NCO Visor Cap by Wilhelm Kern Original Items

Original Items: Only One Available. Mid-War Third Reich Wehrmacht Heer Gebirgsjager visor hat maker marked Wilhelm Kern, Freiburg. This Jager peak visor cap has a fine field moleskin wool crown, with dark green wool cap-band and green piping. The peak visor cap retains a metal eagle and swas badge, a wonderful totally genuine metal Edelweiss Cap Badge nicely sewn to hat, plus a very fine set of aluminum oak leaves with red felt cockade. The inner lining is champagne color with full celluloid diamond. The visor retains all of its finish both on top and beneath. The tan synthetic leather sweatband is intact but shows use and wear. This Gebirgsjäger Officer peak visor cap is in very good condition with only a few very minor moth nips to the exterior.

The celluloid diamond is marked as follows:

Wilh. Kern
Mützenfabriktion
Militäreffekten
Freiburg i. Brg.

Gebirgsjäger material is among the most popular of all German WWII items. Gebirgsjäger (German pronunciation: [g?’b??ks?j??g?]) are the light infantry part of the alpine or mountain troops (Gebirgstruppe) of Germany and Austria. The word Jäger (meaning “hunter” or “huntsman”) is a characteristic term used for light-infantry or light-infantryman in German-speaking military context.

The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three Landesschützen regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The mountain infantry of Germany carry on certain traditions of the Alpenkorps (Alpine corps) of World War I. Both countries’ mountain infantry share the Edelweiß insignia. It was established in 1907 as a symbol of the Austro-Hungarian Landesschützen regiments by Emperor Franz Joseph I. These troops wore their edelweiss on the collar of their uniforms. When the Alpenkorps came to aid the Landesschützen in defending Austria-Hungary’s southern frontier against the Italian attack in May 1915, the grateful Landesschützen honoured the men of the Alpenkorps by awarding them their own insignia: the edelweiss. Together with the Fallschirmjäger (Paratroopers) they are perceived as the elite infantry units of the German Army.

During World War II the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS raised a number of mountain infantry units.

An entire corps was formed in Norway by 1941. Its divisions were lightly equipped, with much of the transport provided by mules. These mountain infantry were equipped with fewer automatic weapons than regular infantry, however the MG 34 or MG 42 machine gunners were provided with more ammunition than their regular infantry counterparts. Mountain infantry were identified by the edelweiss insignia worn on their sleeves and their caps.

Mountain infantry participated in many battles, including Operation Weserübung, Operation Silver Fox, Operation Platinum Fox and Operation Arctic Fox, the operations in the Caucasus, the Gothic Line, the invasion of Crete and the battles in the Vosges region of France. Special equipment was made for them including the G33/40 mauser rifle based on the VZ.33 rifle.