River Crossing Training

Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 137, April 1940: A river crossing with dinghies is practiced on the Moselle near Treis. They were scheduled to fight against France, but then had to go to Norway. The picture was taken by the member of 6.Kompanie, Rudi Margreiter.

Source :
https://www.flickr.com/photos/arkivinordland/albums/72157627291840604

Crossing the River

 

Soldiers from unidentified Heer unit crossing the river in the Eastern Front. No other informartion available.

Source :
ECPAD Archives, courtesy of Blanluet Christophe
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2360048380929060

Germans Crossing Sabotaged Bridge in Yugoslavia

 

Gebirgsjäger in Yugoslavia: With a captured Italian AB.41 armoured car, the German forces crossing a sabotaged bridge under the watchful protection of an MG 42 crew. Notice the MG-Truppe: They seem to be wearing all Windblusen. As a schwere MG crew two have also been issued with the Koppeltragestell that is not often seen with the Gebirgsjäger. Both are the webbing variant but the right hand side is made of British material.

 

 

Source :

ECPAD Archive, courtesy of Blanluet Christophe

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158877659343308&set=gm.2708289516104943

Crossing a Pontoon Bridge at Night

Crossing a pontoon bridge at night, under the supervision of the Pioniere during an exercise (note the coloured bands on helmets and caps). Brückengerät B bridge construction was a rather complicated procedure that required a reconnaissance of the area to determine the most suitable site to build the bridge and determine the type of bridge required. The Brückengerät B pontoon bridge sections could be assembled in three different configurations: a 130m-long version with a maximum capacity of 4 tons, an 80m-long version with a capacity of 8 tons, and a 50m-long version that could carry up to 20 tons.

Source :
Book "German Pionier 1939-45: Combat Engineer of the Wehrmacht" by Gordon L. Rottman

Inflatable Boats are Loaded with Troops

5.5m medium inflatable boats are loaded with German troops. It was these boats that were paddled across countless rivers to secure the far shore and allow a bridgehead to be established enabling the pioneers to build bridges and operate ferries.

Source :
Book "German Pionier 1939-45: Combat Engineer of the Wehrmacht" by Gordon L. Rottman

German Infantry Crossing the River

Improvisation and ingenuity were characteristic of the German Pioniere, even though their makeshift solutions could not always be fully appreciated by the men using them. This improvised footway, built using medium-sized inflatable boats, planks, and timber, enables the infantry to get across the river, but judging from the look of the machine gunner in the foreground something more stable would have been appreciated.

Source :
Book "German Pionier 1939-45: Combat Engineer of the Wehrmacht" by Gordon L. Rottman

Gebirgs Motorcyclists Crossing the River

Two motorcyclists, wearing their distinctive rubberised coats, wade across a stream during a Gebirgs units drive through southern Poland, September 1939. A pioneer with a spade has been attempting to erect a temporary crossing for the motorcycles, but without much luck.

Source :
Book "Images of War: Hitler's Mountain Troops 1939-1945" by Ian Baxter

Gebirgsjäger in a Rubber Boat

German Mountain troops (Gebirgsjäger) are seen paddling across a river in a pneumatic boat during invasion of Poland, 1939. These 18 feet boats could carry a multitude of equipments up to 1.35tons. They were also used to construct pontoon bridges. In this photograph, bicycles can be seen stacked onboard.

Source :
Book "Images of War: Hitler's Mountain Troops 1939-1945" by Ian Baxter

Civilian Carts of 1. Gebirgs-Division

Two photographs taken in sequence showing local civilian carts pressed into service and being used by Gebirgstruppen of the 1. Gebirgs-Division in September 1939. Local civilians were often hired to drive the wagons and were paid very well for their services. However, it was frequently a dangerous preoccupation with a number of them being killed by enemy fire.

Source :
Book "Images of War: Hitler's Mountain Troops 1939-1945" by Ian Baxter