Highly illustrated throughout with maps and colour artwork and black and white photographs, this title provides a detailed study of one of the famous German units in World War 2.

Few branches of the German armed forces were represented on so many fronts as the mountain infantrymen, or Gebirgstruppen. From the Blitzkrieg campaigns of 1940, through the invasions of the Balkans and Russia and the North African campaign, to the defence of the Reich 1944-45, the Gebirgsjäger earned a reputation for reliability and courage. Typically each trooper was a supremely fit individual: the need to cover difficult terrain in full kit, without the back-up of a motorised baggage train, demanded this. This new volume examines the recruitment, training, and combat experiences of the common Gebirgsjäger.

Fighting in every theatre from the burning sands of North Africa to the icy wastes above the arctic circle the German Army's Gebirgstruppen troops were some of the most effective in the whole of the Wehrmacht. Their esprit de corps and morale were extremely high and their commanders, men such as Eduard Dietl, the 'Hero of Narvik', and Julius 'Papa' Ringel, were idolised by their men. Dietl himself was the first soldier of the Wehrmacht to be awarded the coveted Oakleaves to the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross. In this book Gordon Williamson details the uniforms, organisation and combat histories of these elite troops.

A highly illustrated account of the conflict between the German Army and security forces and the French resistance in the Alps. Fighting insurgents has always been one of the greatest challenges for regular armed forces during the 20th century. The war between the Germans and the French resistance, also called FFI (Forces Françaises d'Intérieur), during World War II has remained a near-forgotten chapter in the history of these 'Small Wars'. This is all the more astonishing as agencies like the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) and the American OSS (Office of Strategic Services) pumped a good amount of their resources into the support of the French resistance movement. By diversionary attacks on German forces in the occupied hinterland the Allies hoped the FFI could provide assistance in disrupting German supply lines as well as crumbling their morale. The mountain plateau of the Vercors south-west of Grenoble was the main stronghold of the FFI, and in July 1944 some 8,000 German soldiers mounted an operation on the plateau and destroyed the insurgent groups there. This compact volume examines the battle of the Vercors, the largest operation against the FFI during World War II, and shows how the Germans' suit and crushing victory has caused traumatic memories for the French that persist to the present day.

Under the emblem of the Edelweis, the soldiers of the German mountain corps fought on every front in the Second World War - in the tundra of Lapland, in the gorges of the Balkans, on Crete, in the High Caucasus, at Monte Cassino and finally in Upper Italy and the Western Alps, at the Semmering, in Bavaria and Tyrol. Mountain troops even formed part of Rommel's famed Afrikakorps. During the war, the army alone formed a total of eleven mountain divisions, plus independent battalions and units. The accomplishments of the "Men of the Edelweis" are still held in high regard by historians and military experts. Armed forces and special units worldwide use their alpine and combat abilities as an example, for in mountain fighting the weather and the terrain often caused more casualties than the enemy. Through impressive photographs and brief, insightful text, this chronicle offers the reader and extraordinary view into the world of these elite troops, who were always committed where the outcome hung in the balance.