| 100th Jäger Division | |
|---|---|
Unit logos of the 100th Jäger division |
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| Active | 10 October 1940 - 1945 |
| Country | Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Heer |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
The German 100th Light Infantry Division (later reformed as the 100th Jäger Division) was a light infantry division. As such, it was provided with partial horse or motor transport and lighter artillery. Light divisions were reduced in size compared to standard infantry divisions.
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The main purpose of the German Jäger Divisions was to fight in adverse terrain where smaller, coordinated units were more facilely combat capable than the brute force offered by the standard infantry divisions. The Jäger divisions were more heavily equipped than mountain division, but not as well armed as a larger infantry division. In the early stages of the war, they were the interface divisions fighting in rough terrain and foothills as well as urban areas, between the mountains and the plains. The Jägers (means hunters in German) relied on a high degree of training, and slightly superior communications, as well as their not inconsiderable artillery support. In the middle stages of the war, as the standard infantry divisions were down sized, the Jäger model with two infantry regiments came to dominate the standard tables of organization. [1]
In 1943, Adolf Hitler declared that all infantry divisions were now Grenadier Divisions except for his elite Jäger and Mountain Jaeger divisions.[1]
The 100th Light Infantry Division was deployed in the southern sector of the Eastern Front, the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Carpathian Mountains and the Balkans. The formation was the only German Jäger Division that fought at the Battle of Stalingrad. The 100th Light Infantry Division, along with the 369th Reinforced Croatian Infantry Regiment, was virtually destroyed at Stalingrad.
The 100th Jäger Division was reestablished and fought partisans in the Balkans, Croatia, Albania, and was deployed on coastal protection missions in the Strait of Otranto.
Initially established as the 100. Leichte Infanterie Division, two-thirds of the men in this division were Austrians and one-third Silesians. The division was set up 10. December 1940 in Upper Austria (Districts of Schaerding, Ried, Voecklabruck, Gmunden) . On the Eastern Front, the 369th Reinforced Croatian Infantry Regiment was attached to the 100th Light Infantry Division to bolster its size.
During the latter stages of the war, the division was composed of members from most of Germany’s geographic areas and a large number of German-speaking Walloons (Belgian/French). Today, 6,000 men are still unaccounted for.
Redesignated 100th Jäger Division
Hanns Neidhardt, Mit Tanne und Eichenlaub— Kriegschronik der 100. Jäger Division vormals 100. leichte Infanterie Division, Leopold Stocker Verlag Graz-Stuttgart, ISBN 3-7020-0373-8).
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