Original German WWII Heer Army Gebirgsjäger Mountain Trooper Personal Photo Album - 52 Photos
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Original Item: One-of-a-kind-set. Here we have a wonderful personal photo album, with what looks to be mostly made up of personal photographs, with a few professional portraits mixed in. It is contained in a lovely "snakeskin" textured and printed cover, secured at the spine by the usual rayon tie. The album measures approximately 12 1/2” x 9”.
A total of 52 photographs fill the pages of this album, making it a treasure-trove of images taken from the viewpoint of a young, patriotic German soldier. These are contained on 7 pages, which are not captioned, with 16 blank pages following it. All photographs are glued directly to the pages, and the pages are separated by "spiderweb" pattern "onion skin" separators.
From the photographs, we can see that the owner was a member of the Heer Gebirgsjäger Mountain Troopers, and we can see many soldiers with the Edelweiß badge on their caps. There are mountain scenes, and really a lot of great photographs in the mountainous areas, including some skiing photos.
Historical records like this album have become priceless time capsules that provide an incomparable level of insight into the individual experience of the Second World War, now that almost eighty years have passed.
The older albums such as these usually withstand the ravages of time. The leather or fabric covers may wear, but the pages stay well intact. The black paper albums of the early 20th century are more fragile, while the glue from magnetic albums can damage photographs. And, as with all old photographs, keep albums in a safe, climate controlled environment.
Gebirgsjäger material is among the most popular of all German WWII items. They were 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 honored 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.
- This product is available for international shipping. Shipping not available to: Australia, France, or Germany
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- Due to legal restrictions this item cannot be shipped to Australia, France or Germany. This is not a comprehensive list and other countries may be added in the future.
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