KAUKASUSEINSATZ 1942 Erinnerungsabzeichen III./ Geb. Jäg. Rgt. 91

[vorisek]

Hi
Hi Guys,

Could I please ask for your thoughts and opinions on this badge?

[drmessimer]

Vorisek; I do not know the exact purpose for the disc, but I can tell you that the numbers and dates on the back are the regiment's Feldpostnummern for the period 25 August-8 October 1942. It is undoubtedly genuine as evidenced by the sharp detail and the arcane detail it provides. Below is a short wartime history of the Gebirge Jäger Regiment 91 taken from Lexicon der Wehrmacht. If you find any silly errors in this translated version, they are my fault, but I think it is understandable. The part of the narrative that applies to your disc starts on 1 December 1941, when the regiment moved into its winter positions behind the Mius. Dwight

The Gebirgsjäger Regiment 91 was established at the Heuberg military training area, in military district V, at the end of October 1940. The regiment was created by renaming the Infantry Regiment 91. After being established, the regiment was subordinated to the 4th Mountain Division.

On 21 March 1941, the regiment was transferred to Romania by train. The regiment was unloaded in Rosiori de Vede. Were it continued on foot to the Danube, which was crossed on 2 April 1941 at Turnu Magurele on an 800 m long pontoon bridge. The regiment went to the Petrohan pass via Kneza and Vraca. The regiment was marching towards the Greek border when the coup d'état in Yugoslavia occurred on 28 March 1941. The regiment was then turned west. On the morning of 8 April 1941, the Yugoslav border was crossed at Grodec. The border fortifications were broken and Slatina and Dobro Jutro were taken. On 9 April 1941 the Pirot was reached. The regiment marched via Knjazevac to Krusevac where Serbian unitss were disarmed. With the capture of Belgrade, the regiment ended the Balkan campaign. The regiment remained there as an occupation force in the Kragujevac - Jagodina - Paracin - Smederoco area. A month later, the regiment was collected south of Belgrade and moved by train to Slovakia.
The regiment disembarked in Humenné, Slovakia. On the evening of 23 June 1941, the regiment crossed the San towards Lemberg. The first battles took place in the Kamienobrod Strait area. On 28 June 1941 the regiment attacked the Polish positions in the strait. By noon the Russian resistance was broken and the pursuit of the retreating Russian troops started. The next day the regiment was set up to contain Lviv from the south. The city was taken on 30 June 1941. The regiment then marched east and took Brzezany. The Seret River was reached on 5 July 1941. On 7 July 1941, the old Russian border was reached. Heavy rain set in and turned the advance roads into baseless mud. After reaching the Stalin Line on 13 July 1941, the first exploratory advances were made on 14July. The attack on the Russian bunkers began on 15 July 1941. The fourth mountain division broke through the Stalin line late that night, put 72 bunkers out of action, and advance 15 km into the hinterland. The next morning the enemy was pursued until 17 July, 1941 when the regiment fought a three-day battle for the city of Vinnitsa. On 20 July 1941, the city was in German hands. Following three days of rest, the regiment marched through Nemirow and Gaissin towards Uman, where the regiment took part in a battle there. The regiment advanced into the cauldron from the south. The regiment managed to thwart all attempts by the Russian troops to break out. Following the capture of the city of Podwyssokoje, the regiment remained at rest for three days, having suffered heavy losses. On 15 August 1941 the march continued, heading towards Nowo-Ukrainka. In long marches, the southern Ukraine was crossed to the river Ingulez, which was crossed on 5 September. On 14 September 1941, the Dnieper near Berislavl was crossed on a 430 m long pontoon bridge. After the crossing, contact was again made with the enemy. On 23 September1941, the regiment was pulled out of the front and set off for the Crimea, while Romanian troops took over the regiment’s former positions. But after just a few kilometers the regiment turned back to support the Romanians who were being attacked by the Red Army. Heavy fighting dragged on until 2 October 1941, when the enemy forces withdrew. On 4 October 1941, the regiment broke through the strong armored trench position at Balki. The further advance led the regiment towards Stalino, which was taken until 20 October 1941. On 28 October 1941, a stubborn battle took place at the large Sugress power station. An attempt was made to take the bridges over the Mius, but this failed. Winter set in and all fighting stopped. After two weeks, the Red Army counterattacked at Rostov. On 1 December 1941, the longed-for command to clear the east bank of the Mius came, and the regiment moved into its winter positions behind the Mius. The temperatures dropped to -42° Celsius. The regiment remained in the positions on the Mius until July 1942. Then the offensive towards the Caucasus began. On 26 July 1942, the regiment crossed the Don towards Bataisk after passing through Rostov. The Jeja was reached and the the Russian resistance stiffened. The Russian troops were finally thrown back when flanked by the 125th Infantry Division. On 6 August 1942 the regiment turned towards the cuban knee. Kasanskaya was reached on 9 August 1942 and Armavir on 14 August 1942. Already on 16 August 16 1942 Akhmetowskaya and Selentschukskaja had been taken. The regiment then marched across the Bolshaya Valley, arriving at the Adsapsch, Ssantscharo and Allistrachu passes on 23 August 1942. After that the Russian resistance steadily stiffened. the regiment went on to the defense in early September 1942 and fought major battles until December 1942, during which the regiment suffered ever higher losses.

Due to the general situation in Stalingrad, the general withdrawal of troops in the Caucasus began in January 1943. From the second half of 1943 the regiment had to move north via Kurinski, Tverskaja, Beloretschenskaja. The Kuban was reached at Ust-Labinskaja. On 10 February, Krasnodar was evacuated. In an ever smaller Kuban bridgehead, the regiment moved to Slavyanskaya. Most vehicles got stuck in the baseless mud and had to be left behind. The Protoka position at Slavyanskaya was taken up and held for two weeks. On 16 March 1943, the position was cleared. On 30 March 1943, the regiment was taken out of the front and moved to the Novorossiysk area. There the Red Army had managed to land from the sea and to form a bridgehead. The regiment was now used to block the bridgehead. On 17 April 1943, the attack on the bridgehead began after it had to be postponed twice. But the attack did not go through and the fronts froze again in early May. The Myschako and the struggle near Novorossiysk in particular caused heavy losses. Heavy fighting and Russian attacks continued until mid-September 1943. On 15 September 1943, clearing of the Kuban bridgehead began, and the regiment withdrew to the northwest through several prepared positions. On 28 September 1943, the Goth position was finally reached. On 2 October 1943, this position was cleared, and the regiment marched north to secure the headland on the Kossa Tschuschka. The regiment moved to Bucharest 15 km east of Taman. On the night of 4 October 1943, this position was also vacated and translation into the Crimea began. By 8 October 1943, the last parts of the regiment had been transferred. Here the regiment was ordered to secure the southwestern part of the Crimea. Here the regiment got some rest for the first time in a long time. But on 24 October 1943, the company moved to the area west of Melitopol. The fighting with the Russian troops that had broken through here was extremely hard. After the breakthrough of the 51st Russian tank army north of Akimowka, a race to the Dnieper through the Nogaische Steppe over 250 km began within five days. On 2 November 1943, the regiment was in the Chersson bridgehead. It was only on 3 November that the Red Army slowly pushed against the bridgehead. But until 17 December 1943, all enemy attacks could be blocked. The Kherson bridgehead was cleared that day. By 18 December 1943, the bridgehead was cleared and the Dnieper Bridge was blown up. The regiment was finally able to enjoy some rest. But already at the turn of the year, the train went into the Vinnitsa area. At Kalinkowa, the regiment was once again used against Russian troops that had broken through. The regiment was then placed on the safety line between Strutnika and Nowo Greblija. A solid front could be built here.

From 24 January 1944, there were limited attack companies to push back the Russian troops. On 27 January 1944 Wysselki, Narziskowka and Salawa could be taken. Then they pushed past north of Gaisin and reached the positions at Rossosche and Napadowka. Until mid-February 1944, it was followed by changeable position battles. The regiment was then taken from the front and transferred to Onufriewka via Uman. But here too the front didn't last long. The great Russian offensive to recapture Ukraine began here on 5 March 1944.

With considerable losses, the positions were temporarily kept until 7 March 1944. Then the regiment moved south. Via Selenkoff, Nerubaika was reached on 11 March , and Kopenkowata on 12 March 1944. Heavy fighting continued to Lebedinka and until 14 March 1944 to Naliwaika. Here the 4th mountain division was encircled, but was able to break through the basin on 16 March 1944 and reached the bridgehead of Ljuschnewala on 17 March 1944. This was held until 24 March 1944. On 23 April 1944, the 12th company at Criuleni succeeded in shooting down an aircraft. In late April 1944, violent fighting broke out in the Grigoriopol area. On 14 May 1944, a severe Russian attack began here. A Russian breakthrough could only be prevented with difficulty. It remained relatively calm until July. The regiment was moved to the Carpathians at the end of July. The mass of the regiment arrived in the Vorokhta - Tatarov region by 5 August 1944. Until 23 August 1944 there were fights for the Tatar pass. After the collapse of Romania, the regiment was detached from the front on 8 September 1944 to begin the march to the northwest. The regiment marched through the mountains via Czik Szereda - Szekely - Udvarhely - Praid - Maros - Varsahely. The area of Maros - Varsahely was reached on 26 September, where defense positions were again established. On the night of 9 October 1944, the regiment moved to the Maros position. Via Szabed - St. Marton - Armenisul - St. Gotthard the "yellow line" was reached on 11 October 1944 and on 22 October 1944 the area around Teuße Homorod. Heavy retreat struggled to Kfskallo in the night of 25 October 1944. On 29 October 1944, the regiment fled north-west through the burning Nyfeloto. Under the usual rearguard action it reached the Tisza bridgehead on 31 October 1944 via Tisca-Lók. In the area south-east of Miskoloc, the regiment had two days of rest after being replaced by units of the 3rd Mountain Division. On 1 November 1944, the company moved to the northeast via Tokay - Tisca - Dada - Bekecs and reached Satoralyauhely on 2 November 1944. On 5 November 1944, positions on both sides of the Ung River were taken as a seam unit between the Army Group Middle and South. On 20 November 1944, the regiment was hit with a heavy barrage. Strong enemy fighter pilots attacked the positions. By the evening the regiment had been blown up and there was no connection to some units. By early morning on 21 November 1944, the regiment was able to gather again and build a new front. After the Red Army failed to break through the front, the fighting shifted further north. After a Russian breakthrough at Miskolc, the regiment had to give way again. On 6December 1944, the regiment reached the Homrogd area. But the Red Army could not be stopped here either. The regiment's route led to Poprad via Dobschau.

The Red Army's winter offensive began on January 12, 1945, and the regiment's situation worsened. At the end of January 1945 it was moved to the High Tatras. The Tatra-Kotlina pass was blocked here. Then they marched to the former Polish border and took up the "buffalo" position there. From 12 April 1945, the regiment was deployed here in the battle for Troppau, in military district VIII. The regiment did not even have any battalion strength anymore. The retreat behind the March began on 29 April 1945. The regiment marched via Wagstadt and Olomouc to the area north of Brno, where it surrendered to the Russians on 9 May 1945.

[Brig]

Here's a portrait of one in wear that just sold for a whopping 236 euro on eBay