Who is a mountain hunter?

Until the beginning of the 19th century, mountain warfare was not worth a tactical consideration, as neither supply nor training nor the necessary equipment were available. The terrain features, rapidly changing weather, cold and ice, avalanches and landslides, as well as the barrenness of the soil generally prevented warfare in the mountains, as it was simply seen as an obstacle to movement.

Roman armies already crossed entire mountain ranges, but combat operations did not take place there due to deliberate avoidance. The use, training, and equipment of specialized mountain troops were not a priority in Europe of the "sleepwalkers" for a long time. The events of the world wars essentially defined the role of mountain troops in the armed forces.

In the use of modern mountain troops, the border area between conventional troops, specialized infantry, and special forces is often blurred due to their specialization.

Tactics and combat techniques determine the dividing lines.

For armed forces, the availability of qualified mountain troops certainly expands the range of options for action. The extreme endurance and mobility can also be integrated into the mission planning.

Combat, combat support, support. Force multipliers tailored to mountain troops have a significant impact on their successful use and must undergo appropriate mountain qualification in a timely manner.

Not every soldier is made of the same stuff as mountain troops.

What makes "the mountain trooper"?

- Mastery of a military function, even under the demanding conditions of high mountains, ultimately makes the essential difference to other soldiers.

- The requirement: Movement, communication, and weapon use uphill/downhill in rock, ice, and snow, requires special physical and mental strength as the necessary equipment must be carried by oneself over long, demanding distances; exposed heights and days without infrastructure in moderate weather require a certain endurance.

- The acquisition and retention of mountain qualifications are also extremely selective and lengthy.

Mountain troops are viewed in isolation - not just in Austria. Despite being marginalized in general, mountain troops account for a significant proportion of the total European armed forces.

In the European armed forces, despite many similarities, there are also striking differences in the approximately twelve brigades of mountain troops, each nation has distinct strengths but is also subject to limitations.

Interoperability will be a key capability of the near future, as strong specialization in the case of mountain troops can also mean limitations on the classic multi-role capabilities of the "hunter force."

The necessary knowledge and skills to carry out missions in mountainous terrain are imparted to our soldiers as early as the fourth week of training.

Among other things, this includes mountain marches with orientation tasks with weapons and equipment in summer and/or winter, overcoming difficult terrain, the ability to maintain personal combat power even under extreme conditions.

Training focuses also on maintaining the readiness of weapons and equipment, cooperation with helicopters and pack animals or other weapon types, characteristics of combat, bivouacs in high mountains, behavior in mountain dangers, use of special equipment such as climbing, ice, and skiing equipment, search and rescue of avalanche victims, first aid, and transport of the wounded. Mountain combat training is a combination of combat and mountain training, combining the relevant content from both disciplines.

The structure of battalions and companies is currently undergoing rapid changes. In general, it is based on the hunter troops (one command and supply element, three hunter platoons, and one anti-tank guided missile platoon). A special feature is that the high mountain hunters have an Alpine reconnaissance team with army mountain guides in each company. The army mountain guides of the team act as advisors in mountain technical aspects and provide decision-making basis for the tactical commander regarding mobility in high mountains. Currently, the structure of the high mountain hunters includes its own combat support in the form of a mortar platoon. This is equipped with 81 mm medium Mortar 82 and 120 mm heavy Mortar 86. Furthermore, the combat support companies have a reconnaissance platoon, a pioneer and NBC reconnaissance platoon, and an anti-tank guided missile platoon. In addition to the traditional infantry tasks, the soldiers of the battalion possess all the necessary skills for leading the combined arms combat in mountainous and high-mountain terrain. They are also specially trained for urban combat.

TROOPER SHOW: Mountain Troops - here on SPARTANAT

Boris Kurnik, Editor-in-Chief of the troop newspaper "Mountain Troops" (High Mountain Jäger Battalion 24).