Published in „Siegrunen“ Magazine - Vol. XII, No. 4,
Whole Number 72, Spring-Summer 2002
By Dr. Marco Novarese
Above: The assigned Karstjäger right collar patch depicting an Alpine flower. It was issued in the autumn of 1944 to the almost universal dislike of the troops who preferred the SS runic collar patch.
In the summer of 1944, the SS-FHA (HQ) issued orders to transform the SS-Karstwehr-Bataillon, (which had a total strength of 957 troops on 30 June 1944) into a small division. Unfortunately it soon proved impossible to form all of the authorized units as the men and material were available for only a few of them. So the divisional formation staff assembled most of the combat units, (with the exception of a mountain artillery battery and a Panzer company), into the Waffen-Gebirgs-Karstjäger-Regiment der SS 59. These included the following elements:
Staff Company
Signals Platoon
Engineer Platoon
Mounted Platoon
Infantry Howitzer Platoon
Field Canine Staff (Military Dogs!)
The Staff Company came first under SS-Ostuf. Scheid, then SS-Ostuf. Geissler. In August 1944 it had a strength of 1 officer, 5 NCO’s and 13 men. The Signals Platoon came under SS-Sturmscharführer Farensky and it was formed from radio/telephone communications specialists that served that the different companies. At each battalion command post and at regimental headquarters there was a radio communications post. The total strength of this platoon was 60 NCO’s and men.
The Engineer Platoon came under SS-Oscha. Bräutigam and had a net strength of 4 NCO’s and 36 men. The Mounted Platoon was led by an Italian officer, Waffen-Ostuf. Odorico Borsatti, and his command contained 1 officer, 5 NCO’s and 36 men. This was a rough terrain reconnaissance unit. The Infantry Howitzer Platoon, which later became a Tank Destroyer Platoon, consisted of its commander, SS-Oscha. Walter along with 4 other NCO’s and 42 men. They were armed with Panzerschreck and Panzerfaust bazookas, along with 4 Italian artillery pieces (PAK Model 47/32) and one 6,5 cm gun, called by the SS the „Hofer (or Hoffen)-Kannone“ (i.e „hope for the best“ cannon). This unit was always divided among the different companies, in particular the heavy weapons companies (4th and 8th) of the two mountain battalions assigned to the regiment.
The field canine unit (dog staff) was an independent unit formed with personal from the Hundestaffel Ost-Mitte, a Waffen-SS military dog unit that had been active on the Eastern Front until the summer of 1944. It was then transferred to Italy and came under the orders of the Waffen-SS commander-in-chief for Italy, who in turn sent some small detachments to support the different companies of Waffen-Gebirgs Regiment der SS 59/Karstjäger Brigade.
Above: SS-Hauptsturmführer Kühbandner, the commander of I. Btl./Waf Geb. Rgt. d. SS 59 from 12 May 1944 until 10 February 1945.
It was proposed to form a Mountain Artillery Regiment for the new division which was to come under the command of SS-Oberführer Karl Diebitsch, the former commander of an Italian SS battle-group on the Anzio front. Diebitsch was sent to northeastern Italy in case his proposed command ever developed, but it didn’t, so he remained at the disposal of the Higher SS and Police Leader for the Adriatic Coastland. Instead of the regiment, only one artillery battery was formed consisting of 6 Italian 7,5 cm mountain guns. This element remained at the disposal of the brigade/divisional staff.
The Karstjäger tank (panzer) company, was commanded by the German SS-Ustuf. Behrend, who was actually outranked by his second-in-command, the Italian Waf.-Hstuf. Pistocchi. The unit was formed from 14 Italian model Panzer P-40 tanks, considered to be the latest and most powerful Italian tank, built in some instances after the general Italian surrender in 1943. There were 3 tank platoons consisting of 4 tanks, while the German and Italian ‘‘commanders” both had their own tanks. Another source has indicated that there were actually 24 tanks available but 10 of them had to be held in reserve because of insufficient crews to man them! The tank crews were formed from German and Italian personnel that had taken a training course at the Wehrmacht Panzer Training School „South”, situated in Lonigo near Verona, Italy. In December 1944, the unit received some Waffen-SS „Panzermänner” (tank men) from the 2nd SS Panzer Division „Das Reich”. These were all recovered wounded soldiers who never the less were all well-decorated and experienced Panzer men.
To train new recruits for the division, two units were established. The first of which was SS-Karstjäger Replacement Company which initially was only for German Waffen-SS soldiers. It was established first at Pottenstein and later relocated to Cividale. This was the „normal“ division/brigade depot company for new recruits. The other training unit was the Waffen-Ausbildungs-und-Ersatz-Bataillon der 24. W.Geb.Div.d.SS Karstjäger. This unit was activated only to train non-German recruits, which it did of note on three separate occasions. These were: I) May-June 1944 when 400 South Tyrolean recruits were trained; 2) July/August 1944 when 800 to 1,000 Italian, Slovenian and Croatian recruits were trained; and 3) February/March 1945 when the last 200 to 300 Italian recruits were trained. Not all of these recruits were later incorporated into the brigade/division. In fact many of these either deserted or were dismissed from service. Only a few hundred of these non-German recruits were actually considered to be reliable soldiers.
Top photo: SS-Karstjäger troops on the march.
Bottom photo: The SS-Karstjäger Mountain Artillery Battery in action.
In the autumn of 1944, the Division/Brigade had a strength of 42 officers, 258 NCO’s and 2,179 men for a total of 2,479. The final order of battle of the unit was as follows:
Division/Brigade Staff
Waffen-Gebirgs (Karstjäger)-Regiment der SS 59
Staff Company
Signals Platoon
Engineer Platoon
Mounted Reconnaissance Platoon
Tank Destroyer Platoon
Military Field Dog Staff
I. Battalion
Staff
1. High Mountain Company
2. Mountain Company
3. Mountain Company
4. Heavy Weapons
II. Battalion
Staff
5. Mountain Company (Spanish Volunteers)
6. Mountain Company
7. Mountain Company
8. Heavy Weapons Company
III. Battalion (Disbanded in early 1945)
Staff
9. Mountain Company
10. Mountain Company (Never formed)
11. Mountain Company (Never formed)
l2. Heavy Weapons Company
Waffen-Gebirgs-Artillerie-Regiment der SS 24
Staff
I. Battery
Waffen-Panzer-Kompanie der SS 24
I. Platoon
II. Platoon
III. Platoon
Waffen-Sanitäts (Medical)-Kompanie der SS 24
I. Platoon (Main Dressing Station)
II. Platoon (Main Dressing Station)
Verwaltungstruppen (Abteilung IV a of the Divisional Staff)
Administrative Office
Field Post Office
Nachschubtruppen (Supply/Support Troops)
Workshop Platoon
1. Mountain Transport Column
2. Mountain Transport Column
Veterinary Service (Abteilung IV c of the Divisional Staff)
SS-Karstjäger-Ersatz-Kompanie
(German Waffen-SS recruit training & depot company)
Waffen-Ausbildungs-und-Ersatz-Bataillon der SS 24 (Active only at certain periods to train non-German new recruits in a strength of 3 to 4 companies)
Top photo: Italian P-40 tank front the Karstjäger Panzer Company in action. Bottom photo: Destroyed Italian P-40 tank from the Karstjäger Panzer Company on H May 1945 near the Austro-Italian border.
It should be noted that the original SS-Karstwehr-Bataillon (formed in 1942, initially only in company strength), was a purely German Waffen-SS formation. The first officers and NCO’s came primarily from the 2nd SS Division „Das Reich”, and in 1943 the first ethnic-German (Volksdeutsche) volunteers were added. After the Italian surrender in 1943, some Italian officers and soldiers were enlisted into the unit to serve as either translators or as liaison personnel with local Italian authorities. Early in 1944, the battalion commander, SS-Standartenführer Brand, attempted (without success) to enroll an entire Slovenian unit into his formation. Following this failure, in May 1944, some 400 ethnic Germans from South Tyrol were added to the battalion after participating in a two-month training program in the Waffen-Ausbildungs-und-Ersatz Bataillon der SS 24.
In the summer of 1944, around 1,000 Italian, Slovenian and Croatian volunteers were enlisted for the Karstjäger Division/Brigade, but after completing the standard two-month training course from the Waf.- Aus.u.Ers.Btl.d.SS 24, only some 300 to 400 of these recruits were incorporated into the unit. The rest were either considered unreliable or incompetent. Another attempt was made to incorporate an entire Ukrainian unit, perhaps a full regiment into Kartsjäger, but that failed too, possibly because the Ukrainians wanted nothing to do with it.
Documents from the Spanish embassy in Switzerland at the end of the war stated that some Spanish volunteers arrived in Italy at the beginning of 1945. While some went into the Italian SS Legion, (29. Waf.- Gr.Div.d.SS), others under the command of Waf.-Oscha.Ortiz and Waf.-Oscha. Meleiro went to the Karstjäger Division and were incorporated into the 5th Company of II.Battalion/Waf.Geb.Rgt.d.SS 59. Fifteen of these volunteers were killed during the last days of the war in an attack against partisan positions on Monte Santo, near Gorizia. Among the dead were said to be Ortiz and Meleiro. Ortiz had come from Santander but had lived in Madrid while Meleiro was from the province of Orense (?).
In February and March 1945, the Waf.-Aus.u.Ers.Btl.d.SS 24 was activated for the last time in order to train some 200 to 300 new Italian recruits, not all of whom were later incorporated into the division. The highest ranking Italian officer in the Karstjäger Division was Waf.-Stubaf. Giuseppe Occelli, a former Alpini Captain in the Italian Army; he served in the unit from September 1943 onwards. Two other Italian officers with command positions in the 24th SS Division, were Waf.-Hstuf. Pistocchi, the second in command of the Panzer Company, and Waf.-Ostuf. Borsatti who commanded the Mounted Reconnaissance Platoon. Borsatti was killed at the end of the war by Italian partisans near the town of Palmanova.
Editor’s Notes
According to documents that came from the Field Command Post of the Reichsführer-SS, the 24. Waf.- Geb. Div. d. SS Karstjäger was downgraded to a brigade in late 1944, (seemingly December), but was upgraded to its old divisional status again in February 1945, (possibly for the benefit of Allied intelligence). During the period in which the unit was supposed to be changed from a battalion to a division then to a brigade, a divisional formation staff ran Kartsjäger under the supervision of SS-Stubaf. Werner Hahn, (12 May 1944 to 10 February 1945). On 10 February 1945, the unit again received divisional status and a new commander, SS-Oberführer Adolf Wagner, was supposed to take over. SS-Stubaf. Hahn now became the first divisional staff officer. It should be noted that Karstjäger carried the Waffen (instead of SS) prefix in its title due to the abundant non-German element in the unit. In any event the final command roster from 10 February 1945 until presumably the end of the war looked like this:
Commander: SS-Oberfhr. Adolf Wagner
1a (1st Staff Officer): SS-Stubaf Werner Hahn
Orderly Officer: SS-Ustuf Friedrich Thimel
IV a (Maintenance Officer): SS-Ustuf Werner Höpner
Verwaltungsführer (Administrative): SS-Hstuf Siegfried Ulm
IV b (Medical Officer): SS-Hstuf Dr. Heinz Habisreutinger
Apotheker (Pharmacist): SS-Hstuf Kurt Schrader
IV c (Veterinary Officer): SS-Ostubaf Dr. Rudolf Sechser
Waffen-Gebirgs-Regiment der SS 59: SS-Stubaf. Josef Berschneider
I. Btl: SS-Hstuf. Kühbandner
II. Btl: SS-Ostuf. Merwald
Waffen-Gebirgs-Regiment der SS 60: never formed
Waffen-Gebirgs-Artillerie-Regiment der SS: SS-Oberfhr. Karl Diebitsch
Panzer Company: SS-Ustuf. Behrend
One final note: the Karstjäger alpine flower collar patch was issued in the autumn of 1944, but the soldiers saw it as a „downgrade“ from the SS runes. Edelweiss specialty badges were issued on 1 Nov. 1944.
Above: A rare example of an original Soldbuch (ID/Paybook)9 of the Italian volunteer Waffen- Unterscharführer der SS Pietro Mauro, who served in 12th Co./II.Btl/Karstjäger Brigade. It is dated 16 December 1944 and signed by his company commander.
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