Jäger

Prussian Feldjägers of the Seven Years’ War, 1:300 Miniatures Heroics & Ros.

Jäger (German, pronounced ˌjɛːɡɐ), special branch of the infantry which draws its replacements from those men particularly suited for service as sharpshooters (s. Schützen). They originated at a time when the firearm was in its infancy and foot soldiers relied on the effect of massed volley fire rather than the personal shooting ability of an individual infantryman. With the advent of modern firearms and proper marksmanship training of all foot soldiers, the value of the Jäger light infantryman diminished compared to earlier periods of warfare, when the rifle-armed Jäger marksman fought alongside infantry armed with less accurate smoothbore muskets. Given the greater expanse of modern battlefields, the Jäger light infantryman can rarely be deployed in the type of terrain which most suits the stealthy huntsman, which is why there have been repeated recommendations to disband the Jägers and distribute their replacements to the infantry.

Seven Years’ War Jäger Miniatures

  • Prussian Jägers (Seven Years’ War), 1:300 Heroics & Ros MSY17
  • Luckner’s Hussars, Horse Grenadiers, and Freytag’s Jäger Corps, 15 mm Old Glory SYH-05

American War of Independence Jäger

  • Hessian Jäger Officer, kneeling, signaling, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH200
  • Hessian Jäger Hornist, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH201
  • Hessian Jäger, standing, firing, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH202
  • Hessian Jäger, standing, ready to fire, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH203
  • Hessian Jäger, advancing, looking left, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH204
  • Hessian Jäger, advancing, looking right, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH205
  • Hessian Jäger, ducking, looking left, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH206
  • Hessian Jäger, ducking, looking right, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH207
  • Hessian Jäger, kneeling, firing, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH208
  • Hessian Jäger, kneeling, ready to fire, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH209
  • Hessian Jäger, kneeling, ramming charge, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH210
  • Hessian Jäger, kneeling, biting cartridge, 40 mm Trident Designs AWH211
  • Brandenburg-Ansbach Jägercorps, 1769–1791

Napoleonic Jäger Miniatures

  • Austrian Jägers of the Napoleonic Wars, 1792–1815
  • Baden Jägers Command, 1:72 franznap FA 0041
  • Baden Jägers, 1:72 franznap FA 0040
  • Bavarian Jägers, 1:300 Heroics & Ros NCP13
  • Brunswick Avantgarde (Jäger), 1:72 HäT Industrie 8008
  • Dutch-Belgian Jäger/Chasseur, 25 mm Hinchliffe DBN 4
  • Hanoverian Feldjägercorps von Kielmannsegg, 1813–1814, 28 mm Westfalia Miniatures
  • Prussian Jägers 1806, skirmishing, 1:300 Heroics & Ros MPN16
  • Prussian Jäger, 25 mm Hinchliffe PN 11
  • Prussian Jäger and Volunteer Jäger, 1813–1814, 1:72 HäT Industrie 8053
  • Prussian Jäger, 20 mm Hinton Hunt BB93
  • Prussian Jägers, skirmishing, 1:300 Heroics & Ros MPN2
  • Freiwillige Jäger
  • Prussian Freikorps Lützow (Jäger) 1815, 1:72 HäT Industrie 8097
  • Russian Guard Jägers, 15 mm Heritage Miniatures
  • Russian Jägers 1805–1808, 1:72 RedBox 72132
  • Russian Jägers 1805–1808, 1:72 HäT Industrie 8073
  • Russian Jäger Officer, 25 mm Hinchliffe RN33
  • Russian Jäger Karabinier-Unteroffizier, 1:30 del Prado 063
  • Russian Jäger Bugler, 25 mm Hinchliffe RN34
  • Russian Jäger, kneeling, firing, 25 mm Hinchliffe RN16
  • Russian Jägers, 1812–1814, 20 mm Kennington BP46
  • Russian Jägers, skirmishing, 1:300 Heroics & Ros MRN2
  • Russian Jägers, Merchant’s Regiment, Moscow Militia, 1:72 HäT Industrie 8099
  • Swedish Feldjägers, 1:300 Heroics & Ros MSWN5
  • Swedish Värmlands fältjägarkår (№ 26), 1:72 HäT Industrie 8091
  • Swedish Savolax fotjägarregemente, 1:72 HäT Industrie 8091
  • Westphalian Jäger-Garde, 60 mm 1st Legion
  • Westphalian Jäger-Garde Officer, 28 mm Steve Barber NWG8
  • Westphalian Jäger-Garde Standard-Bearer, 28 mm Steve Barber NWG9
  • Westphalian Jäger-Garde Drummer, 28 mm Steve Barber NWG10
  • Westphalian Jäger-Garde Elite Company, marching, 28 mm Steve Barber NWG7
  • Westphalian Jäger-Garde Centre Company, marching, 28 mm Steve Barber NWG6
  • Württemberg Jäger Command, 1:32 HäT 9316
  • Württemberg Jäger, 1:32 HäT 9306
  • Württemberg Jägers and Light Infantry 1811–1815, 1:72 Conversion
  • Württemberg Jäger Command, 15 mm Jacobite WUN006
  • Württemberg Jäger, 15 mm Jacobite WUN005

Post-Napoleonic Jäger Miniatures

  • Prussian Jägers (Franco-Prussian War), advancing, 1:300 Heroics & Ros NCP3
  • German Infantry, 1914–1918
  • Bundeswehr Feldjäger Military Police, 1:72 Revell 02522

The recruitment of sharpshooters from mountainous and forested regions can be traced back to the Thirty Years’ War (Landgrave William of Hesse, Holk’s Jägers under Wallenstein); in 1674, the Great Elector, Frederick William of Brandenburg, assigned to each infantry company a number of rifle-armed Jägers, who were instructed to single out enemy officers. The first standing formation of Jägers, 60 strong, was established by Frederick II of Prussia. Simultaneously, and with the same strength, a mounted Feldjägercorps was established. At the beginning of the Second Silesian War, the Fußjägercorps was increased to 300 men in 2 companies, increased to 800 during the Seven Years’ War, but decreased to 300 again in 1763 and it being stipulated, that all forest ranger posts should be filled by discharged Jägers in order of seniority. Increased again in 1773 and 1778, the Jägers formed a regiment at the end of Frederick the Great’s reign. In 1808, the Jägers were formed into battalions on a provincial or corps basis. In 1821, each of the eight army corps had a detachment (2 companies) of Jägers, or Schützen (only the two battalions of the Guard remained unchanged), in which other qualified replacements besides trained huntsmen could be employed. The Guard Jäger Battalion, on the other hand, was only permitted to recruit qualified huntsmen.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Germany army had 18 Jäger and Schützen battalions, 2 Saxon and 2 Bavarian. With the exception of the Bavarian ones, their special training in marksmanship and field craft was subject to the inspection of Jägers and Schützen. In the order of battle, the Jäger battalion was attached to an infantry brigade of the army corps. The German Jäger battalions also trained dogs (s. war dogs) to deliver dispatches.

During the Silesian War, Austria initially raised two small detachments of Tyrolean sharpshooters. Later, these were joined to form the Fenner Jägerkorps, from which the Tyrolean or Kaiserjägerregiment (7 battalions) was formed in 1816; in 1808 and 1813 Feldjägerbataillons were also established in the other Crown Lands and these were increased in 1849, 1859 and 1866 to 33, in 1880 to 43; in 1882 the Tyrolean Jägerregiment was formed from these, comprising 16 battalions as of 1893, and 26 Feldjäger battalions. See also »Jäger zu Pferde«.

Source: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, 6. Auflage 1905–1909

Bibliography

Military Glossary