Tropenjäger

drakegoodman

drakegoodman

Member
Has anyone heard the term Tropenjäger before? I thought it might be a nick-name :???:

The reverse of this card goes like this:

Zum Andenken von eurem Otto Tropenjäger, Macedonien den 19.7.1917 Ganatharci (?).

Liebe Grete! Sende dir ein Bild von mir bin zwar nicht so gut getroffen, bin so schief auf dem Bilde stehe am weitesten links. Sonst geht es mir noch gut hoffe es auch von euch allen ihr lieben daheim. Mit bestem Gruß euer Otto.

Rough translation ...

Dear Grete! Sending you a picture of me, although I'm not looking the best, standing crookedly on the extreme left of the photo. Moreover I am still well and hoping the same for all of you loved-ones at home. With best regards, your Otto.


Macedonia by drakegoodman, on Flickr

The location in Macedonia also has me stumped.


Macedonia reverse by drakegoodman, on Flickr
 
The location in Macedonia also has me stumped.
Click to expand...

I don't know about the nickname I think we can crack this. I just need one of you smart guys to give me the exact spelling of the place and I will look it up in the red books–this is actually very interesting! Robert might beat me to this one!
 
I guess it's misspelled and means Kanatlarci (not Ganatlarci)!

03macedonia_map.190.gif
 
I suspected as much (misspelling). Well done Opas for that!

And Joe - I look forward to any information your red-books yield. I think these guys are Saxon Jäger.
 
Kanatlarci is briefly mentioned during the 1918 retreat ("Weltkriegsende an der Mazedonischen Front", green book). There seems to have been little change in the months before, so the 302. Div. probably was in the area in late 1917 too.

I have no chart of that division (anyone?), but there is evidence of two Jäger units:

* The Saxon Res. Jäger Batl. 12 was attached to the 302. division until Sept. 1918. I read another account telling that this unit was involved in a fight at a height south of Kanatlarci in early 1918.

* Also the Garde Jäger Batl. still seems to have been in that area, I have an account of a member of that unit who died in dec. 1917 at Paralowo which is just south of Kanatlarci. This unit had already fought there in 1916 ("Herbstschlacht in Mazecodien", green)

The term Tropenjäger was in use for civil hunters and it seems well possible that some members of the Jäger Btls. used it as nick names.

kanatlarci.jpg
 
Robert "Exceptional contributor" - that my friend is a title well deserved. I am indebted to you.

With your blessing I will use this verbatim with the original picture on my Flickr gallery.

- Brett
 
Well really not, I'm just picking up some clues.. :oops:

It is a bit difficult to track that division, at first it was called the "Zusammengesetzte Division v. Hippel" and later numbered the 302nd division.
The sources differ quite a bit when you look at the details. During mid-1916 the Jäger Btls. 9 and 12, and the Res. Jäger Btl. 11 were attached. I found a quote now that the Garde Jäger joined later that year.

This source only mentions the 9th and the Garde Jäger in Jan 1918.

On the other hand, there was also the new Jäger-Regiment Nr. 10 which was created in 1917 consisting of the Res. Jäger Btls 12 and 13. Somewhere it was stated that this regiment was attached to 302. Divison too at some time..
 
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