24th Waffen Mountain Division of The SS

24th Waffen Mountain Division Of The SS

The 24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Karstjäger was a German mountain infantry division of the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the German Nazi Party that served alongside but was never formally part of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Named Karstjäger, it was one of the thirty-eight divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS. Formed on 18 July 1944 from the SS Volunteer Karstwehr Battalion, this new strength was never more than theoretical and the division was soon reduced to the Waffen Mountain (Karstjäger) Brigade of the SS. Throughout its existence as a battalion, division and brigade, it was primarily involved in fighting partisans in the Karst region on the frontiers of Yugoslavia, Italy, and Austria; the mountainous terrain requiring specialized mountain troops and equipment. Founded in 1942 as a company, the unit consisted mainly of Yugoslav Volksdeutsche and recruits from South Tyrol (in modern-day Italy). Although primarily focused on anti-partisan activities, it also saw action in the wake of the Italian surrender when it moved to disarm Italian troops in Tarvisio and protect ethnic German communities in Italy. In addition, at the end of the war it successfully fought to keep passes into Austria open, allowing German units to escape the Balkans and subsequently surrender to British forces. The remnants of the unit finally surrendered to the British 6th Armoured Division on 9 May 1945, and it was one of the last German formations to lay down its arms.