The Jaegar Rifles and Ski Soldiers of Norway and Sweden,In the northern stretches of Scandinavia a n

The Jaegar Rifles and Ski Soldiers of Norway and Sweden,In the northern stretches of Scandinavia a new type of soldier was born.  Unlike most other soldiers in Europe, this soldier was highly mobile because of a simple piece of equipment; ski’s.  Both Norway and Sweden started using ski’s for warfare in the 16th century.  Eventually the development of ski warfare led to the creation of a new type of unit, the Jaeger (hunter) Regiment.  Unlike regular soldiers who were armed with smoothbore muskets, the Jaeger soldier was a rifleman.  Armed with a Jaeger rifle, a hunting rifle common to Scandinavia and Germany, a Jaeger rifleman was expected to be an expert marksman.  While the rifle was much slower to load than the standard infantry musket, the Jaeger rifleman was not expected to conduct pitched combat.  Rather the role of the Jaeger rifleman was to conduct reconnaissance, ambush, surprise attack, and act as snipers.  Because of his greater mobility the Jaeger rifleman could easily escape out of harms way once his rifle had been fired.  The Jaeger rifle itself was specially suited for ski soldiers.  Shorter than a standard infantry musket, it was easier to load while on ski’s.  Some were even made as breechloaders to further ease the loading process.  Others were made with enlarged trigger guards for better use while wearing gloves.Perhaps the nation which used such soldiers the most was Sweden. Between the 16th and 18th century Russia invaded the Swedish Empire on a number of occasions in the hope of conquering warm water ports in Finland, then a part of the Swedish Empire.  Jaeger rifleman played an especially deadly role as Russian soldiers, unprepared for winter warfare, trudged through thick snow and dense forests.  Slow and ungainly, it was easy for the Jaeger rifleman to maneuver around the Russian Army, set up ambushes, and then quickly ski away from danger before the Russians could respond.  By the 19th century other countries had adopted similar units, such as the Austrian Empire.  Ski troops would especially be popular among Scandinavian, German, and British commandos during World War II.  Today the use of ski troops is a common staple of Arctic warfare. -- source link

More pics about