The German Gebirgsjäger (mountain infantry) also appreciated its light weight and used a number of them during the battles in the Caucasus Mountains in the latter half of 1942.
When Kampfgruppe (Battle Group) Schreiber, which consisted of elements of the 12th SS Gebirgsjäger Regiment attached to the 361st Volksgrenadier Division, infiltrated through the US VI Corps line and seized Wingen-sur-Moder in anticipation of armored reinforcement from Army Group G.
Initially appointed as an SS-Obersturmbannführer (lieutenant colonel) commanding the 28th Waffen Gebirgsjäger Regiment, he oversaw the completion of his regiment's training at the Neuhammer training grounds in the Silesian region of Germany (present-day Poland) then led his regiment to fight the Yugoslav Partisans in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in February 1944.
The tradition continues (though with an edelweiss pin of different design) among current Gebirgsjäger-qualified personnel in the Bundeswehr (common German military soldiers wear a beret rather than the Bergmütze mountain cap used by mountain, ski, and Jäger units).