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''Jäger'' (singular ''() Jäger'', plural ''() Jäger'', (:ˈjɛːɡɐ)) is a German military term adopted in 1631 by the landgrave of Hesse when he first formed an elite infantry unit out of his professional hunters (Jäger) and rangers (Forstleute) in the Hessian Army. During the Age of Enlightenment in German-speaking states (and others influenced by them) Jäger was used to describe elite light infantry, especially skirmishers, scouts, sharpshooters and couriers. ''Jäger'', which means "hunter" or "huntsman" in German, came by extension to denote light infantrymen whose forester background made them suitable for skirmishing as individuals rather than as a drilled and regimented body of soldiers. Often they came from families with a tradition of service to one feudal lord. Initially Jägers made use of their own precision-made rifles: a more accurate weapon with a longer range than the muskets used by line troops. While the term Jäger continues, in some modern instances, to carry its original and literal connotations, the usage had broadened over time. For instance, ''Feldjäger'' was the name given by the Prussian Army, basically for scouts and couriers. In the Bundeswehr, Feldjäger is the name of German military police. During the 20th century ''Jagdflugzeug'' (short form: ''Jäger'') became the German word for fighter aircraft, while ''Panzerjäger'' was the name adopted for tank destroyers. ''Jäger'', in its original sense of light infantry, is usually translated into English as: * "rifleman" (in an infantry role) or "Rifles" (in regimental names) and; * "ranger" (especially in North American English; see below). In English ''Jäger'' is often written as ''jaeger'' (both pl. and sgl.) or anglicised as ''jager'' (pl. ''jagers'') to avoid the umlaut. == Age of Enlightenment (18th Century) == The earliest known instance of a ''Jäger'' company organized for military purposes appears to have occurred about 1632 in Hesse-Kassel under the Landgrave Wilhelm V. However it was not until the first half of the eighteenth century that the widespread recruitment began in various German states of gamekeepers, huntsmen and foresters employed on crown estates or those of noble landowners, for specialized units of riflemen and skirmishers.〔Christopher Duffy, ''The Military Experience in the Age of Reason'' (ISBN 1-85326-690-6), page 272〕 As professional foresters, ''Jäger'' were skilled in the use of rifles - a weapon which took longer to load than the smoothbore musket of the line infantry, but which had greater range and accuracy. Drawn from a "well-esteemed class"〔General Martin Ernst von Schlieffen quoted in R. Atwood's "The Hessians" Mercenaries from Hessen-Kassel in the American Revolution", Cambridge 1980〕 the ''Jägers'' were primarily used for reconnaissance, skirmishing or screening bodies of heavier troops. ''Jäger'' were not just skilled riflemen, they were also able to handle and maintain delicate, accurate rifles in an age when very few people had any mechanical skill. Prussia, Hesse, Austria, Russia and a number of the smaller German states raised ''Jäger'' corps during the Seven Years' War and thereafter. Initially these "free-corps" specialist units were formed for the duration of a particular campaign and thereafter disbanded. However the Russians maintained their ''Jäger'' companies on a permanent basis for frontier service against the Turks.〔Christopher Duffy, pages 272-273 "The Military Experience in the Age of Reason", ISBN 1-85326-690-6〕 The Prussian ''Jäger'' corps of Frederick the Great dated back to a mounted detachment raised in November 1740 and quickly expanded to two squadrons. Employed in wartime as guides and scouts, they eventually proved a useful frontier guard tasked with catching deserters and seizing contraband. After 1744 they were joined by an infantry branch of foot ''Jägers'', initially divided into independent companies and then brought together as a full regiment by 1784.〔Philip Haythornthwaite, pages 13-14 "Frederick the Great's Army - Specialist Troops", ISBN 1-85532-225-0〕 For fighting at close quarters the ''Jäger'' carried a straight-bladed hunting dagger (''Hirschfänger''), a short sabre or a falchion. While the English term "ranger" is older, emerging during the 17th century to describe highly-mobile ("ranging") foot and mounted infantry units in British North America, it became strongly associated with ''Jäger'' during the late 18th century, when German-speaking Hessian regiments served as part of the British Army in North America. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jäger (infantry)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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