The 71st Jaeger Brigade (Ukrainian: 71-ша окрема єгерська бригада, romanized: 71-sha okrema yeherska bryhada; 71 ОЄБр Military Unit Number A4030) is a Jaeger infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, formed in 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
| 71st Jaeger Brigade (2022–present) | |
|---|---|
| Ukrainian: 71-ша окрема єгерська бригада | |
 | |
| Active | 2022 – present |
| Country |  Ukraine(2022–present) |
| Branch | Ukrainian Air Assault Forces |
| Role | Air Assault |
| Size | Brigade |
| Motto(s) | "IMMITIS" (Latin for "Merciless") |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | .svg){kind=small} For Courage and Bravery |
The inscription "IMMITIS" on the badge of the brigade means "merciless".
History
editThe 71st Jaeger Brigade was created soon after the launch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which escalated the Russo-Ukrainian War on 24 February 2022. The word "Jaeger" is German for "hunters", implying forest troops, and the units are neither light nor heavy.[2]
Raised as a unit of the Reserve Corps, in April 2022 units of the new brigade left the Reserve and took part in hostilities in the Kharkiv Oblast under the Air Assault Forces. From June 2022, they also appeared in the Donbas.[3][4]
Units of the 71st Brigade were seen in the initial stages of the Ukrainian offensive in the Kharkiv region in September 2022. Between 5 and 8 September, its fighters crossed the Donets River and led an offensive on Balakliia, coming from the direction of Husarivka.[5] In October 2022, soldiers of the brigade were honoured by the commanding officer of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, Major-General Maksym Myrhorodsky, his message stating that at that time they were performing combat missions in the Donetsk region.[6] In the same month, the Brigade was reported as taking part in defensive battles near Bakhmut,[7] and according to the Austrian analyst Tom Cooper in a successful counterattack on the outskirts of that city in December.[8]
As of December 2022, the Ukrainian armed forces had three such Jaeger brigades, each with around 2,000 fighters, the 61st, 68th, and 71st Jaeger Brigades.[2]
During the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive, the brigade was involved in combat on the Zaporizhzhia direction.[9]
Structure 2024
edit
71st Jäger Infantry Brigade (Airmobile), Pavlohrad, Dnipro Oblast
- Brigade Headquarters and HQ Company
- 1st Jäger Battalion
- 2nd Jäger Battalion
- 3rd Jäger Battalion
Separate Special Purpose Company "Immitis" (OUN)
52nd Separate Rifle Battalion (Airmobile) (A4128)[10]- Field Artillery Regiment
- Regimental HQ and TAG Battery
- Recon, FDC and Observer Battery
- Field Artillery Battalions (Self Propelled) (2x), each battalion organized into:
- Battalion HQ and HQ Battery
- 1st field gun artillery battery
- 2nd field gun artillery battery
- 3rd field gun artillery battery
- Field Artillery Battalion (Towed Field Gun) (M101 howitzer)
- Field Artillery Battalion (MLRS)
- Anti-tank artillery battalion (Towed)
- Air Defense Missile Artillery Battalion
- Mortar battery (Air-transportable)
- Anti-tank guided missile battery
- Aerial Reconnaissance Company
- "Leleka" ("Stork") UAV Crew
- Combat engineer company
- Automotive company
- CBRN protection company
- Field signals company
- Medical company
- MP Platoon
- Brigade Band
Honours
editOn 6 December 2022, by a decree of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the 71st Jaeger Brigade was awarded the "For Bravery and Courage" award.[11]
Notes
edit- ^ "Two Ukrainian air assault brigades get new insignias". Ukrainska Pravda. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ a b David Axe, The Ukrainian Army's Jaeger Brigades Are Its Middleweight Forest Troops, Forbes, 26 December 2022, accessed 5 February 2023
- ^ "Ти художник — і на війні?" Франківець Василь Стефанишин про службу в ЗСУ і стереотипи, suspilne.media, 8 June 2022 (in Ukrainian)
- ^ "Ми окопувалися під обстрілами". Тернопільський історик та політолог розповів про війну, suspilne.media, 9 October 2022 (in Ukrainian)
- ^ Український наступ. Що сталося на Слобожанщині?, lb.ua, 14 September 2022 (in Ukrainian)
- ^ Командувач ДШВ ЗС України вручив відзнаки Миколаївським десантникам, dshv.mil.gov.ua, 15 October 2022 (in Ukrainian)
- ^ Із 35-ти вижили двоє. Йдуть уперед по трупах своїх солдат. Десантники про наступ росіян на Бахмут, nta.ua, 20 October 2022 (in Ukrainian)
- ^ Чи може Росія розпочати нове масштабне вторгнення: оцінка Тома Купера, texty.org.ua, 20 December 2022 (in Ukrainian)
- ^ "За день Зеленський відвідав військових 11 бригад у Донецькій і Запорізькій областях: хто став Героєм України" (in Ukrainian). novynarnia.com. 5 September 2023.
- ^ "52nd Rifle Battalion".
- ^ УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №837/2022 Про відзначення почесною відзнакою "За мужність та відвагу", President of Ukraine, 6 December 2022, accessed 6 February 2023 (in Ukrainian)