Imperial Royal Landwehr

History

The roots of the Landwehr go back to the 16th century when there were calls on all able-bodied men to defend their country.

During the Napoleonic Wars a Landwehr was established by imperial decree dated 9 June 1808 as a standing and common institution to complement the regular Austrian army. This army was used in 1809 and in 1813/14. In 1859, the Landwehr was abolished.

After the Austrian Empire had lost the war against Prussia, the Kingdom of Hungary succeeding in gaining its independence from the Austria in the Austro-Hungarian Compromise in 1867. Hungary now wanted its own forces under command of the Hungarian government alongside the existing Imperial and Royal Army and Navy, which were commanded by the Emperor and Austro-Hungarian Minister of War. So the Compromise included the right of Hungary to establish the Royal Hungarian Landwehr (Kiraly Honvédség), often colloquially known as the Honved (Honvéd).

As a consequence, the Cisleithanian counterpart of the Honved, known as the Imperial-Royal Landwehr, was established in the "kingdoms and lands represented in the Reichsrat", i.e. the remaining Empire of Austria. Its tasks were finally confirmed in 1889 in the Austrian Defence Act (RGBl. 41/1889) as follows:

§ 4. The Landwehr is tasked in time of war to support the Army and to defend the homeland; in peacetime, and by exception, also to maintain law and order and security of the homeland.

In § 14 Wehrgesetz 1889 the annual recruiting quota for the Landwehr was set at 10,000 men.

Conscription in the Landwehr was from age 21 up to 32 and included two or three years on active duty. The one-year volunteer served just one year, but received no wages and had to pay for their own equipment. After age 32, conscripted Landwehr soldiers were transferred to the Landsturm militia. As there were more conscripts available than were needed, a lot decided who was assigned to the army, who to the militia and who to the reserve.

The Landwehr's "March No. 1", which Beethoven composed in 1808, as the "March of the Bohemian Landwehr" (Marsch der böhmischen Landwehr), is known nowadays as the Yorck March (Yorckscher Marsch). As an element of the Grand Tattoo, performed e.g. by the Bundeswehr, it is now one of the best known German military marches.

Colours

The Imperial-Royal Landwehr initially had no colours. However, in September 1915, Emperor Franz Joseph I granted the authority for the "M 1915" colours in recognition of "exceptionally meritorious achievements" by the Imperial Landwehr, which was then manufactured under the supervision of the Army Museum in 1916. These were to be handed over to the various regiments after the war. The process was regulated by the ordinances of the Imperial-Royal Landwehr, Standard Regulations, Part 22, dated 8 September 1915, in which the procedure for the award of colours was laid down by Special Order (Zirkularverordnung) 4 Sep 1915, Presentation No. 14,256. For this, the following letter was issued:

"His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, in gracious recognition of late of the exceptionally meritorious achievements by the Imperial Royal Landwehr, which fought throughout the recent war alongside troops of the Imperial and Royal Army, demonstrating stalwart and faithful discharge of duty before the enemy, and repeatedly earning the very highest tribute, graciously condescends to permit the Imperial Royal Landwehr troops to bear colours. In view of the design and material requirements of these colours, as well as their production and ceremonial presentation, they will only be available after the end of the war. This very highest act of grace is intended to spur the troops of the Imperial Royal Landwehr further to new deeds of heroism and, of course by further brilliant performance against the enemy, will prove they are worthy, time and again, of this most high honour!"

Freiherr von Georgi m.p.
General of Infantry

The colours were not issued during the period of the monarchy, but only later to traditional units. How many of these colours were made is not known. Records show that at least the colours of the 2nd Linz Landwehr Infantry Regiment were transferred to the Kameradschaftsbund ehemaliger Zweierschützen ("2nd Rifles Old Comrades Association") in Linz on 8 June 1924. Also the existence of the colours of the 1st Vienna Imperial Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment are known to have existed.

Structure

The Austrian Landwehr reported to the Imperial-Royal Ministry of Defence (likewise the Hungarian Honvéd reported to the Royal Hungarian Ministry of Defence - both independent of the joint Ministry of War).

The k.k. State Ministry of Defence was located in Vienna at Babenbergerstraße 5. The Landwehr high command was housed on the first floor of the former Imperial Department of Justice at Schillerplatz 4. Landwehr staffs and the Landwehr Base Command were quartered in private homes. During the First World War, the k.k. Ministry of Defence was responsible under the War Office for homeland defence.

The Landwehr had its own barracks, depots and officer training establishments. The training of Landwehr officers took place in the Imperial-Royal Franz Joseph Military Academy in Boerhaavegasse in Vienna, one of five military academies in Austria-Hungary. In addition, there was a military upper school in Vienna and a military lower school in Bruck an der Leitha.

The Landwehr barracks in Vienna were the Kaiserebersdorf Landwehr Artillery Barracks, the Emperor Franz Josef Landwehr Barracks and Siebenbrunnengasse Landwehr Barracks. Next to the last-named barracks was the Landwehr Equipment Depot. The Imperial-Royal Landwehr Arms Depot was the Arsenal in Vienna.

The Imperial-Royal Landwehr (k.k. or kaiserlich österreichisch/königlich böhmisch) was the standing army of Austria responsible for the defence of Austria itself. Its order of battle at the outbreak of the First World War was as follows:

35 infantry regiments - each of 3 battalions

6 regiments of lancers (uhlans)

8 field artillery battalions (Feldkanonen-Divisionen)

8 field howitzer battalions (Feldhaubitz-Divisionen)

The mountain infantry had the following units:

2 mountain infantry regiments, the 4th and 27th

4 Tyrolian rifle regiments (Tiroler Landesschützen Regimenter) - from January 1917 named "imperial rifles" (Kaiserschützen)

1 mounted Tyrolian rifle battalion (Reitende Tiroler Landesschützen)

1 mounted Dalmatian rifle battalion (Reitende Dalmatiner Landesschützen)

Although the Landwehr infantry regiments were weaker in personnel than Imperial and Royal Infantry regiments (Landwehr regiments had just three battalions instead of the usual four in the Common Army - exceptions were the 1st and 3rd State Rifle Regiments who also had four battalions), they were often superior in terms of equipment. The parliaments of Cisleithania and Transleithania were rather more willing, to support "their" troops with financial resources than the common army.

A special feature was the title of the Landwehr regiments, which bore the name of the garrison location of their regimental staff (e.g. 6th Eger Landwehr Infantry Regiment - k. k. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment „Eger“ Nr. 6). The same was true of the state's rifle units, which also belonged to the Landwehr (3rd Innichen State Rifle Regiment - k.k. Landesschützen-Regiment „Innichen“ Nr. III). In this way, the closeness of each regiment with its garrison was emphasized.

Infantry

On 11 April 1917 the infantry units of the Landwehr were renamed. The title "Landwehr" was replaced by "Schützen" ("Rifles"). The changes were as follows:

Landwehr Infantry Division (Landwehr Infanterietruppen Division) = Imperial-Royal Rifle Division (k.k. Schützendivision)

Landwehr Infantry Brigade (Landwehrinfanteriebrigade) = Imperial-Royal Rifle Brigade (k.k. Schützenbrigade)

5th (Pola) Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (k.k. Landwehr Infanterie Regiment „Pola“ Nr. 5) = 5th (Pola) Imperial-Royal Rifle Regiment (k.k. Schützenregiment „Pola“ Nr. 5)

Landwehr infantry regiments

The infantry regiment consisted of only three battalions instead of the usual four found in the Common Army. The garrison name is always the location of regimental HQ.

1st Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Vienna)

25th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 13th Landwehr Infantry Division – II Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Vienna (Staff- XIII District HütteldorferStr. 188), 48°11′49″N 16°17′7″ENationalities: 95 % German – 5 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Vienna ACommanding Officer: Colonel Alexander DiniStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Gustav Urbanek - Lieut. Colonel Karl Schubert - Major Friedrich Bitterlich - Major Franz Heillinger - Major Karl Edler von Ruckmich - Major Julius Hoppe

2nd Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Linz)

3rd Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Graz)

43rd Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 22nd Landwehr Infantry Division – III Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Graz - II Baon LeobenNationalities: 94 % German – 6 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Graz and Marburg -Commanding Officer: Colonel Franz FlachStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Friedrich Hadler - Lieut. Colonel Friedrich Teppner - Major Maximilian Kispert - Josef Karpellus - Major Friedrich Ritter von Wohlrab - Major August Strasser

4th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Klagenfurt)

44th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 22nd Landwehr Infantry Division – III Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Klagenfurt - II and III Baon HermagorNationalities: 79 % German – 21 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: KlagenfurtCommanding Officer: Colonel Friedrich Eckhardt von EckhardtsburgStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Karl Brunner - Lieut. Colonel Alois Edler von Fritsch - Major Eduard Alpi - Major Desiderius Deniflée - Major Robert Salomon - Major Emil Raabl von Hauenfreienstein

5th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Pola)

Guard force for PolaEstablished: 1889: Garrison: PolaNationalities: 45 % Slovene – 22 % Serbian/Croatian – 20 % Italian – 8 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: TriestCommanding Officer: Colonel Richard KekiStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Eugen Vučinić - Lieut. Colonel Bernhard Zahn - Lieut. Colonel Georg Mitrović - Lieut. Colonel Heinrich Mandolfo - Major Edmund Lazar - Major Peter Franičević - Major Emil Ritter von Fischer

6th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Eger)

7th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Pilsen)

41st Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 21st Landwehr Infantry Division – VIII Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Pilsen - III Baon in RokycanyLandwehr Recruiting District: 60 % Czech – 30 % German – 10 % otherRecruiting district: Pilsen and BeraunCommanding Officer: Colonel Franz SappeStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Leo Pflug . Lieut. Colonel Johann Weber - Lieut. Colonel Adam Brun - Major Wilhelm Baumgartner - Major Eduard Scheiber - Major Wilhelm Mayer-Koffler - Major Karl Fischer

8th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Prague)

42nd Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 21st Landwehr Infantry Division – VIII Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: PragueNationalities: 95 % Czech – 5 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Prague and BeraunCommanding Officer: Colonel Albert WelleyStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Wilhelm Pulz - Lieut. Colonel Josef Trink - Major Franz Wolf - Major Franz Štěpánek - Major Jakob Zdeněk - Major Klaudius Ritter Schoen von Liebingen - Major Johann Nachtmann - Major Julius Biborosch

9th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Leitmeritz)

52nd Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 26th Landwehr Infantry Division – IX Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Leitmeritz - III Baon in KomotauNationalities: 86 % German – 14 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Leitmeritz and KomotauCommanding Officer: Colonel Josef Ritter Reyl-Hanisch von GreiffenthalStaff officers: Colonel Karl Edler von Maschke - Lieut. Colonel Franz Schmidt - Lieut. Colonel Franz Knirsch - Major Erwin Preuss - Major Franz Gasser - Major Leo Stangl

10th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Jungbunzlau)

52nd Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 26th Landwehr Infantry Division – IX Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Jungbunzlau - III Baon in TurnauNationalities: 95 % Czech – 5 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Jungbunzlau and TurnauCommanding Officer: Viktor MeiselStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Franz Wanke - Lieut. Colonel Karl Bubnik - Major Moritz von Frank - Major Johann Preiss

11th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Jičin)

51st Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 26th Landwehr Infantry Division – IX Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Jičín - III Baon in JaroměřNationalities: 63 % Czech – 36 % German – 1 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Jičin and KöniggrätzCommanding Officer: Colonel Emil StanglStaff officers: Colonel Ignaz Bezděk - Lieut. Colonel Josef Basler - Lieut. Colonel Karl Petzold - Lieut. Colonel Franz Rutta - Lieut. Colonel Edgar Gautsch von Frankenborn - Major Rudolf Hug

12th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Časlau)

51st Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 26th Landwehr Infantry Division – IX Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: ČaslauNationalities: 87 % Czech – 13 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Časlau and JungbunzlauCommanding Officer: Colonel Oskar EschStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Emil Pohl - Lieut. Colonel Josef Dokoupil - Major Franz Großauer - Majoer Franz Weinbacher - Major Hermann Jellinek

13th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Olmütz)

92nd Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 46th Landwehr Infantry Division – I Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Olmütz - III Baon in Mährisch-SchönbergNationalities: 64 % Czech – 31 % German – 5 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Olmütz and Mährisch SchönbergCommanding Officer: Colonel Emil WankStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Josef Baranowski - Lieut. Colonel Franz Lindner - Lieut. Colonel Friedrich Ritter von Stępski - Major Gustav Illić - Major Julius Kuczera - Major August Ritter von Panzera - Major Adolf Buchsbaum

14th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Brünn)

26th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 13th Landwehr Infantry Division – II Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Brünn- II Baon in IglauNationalities: 67 % Czech – 31 % German – 2 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Brünn and IglauCommanding Officer: Colonel Gustav Ritter von ZygadłowiczStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel I Generalstabskorps Karl Stutz - Lieut. Colonel Oskar Waßhuber - Lieut. Colonel Eduard Rott - Major Rudolf Steinbrecher - Major Franz Tippelt

15th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Troppau)

92nd Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 46th Landwehr Infantry Division – I Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Troppau - III Baon in Mährisch-WeißkirchenNationalities: 82 % German – 18 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Troppau and OlmützCommanding Officer: Colonel Emil Pattay Edler von KljučStaff officers: Oberstlr. Konrad Pikolka - Major Theodor Piekhart - Major Emil Pohlenz - Major Johann Mohelský

16th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Krakau)

91st Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 46th Landwehr Infantry Division – I Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: KrakowNationalities: 82 % Polish – 18 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Krakow and WadowiceCommanding Officer: Colonel Heinrich Freiherr von DürfeldStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Ludwig Zawada - Lieut. Colonel Ludwig Freisinger - Lieut. Colonel Karl Prettner - Major Alexander Edler von Karchesy - Major Adolf Meindl - Major Eduar Müller

17th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Rseszów)

90th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 45th Landwehr Infantry Division – X Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: RzeszówNationalities: 97 % Polish – 3 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: RzeszówCommanding Officer: Colonel Edmund Lober Edler von KarstenrodStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Moritz Löwenstein - Major Karl Nikodem - Major Karl Kunzek - Major Josef Sittenberger * 18th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Przemyśl)89th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 45th Landwehr Infantry Division – X Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: PrzemyślNationalities: 47 % Ruthenian – 43 % Polish – 10 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Przemyśl and SanokCommanding Officer: Colonel Eduard BezdiczkaStaff officers: Colonel Robert Pluhard von Ulogponte - Lieut. Colonel Franz Kraliček - Lieut. Colonel Karl Lindinger - Major Hugo Reichel - Major Ignaz Pick - Major Viktore Jarosz

19th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Lemberg)

85th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 43rd Infantry Division – XI Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: LembergNationalities: 59 % Ruthenian – 31 % Polish – 10 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Lemberg and BrzezanyCommanding Officer: Colonel Karl JentStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Johann Opletal - Lieut. Colonel Franz Springinsfeld - Major Rudolf Thom - Major Alexander Süss - Major Franz Paulik - Major Kajetan Amirowicz - Major Miecislaus Linde

20th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Stanislau)

85th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 43rd Landwehr Infantry Division – XI Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: StanislauNationalities: 72 % Ruthenian – 28 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Stanislau, Brzezany and CzortkówCommanding Officer: Colonel Anton KoselStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Adolf Flecker - Lieut. Colonel Josef Otter - Lieut. Colonel Emanuel Hohenauer - Major Maximilian Preier - Major Otto Schreyer

21st Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment (Sankt Pölten)

87th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 44th Landwehr Infantry Division – XIV Army CorpsEstablished: 1889: Garrison: Sankt PöltenNationalities: 98 % German – 2 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: St. Pölten and Vienna BCommanding Officer: Colonel Eduard Edler von DietrichStaff officers: Lieut. Colonel Josef Vizthum - Lieut. Colonel Heribert Marchesani - Major Franz Sax - Major Josef Koch - Major Johann Lentsch - Major Gottfried Koch - Major Johann Ritter von Wróblewski

22nd Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

86th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 43rd Landwehr Infantry Division – III Army CorpsEstablished: 1889Garrison: CzernowitzNationalities: 27 % Ruthenian – 54 % Romanian – 19 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Czernowitz and KolomeaCommanding Officer: Colonel Alois Göttl

23rd Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment 23

5th Mountain Infantry Brigade – 18th Infantry Division – XVI Army CorpsEstablished: 1893Garrison: ZaraNationalities: 82 % Serbian/Croatian – 18 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: SebenicoCommanding Officer: Colonel Alfred Plesskot

24th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

25th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 13th Landwehr Infantry Division – II Army CorpsEstablished: 1900Garrison: ViennaNationalities: 97 % German – 3 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Vienna B and ZnaimCommanding Officer: Colonel Otto Richter

25th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

26th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 13th Landwehr Infantry Division – II Army CorpsEstablished: 1900Garrison: KremsierNationalities: 83 % Czech – 17 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: KremsierCommanding Officer: Colonel Karl Mader

26th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

43rd Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 22nd Landwehr Infantry Division – III Army CorpsEstablished: 1901Garrison: MarburgNationalities: 77 % German – 23 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Marburg and CilliCommanding Officer: Colonel Wenzel Schönauer

27th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

44th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 23rd Landwehr Infantry Division – III Army CorpsEstablished: 1901Garrison: LaibachNationalities: 86 % Slovene – 14 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Laibach and TriestCommanding Officer: Colonel Karl Zahradniczek

28th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

42nd Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 21st Landwehr Infantry Division – VIII Army CorpsEstablished: 1899Garrison: PisekNationalities: 79 % Czech – 20 % German – 1 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Pisek, Neuhaus and BeneschauCommanding Officer: Colonel Josef Fiedler

29th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

42nd Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 21st Landwehr Infantry Division – XVII Army CorpsEstablished: 1899Garrison: BudweisNationalities: 45 % Czech – 54 % German – 1 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Budweis and PisekCommanding Officer: Colonel Johann Wurja

30th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

51st Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 26th Landwehr Infantry Division – IX Army CorpsEstablished: 1899Garrison: HohenmauthNationalities: 68 % Czech – 28 % German – 4 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Hohenmauth and KöniggrätzCommanding Officer: Colonel Rudolf Kasel

31st Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

91st Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 46th Landwehr Infantry Division – I Army CorpsEstablished: 1901Garrison: TeschenNationalities: 33 % Czech – 37 % German – 27 % Polish – 1 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Teschen and WadowiceCommanding Officer: Colonel Emil Maculan

32nd Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

91st Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 46th Landwehr Infantry Division – I Army CorpsEstablished: 1901Garrison: NeusandezNationalities: 91 % Polish – 9 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Neusandez and TarnówCommanding Officer: Colonel Silvester Edler von Lucanović

33rd Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

89th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 45th LandwehrInfantry Division – X Army CorpsEstablished: 1901Garrison: StryjNationalities: 73 % Ruthenian – 27 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Stryj and SamborCommanding Officer: Colonel Ludwig Hromatka

34th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

90th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 45th Landwehr Infantry Division – X Army CorpsEstablished: 1901Garrison: JaroslauNationalities: 75 % Polish – 25 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Jaroslau and Gródek JagiellonskiCommanding Officer: Colonel Ferdinand Wlaschütz

35th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

85th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 43rd Landwehr Infantry Division – XI Army CorpsEstablished: 1898Garrison: ZloczówNationalities: 68 % Ruthenian – 25 % Polish – 9 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Zloczów and TarnopolCommanding Officer: Colonel Alfred Regenermel

36th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

86th Landwehr Infantry Brigade – 43rd Landwehr Infantry Division – III Army CorpsEstablished: 1899Garrison: KolomeaNationalities: 70 % Ruthenian – 21 % Polish – 9 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: Kolomea, Stanislau and CzortkówCommanding Officer: Colonel Adalbert Dobija

37th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry Regiment

4th Mountain Infantry Brigade – 18th Infantry Division – XVI Army CorpsEstablished: 1906Garrison: GravosaNationalities: 82 % Serbian/Croatian – 8 % otherLandwehr Recruiting District: CastelnuovoCommanding Officer: Colonel Franz Grossmann

State rifle regiments

From 1906 the state rifles became the Imperial-Royal Mountain Corps and were renamed the Kaiserschützen ("Emperor's Rifles") in 1917. They were given various titles depending on the period.

1st Imperial-Royal State Rifle Regiment (Trient) (k.k. Landesschützen-Regiment „Trient“ Nr. I)

2nd Imperial-Royal State Rifle Regiment (Bozen) (k.k. Landesschützen-Regiment „Bozen“ Nr. II)

3rd Imperial-Royal State Rifle Regiment (Innichen) (k.k. Landesschützen-Regiment „Innichen“ Nr. III)

Dress

Landwehr infantry wore the hat of the rifle corps (Jägertruppe) as their parade headdress: a matt black hat of waterproof felt. It consisted of the crown and brim adorned with a hatband of green cord, a hunting horn and a hackle or plume of black cock feathers. The hat cord was made of sheep's wool, had a button and, at each end, an acorn covered with green wool and braided at the ends. The two acorns were attached to the rear of the hat crown. The cord for officers was made of interwoven black and gold thread.

The crown was in the shape of an oval cone, with a slight dent at the top. The brim was flat in front and behind, but "snapped up" on both sides. The brim was edged with black, varnished calfskin.

On the left side of the crown, there was a rearward, tilted socket for attaching the hackle. The hat badge - of gold-coloured metal - was a hunting horn. The battalion number in nickel silver was set in the centre formed by the loop of the horn. The badge was fastened over the socket for the feathers so that the number was inclined at the same angle as the socket. The hackle was formed in the shape of a rooster's tail around a 1.5 mm thick piece of steel wire. The length of the hackle was 29 cm. The hackle was inserted into the socket on the hat such that the feathers were swept back in an arc.

On the march the Landwehr used the normal infantry field cap (Feldkappe).

The uniform jacket (Waffenrock) of the Landwehr infantry - for officers and men - was on average the same as that of the infantry. The other ranks jacket was made of pike grey (hechtgrau) cloth with epaulettes, shoulder trim, collar and cuffs of grass-green colour. The buttons for all regiments were white and marked with the battalion number.

The shirts worn by the Landwehr infantry were of the same colour as the jacket with grass-green gorget patches to indicate their arm of service. Their remaining usual items of dress were no different from those of the line infantry.

Trousers were of pike grey cloth and cut long in accordance with the regulations for German regiments. The trousers of the officers had grass-green lampasses; NCOs and other ranks had grass-green piping along the side seam.

Dress variations for 4th and 27th Infantry The uniforms of the 4th and 27th Infantry were an exception to the Landwehr infantry regulations; instead, they had the same dress pattern as the State Rifles.

The parade hat was no different from that of the Landwehr infantry and, in marching order, they used the infantry field cap. One special feature was a small, forward-sloping pocket on the left side of the cap into which a spray of black grouse feathers was fixed. On individual hats the feathers could be fixed directly to the cap in order that the white feathers could be displayed to best effect.

The uniform jacket of the two regiments was, like the State Rifles jackets - both for officers and men - cut in two rows unlike the infantry and had two rows each of eight silver buttons. The buttons bore the regimental number in Arabic numerals. The soldiers' jackets were made of pike grey material and had grass-green epaulettes, shoulder bars, collars and cuffs. On the collars there was a matt white edelweiss on each side, behind the rank badge (Distinktionsabzeichen).

The rifleman's shirt was the same colour as his jacket; the arm of service being signified by grass-green gorgets (Parolis). There were also other differences in the uniform compared with that of the infantry units of the Imperial and Royal Army.

The trousers were the same pattern as those of the Landwehr infantry.

See also: Imperial-Royal Mountain Troops

Mounted State Rifles

Imperial-Royal Mounted Tyrolean State Rifle Division (k.k. Reitende Tiroler Landesschützen Division)

Imperial-Royal Mounted Dalmatian State Rifle Division (k.k. Reitende Dalmatiner Landesschützen Division)

Allocated as liaison cavalry:1 troop, 1 Sqn, to 4th Mountain Brigade – 18th Infantry Division1 troop, 1 Sqn, to 2nd Mountain Brigade1 troop, 1 Sqn, to 14th Mountain Brigade - 47th Infantry Division1 troop, 2 Sqn, to 5th Mountain Brigade – 18th Infantry Division1 troop to 18th Infantry Division2 troops to 40th Honved Infantry DivisionNationalities: 82 % Serb/Croat – 18 % otherEstablished: 1874Garrison: SinjCommanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Julius Stöger-Steiner

Museum coverage

The history of Austro-Hungarian forces is documented in detail in the Military History Museum in Vienna, which was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I as the Imperial-Royal Court Armaments Museum (k.k. Hofwaffenmuseum). In a special display cabinet in Hall V (the Franz Joseph Hall) of the museum, several uniforms of the Imperial Royal Landwehr are displayed, a relief on the rear of the cabinet shows the territories from which the Hungarian Honved and Imperial-Royal Landwehr recruited.

Literature

Heinz von Lichem: Spielhahnstoß und Edelweiß – die Friedens- und Kriegsgeschichte der Tiroler Hochgebirgstruppe „Die Kaiserschützen“ von ihren Anfängen bis 1918. Leopold Stocker Verlag, Graz, 1977. ISBN 3-7020-0260-X.

Heinz von Lichem: Der Tiroler Hochgebirgskrieg 1915–1918. Steiger Verlag, Berwang (Tyrol), 1985. ISBN 3-85423-052-4.

Anton Graf Bossi Fedregotti: Kaiserjäger – Ruhm und Ende: nach dem Kriegstagebuch des Oberst von Cordier. Stocker Verlag, Graz, 1977. ISBN 3-7020-0263-4.

Carl Freiherr von Bardolff: Soldat im alten Österreich – Erinnerungen aus meinem Leben. Diederichs Verlag, Jena, 1938.

Johann Christoph Allmayer-Beck, Erich Lessing: Die K.(u.)K. Armee 1848–1918. Bertelsmann Verlag, Munich, 1974.

Oskar Brüch, Günter Dirrheimer: Das k. u. k. Heer 1895 (= Schriften des Heeresgeschichtlichen Museums in Wien (Militärwissenschaftliches Institut), Band 10), Stocker Verlag, Graz, 1997. ISBN 3-7020-0783-0.

Rest, Ortner, Ilmig: Des Kaisers Rock im 1. Weltkrieg – Uniformierung und Ausrüstung der österreichisch-ungarischen Armee von 1914 bis 1918. Verlag Militaria, Vienna, 2002. ISBN 3-9501642-0-0.

Andreas Danner, Martin Prieschl, Johannes Heubel, Für Gott, Kaiser und Oberösterreich - das k.k. Landwehrinfanterieregiment Linz Nro. 2, in: 50 Jahre Wiedererrichtung Garnison Ried - Tapfer, standhaft und treu, Ried im Innkreis 2008, pp. 142 – 144;

Thomas Reichl: Die österreichische Landwehr 1809, in: Viribus Unitis. Jahresbericht des Heeresgeschichtlichen Museums 2009, Vienna, 2009, ISBN 978-3-902551-15-3

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