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Austro-Hungarian Army
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The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy (1867 - 1918). It was composed of the joint army (k.u.k. Armee - recruited from all parts of the country), the Austrian Landwehr (recruited from Cisleithania), and the Hungarian Honvédség (recruited from Transleithania).
Official designations were as follows:
Most of Hungarian cavalry, infantry and artillery troops fought for the Hungarian royal government which waged an unsuccessful War of Independence from 1848 until 1849 when it surrendered to the Czarist army dispatched to help out the Austrian Imperial army.
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Encyclopedia
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy (1867 - 1918). It was composed of the joint army (k.u.k. Armee - recruited from all parts of the country), the Austrian Landwehr (recruited from Cisleithania), and the Hungarian Honvédség (recruited from Transleithania).
Official designations were as follows:
- regiments of the joint army were designated Imperial and Royal (German: "kaiserlich und königlich" (k.u.k.); Hungarian: "Császári és Királyi")
- Austrian Landwehr regiments were Imperial/Royal (German: "kaiserlich/königlich" (k.k.) (which stands for Imperial Austrian / Royal Bohemian (kaiserlich österreichisch/königlich böhmisch)); Hungarian: "császári/királyi")
- Hungarian Honvéd regiments, or "Honvédség", were called Royal Hungarian (German: "königlich ungarisch"; Hungarian: "Magyar Királyi")
Most of Hungarian cavalry, infantry and artillery troops fought for the Hungarian royal government which waged an unsuccessful War of Independence from 1848 until 1849 when it surrendered to the Czarist army dispatched to help out the Austrian Imperial army. After the surrender, Hungarian units were either disbanded or relocated and national Hungarian military units could not be organized again until the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867.
The joint army (or k.u.k.) came into existence after the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy in 1867 and was disbanded after the end of World War I in 1918. Prior to 1867, Austria's ground forces were those of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (named k.k. for kaiserlich, königlich).
The joint "Imperial and Royal" units were poorly trained and had very limited access to new equipment because the governments of the cisleithanian and transleithaian parts of the empire often preferred to generously fund their own units instead of outfitting all three army branches equally. All the Honvédség and the Landwehr regiments were comsposed of three battalions while the joint army k.u.k. regiments had four.
The long standing white-coloured infantry uniforms were replaced with a dark blue ones which would remain the standard version in following decades until a pike grey uniform, which was later used during World War I, was introduced in 1909.
The last surviving member of the Austro-Hungarian army was Franz Künstler, who died in May 2008 at the age of 107.
Austro-Hungarian Army in July 1914
- 30,000 Officers
- 410,000 NCO's and troops
- 87,000 horses (estimate)
- 1,200 guns in field artillery
After the war was declared, 3.35 million men (including the first call up of the reserves and the 1914 recruits) gathered for action.
The Austro-Hungarian Imperial Army was officially under the control of the Commander-in-Chief, Emperor Franz Josef. By 1914 Josef was 84 years old and the chief of staff, Count Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, had more power over the armed forces. Conrad, favoured an aggressive foreign policy and advocated the use of military action to solve Austro-Hungary's territorial disputes with Italy and Serbia.
Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen was appointed Supreme Commander of the Austro-Hungarian Army by Franz Joseph on July 11, 1914, it was thought that he would not interfere with the operational and tactical talents of Conrad von Hötzendorf. Friedrich remained Supreme Commander until February 1917 when Emperor Charles I decided to take the office himself.
The common Army (k.u.k. - kaiserlich und königlich)
- 16 Corps
- 49 Infantry Divisions - 76 Infantry Brigades - 14 Mountain Brigades
- 8 Cavalry Divisions - 16 Cavalry Brigades
- 102 Infantry Regiments (four battalions each) - 4 Bosnian-Herzegovinian (Bosnisch-Hercegowinische) Infantry regiments (four battalions each)
- 4 Imperial Tyrolian Rifles Regiments (Tiroler Kaiserjäger) (four battalions each)
- 32 Rifles-Battalions (Feldjäger) - 1 Bosnian-Herzegovinian Rifles Battalion (Bosnisch-Hercegowinisches Feldjäger Bataillon)
- 42 Field Artillery Regiments (Feldkanonen-Regimenter) - 14 Field Howitzer Regiments (Feldhaubitz-Regimenter)
- 11 Mounted Artillery Battalions (originally named Reitende Artillerie Division) - 14 Heavy Howitzer Battalions (originally named schwere Haubitz-Division)
- 11 Mountain Artillery Regiments (Gebirgsartillerie Regimenter)
- 6 Fortress Artillerie Regiments (Festungsartillerie Regimenter) - 8 independent Fortress Artillery Battalions (selbst. Festungsartillerie Bataillone)
- 15 Regiments of Dragoons (Dragoner) - 16 Regiments of Hussars (Husaren) - 11 Regiments of Lancers (Ulanen)
- 16 Transportation Battalions (Railroad)
- 23 Engineers Battalions (Sappeure/Pioniere) - 1 Bridge Construction Battalion (Brücken Bataillon) - 1 Railroad Regiment (Eisenbahn-Regiment) - 1 Signal Regiment (Telegraphen-Regiment)
k.k. Landwehr (kaiserlich österreichisch/königlich böhmisch)
- 35 Landwehr Infantry Regiments - 3 battalions each (Landwehr Infanterie-Regimenter)
- 6 Landwehr Regiments of Lancers
- 8 Landwehr Field Artillery Battalions (Feldkanonen) - 8 Landwehr Field Howitzer Battalions (Feldhaubitz)
The Mountain Infantry with the following units:
- 2 Landwehr Mountain Infantry Regiments (Gebirgsinfanterie-Regimenter) No. 4 and No. 27
- 3 Tyrolian Fusiliers Regiments (Tiroler Landesschützen Regimenter) - since January 1917 named Kaiserschützen
- 1 Mounted Tyrolian Fusiliers Battalion (Reitende Tiroler Landesschützen)
- 1 Mounted Dalmatian Fusiliers Battalion (Reitende Dalmatiner Landesschützen)
k.u. Honvéd (königlich ungarische Landwehr)
- 6 k.u. Honvéd Landwehr Districts (Distrikte)
- 2 k.u. Honvéd Infantry Divisions (Infanterie Truppendivisionen)
- 2 k.u. Honvéd Cavalry Divisions (Kavallerie Truppendivisionen)
- 4 k.u. Honvéd Infantry Brigades (Infanteriebrigaden) - 12 independent k.u. Honvéd Infantry Brigades
- 4 k.u. Honvéd Cavalry Brigades (Kavalleriebrigaden)
- 32 Honvéd Infantry Regiments (Infanterie-Regimenter)
- 10 Honvéd Regiments of Hussars (Husaren-Regimenter)
- 8 Honvéd Field Artillery Regiments (Feldkanonen Regimenter) - 1 Honvéd Mounted Artillery Battalion (Reitende Artillerie Abteilung)
The infantry regiments of the k.u.k. Army had four battalions each, the infantry regiments of the k.k. and k.u. Landwehr had three battalions each, except the 3rd Regiment of the “Tiroler Landesschützen“ (Tyrolian Fusiliers), that had also four battailons.
In 1915 units which had nicknames or names of honor lost them by order of the war ministry. Thereafter units were designated only by number. For instance, the k.u.k. Infanterie-Regiment (Hoch und Deutschmeister) No.4 changed to Infanterie-Regiment No. 4.
Medals of Honor (Example)
Medals of Honor of a Zugsführer (Staff-Sergeant) of the 2nd Regiment of the Tyrolian Imperial Rifles (later transferred to the 30th High Mountain Company)
- he saw action at:
- Galicia
- the Carpathian Mountains (Romania - Hungaria eastern border area.)
- Col di Lana - Austria-Italian border
- Monte Piano - Austria-Italian border
- bei Lafraun (Lavarone/seven communities area) - Austria-Italian border
- Monte Pasubio - Austria-Italian border
- Sextner Dolomiten Mountains - Austria-Italian border
- Ortler Mountain - Austria-Italian border
- Hohe Schneid (Ortler Massiv) - Austria-Italian border
- Tonale Paß (Adamello - Presanella Massiv) - Austria-Italian border
- Cima Presena (Mountain (Adamello - Presanella Massiv) - Austria-Italian border
- Busazza Mountain (Adamello - Presanella Massiv) - Austria-Italian border
- He has been honored with the following Medals :
- the Silver Medal of Bravery 1st Class (Kaiser Karl I. / after January 1917)
- the Silver Medal of Bravery 2nd Class (Kaiser Karl / after January 1917)
- the Bronze Medal of Bravery Emperor Franz Joseph / before January 1917)
- the Karl-Cross (for a minimum of 12 weeks in active fight)
- the Casualty Medal (after January 1917) (wounded on 9/20/1918 at the Zigolon Mountain near the Adamello)
- the Medal of Honor of the State of Tyrol to its defenders
Ranks
Ranks within the Austro-Hungarian Land Forces German | Hungarian | US equivalents | |
Troops | | Soldat / Jäger / Schütze / Kanonier | Honvéd | Private /Rifleman / Gunner / Lancer / et cetera. | | Gefreiter | Orvezeto | Private First Class | |
Non Commissioned Officers | | Korporal | Tizedes | Corporal | | Zugsführer | Szakaszvezeto | Sergeant / Staff Sergeant | | Feldwebel | Ormester | Master Sergeant | | Stabs-Feldwebel (since 1913) | Törzsormester | Sergeant Major | | Offiziersstellvertreter (since 1915) | Tiszthelyettes | Chief Warrant Officer | |
Officer Aspirants | | Kadett-Offiziersstellvertreter (until 1908) | Hadapród-Tiszthelyettes | Cadet Deputy Officer | | Kadett (since 1908) | Hadapród | Cadet | | Fähnrich (since 1908) | Zászlós | Officers-Candidate | |
Officers | | Leutnant | Hadnagy | Lieutenant | | Oberleutnant | Fohadnagy | First Lieutenant | | Hauptmann (Rittmeister in the cavalry) | Százados | Captain | | Major | Ornagy | Major | | Oberstleutnant | Alezredes | Lieutenant-Colonel | | Oberst | Ezredes | Colonel | | Generalmajor | Vezérornagy | Major-General | | Feldmarschallleutnant | Altábornagy | Lieutenant-General | | General der Infanterie | Gyalogsági Tábornok | General of the Infantry | | General der Kavallerie | Lovassági Tábornok | General of the Cavalry | | Feldzeugmeister | Táborszernagy | General of the Artillery | | Generaloberst (since 1915) | Vezérezredes | Colonel-General | | Feldmarschall | Tábornagy | Field-Marshal (General of the Army) |
Note
The ranks displayed after the "/" are the Hungarian equivalents of the Austrian ranks, since they were used in this format in the Magyar Királyi Honvédség (Royal Hungarian Home Defence Forces).
Types of uniforms
See also
*Organisation of the Austro-Hungarian Land Forces (German)
External links
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