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May 8, 2024The training of the assault troops took place in several phases. The selection of people was already carried out according to such criteria that the soldiers were suitable for carrying out complex operations in difficult combat conditions. A variety of skills were practiced in the special assault training. Perhaps the most important of these were throwing hand grenades and practicing close combat. Knowledge of weapons was equally important, as the raiding party often used captured weapons during its deployment, especially when an occupied enemy trench had to be turned around to face the opposite direction. But beyond the basic training, undertalings were always preceded by careful planning, and the details of the actions were worked out in advance. A rehearsal was also held for more significant operations. This is how it happened in the case of the occupation of the Magyaros roof. Far from the scene of the action, the raiders attacked the replica of the enemy lines using sharp ammunition. The photographs of assault action were mostly taken in the practice, not in live situations. The picture posted here could also be like this. Here three swarms are just leaving their own trenches and advancing through the wire barriers towards the enemy lines. The Kappenabzeichen attached to the post depicts the soldiers of the 10th Honvéd infantry regiment during the exercise before the attack on Magyaros, in Csíkzsögöd. The stony terrain of the photo suggests the picture was taken on the Karst plateau. Assault troops must have practiced here as well. [...] Read more...
May 4, 2024Heinrich von Hess 19th century Austrian general was the owner of the 49th infantry regiment. I wrote about him and the beautiful fire enamel regimental insignia decorated with his coat of arms once here. The current entry is also related to the regiment’s Kappenabzeichen and regiment owner. Both can be seen on a thin plaque the size of a cap badge. I believe it may have been a jubilee badge. I also uploaded a letter seal with the general’s portrait, which can be seen below. [...] Read more...
April 25, 2024The 43rd infantry regiment was part of the 17th division, which was commanded by Archduke Joseph as part of the VII. corps during the most difficult period of the war on the Italian front. Between 1915 and 1917, they participated in repelling all Italian attacks (11 in total) launched on the Karst. It was one of the regiments that suffered the greatest blood loss. Most of its crew were of Romanian nationality, from the south-eastern part of Banat and the county of Krassó-Szörény. The regiment command was located in Karánsebes, and most of the battalions were located in Fehértemplom. The idea behind this post is related to the flag. The regiment had a lapel colored flag Kappenabzeichen. There was also a letter seal that displayed the regimental flag. As an addition, we can see the stamp of the regiment’s machine gun company on a field correspondence card. [...] Read more...
April 22, 2024The fortress artillery regiments of the Monarchy were originally the units providing the heavy artillery. Armies designed for mobile warfare did not need heavy artillery. The high destructive power of large-caliber guns was designed to be used against fortifications or armored ships. During the siege of the fortresses, one could count on the fact that enemy technical troops of the besiegers would build protected shelters for their own defense, which the heavy guns could destroy. Heavy artillery was also installed in the fortifications built to protect the two major seaports. Fortress artillery regiments were stationed at larger forts, and battalions were stationed at smaller forts. The 6th Fortress Artillery Regiment secured the second largest fortress system in the Monarchy, Komárom. As early as 1914, the fortress artillery gunners were sent to the fronts, where there was a great shortage of artillery equipment. Independent heavy artillery did not even exist at first. The battle, which soon turned into a standing war, made it necessary to destroy the covers and the enemy artillery devices set up further away. At first, only the fortress artillery had guns suitable for these tasks. In view of the great needs, the regiments were disbanded and deployed in batteries to the infantry divisions. This also happened with regiment No. 6. The batteries were commanded individually and used on all active fronts. The correspondence sheet behind the entry is marked with the stamp of the ammunition column belonging to the heavy howitzer battery No. 18 of the regiment. The badge is the regiment’s only known cap badge from the Great War. I was also able to attach a letter seal of the 6th fortress artillery regiment. [...] Read more...
April 19, 2024Corps’ Kappenabzeichen were not too rare and there are a good number of them on wearing photos. The interesting thing about this post is the wearer, in addition to the badge, which is beautiful in its simplicity. He is none other than First Lieutenant Dr. Kálmán Pogány, the company commander of the 19th insurgent infantry regiment in Székesfehérvár. A doctor of arts, he was the director of the Museum of Fine Arts before the Great War. In the 1919 communist commune, he was the president of the Art and Museum Directorate and the head of the committee for socializing museal artefacts. From 1914 to February 1916, the 19th Insurgent Infantry Regiment was deployed on the Serbian front and then on the Russian front. It was placed on the Italian battlefield from August 1917 until the end of the war. They were assigned to the 17th (later 127th) Insurgent Infantry Brigade, which was part of the 53rd Infantry Division (64th Division from June 1918). The regimental history describes the combat events in detail, but nowhere does it mention the VI. corps as a superior command. Wearing the badge is therefore strange. According to the note on the back of the photograph, the picture was taken at a company commander’s position in South Tyrol. This could be possible, since the regiment fought on the Italian front, but first on the Karst plateu and then on the middle course of the Piave, so not in Tyrol. Based on the description, the VIII. Kaposvár battalion of the 19th insurgents could be his battalion. This was originally the insurgent supply battalion of the 19th regiment, but during the war it developed into a unit performing combat tasks. Its commander was the retired hussar major István Szegfy. From June 1916 to September 1917, they were deployed in the front section of the Italian front around Zugna Torta. They were then transferred to Transylvania, from where they returned to the Italian front in April 1918. Yet, this unit had no ties to the VI. to corps either, the puzzle remains unsolved… [...] Read more...
April 12, 2024There are many posts on the site that depict members of the Sturmtruppe. We usually see them with equipment, helmets, grenades, and short carbines on their backs. This picture is very different. The young lieutenant can only be considered a member of the assault troop because of his helmet, and perhaps because of his age. The one-year volunteers who graduated took part in officer training. At first, they were assigned as NCO ensigns in the crew, and later many reached the rank of lieutenant. This was already towards the end of the war, they could have been 20-22 years old. Most of them, as platoon commanders, were entrusted with the execution of the roughest operational tasks. The young lieutenant in the picture is almost a child. The bulky pioneer boots on his feet and the helmet on his head seem not to be tailored to his body size. What is most striking and tragic in the picture, however, is the gaze. As a youngster, he could go through terrible shocks as the commander of the assault platoon. I have already written about the thousand yards stare here once. This picture is even sadder, as it reflects the suffering of an extremely young person. For the post, in connection with the helmet, I uploaded the general Sturmtruppe badge, the main motif of which is the helmet. But it also includes the skull and leg bone that express the horrors. [...] Read more...
April 11, 2024The Emperor’s Regiment. Usually, the units marked with number 1 (infantry regiment, hussar regiment, etc.) were named after the ruler, and the ruler was the owner of the regiment. This was also the case with the 1st KuK Infantry Regiment. This is shown by the cap badge of the opening picture, on which the regimental number is engraved next to the portrait of Franz Joseph I. Such engravings also appear on other badges. E.g. the engraving IR 34 was added next to the portrait of Emperor Wilhelm II. These badges were not trench art, they were produced in large numbers. The 1st Infantry Regiment was based in Silesia, with its command in the town of Troppau. The crew consisted predominantly of native Germans. 15% were Czech. It was founded in 1715 as an Imperial German infantry regiment. Up to the time of the Great War, he participated in all major armed conflicts where Austria was at war. The letter seal shown in the entry mentions June 27, 1866 with the name Trautenau. This was the only battle won by the Austrians in the Prussian-Austrian War of 1866. I couldn’t find a direct mention, but certainly the regiment distinguished itself here and it became the regiment’s memorial day. In the Great War, the regiment belonged to the I Corps as part of the 5th Division. On the Russian front, the division sometimes was subordinated to the 7th Army and sometimes to the 3rd Army. In the summer of 1918, they were sent to the Italian front, to the Dolomites. I also present the Kappenabzeichen of the aid fund supporting the invalids and orphans of the regiment as well. [...] Read more...
April 8, 2024The Monarchy’s navy developed at a rapid pace from the 1880s onwards. The effort resulted in the world’s sixth largest navy. The primary purpose of this was to protect the Adriatic and secure the Dalmatian coast. But warships of the Monarchy also appeared in distant places, such as in China during the Boxer Rebellion. Austrian and Hungarian engineers also participated in the development of military technology. Several innovations came from them. It was then that the great battleship building fever took place. Dreadnoughts, modern, high-powered battleships, were at the center of every country’s naval development. Of course, the British, French and Germans won the prize in this respect as well, but there was also a separate “home competition” between Italy and the Monarchy. Almost at the same time, both countries came forward with an important innovation, which was then introduced and adopted by all shipbuilding nations until the second half of the 20th century, the twilight of battleships. During the construction of battleships, an important aspect was the optimal placement of the guns placed on the ships. In practice, this meant that the ship had to have adequate, maximum firepower both laterally and forward and backward. The large-caliber ship guns were placed in rotating gun turrets with two, and later with three barrels in each. There were usually four gun turrets on the ships. The turrets located on the bow and stern of the ship had the possibility of firing in three directions. On the other hand, the turrets located on the side of the ship or in the middle of the centerline of the ship had only limited firing room. When firing forward and backward, these turrets could not be used. The solution to this problem was two gun turrets placed one behind the other on the bow and stern of the ship. Of these, the rear one was higher and could fire above the front turret. Thus, both could fire in three directions. This placement of the ship’s artillery was used on all the later built battleships. The Monarchy’s first battleship with this new system was the SMS Tegetthoff, after which the four-unit ship class was named. The Arkanzas company produced the SMS Szent István inscription cap badge. This ship was the fourth and last unit of the ship class, mostly built in Hungarian factories. This was the largest Hungarian-built naval vessel of all time. The opening image shows this ship with the crew lined up on board. The two huge turrets on the stern are clearly visible. However, the Kappenabzeichen does not show this ship, but a previously built Erzherzog-class battleship. In addition to the original photo of the opening image, I also included a cozy postcard. [...] Read more...
April 4, 2024An irregular entry follows in all respects. There is no cap badge in the background photo, just an Easter greeting written on the board. But Easter is over, so why this picture? And how does it relate to the badge? Solution: the cloak. Of course, the real reason for the pairing is that the picture is special and the badge is beautiful. It is the characteristic badge of the 83rd West Hungarian Infantry Regiment. The 83rd regiment of the “Vazs county” bucks was headquartered in Szombathely. It is interesting that the German-speaking population of the surrounding Burgenland areas (today in Austria) also preserves the memory of the regiment. They also have a traditionalist group. [...] Read more...
April 2, 2024The First Battle of Amman was decisive for the fate of the Turkish Empire in Palestine. The British Egyptian army, which achieved a breakthrough in December 1917 in the vicinity of Gaza and Beersheba, was stopped by the allied troops in Palestine. The front then stretched near Jericho and Jerusalem, on the west bank of the Jordan River. Crossing the Jordan, the British tried to extend their attack eastwards, capturing Amman and the Palestinian section of the Hejaz railway. Amman was 48 km from the front line. In the first phase of the surprise attack, the British managed to capture the garrison of Es Salt. At the end of March they reached Amman, where they encountered a determined defense. The allies managed to reinforce the garrison. The KuK artillery unit in the region, the von Marno mountain howitzer division, was also grouped here. A German infantry unit of 2,000 men sent there as reinforcements also took part in the defense. The air force also played a major role in the battle on both sides. The British retreated to the bridgehead established on the Jordan. At the end of April, the British renewed their attack in the direction of Es Salt and Amman. Led by nomad Arab troops, they were able to send cavalry to the rear of the allied troops defending along the Jordan. Es Salt fell again, the army command stationed here was almost captured. Among the defenders caught between the croosfire was the von Marno howitzer division, which then suffered serious losses. The crew had to recapture the cannons taken by the enemy in close combat with a counterattack. The situation was saved by the Turkish cavalry, which was hastily sent there. One of the goals of the attacks was the occupation of the Hejaz railway line, which was important for the supplies. This narrow gauge railway, built before and during the Great War, ran between Damascus and Medina and touched Amman. The opening image shows a section of the railway line near Amman. After the end of the Great War, this railway lost its importance. French and British occupation zones were established in the Arabian and Middle Eastern territories of the Turkish Empire. The protectorates were ruled by clans of local warlords, who had often fought each other in the past. So it is no wonder that they had no interest in maintaining the railway line connecting the various successor states. Around Amman, there are still many old railway sets and locomotives. Some of them have been renovated and are now displayed as tourist attractions. The battle along the Jordan in the spring of 1918 proved to be the last major success of the Turkish forces. The badge attached to this post is an anti-England patriotic badge. A relatively large variety of these were also made, on which the flags of the Central Powers provide a colorful background [...] Read more...

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May 8, 2024The training of the assault troops took place in several phases. The selection of people was already carried out according to such criteria that the soldiers were suitable for carrying out complex operations in difficult combat conditions. A variety of skills were practiced in the special assault training. Perhaps the most important of these were throwing hand grenades and practicing close combat. Knowledge of weapons was equally important, as the raiding party often used captured weapons during its deployment, especially when an occupied enemy trench had to be turned around to face the opposite direction. But beyond the basic training, undertalings were always preceded by careful planning, and the details of the actions were worked out in advance. A rehearsal was also held for more significant operations. This is how it happened in the case of the occupation of the Magyaros roof. Far from the scene of the action, the raiders attacked the replica of the enemy lines using sharp ammunition. The photographs of assault action were mostly taken in the practice, not in live situations. The picture posted here could also be like this. Here three swarms are just leaving their own trenches and advancing through the wire barriers towards the enemy lines. The Kappenabzeichen attached to the post depicts the soldiers of the 10th Honvéd infantry regiment during the exercise before the attack on Magyaros, in Csíkzsögöd. The stony terrain of the photo suggests the picture was taken on the Karst plateau. Assault troops must have practiced here as well. [...] Read more...
May 4, 2024Heinrich von Hess 19th century Austrian general was the owner of the 49th infantry regiment. I wrote about him and the beautiful fire enamel regimental insignia decorated with his coat of arms once here. The current entry is also related to the regiment’s Kappenabzeichen and regiment owner. Both can be seen on a thin plaque the size of a cap badge. I believe it may have been a jubilee badge. I also uploaded a letter seal with the general’s portrait, which can be seen below. [...] Read more...
April 25, 2024The 43rd infantry regiment was part of the 17th division, which was commanded by Archduke Joseph as part of the VII. corps during the most difficult period of the war on the Italian front. Between 1915 and 1917, they participated in repelling all Italian attacks (11 in total) launched on the Karst. It was one of the regiments that suffered the greatest blood loss. Most of its crew were of Romanian nationality, from the south-eastern part of Banat and the county of Krassó-Szörény. The regiment command was located in Karánsebes, and most of the battalions were located in Fehértemplom. The idea behind this post is related to the flag. The regiment had a lapel colored flag Kappenabzeichen. There was also a letter seal that displayed the regimental flag. As an addition, we can see the stamp of the regiment’s machine gun company on a field correspondence card. [...] Read more...
April 22, 2024The fortress artillery regiments of the Monarchy were originally the units providing the heavy artillery. Armies designed for mobile warfare did not need heavy artillery. The high destructive power of large-caliber guns was designed to be used against fortifications or armored ships. During the siege of the fortresses, one could count on the fact that enemy technical troops of the besiegers would build protected shelters for their own defense, which the heavy guns could destroy. Heavy artillery was also installed in the fortifications built to protect the two major seaports. Fortress artillery regiments were stationed at larger forts, and battalions were stationed at smaller forts. The 6th Fortress Artillery Regiment secured the second largest fortress system in the Monarchy, Komárom. As early as 1914, the fortress artillery gunners were sent to the fronts, where there was a great shortage of artillery equipment. Independent heavy artillery did not even exist at first. The battle, which soon turned into a standing war, made it necessary to destroy the covers and the enemy artillery devices set up further away. At first, only the fortress artillery had guns suitable for these tasks. In view of the great needs, the regiments were disbanded and deployed in batteries to the infantry divisions. This also happened with regiment No. 6. The batteries were commanded individually and used on all active fronts. The correspondence sheet behind the entry is marked with the stamp of the ammunition column belonging to the heavy howitzer battery No. 18 of the regiment. The badge is the regiment’s only known cap badge from the Great War. I was also able to attach a letter seal of the 6th fortress artillery regiment. [...] Read more...
April 19, 2024Corps’ Kappenabzeichen were not too rare and there are a good number of them on wearing photos. The interesting thing about this post is the wearer, in addition to the badge, which is beautiful in its simplicity. He is none other than First Lieutenant Dr. Kálmán Pogány, the company commander of the 19th insurgent infantry regiment in Székesfehérvár. A doctor of arts, he was the director of the Museum of Fine Arts before the Great War. In the 1919 communist commune, he was the president of the Art and Museum Directorate and the head of the committee for socializing museal artefacts. From 1914 to February 1916, the 19th Insurgent Infantry Regiment was deployed on the Serbian front and then on the Russian front. It was placed on the Italian battlefield from August 1917 until the end of the war. They were assigned to the 17th (later 127th) Insurgent Infantry Brigade, which was part of the 53rd Infantry Division (64th Division from June 1918). The regimental history describes the combat events in detail, but nowhere does it mention the VI. corps as a superior command. Wearing the badge is therefore strange. According to the note on the back of the photograph, the picture was taken at a company commander’s position in South Tyrol. This could be possible, since the regiment fought on the Italian front, but first on the Karst plateu and then on the middle course of the Piave, so not in Tyrol. Based on the description, the VIII. Kaposvár battalion of the 19th insurgents could be his battalion. This was originally the insurgent supply battalion of the 19th regiment, but during the war it developed into a unit performing combat tasks. Its commander was the retired hussar major István Szegfy. From June 1916 to September 1917, they were deployed in the front section of the Italian front around Zugna Torta. They were then transferred to Transylvania, from where they returned to the Italian front in April 1918. Yet, this unit had no ties to the VI. to corps either, the puzzle remains unsolved… [...] Read more...
April 12, 2024There are many posts on the site that depict members of the Sturmtruppe. We usually see them with equipment, helmets, grenades, and short carbines on their backs. This picture is very different. The young lieutenant can only be considered a member of the assault troop because of his helmet, and perhaps because of his age. The one-year volunteers who graduated took part in officer training. At first, they were assigned as NCO ensigns in the crew, and later many reached the rank of lieutenant. This was already towards the end of the war, they could have been 20-22 years old. Most of them, as platoon commanders, were entrusted with the execution of the roughest operational tasks. The young lieutenant in the picture is almost a child. The bulky pioneer boots on his feet and the helmet on his head seem not to be tailored to his body size. What is most striking and tragic in the picture, however, is the gaze. As a youngster, he could go through terrible shocks as the commander of the assault platoon. I have already written about the thousand yards stare here once. This picture is even sadder, as it reflects the suffering of an extremely young person. For the post, in connection with the helmet, I uploaded the general Sturmtruppe badge, the main motif of which is the helmet. But it also includes the skull and leg bone that express the horrors. [...] Read more...
April 11, 2024The Emperor’s Regiment. Usually, the units marked with number 1 (infantry regiment, hussar regiment, etc.) were named after the ruler, and the ruler was the owner of the regiment. This was also the case with the 1st KuK Infantry Regiment. This is shown by the cap badge of the opening picture, on which the regimental number is engraved next to the portrait of Franz Joseph I. Such engravings also appear on other badges. E.g. the engraving IR 34 was added next to the portrait of Emperor Wilhelm II. These badges were not trench art, they were produced in large numbers. The 1st Infantry Regiment was based in Silesia, with its command in the town of Troppau. The crew consisted predominantly of native Germans. 15% were Czech. It was founded in 1715 as an Imperial German infantry regiment. Up to the time of the Great War, he participated in all major armed conflicts where Austria was at war. The letter seal shown in the entry mentions June 27, 1866 with the name Trautenau. This was the only battle won by the Austrians in the Prussian-Austrian War of 1866. I couldn’t find a direct mention, but certainly the regiment distinguished itself here and it became the regiment’s memorial day. In the Great War, the regiment belonged to the I Corps as part of the 5th Division. On the Russian front, the division sometimes was subordinated to the 7th Army and sometimes to the 3rd Army. In the summer of 1918, they were sent to the Italian front, to the Dolomites. I also present the Kappenabzeichen of the aid fund supporting the invalids and orphans of the regiment as well. [...] Read more...
April 8, 2024The Monarchy’s navy developed at a rapid pace from the 1880s onwards. The effort resulted in the world’s sixth largest navy. The primary purpose of this was to protect the Adriatic and secure the Dalmatian coast. But warships of the Monarchy also appeared in distant places, such as in China during the Boxer Rebellion. Austrian and Hungarian engineers also participated in the development of military technology. Several innovations came from them. It was then that the great battleship building fever took place. Dreadnoughts, modern, high-powered battleships, were at the center of every country’s naval development. Of course, the British, French and Germans won the prize in this respect as well, but there was also a separate “home competition” between Italy and the Monarchy. Almost at the same time, both countries came forward with an important innovation, which was then introduced and adopted by all shipbuilding nations until the second half of the 20th century, the twilight of battleships. During the construction of battleships, an important aspect was the optimal placement of the guns placed on the ships. In practice, this meant that the ship had to have adequate, maximum firepower both laterally and forward and backward. The large-caliber ship guns were placed in rotating gun turrets with two, and later with three barrels in each. There were usually four gun turrets on the ships. The turrets located on the bow and stern of the ship had the possibility of firing in three directions. On the other hand, the turrets located on the side of the ship or in the middle of the centerline of the ship had only limited firing room. When firing forward and backward, these turrets could not be used. The solution to this problem was two gun turrets placed one behind the other on the bow and stern of the ship. Of these, the rear one was higher and could fire above the front turret. Thus, both could fire in three directions. This placement of the ship’s artillery was used on all the later built battleships. The Monarchy’s first battleship with this new system was the SMS Tegetthoff, after which the four-unit ship class was named. The Arkanzas company produced the SMS Szent István inscription cap badge. This ship was the fourth and last unit of the ship class, mostly built in Hungarian factories. This was the largest Hungarian-built naval vessel of all time. The opening image shows this ship with the crew lined up on board. The two huge turrets on the stern are clearly visible. However, the Kappenabzeichen does not show this ship, but a previously built Erzherzog-class battleship. In addition to the original photo of the opening image, I also included a cozy postcard. [...] Read more...
April 4, 2024An irregular entry follows in all respects. There is no cap badge in the background photo, just an Easter greeting written on the board. But Easter is over, so why this picture? And how does it relate to the badge? Solution: the cloak. Of course, the real reason for the pairing is that the picture is special and the badge is beautiful. It is the characteristic badge of the 83rd West Hungarian Infantry Regiment. The 83rd regiment of the “Vazs county” bucks was headquartered in Szombathely. It is interesting that the German-speaking population of the surrounding Burgenland areas (today in Austria) also preserves the memory of the regiment. They also have a traditionalist group. [...] Read more...
April 2, 2024The First Battle of Amman was decisive for the fate of the Turkish Empire in Palestine. The British Egyptian army, which achieved a breakthrough in December 1917 in the vicinity of Gaza and Beersheba, was stopped by the allied troops in Palestine. The front then stretched near Jericho and Jerusalem, on the west bank of the Jordan River. Crossing the Jordan, the British tried to extend their attack eastwards, capturing Amman and the Palestinian section of the Hejaz railway. Amman was 48 km from the front line. In the first phase of the surprise attack, the British managed to capture the garrison of Es Salt. At the end of March they reached Amman, where they encountered a determined defense. The allies managed to reinforce the garrison. The KuK artillery unit in the region, the von Marno mountain howitzer division, was also grouped here. A German infantry unit of 2,000 men sent there as reinforcements also took part in the defense. The air force also played a major role in the battle on both sides. The British retreated to the bridgehead established on the Jordan. At the end of April, the British renewed their attack in the direction of Es Salt and Amman. Led by nomad Arab troops, they were able to send cavalry to the rear of the allied troops defending along the Jordan. Es Salt fell again, the army command stationed here was almost captured. Among the defenders caught between the croosfire was the von Marno howitzer division, which then suffered serious losses. The crew had to recapture the cannons taken by the enemy in close combat with a counterattack. The situation was saved by the Turkish cavalry, which was hastily sent there. One of the goals of the attacks was the occupation of the Hejaz railway line, which was important for the supplies. This narrow gauge railway, built before and during the Great War, ran between Damascus and Medina and touched Amman. The opening image shows a section of the railway line near Amman. After the end of the Great War, this railway lost its importance. French and British occupation zones were established in the Arabian and Middle Eastern territories of the Turkish Empire. The protectorates were ruled by clans of local warlords, who had often fought each other in the past. So it is no wonder that they had no interest in maintaining the railway line connecting the various successor states. Around Amman, there are still many old railway sets and locomotives. Some of them have been renovated and are now displayed as tourist attractions. The battle along the Jordan in the spring of 1918 proved to be the last major success of the Turkish forces. The badge attached to this post is an anti-England patriotic badge. A relatively large variety of these were also made, on which the flags of the Central Powers provide a colorful background [...] Read more...
March 31, 2024I wish blessed Easter Holiday to every reader! [...] Read more...
March 28, 2024At the outbreak of the Great War, the already operational FLIK 9 squadron was stationed in Kraków. During the war, they were first transferred to the Serbian front, where they had their base in Kevevára, then Vinkovci. After the end of the Balkan operations, the unit was ordered to Galicia, Podhajce, and then again to Kraków. During the reorganization of the air force in July 1917, the squadron, which until then had primarily been tasked with reconnaissance, was reorganized into a fighter squadron. After the peace treaty concluded with Russia in March 1918, the squadron moved to the still active Italian front, to Borgo. They took part in the June 1918 Piave Offensive. The unit was disbanded after the war ended. The first commander of the squadron was Adolf Heyrowski, who I wrote about here before. The later ace squadron commander achieved two aerial victories as part of this unit. The beautiful cap badge of the squadron mentions their operation on the Serbian and Russian fronts on the inscriptions of the two shields placed on the laurel wreath. [...] Read more...
March 25, 2024At the beginning of the war, the searchlight units were attached to fortress artillery. Each regiment had 2-3 lighting platoons, each equipped with 1 piece of 90 cm and a smaller 60 or 35 cm lighting device. The number of searchlight platoons and devices multiplied during the Great War, as in the case of many other technical devices and troops. In addition to artillery, searchlights appeared in 1915 at all infantry units. The devices were very diverse in terms of operation and size. Acetylene and electric light source, various versions of mirror sizes ranging from 25 cm to 150 cm were used. The earliest devices were mounted 35 cm devices of the M97 pattern. The brightness of the early devices was very limited. These parameters were significantly increased by later developments. By 1917, the equipment of the previously organized separate searchlight formations was standardized. 110, 60 and 35 centimeter electrical devices of the M15 pattern were introduced. The larger-diameter devices were operated by the searchlight squadrons assigned to the divisions, and the smaller devices by the searchlight swarms assigned to the regiments. By 1918, a total of 1,150 different devices were used. I wrote about headlight formations here before. On the two types of badges designed for the searchlight troops, we can see a larger, 90 cm and a smaller, 35 cm device. It is interesting that the latter device is used by soldiers of cavalry units in both the picture and the Kappenabzeichen. Obviously, this was a lighter, more portable device than the larger headlights with a mechanical lifting mechanism transported on a trolley. [...] Read more...
March 20, 2024Several fighter battalions have already appeared in the entries, often the topic was the small numbered horn pinned to the field cap. This excellent wearing picture also shows the small horn, this time on the headgear of the commander of the 5th fighter battalion, Lt. Col. Carl Pöschek. Since I have already featured several of the small horns, I am now attaching the unit’s plate badge to this post. Hunters No. 5 were also called Moravian hunters, as they were crewed from the northern part of Moravia, and the unit’s command was located in Olmütz. It was a true multinational unit, of course with the command language German, as with all Kuk military units. But the staff included roughly equal share of Austrians, Czechs and Poles. They were classified in the 6th division, III. corps. They were deployed on the Russian front until March 1916, then on the Italian front, in Tyrol. [...] Read more...
March 18, 2024The 6th rifle regiment was already discussed in a post (here). The staff of the regiment belonging to the 21st division came from the Sudetenland. The command of the regiment was in the city of Eger. The regiment was deployed on the Russian front under the command of various corps. In the previous post, I presented a postcard on which the outline of the city and the city’s coat of arms were visible. The motif of the coat of arms also appeared on a smaller patriotic badge. The coat of arms can be seen on the card and badge just published, in the upper middle section. Next to it, the city skyline is visible from the left, and a building (perhaps the command building?) is visible to the right. The main motif is the large number six, which the designer placed in the canopy of two huge oak trees. The inscription on the ribbon: “For the always steely sixers!” As you can see, the Kappenabzeichen of the regiment also existed in the form of a plaque. This is shown in the photo on the postcard. [...] Read more...
March 15, 2024We have already seen the Kappenabzeichen of the Isonzo army several times among the posts. It was one of the most common and popular badges during the Great War. Judging by the number of copies that can still be found today, the Hermann company in Vienna could have produced tens of thousands of them during 1917 and 1918 (the time, when the former 5th army was named the Isonzó army). Presumably, its capacity was limited to this badge, since we don’t know much about other badges from this manufacturer. The repeated discussion is not only justified by the large number of pieces, although the frequent appearance on photos and postcards was also related to this. Now I present a nice wearing photo, where we can see three badges on the field cap. The picture is dated 1918, so the insignia of the Isonzo army may be the most recent piece of the three. There is also the “Balkanstreitkräfte” insignia with a portrait of the ruler looking to the right. The fifth army fought on the Balkan front until the middle of 1915. From there it was transferred to the Italian front. The third badge is a pair of weeds. It is difficult to make out what kind of additional shield is attached to the lower right part of the weed. This base was used to serve as a template for several badges. It looks to me like the 15th Mountain Brigade has a shield-shaped plate there, but I’m not sure. Just in case, I’ll show you what I mean. [...] Read more...
March 13, 2024A beautiful and special wearing photo is the subject of this post. The corporal in the picture wears the Kappenabzeichen of the 24th Rifle Regiment in Vienna. We can see three special features. 1. In the photography of the Great War, the cabinet photos appear only occasionally, amateur photography used on the battlefield or the photographer assigned to the troops, who usually made postcards from the on-site photos, is much more typical. 2. Wearing the badge on the tunic is rarer than on the field cap. Badges of a larger size and weight were usually pinned to the tunic pocket, such as the badge of the 24 riflemen. 3. The badge itself is a special feature too, extremely rare, especially in photos. The 24th Vienna Rifle Regiment belonged to the 13th Division throughout the war. They served in various corps on the Eastern Front until August 1917. At that time, the division was transferred to the Italian front, where they were also deployed in several places, primarily in Tyrol and Carinthia. In the Piave offensive, they were deployed to capture Montello and suffered heavy losses. [...] Read more...
March 11, 2024The Arkansas company, like many other badge makers, also made assault badges. Most of these were general purpose badges. In some cases, however, the company also produced badges for specific assault troops, which indicated the name of the unit. Among others two similar round badges of a very peculiar shape were fabricated, one for the Assault Battalion of the 39th Division and the other for the Assault Halfbattalion of the 216th Honvéd Infantry Brigade. Not only the form is similar, but also the motive: Death, the grim reaper depicted as a skeleton, attacks the enemy together with the stormtroopers. The 17th insurgent infantry regiment belonged to the 216th brigade, which provided a company of storm troopers to the half-battalion. The brigade defended the borders of Transylvania for a long time, precisely in the period when the organization and development of the assault troops was taking place with the greatest momentum. The opening photo was taken during this period. The inscription on the back of this informs us that the non-commissioned officers of the 17th insurgent company of the 216th Assault Battalion are visible in the picture. The picture was taken on the assault course in Bálványos, in the heart of Székelyföld/Transylvania. I classified the photo and the badge as wearing photos, although the badge is not visible in the photo. However, I wanted to present this special badge, which is how this post was born. At most, only the use of assault helmets can be interpreted as topic for a wearing photo. [...] Read more...
March 8, 2024Mountain warfare was particularly difficult, as the defenders had much more opportunities to attack the attackers with their weapons while overcoming the terrain obstacles, while the attacker could hardly harm the defenders. This has already been discussed in the history of the Col di Lana twin peak (here). Now a similar story, the siege and defense of Pasubio, is on the agenda. This is also a mountain range with twin peaks, where one of the two peaks connected to the flatter saddle was in Italian hands, and the other in Austro-Hungarian hands. The question can rightly be asked, what was the rationale to besiege and occupy mountain peaks? This depended on the strategic location of the mountain. Pasubio dominated two valleys at the same time, in which it was located in the middle. The two valleys connected the Italian lowlands with the Etsch valley and the town of Rovereto located there. The mountain blocked an important transport and troop movement route for the Monarchy. Here, a major attack against the Italian opponent could have been launched. And for the Italians, possession of the mountain was obviously important for defense. The occupation of the two peaks took place already in 1915, and desperate battles took place around the mountain in 1916 and 1917. The two peaks were turned into real fortresses by both sides, which could only be attacked from behind or through the saddle between the peaks. Attempts at this type of attack have repeatedly failed. In March 1918, the army of the Monarchy blew up the peak occupied by the Italians and crossed the saddle and occupied it. This action was already carried out as a preparation for the planned major offensive. The preparation of the mine explosion was carried out by the 1/6th Komárom pioneer squadron. The threshing floor was created by mechanical harrowing, which of course involved a lot of noise. The Italians successfully prevented the carving of the route, which began at the end of 1917, on several occasions by drilling and detonating anti-mines. Several Hungarian pioneers died in the course of their work. Another difficulty was solving the oxygen supply for the workers in the more than 200-meter-long tunnel. This was sometimes done using oxygen containers. Finally, on March 13, perhaps only a few hours before the prepared Italian mine detonation, they managed to ignite their own ekrasite charge. Some 1,000 Italian soldiers were killed in the blast and the buried Italian tunnels on the mountain. Not long after, one side of the severely deformed and shaken mountain also broke off and buried the Italian accommodation and storage houses built on the mountainside under the peak. Another 200 Italian soldiers lost their lives here. The insignia of Pasubio is the Kappenabzeichen of the artillery command stationed in the area. It could have been made before the blast in 1918, referring to the fierce battles of the previous period in the region. The contemporary photo attached to the post shows the Austro-Hungarian peak of the mountain, which has remained intact. The picture from the time of the World War shows the two peaks, the 100-meter-long saddle between them and the surrounding ridges. The drawing shows the cave system created by the two parties and marks the location of the mine explosion. [...] Read more...
March 4, 2024For the Austro-Hungarian troops, this month passed with relatively few combat actions. Of course, the usual trench warfare and reconnaissance operations continued on the Italian front and on the borders of Transylvania. Here, the reorganized and equipped Romanian troops with the help of the Entente returned after the Russians had gone home. The biggest change was the collapse of Russia and the occupation of the Russian Empire. The disintegration of the empire was accompanied by the strengthening of the self-determination of the nationalities living on its territory. In addition to Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic nations and Finland also separated from the body of the former Russian Empire. The situation was chaotic in the Caucasus, where the mixed non-Russian population also fought against each other. For the Central Powers, the establishment of an independent Ukraine was of greatest importance. The communist leaders of the crumbling empire concluded the peace treaty in Brest-Litovsk at the last moment. This peace treaty was also accepted by the established Ukrainian state. Supported by allies advancing in Ukraine as well, the Ukrainians expelled the Bolshevik Russian government troops from Kiev at the beginning of March. The Ukrainian state remained under the occupation of the Central Powers until the end of the war. In the civil war that followed, its territory once again became a battlefield. Even the Russo-Polish war of 1920, fought for the designation of future state borders, took place for the most part here. But that’s another story. Ukraine’s independence ceased at the end of the war with the defeat of the powers that supported it. These events were depicted on the one hand with the previously presented armistice and peace badges. Various Kappenabzeichen of the Ukrainian troops can also be linked to the events. I have already presented one of these. I have attached to this post the badge celebrating the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty and another Ukrainian badge. [...] Read more...
February 28, 2024It was a line regiment of Croatian nationality, which received its crew from the vicinity of Karlovac. The IV. battalion and staff operated in this city. Before the outbreak of the war, the command was in Pétervárad, then in 1914 it moved to Temesvár. They were assigned to the XIII. corps and the 7th division. The position changed already at the beginning of the war, the regiment was attached to the 28th division. From the end of 1916, they fought in the 5th mountain brigade. The inscription on the badge heralds participation in the 1916 Tyrolean Offensive. At that time, the regiment took part in overcoming the Italian fortress system on the edge of the Settecomuni plateau. They occupied the Costesin fort on Mount Verena. After that, they served on the Italian front in the 5th Army, which was named the Isonzo Army from 1917. [...] Read more...
February 25, 2024In the previous posts, I frequently mentioned the makers of the badges. The largest manufacturers in Vienna were Gurschner and Brüder Schneider, and Arkanzas in Budapest. There were also many smaller manufacturers. Some of these were businesses with high turnover, but badge making was not their main profile. Therefore, they produced relatively fewer badges than the big three. One of these was József Morzsányi’s “decorative album maker” company in Eskü Street in Budapest. In addition to decorative albums, the Morzsányi company produced a variety of small objects made of metals. For example, cufflinks, tie pins and the like. A few dozen badges were produced during the Great War. These were made in the high quality typical of other products of the company. Simpler plate badges were produced, such as the 7th Honvéd infantry regiment. But they also produced items with fire enamel, like the Kappenabzeichen of the 11th fighter battalion shown in the opening picture, or of the 11th cavalry division. The envelope shown in the opening image is a rarity. Relatively few documents, letters or notes have survived in the legacy of badge makers. This letter was sent by the Morzsányi company to Temesvár, to the address of the military court operating there. Temesvár was a corps headquarters, so the military court also operated there. I tried to find a badge related to Temesvár among the Morzsányi products. The closest one was the 7th honvéd infantry regiment badge. They also operated in the Banat region, in the area of the corps. [...] Read more...
February 22, 2024My great-grandfather fought with the Russians there, for me this is the most important consequence of the battle. The topic has been interpreted and processed by many people in many different ways. Recently, a fashionable British historian did this, interestingly interpreting the facts. The more usual Austrian and Hungarian reminiscences are different, there the heroic, self-sacrificing struggle dominates. For the fact is that the Monarchy tried to reinforce a breakthrough in the Second Battle of Lemberg by using the fort’s supplies. It was not possible to make up for this until the siege. Thus, mainly due to the lack of food, the defenders had to capitulate after several months of siege. Yet, the Russians did not particularly besiege the fortresses. An important infantry attack was made only against fortress No. I on the eastern side, which did not achieve a significant result, because the Russian unit that broke into the defense sector was destroyed by the defenders. Bloody losses were caused rather by the attempts of the defenders to break out. These have taken place on several occasions, coordinated with the offensives launched in the Carpathians. These too remained fruitless and caused heavy losses above all to the troops that participated in the outbreak. The raids were carried out by the fortress’s strongest mobile division, the 23rd Honvéd Infantry Division, whose staff had been critically reduced by March due to the lack of replacements. The last attempt to break through took place on March 17, but as my great-grandfather’s diary stated, the Russians knew exactly the operational plans and were prepared to wait for the Honvéds advancing in the darkness before dawn. The ready searchlights illuminated the attackers, who were thus shot at effectively even from a greater distance. The attack collapsed within hours. The fortress was given up by General Kusmanek on March 22, after the defenders blew up the defense equipment and the gun park. More than 100,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers were captured, including nine generals. Already during the Great War, development of myths around the Przemysl tragedy began. In 1932, as part of this process, a memorial statue of the battle was erected in Budapest at one of the frequented places on the Danube bank. A veterans’ association of Przemysl and Turkestan prisoners of war was established. I am also attaching a badge of this to the post. My great-grandfather was also taken to Turkestan. In addition to the Kappenabzeichen in the opening picture, I also present the portrait insignia of general Kusmanek. [...] Read more...
February 20, 2024Transylvanian rangers was a famous group of volunteers. It was organized by Prince Lajos Windischgrätz after the Romanian invasion. The troop operated as an independent unit for 13 months in 1916 and 1917. They took part in the assault launched against the Magyaros roof in the Carpathians on March 8, 1917. The detachment was assigned by the German commander of the front section, General von Seeckt, to the 39th Honvéd Division as reinforcement. During 1917, the detachment merged into this division. The tiger Kappenabzeichen was the distinguishing mark of the unit. The commander ordered it for his warriors. The prince’s wife designed the badge based on her husband’s favorite slogan: the soldiers of his unit were his tigers. Marton Alajos manufactured the badge in Budapest. [...] Read more...
February 17, 2024The 38th Kecskemét infantry regiment has been mentioned several times on this page (here and here). The posts were not only about the history of the squad, but also about the special Kappenabzeichen. I have already described that, despite the helmet shape, this badge was not the sturmtrupp’s insignia. This is also indicated by the fact that the cover of the volume describing the history of the regiment is also decorated with the image of this insignia. Now I present another small piece of evidence: the letter seal for the regiment. This also bears the image of the helmet badge. The letter-closing stamp comes from the collection of Gábor Csiszér. In order to confuse the reader a little, in the opening picture we see a postcard that was written from the assault company of the regiment. At the beginning of the Great War, these were still called hunting units (Jagdkommando) as indicated on the postcard. The badge attached to the post is the most common version, both in terms of size and color. There was also a slightly smaller version of the badge, which was made of silver. This larger, silver-plated version has the regimental number in black enamel on it. The silver plating should be emphasized because there was also a version with the same size, with enamel, but the body of the badge made of copper material, without silver plating. [...] Read more...
February 14, 2024The mountain artillery (GAR) was assigned to the mountain divisions. Mountain cannons and howitzers were among the smaller barreled guns. The devices could be disassembled and carried on horseback or even by gunners. The design, of course, facilitated that they could be moved even on difficult mountain terrain. But the KuK artillery contingent sent to Palestine also consisted of mountain artillery batteries. Obviously, the conditions in the desert were not considered favorable to send conventional weapons there. Of course, there were such, but when the von Marno artillery division was put together, organizers took into account the potential difficulties. The battlefields cited on the Kappenabzeichen of the 7th Mountain Artillery Regiment all recall the mountain terrains of the Great War, from Albania to Italy. The badge was made by the Arkansas company. It is interesting that two versions are known. One of them is the badge addressed to the 7th Mountain Artillery Regiment shown in the opening picture. At the same time, there was also an unnumbered version, which I inserted into the body of the text. Here, the space for numbering was left empty: everyone could engrave the number of their own unit if they wanted. The postcard shows the numbered copy. It comes from the collection of my friend Gábor Csiszér. It is interesting that it does not record the names of the battlefields, but depicts a mountain cannon with its operators. So it is not exactly like the badge. [...] Read more...
February 11, 2024It is not easy to write about the outstanding events of this month in such a way as to be associated with a Kappenabzeichen. Armistice negotiations between the Central Powers and Russia broke down, so the occupation of Russian territories continued. This was undoubtedly the most significant event. The Bolshevik troops were bound by the consolidation of political power, they had no strength left to resist. Within a week, German and Austro-Hungarian troops occupied most of the Baltics, Belarus and Ukraine. Russian activity was mostly limited to damage reduction and escape. The units of the Baltic Fleet managed to withdraw near Petrograd (Saint Petersburg), but the Black Sea Fleet was stuck in Odessa. The advancing Central Powers held separate negotiations with representatives of the Ukrainian state, and the German-occupied Baltic states also declared their independence. In view of the serious situation, Bolshevik Russia capitulated. Depictions of the quieting Eastern Front and peace appear on cap badges. Many other badges cannot be associated with this event, as there were no memorable battles, winning or losing, in the life of any unit. The advance took place largely without a rifle shot. The armed forces of the Monarchy kept the southern part of Ukraine under occupation, including the port of Odessa. The units of the Monarchy’s Danube flotilla were stationed in the port, monitors and guard ships. They all came across the Black Sea after sailing down the Danube. The opening picture of this post shows one of the monitors and its crew in Odessa port. The badge is a rarer peace badge. The last picture shows a guard ship in the port. [...] Read more...
February 9, 2024The clock tower of the city of Graz is one of the hallmarks of the city. Its origins date back to the 13th century, when the first fortifications appeared on the castle hill. The tower is first mentioned in 1265. The first clock mechanism was installed in the tower in 1569. The wooden corridor above the clockwork was a fire monitor. Behind the clock hands, the dial is five meters in diameter. It is interesting that here the large hand indicates the hours and the small hand the minutes. Graz was an important administrative and military center. It is still the capital of the Styrian province today. The most important city in southern Austria. During the Great War, division and corps headquarters also operated in the city. The insignia decorated with the clock tower belongs to the 6th division. At the beginning of the Great War, the 7th and 17th infantry regiments, the 2nd Bosnian regiment and several fighter battalions were assigned to the division. [...] Read more...
February 7, 2024One of the best-known and most popular divisions and badges among Hungarian collectors. There are several reasons for the popularity. On the one hand, this division brought together the Hungarian-speaking infantry regiments of Transylvania (with the exception of the 32nd Dés regiment). On the other hand, the division’s Kappenabzeichen is a high-quality work by the Swiss-born medalist Richard Zutt. Zutt worked in Hungary between 1912 and 1925, until 1921 he was the head of the goldsmith department of the School of Applied Arts in Budapest. His creations were made in an extremely characteristic individual style with Secession features that were fashionable at the time. He made cap badges only in a few cases, and more commemorative plaques and award medals. The 38th Division was deployed on the Eastern Front in general, and was usually subordinated as part of the German Southern Army. In 1918, they were deployed as law enforcers for a while, then sent to the Italian front. [...] Read more...
February 1, 2024The mountain range of the Dolomites stretches along the south-eastern border of Tyrol. During the Italian attack in 1915, the front line was formed in this part roughly along the state border, and it did not move from there until the advance of the Monarchy in October 1917. The siege of Col di Lana in the western part of the mountain range has already been discussed (here and here). At the eastern edge, the almost 3,000-meter peak of the Rotwand dominates the terrain. It closes the Kreutzberg pass next to the mountain. Not much information has survived about the siege of this mountain. It is clear that there could not have been large crowds here: the reeboks also climb carefully around here. There was no mining, so there would have been records and memories of it. The Rotwand area is associated with the name of some soldiers, above all the mountain guide Sepp Innerkofler, who died here. Before the war, Innerkofler was already a marksman of the (paramilitary) 3rd Standschützen company organized in the Sexten area. In May 1915, these territorial defense units occupied the peaks of the range with their patrols to secure them against Italian attackers while the regular forces advanced. After that, the fight was aimed at acquiring and recapturing peaks occupied by the enemy in the high mountains. Natives with local knowledge and extensive rock climbing experience and their Standschützen units were given the main role in these enterprises of a few people. Even if large losses were suffered by the few participants in such operations, only the loss of a few people was reported. According to reminiscences, the winter period claimed an order of magnitude more victims, caused by avalanches or by the rudimentary placement in the mountain conditions that also claimed the victims en masse due to various diseases and malnutrition. From 1916, the supply also became scarce, it did not cover the amount of calories required for serious physical efforts. The soul-destroying standoff took a toll on the soldiers mentally. The sketch map attached to the post shows the main peaks of the front section, behind which lies the Pusster valley. The photo shows the Rotwand peak, which is also depicted on the cap badge. [...] Read more...