Landesschützen Regiment III. Innichen

The Landwehr regiments recruited in Tyrol and Vorarlberg were named Kk. Landesschützen regiments, and from January 1917 Kaiserschützen regiments. There were three of them. No. III. received its personnel from present-day South Tyrol, of which only a narrow majority were German, the rest of whom were of Italian nationality. During the war, the cadre was deployed farther from the front line to Schärding. All three Tyrolean Landwehr regiments received mountain training. According to pre-Great War mobilization plans, regiments were singled out to defend Tyrol and Carinthia. This was ensured even by the long-standing Tyrolean privileges, they could not be used only to protect their own provinces. But this rule was ignored at the beginning of the Great War, and the regiments were commanded on the Russian front.

However, soon after the Italian war, “provincial shooters” were transferred to the Italian front. They were deployed in Tyrol from 20 August 1915. The III. regiment’s defensive zone was Monte Piano. In 1916, they took part in the battles around the Col di Lana in the Dolomites. In May, the regiment was transferred to the Etsch Valley, to the front section around Rovereto. Later, they took part in trench warfare at different places of this front. In the turmoil at the end of the war, the regiment was taken prisoner by the Italian on November 3rd.

A Landesschütze with blackcock feather on his cap guards the Tyrolean mountains is the main motif on both the regiment’s beautiful postcard and the letter seal. The badge depicts the “usual” Tyrolean eagle with cottonweeds. One of the most beautiful and highly priced badges.