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January 8, 2025The use of dogs was regular in the Great War, if not massive. Different breeds were used to perform various tasks. For example, the dogs trained to search for the wounded were mainly shepherd dogs and Dobermans. Fox terriers were used to catch rats. Strong, large dogs were sought for towing carriages, such as the Bernese mountain dog and the St. Bernard. The dogs were trained and learned the tasks. This involved qualified dog trainers, who also supervised their care and the completion of the tasks during their use.
There are only few dog badges. These show either patrol dogs or wounded searchers. There were no badges made for dogs placed in front of carts. It is also not entirely clear which troops the dogs were assigned to. I assume that the dogs used for carrying loads were kept by the train troop. The small carts, which can be seen in the picture, were used on mountain paths where even mules could not fit. I have attached the badge of one of the train troops to the post. [...]
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January 6, 2025I managed to solve a puzzle again. Of course, it may have been unknown only to me, but until recently, when internet diving is booming, it was very difficult to find information on very specific geographic names. One such name was Seisera. The badge is very beautiful, a coveted piece for every collector. The image of the soldier with high-altitude equipment on it is detailed and finely crafted. The equipment, of course, shows that the lanscape of the badge must be sought somewhere on the Italian front. But where?
While searching for the high-mountain troops, it was not by chance that I came across not only photos, but also descriptions of events. For example, in September 1916, it became necessary to climb a steep peak of 1933 meters, because from this point it was possible to see the Italian positions on the upper reaches of the Dogna river. There, artillery was stationed, which could fire on the city of Tarvis. The report on the exciting action can be read here. In the attached picture, the valley at the foot of the mountain is called Seisera. This was the first clue.
The Montasch mountain, the Dogna stream and Tarvis helped me find the Seisera valley as a kind of triangulation task. This ran along the old Italian border on the Austrian side, in the western foreground of the Julian Alps. As it turned out later, there was a fortress in the valley. Of course, it immediately became clear that it was also on my maps of the time, but without proper orientation I could not find the place earlier.
The Seisera valley today offers the opportunity for extremely beautiful high-altitude hikes. The remains of the positions from that time can still be found in many places, as the trenches, battery positions and bunkers were all built into the rocks of the surrounding mountain ridges. [...]
Read more...
January 4, 2025Before the Great War, the formation of units to protect the borders of the Alps had begun. The Tyrolean provincial rifle regiments and the Landwehr regiments of Klagenfurt and Laibach had been trained for the mountain warfare. Their equipment was also suitable for the high-altitude terrain. However, during the Italian attack, it became clear that the five regiments alone were not capable of defending the front from the Swiss border to the Adriatic, and needed strong reinforcements. Accordingly, these units with special capabilities were only used in alpine terrain where troops with conventional training and equipment were unable to perform satisfactorily. Not even mountain brigades.
In addition to the existing five high-altitude regiments, additional units still had to be formed. These were the high-mountain companies (Hochgebirgskompanie). Their task was reconnaissance, guarding supply lines operating in alpine conditions (e.g. cable cars, high-mountain trails), and their technical maintenance. Their organization began in 1916, first as Streifkompanie (assault company), and then from 1917 as Hochgebirgskompanie (high-mountain company). The personnel of the companies could come from all over the Monarchy. The condition for entry was high-mountain experience, which, especially among officers, could often be proven by previous sports achievements.
The companies consisted of three platoons, one of which was a machine gun platoon (with two Schwarzlose machine guns). They also had three mountain guide squads, two telephone squads and one technical squad. Their equipment was adapted to the high-mountain terrain. The equipment included a backpack, pole, snowshoes, snow goggles, boots, crampons, and from 1918, complete ski equipment, rope, gaiters, snow gloves, storm jacket, and white camouflage clothing. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any data on the activities of the high-altitude companies. The sources mention some outstanding operations, for example, in the Ortler Pass with the participation of the 24th company. The only surviving badge was from the 25th high-altitude company. I do not know whether there was any higher-numbered unit, or whether each of the lower numbers had a corresponding unit (I think so). [...]
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December 28, 2024While browsing through the badges, the collector may notice that there are variations among the hussar shakos. This is not surprising, of course, as there are many badges that were produced in several series that differed from each other to a greater or lesser extent. This is rarer for badge series. The colored hussar shakos show us the shako colors and serial numbers of the 16 Hussar Regiments. Of course, the details on the badges are not exact, they differ from the original wear in many respects. But the badges differ all the same. In other words, the badge series is consistent, even repeating the mistakes.
There are four badges where there is a difference between the copies. In each case, the color of the visor of the shako changes. These are the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 10th hussars. One version of the badge was made with a black visor, like the others, and the other was also made where the color of the visor matches the color of the shako.
As a supplement to the post, I can show a post card bearing one of the regiment’s stamps and a letter seal depicting a battle scene of the regiment’s anniversary day. [...]
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December 20, 2024I don’t really know for what reason, but although the Monarchy was not able to produce the necessary quantities of even basic types of guns, it permanently developed large-caliber guns. I can understand this for the main artillery of the battleships, since it wanted to compete successfully with the Italians in control of the Adriatic. Despite this, it is a fact that both sides installed several naval guns on land to strengthen the heavy artillery. The Monarchy developed the brutally destructive 42 cm howitzer, which I have written about here before. Still, they felt the need to build a gun only slightly smaller than this behemoth a 38 cm siege howitzer.
The first two pieces were delivered by Skoda Works just before the Tyrolean offensive in 1916. These weapons, named Barbara and Gudrun, participated in the defeat of the Italian fortresses. Encouraged by the results, the Monarchy’s military leadership ordered fourteen more pieces, and two spare barrels. Eight of these were completed by the end of the war.
The gun was an enlarged version of the M 16 30.5 cm mortar and weighed a total of 87 tons. It was transported disassembled in four parts. The four trailers were driven by electric motors and could move at a speed of 14 km/h. The first thing to do in the firing position was to dig a 52 cubic meter pit, in which the gun base was placed. The remaining parts of the gun were mounted on this. These preparations took a full day. The ready-to-fire weapon was loaded manually, the projectile was towed by a hand cart and then manually inserted in the gun breech. The gun’s fire rate was one shot every 5 minutes. The projectile weighed 750 kg. The gun barrel could be set at an angle of 40-75 degrees. This weapon could fire the projectile at a maximum distance of 15 km.
Of the eight pieces produced, two have survived up till today. Number six is kept in the Military History Museum in Vienna. The second “Gudrun” gun can be viewed in Bucharest. [...]
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December 18, 2024Emperor and King Charles visited the fronts a lot as heir to the throne, inspected the troops, and awarded decorations. He was wearing cap badges regularly at that time. In this post, I present a photo reproduced in the form of a postcard, on which two Kappenabzeichen decorate his officer’s cap.
I have known the photo for a long time, but I can only guess based on the outlines of the two cap badges on it which ones they are. The one on the left has a more special, more articulated shape, so I suspect it is the badge of the 1st Hussar Regiment. I am more uncertain about the badge on the right. This is the common oval shape, with the imperial crown on top. There were several types of this shape. This badge is smaller in size than the hussar badge, the oval shape is thicker, more squat (there were more elongated oval shapes). Finally, we can see on the right side of the badge that it is framed by a laurel or rather oak crest. Based on all this, I think it is likely the badge of the 9th Dragoon Regiment, but it could easily be another badge. [...]
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December 13, 2024A separate category is represented by the series of cap badges that curse the enemy. The most common theme is the renegade Italy, if only because the Monarchy was directly at war with the Italians. Although the Russians and the Serbs are also covered, and there is even a badge that mentions Japan, the other most common enemy country is England.
The British were primarily the Germans’ opponents on land and at sea. However, the successes of the German ally were also frequently referred to in Austro-Hungarian war propaganda. Especially if the Germans were successful in some special operation. Such was the long-range bombing attack, which at that time was still often carried out with airships and zeppelins. The postcard depicts such an imagined attack.
The other equally eerily mystical weapon was the submarine. The letter sail presented here shows German submarines swarming off the British coast. They intended to use submarines to cripple British merchant shipping, with less success than more. [...]
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December 10, 2024Assault badges are the strangest and most sought-after cap badges. This topic has been discussed many times. At the end of the Great War, there were even plans to introduce a uniform performance badge for assault troops, but this never happened.
In this post, I will present one of the well-known badges from the Arkanzas company, which I think was an impressive design, and a photo of the badge being worn. The most famous motif, the skull, dominates the badge, decorated with oak and laurel leaves. The depiction of the skull bone is very realistic, this is why it is also scary. Above it, there is a flag badge in the photo, half-hidden. It has two numbers on it, the second one I think is a five. 25, 65 or 85? The flag is rather dark in color, so it could be the flag badge of the 85th Infantry Regiment. In the photo, we see someone from the assault company of this regiment. [...]
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Sancta Barbara (2) - Sapkajelvény történetek on Sancta Barbara[…] patron saint of gunners has already appeared here. The
January 8, 2025The use of dogs was regular in the Great War, if not massive. Different breeds were used to perform various tasks. For example, the dogs trained to search for the wounded were mainly shepherd dogs and Dobermans. Fox terriers were used to catch rats. Strong, large dogs were sought for towing carriages, such as the Bernese mountain dog and the St. Bernard. The dogs were trained and learned the tasks. This involved qualified dog trainers, who also supervised their care and the completion of the tasks during their use.
There are only few dog badges. These show either patrol dogs or wounded searchers. There were no badges made for dogs placed in front of carts. It is also not entirely clear which troops the dogs were assigned to. I assume that the dogs used for carrying loads were kept by the train troop. The small carts, which can be seen in the picture, were used on mountain paths where even mules could not fit. I have attached the badge of one of the train troops to the post. [...]
Read more...
January 6, 2025I managed to solve a puzzle again. Of course, it may have been unknown only to me, but until recently, when internet diving is booming, it was very difficult to find information on very specific geographic names. One such name was Seisera. The badge is very beautiful, a coveted piece for every collector. The image of the soldier with high-altitude equipment on it is detailed and finely crafted. The equipment, of course, shows that the lanscape of the badge must be sought somewhere on the Italian front. But where?
While searching for the high-mountain troops, it was not by chance that I came across not only photos, but also descriptions of events. For example, in September 1916, it became necessary to climb a steep peak of 1933 meters, because from this point it was possible to see the Italian positions on the upper reaches of the Dogna river. There, artillery was stationed, which could fire on the city of Tarvis. The report on the exciting action can be read here. In the attached picture, the valley at the foot of the mountain is called Seisera. This was the first clue.
The Montasch mountain, the Dogna stream and Tarvis helped me find the Seisera valley as a kind of triangulation task. This ran along the old Italian border on the Austrian side, in the western foreground of the Julian Alps. As it turned out later, there was a fortress in the valley. Of course, it immediately became clear that it was also on my maps of the time, but without proper orientation I could not find the place earlier.
The Seisera valley today offers the opportunity for extremely beautiful high-altitude hikes. The remains of the positions from that time can still be found in many places, as the trenches, battery positions and bunkers were all built into the rocks of the surrounding mountain ridges. [...]
Read more...
January 4, 2025Before the Great War, the formation of units to protect the borders of the Alps had begun. The Tyrolean provincial rifle regiments and the Landwehr regiments of Klagenfurt and Laibach had been trained for the mountain warfare. Their equipment was also suitable for the high-altitude terrain. However, during the Italian attack, it became clear that the five regiments alone were not capable of defending the front from the Swiss border to the Adriatic, and needed strong reinforcements. Accordingly, these units with special capabilities were only used in alpine terrain where troops with conventional training and equipment were unable to perform satisfactorily. Not even mountain brigades.
In addition to the existing five high-altitude regiments, additional units still had to be formed. These were the high-mountain companies (Hochgebirgskompanie). Their task was reconnaissance, guarding supply lines operating in alpine conditions (e.g. cable cars, high-mountain trails), and their technical maintenance. Their organization began in 1916, first as Streifkompanie (assault company), and then from 1917 as Hochgebirgskompanie (high-mountain company). The personnel of the companies could come from all over the Monarchy. The condition for entry was high-mountain experience, which, especially among officers, could often be proven by previous sports achievements.
The companies consisted of three platoons, one of which was a machine gun platoon (with two Schwarzlose machine guns). They also had three mountain guide squads, two telephone squads and one technical squad. Their equipment was adapted to the high-mountain terrain. The equipment included a backpack, pole, snowshoes, snow goggles, boots, crampons, and from 1918, complete ski equipment, rope, gaiters, snow gloves, storm jacket, and white camouflage clothing. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any data on the activities of the high-altitude companies. The sources mention some outstanding operations, for example, in the Ortler Pass with the participation of the 24th company. The only surviving badge was from the 25th high-altitude company. I do not know whether there was any higher-numbered unit, or whether each of the lower numbers had a corresponding unit (I think so). [...]
Read more...
December 28, 2024While browsing through the badges, the collector may notice that there are variations among the hussar shakos. This is not surprising, of course, as there are many badges that were produced in several series that differed from each other to a greater or lesser extent. This is rarer for badge series. The colored hussar shakos show us the shako colors and serial numbers of the 16 Hussar Regiments. Of course, the details on the badges are not exact, they differ from the original wear in many respects. But the badges differ all the same. In other words, the badge series is consistent, even repeating the mistakes.
There are four badges where there is a difference between the copies. In each case, the color of the visor of the shako changes. These are the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 10th hussars. One version of the badge was made with a black visor, like the others, and the other was also made where the color of the visor matches the color of the shako.
As a supplement to the post, I can show a post card bearing one of the regiment’s stamps and a letter seal depicting a battle scene of the regiment’s anniversary day. [...]
Read more...
December 20, 2024I don’t really know for what reason, but although the Monarchy was not able to produce the necessary quantities of even basic types of guns, it permanently developed large-caliber guns. I can understand this for the main artillery of the battleships, since it wanted to compete successfully with the Italians in control of the Adriatic. Despite this, it is a fact that both sides installed several naval guns on land to strengthen the heavy artillery. The Monarchy developed the brutally destructive 42 cm howitzer, which I have written about here before. Still, they felt the need to build a gun only slightly smaller than this behemoth a 38 cm siege howitzer.
The first two pieces were delivered by Skoda Works just before the Tyrolean offensive in 1916. These weapons, named Barbara and Gudrun, participated in the defeat of the Italian fortresses. Encouraged by the results, the Monarchy’s military leadership ordered fourteen more pieces, and two spare barrels. Eight of these were completed by the end of the war.
The gun was an enlarged version of the M 16 30.5 cm mortar and weighed a total of 87 tons. It was transported disassembled in four parts. The four trailers were driven by electric motors and could move at a speed of 14 km/h. The first thing to do in the firing position was to dig a 52 cubic meter pit, in which the gun base was placed. The remaining parts of the gun were mounted on this. These preparations took a full day. The ready-to-fire weapon was loaded manually, the projectile was towed by a hand cart and then manually inserted in the gun breech. The gun’s fire rate was one shot every 5 minutes. The projectile weighed 750 kg. The gun barrel could be set at an angle of 40-75 degrees. This weapon could fire the projectile at a maximum distance of 15 km.
Of the eight pieces produced, two have survived up till today. Number six is kept in the Military History Museum in Vienna. The second “Gudrun” gun can be viewed in Bucharest. [...]
Read more...
December 18, 2024Emperor and King Charles visited the fronts a lot as heir to the throne, inspected the troops, and awarded decorations. He was wearing cap badges regularly at that time. In this post, I present a photo reproduced in the form of a postcard, on which two Kappenabzeichen decorate his officer’s cap.
I have known the photo for a long time, but I can only guess based on the outlines of the two cap badges on it which ones they are. The one on the left has a more special, more articulated shape, so I suspect it is the badge of the 1st Hussar Regiment. I am more uncertain about the badge on the right. This is the common oval shape, with the imperial crown on top. There were several types of this shape. This badge is smaller in size than the hussar badge, the oval shape is thicker, more squat (there were more elongated oval shapes). Finally, we can see on the right side of the badge that it is framed by a laurel or rather oak crest. Based on all this, I think it is likely the badge of the 9th Dragoon Regiment, but it could easily be another badge. [...]
Read more...
December 13, 2024A separate category is represented by the series of cap badges that curse the enemy. The most common theme is the renegade Italy, if only because the Monarchy was directly at war with the Italians. Although the Russians and the Serbs are also covered, and there is even a badge that mentions Japan, the other most common enemy country is England.
The British were primarily the Germans’ opponents on land and at sea. However, the successes of the German ally were also frequently referred to in Austro-Hungarian war propaganda. Especially if the Germans were successful in some special operation. Such was the long-range bombing attack, which at that time was still often carried out with airships and zeppelins. The postcard depicts such an imagined attack.
The other equally eerily mystical weapon was the submarine. The letter sail presented here shows German submarines swarming off the British coast. They intended to use submarines to cripple British merchant shipping, with less success than more. [...]
Read more...
December 10, 2024Assault badges are the strangest and most sought-after cap badges. This topic has been discussed many times. At the end of the Great War, there were even plans to introduce a uniform performance badge for assault troops, but this never happened.
In this post, I will present one of the well-known badges from the Arkanzas company, which I think was an impressive design, and a photo of the badge being worn. The most famous motif, the skull, dominates the badge, decorated with oak and laurel leaves. The depiction of the skull bone is very realistic, this is why it is also scary. Above it, there is a flag badge in the photo, half-hidden. It has two numbers on it, the second one I think is a five. 25, 65 or 85? The flag is rather dark in color, so it could be the flag badge of the 85th Infantry Regiment. In the photo, we see someone from the assault company of this regiment. [...]
Read more...
December 8, 2024This post is a little different from usual. Because its main topic is not really related to the Great War. Still, a little bit anyway. There is a photo that shows the town of Prosecco according to the caption. This is the same name used for the Italian sparkling wine that is so popular today. Prosecco is an essential ingredient in some cocktails, but it is also an excellent, refreshing drink in itself.
I haven’t looked for the origin of the name so far, but now I found the photo and did a little searching. The town lies north of Trieste, and during the Great War, due to its proximity to the front, it may have been an important center for the troops’ rear units. Of course, winemaking there has much older traditions, and I think that Prosecco may have played a role in strengthening and refreshing the soldiers. That’s how the idea came to connect the town and the wine with the Great War.
So that we also have a cap badge, I chose a badge mocking the Italian attack attempts against Trieste. Austrian eagle pecks Italian dog craving Prosecco. [...]
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December 5, 2024The train, a unit that deals with army movement, has already been featured on this page once. We tend to think of soldiers and war in terms of fighting units, since the action and glory are theirs. However, even their arrival at the front depends on the functioning of the logistics supporting them. It is often a matter of life and death who can reach critical places and strategic points first. Transportation took place over long distances by rail, and near the front by horses and carts. We can see this on the most beautiful badge of the train unit.
It is interesting that not only a separate badge was made for this unit, but also a letter seal. Perhaps there was even a postcard in circulation, although I have not found one yet. Instead, I have attached a card with the appropriate stamp to the entry.
Another interesting thing is that I managed to find the lithograph that appears on the letter seal. Its title is “The crossing of the Austrian army at Tessino near Pavia on March 20, 1849.” prepared by Franz Adam. It shows a river crossing during the Italian campaign of 1849. I have not yet been able to find out why this event was important for the campaign. [...]
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December 3, 2024An infantry regiment of 85% Romanian nationality, headquartered in Szászváros, and recruited from the Transylvanian island mountains, along the Aranyos and Maros rivers. The regiment was assigned to the 16th Division, often divided into battalions, mainly placed with the 31st and 32nd Infantry Brigades. The division’s use varied. Until August 1916, it was assigned to the XII Corps and fought against the Russians in Galicia. From August 1916 to June 1917, it was on the Italian Front in the 5th Army along the Isonzo. Then, it was ordered back to the Russian Front, and in April 1918, it fought again on the South-Western Front, in Tyrol, in the 11th Army.
The post shows the extremely rare cap badge of the regiment, with two letter seals of the regiment.
One of the letter seals is part of a series issued to commemorate the regiments’ anniversary days. On July 14, 1866, the first day of the Austro-Prussian War, one of the 64th Battalions managed to repel a cavalry regiment of the invaders in northern Bohemia. Since there were hardly any favorable military events on that front for Austria, the smaller local successes were praised. The other letter seal is an issue of the regiment’s orphan and disabled fund operating during the Great War [...]
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November 29, 2024I have already written a detailed post about the Chief of Staff of the Monarchy’s forces here. There I have already presented three cap badges with Conrad’s name. I would like to supplement this series with new badges.
The inscription under the portrait in the opening image: “Hero, you who protect our home and work”. The heroic depiction and text were common in the era. The political and military leaders of the time hovered over the average people like gods, who could be trusted for that very reason. He was not “our dog’s puppy” either, who ate sausages and drank brandy with the common people.
Conrad was of course criticized by many during his time in office, especially by his military rivals. And posterity sometimes assessed his activities in a dishonest manner. I believe that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. He was not an outstandingly talented commander (especially not as a troop officer), and the task entrusted to him, the development of the Monarchy’s military strategy, he certainly solved within the limits of his own personality and knowledge. Many of his measures later proved to be wrong, but this was essentially the case with the military leaders of all warring countries. Conrad was not the only one who was removed from his leadership position due to lack of success. [...]
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November 26, 2024The use of aerial vehicles in the first two years of the Great War was mostly for reconnaissance and target observation for artillery. Balloons were best suited for artillery observation, and airplanes flew over enemy territory to observe troop movements, storage depots, headquarters, and other facilities further from the front line. Aerial observation required map knowledge and good orientation skills. Therefore, aerial observers were mainly artillery officers who were more experienced in this field.
The performance badge issued to aerial observers is the subject of this paragraph. Unfortunately, a nice, detailed description of the establishment of the badge and the conditions for awarding it is missing here. Perhaps my friend Gábor Széplaki will supplement the post with this information. For now, I will only present the badge and a wearing photo. This is perhaps the most common of the aviation-related badges. [...]
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November 19, 2024The Budapest House Regiment fought in Galicia in the first half of the Great War as part of the 31st Division. After that, he was sent to Transylvania and then to Italy. The letter seal attached to the post is interesting in that it only lists three of the stations from the period 1917-18.
The 31st Division was transferred to Transylvania to reinforce the 1st Army at the end of January 1917. They were stationed first in the Tölgyes Gorge and then at the Tatar Pass until the summer of 1917. During June-July 1917, on this section of the front, the disintegrating Russian defenses were pushed back from the Carpathians to the eastern border of Bukovina. The regiment also took part in this offensive operation.
Then, the regiment was ordered from Bukovina to the Italian front. In March 1918, they were temporarily in a high mountain position around Mt Asolone for two weeks. The biggest problem then was the bad weather. After that, they returned to the 31st division and were assigned to the Italian lowlands.
The regimental Kappenabzeichen attached to the post is the more common type, although pieces of the war metal finish have rarely survived in such good condition as the one shown in the picture. I am having trouble with the interpretation of the “battlefields” written on the letter seal, because they highlight precisely those sections where no special combat action took place… [...]
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November 15, 2024The province of Tyrol enjoyed a special status in the state organization of the Monarchy. In many respects, it enjoyed autonomy and its military organization also retained local traditions. These were based on their self-organizing, largely civilian self-defense units. By the time of the Great War, they tried to harmonize these local rifle units and battalions with the general organizational framework of the Monarchy. The four Tyrolean Kaiserjager regiments corresponded to the regular regiments of the other provinces. The three provincial rifle regiments corresponded to the units of the Honvéd and Landwehr organizations. But the local shooting associations also survived, which were parallel to the organization of the insurgent units.
After the opening of the Italian front, the Tyrolean troops were basically ordered to protect the borders of their own territory. Before that, they also fought in Galicia. The Kaiserjager were deployed in the 8th Division. This, together with other Tyrolean troops, was part of the XIV. corps, the name of which was Tyrolean Provincial Defense. The 3rd Kaiserjagers got their crews from South Tyrol. The command of the regiment was in Trient. A good third of the crew was Italian. I believe they were transferred elsewhere as soon as the regiment was on the Italian front. The particularly beautiful Kappenabzeichen of the regiment is a coveted treasure for collectors. [...]
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November 12, 2024The 51st infantry regiment was the infantry regiment of the central part of Transylvania and the “capital” of Transylvania, Kolozsvár. He belonged to the Transylvanian division, the 35th, all the way, from the battles in Galicia in 1914 to the deployment in France in the fall of 1918. This last action is not included in the list on the badge, which means that the badge could have been made sometime in the first half of 1918.
The badge image depicts soldiers in assault helmets under a stormy sky, in the trenches. Perhaps the designer was thinking of the lower section of the Isonzó front, where the regiment arrived as reinforcements in the summer of 1917. Here he also participated in fending off the Italian attack launched against Hermada Hill. The badge image seems to depict this. In the corresponding photograph, there are soldiers not preparing for an attack, but resting in the depths of the trenches, in the assault helmets typical of the period and place. Maybe they had to attack the next day as well. [...]
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November 7, 2024There were two main means of troop transport in the Great War. Soldiers marched on foot for a shorter distance on the battlefield. The materials, larger tools, and weapons were mainly transported by carts with “national vehicles”. In the longer distances, the means of transport was the railway. Primarily. the railway lines built in peacetime were used by the armed forces. Frontline railway lines were also established near the fronts, especially during the trenchwar period.
The railway regiment dealt with the reparation of the lines in the operational area, and the regular maintenance of the railway track. This can be seen on the badge, the postcard and letter seal attached to the post. On each of them we see a picture of a restored bridge (Uniform “Kohnbridge”). Pioneers also dealt with this task, but only for smaller objects. Before the war, the railway regiment was mainly used in disaster relief, for example to repair damage caused by floods. In 1914, the Monarchy had 28 railway companies within the railway regiment. Each had 269 personnel. The command of the regiment was in Kroneuburg, the staff came from the entire territory of the Monarchy.
The increased task of the Great War meant an increased burden, so 12 new railway companies were organized in the railway regiment. After the Italian entry into the war, this troop was also responsible for the construction and operation of the wire rope courses used in high mountain conditions. The railway regiment also built and operated 32 field railways operating near the front line. [...]
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November 4, 2024Millions of soldiers lost their lives in the Great War. All those who fell had relatives who mourned them. In addition to mourning, the family at home also had a lot of problems with making a living. Donation campaigns were held at the troops for their support. Many badges were specifically aimed at helping the families of dead or disabled soldiers.
One of the main topics in this post is the war monument in Vácrátót. It is a modern design, its concept is far from the heroic spirit of the 1930s. Loss is the main theme here. From a contemporary family photo, the dead paterfamilias is cut out, illustrating the terrible reality of the broken family.
I searched among the cap badges for long until I decided for the badge of the 37th Landwehr Infantry Regiment. The head of the family is also missing from this one, and an angel is trying to comfort the widow and orphan, who are reeling from the death news. Of course, religious faith helped many to endure grief and, not least, to take on the burden of supporting the family. But the death and absence of a beloved husband, brother, or child certainly left a lifelong wound in the souls of the family members. [...]
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October 29, 2024The patron saint of gunners has already appeared here. The new post is justified by the beautiful postcard, but even more so by the wonderful hand-painted enamel badge. The collector’s heart beats faster when he sees such beauty. That’s why I thought I’d share it with dear readers! [...]
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October 24, 2024There is a howitzer badge that has been puzzling me for a long time. The old M 98 15 cm howitzer can be seen on it and a precise unit designation: 2/II Budapest mortar battery. I looked for it in all sources available to me and on the Internet, but I couldn’t find it.
Now the name of the unit has finally appeared on a postcard. It shows a gun placed in the mouth of a rock cave. On the back, the inscription II. Budapest Division 15 cm howitzer battery. The card was sent in March 1917 and bears the stamp of the 17th Corps and the office of a Trieste censor. The sender was a first lieutenant assigned to the command of the corps.
That’s quite a lot of new information to start with. The first step is to examine when the 17th corps was assigned to the Italian front? How did this card get to Trieste? We can get a precise answer to this: it was ordered there in August 1916 and was on the Italian front until the end of June 1917. During this time, first the 57th and 62nd Divisions, then the 24th Division instead of the 62nd, were assigned to it, and the whole belonged to the 5th Army. So the date stamp is correct. At this time, the 57th and 62nd divisions were in staff.
Let’s see the divisional artillery then! Not surprisingly, we find two artillery brigades: the 57th and 62nd Field Artillery Brigades. That’s when the long-awaited moment comes: will I finally find the artillery division I’m looking for in these brigades? Numbered 62, we see the usual three field artillery regiments (one cannon, howitzer and heavy artillery regiment). The 57th Division, on the other hand, has always been special, as it had mountain brigades. In addition, as a result of reorganizations from 1916, the former 57th division became the 90th division with a new composition. The 57th and 18th Infantry Brigades were then assigned to the 57th division, which operated partly with regular line regiments.
The divisional artillery also appears to have been largely replaced. As it was until 1916, also later it was “raked together” by battery, it was not organized in the usual systematic system. From August 1916, the number of batteries increased, regular field artillery and mountain artillery were mixed. According to the sources, there were five independent 15 cm howitzer batteries among them. The hastily assembled units often did not even receive registry numbers, but many of them had names (e.g. China battery, Belgian battery from the names of the original destination countries of the guns left over from export). Unfortunately, the Budapest division or battery is not listed by name in the records I have access to. Nevertheless, I assume that among the mentioned five howitzer batteries was the 2nd howitzer battery of the Budapest Division.
Finally, from the picture on the postcard, it can be concluded that the cave carved into the rock was typical of the Italian front. The artillery protecting the Tolmein bridgehead was placed in completely similar battery positions on Mengore Hill as shown on the photo. The 57. division was defending the frontline a bit more South at the Isonzo. [...]
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October 15, 2024From May 1915 until the end of the year, one of the main targets of the Italian offensive was the Austro-Hungarian bridgehead in Görz. Mt Sabotino, located on the west bank of the Isonzo, was the main point of defense. The bloodiest clashes took place around the villages of Oslavija and Podgora on the southern slope. I have written about these fights here before.
Hungarian reminiscences highlight, in addition to the very heavy own losses, that the Italian troops attacked the increasingly strengthened defensive positions with mass attacks typical of the Great War. These were mostly repulsed by the defenders before they reached the first line of defense with the infantry fire from the covers and the artillery installed on the Sabotino hill. In November 1915, the Italians managed to occupy the first line of the Austro-Hungarian defense.
The heavy losses are indicated by the fact that an ossuary was built in the area at altitude 188 above Oslavija, which housed the remains collected from the war graves of this battlefield after the war. Another shocking reminder of the bloody losses is a plaque that I found recently. The wall of the most famous church of the city of Bologna, St Stefano, is covered in a long row by plaques with the names of the dead from Bologna of the Great War. The names are grouped according to years and battlefields on separate plaques. Most of the names were on the one with the inscription Podgora from 1915, as a visual reminder of the battles there. Of course, similarly long commemorative plaques with many names can also be seen in Hungarian cities. As an example, I would mention the Heroes’ Gate in Szeged, where we can also read the names of dead in endless rows.
It is not easy to match a suitable badge to the post. After all, the message of the post is respect and raising of hats before the dead of the enemy, something that did not occur very often on the insignia made during the Great War. The badges commemorating the victims can of course be applied afterwards to the memory of the victims of both sides. [...]
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October 11, 2024I already wrote here about the Kappenabzeichen of the 38th Honved Division in connection with a photo of it being worn. Then I mainly gave information about the designer, Richard Zutt. Now I present the division’s insignia-decorated Christmas card.
The printers produced many different versions of Christmas and Easter cards. Some of them were decorated with the usual motifs. At Easter, bunnies and male eggs, at Christmas, a decorated pine tree and angels recalled the holiday in the trenches. But there were also many propaganda cards. These featured funny scenes or Easter eggs decorated with the colors of the Central Powers. But there were more combative, sometimes even morbid ones, like the buck of the 83rd infantry regiment that “gifted” a hand grenade instead of a male egg (it’s true that this was probably a unique image, or only a small number of enlargements were made of it).
The insignia of the 38th Division rests on a snowy pine branch, so it shows more of the usual motif. [...]
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October 3, 2024So, I chose a badge that has always been very shocking to me and resonates for this month. This is the beautiful insignia of the 26th Infantry Regiment in its simplicity with the caption, “We will endure till the end!”. Of course, the text was not meant to be the last great sigh of the losing war, but rather referred to the faithful persistence despite of the endless series of trials. But still, the final hour came, when the vow also ended: the armed forces of the Monarchy laid down their arms.
There is no point in picking out even one of the disasters that happened this month, either in the Balkans or in Italy. Unfortunately, these did not happen by chance. The appearance of the USA on the European battlefields shifted the military balance of power definitively in favor of the Entente. This naturally resulted in the military defeat of the Central Powers. Rather, I would like to raise what the soldiers who returned to their home country after the collapse found at home in Hungary.
I believe that the communist propaganda, which was already strongly percolating from Russia at the time, probably did not take root among the soldiers living in rural, village conditions, who made up the majority of the crews of the Hungarian regiments. These peasants could still be mobilized, they would have remained ready to fight if there had been someone to hold them together. Unfortunately, there were not many such leaders. The Károlyi government was deceived by the promises of the Entente and ordered a general disarmament, despite the fact that the victors repeatedly violated the armistice agreements. This is how the Romanian invaders were able to reach the Tisza river.
For me, the most bitter fact was that in the spring of 1919, in the hours of Hungary’s agony, despite the government’s will it was possible to keep relatively larger, intact troops in four places. However, they did not unite, and some of them did not even participate in the armed resistance at that time. They just waited, like Miklós Horthy’s troops in Szeged or the royalist Colonel Antal Lehár’s volunteers in Western Hungary. Only the Székely Division undertook a meritorious fight. Without their resistance, the Romanians might have reached the Great Plain by Christmas. From the end of March 1919, the fourth military force was the army of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, which was joined by many soldiers who were desperate about the fate of their country and had a non-communist attitude. Turkey’s successful resistance after the war shows that those who did not wait for the benevolence of the Entente, were able to achieve results by showing strength.
But back to the badge, now is the time to reflect on the sad ending, after which there was no longer any point in pinning this badge on the cap. This reflection also applies to the further fate of the site. The war months are gone, but so is the Kappenabzeichen and photo material that kept the site alive. I think that I will keep the page active, from time to time I will upload new materials to the other sections, but not with the same regularity as before. I thank the readers for “sticking it out”! Continue to follow the new posts, even if they become a little less frequent! [...]
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October 1, 2024There are badges that are often included in wearing photos, but the majority are not. The Kappenabzeichen of the 51st Honvéd Infantry Division is often seen, but the insignia of the regiments belonging to the division are not. Therefore, in relation to 51 division badges, one can never know for sure which regiment’s soldiers wear it. You can know this with certainty if the image is captioned, like the one just uploaded. According to the caption, the picture shows soldiers of the 302nd infantry regiment. This gives me the opportunity to present the regiment’s very special badge.
The 302nd Infantry Regiment was raised in early 1915, like the other regiments of the 51st division, and replaced one of the four regiments of the 23rd Division captured at Przemysl. The badge faithfully follows the regiment’s war events until 1917. The ancient chariot and the warrior holding a laurel branch on it are an allegory of victory in war. Not very often, but ancient depictions also occur on the badges, for example on the one prepared in memory of the Kirlibaba battle site mentioned on this badge, which I wrote about here.
For the sake of order, here is also a green lacquered copy of the division insignia worn in the photo. [...]
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September 28, 2024I have dealt with the topic of assault troops repeatedly. This new post is about the general assault troop badge. Because the leadership of the Monarchy planned to introduce a uniform skill badge for assault troopers as well. In 1918, the regulations were already prepared, according to which the members of the assault troops were qualified, and they intended to award them a badge of honor in case of adequate performance.
The skill badge was however not introduced before the end of the Great War. But the award badge was finally designed. Quite a few copies could have been made, because I know of the existence of several pieces. At the monarch’s request, the badge does not include the usual trooper symbols. There is no hand grenade, no helmet and no skull bone. A lion, symbolizing the courage and strength of the storm troopers, replaced these, and an oval laurel wreath similar to pilot insignia frames the insignia.
Incidentally, the lion is very similar to the depiction on the badge of the Peter Ferdinand Combat Troop [...]
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September 26, 2024I have written about the organization of sapper troops here before. I picked up the topic again for the sake of the nice badge and an exciting photo.
The badge is interesting in two ways. On the one hand, a presumably wooden structure can be seen, reminiscent of the elements of an emergency bridge. The construction of temporary bridges was the task of the sapper units, as was the case with all technical construction or demolition tasks in the field. This is how we get to the railway in the opening image. This is the field railway built on the Karst, which played a major role in the supply of troops. The track was built by sapper units with the participation of additional workers who did the earthwork.
Returning to the badge, the inscription also requires an explanation. The sapper battalions were directly attached to the corps. So the inscription shown in the published picture refers to sappers assigned toXVIII. corps. But with the same motif, two other badges with different numbers were made. One shows the number 25 and the other 50. This is where the puzzle begins. Because the Monarchy had 26 numbered corps, that is, 50 cannot apply to any corps. But then what? I don’t know… [...]
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September 24, 2024I already wrote in detail about the 42 cm super mortar here. Reading the war reminiscences, I have the impression that the moral effect of such weapons with great destructive power may have been more important. The large-caliber mortars were originally intended by the Monarchy for coastal defense. The weaker deck armor of the armored ships besieging coastal forts was thought to be penetrated by the huge projectiles fired on steep trajectories. The concept was later changed and instead these guns were deployed against the armored domes of land forts.
The post presents a rare photo of the largest barrel size 42 cm gun. The picture shows how the separately delivered parts are assembled. The gun barrel is transferred from the trailer to the already prepared gun base. The shot could have been taken somewhere on the Italian front, judging by the landscape and the houses.
The visual display of the weapon was mostly done by depicting the projectiles. The size, shape and inscription of the three differently colored badges presented here are the same. This weapon must have been very popular if so many different versions of its insignia were produced. The iron cross was not accidentally placed on the projectile. This mortar was first employed by the German forces, and then the Monarchy took it over and started producing it. The Lüttich and Antwerp inscriptions recall the German successes achieved in Belgium at the beginning of the war in 1914, where the artillery of the Monarchy also played a role with its siege guns. [...]
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September 21, 2024The 62nd Infantry Regiment was part of the 35th Transylvanian Division. I already wrote about its use in the Great War in the post about the division here. The command and cadre of the regiment was in Marosvásárhely. Half of its crew consisted of Hungarians from the Mezőség region, and half of Romanians.
The owner of the regiment was King Louis of Bavaria. Here I present the rarer insignia of the regiment, on which the owner of the regiment and the monarch of the Monarchy can be seen in a joint portrait. The Kappenabzeichen is also matched to the letter-sealing stamp illustrated with the regiment’s previous battle scene. The name of the regiment owner can also be read on it, as well as the mentioning of battle of Győr in 1809. Although there were not many laurels there in the fight against Napoleon (“I’ve forgotten the valor of Győr!/When did you ever erect a memorial statue/For the many heroic feet that ran like that?”) Sándor Petőfi Hungarian poet wrote about the battle in his poem. Still, there were moments worth highlighting, such as Sergeant Stanczy’s military deed immortalized on the stamp. [...]
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