IR 45

No 45 was a Galician regiment, its military district was Eastern Galicia, so its staff consisted partly of Poles and Ruthens. The headquarters were based in Przemysl, but the cadre and one of the battalions were stationed in Sanok. These capabilities shaped the way the regiment was deployed in the first half of the war in the 24th Division in Eastern Galicia, and from 1916 onwards in the XI corps they fought in Bukovina. Later, the division was moved a lot. For half a year in the VI. corps they were stationed in Transylvania, then in the second half of 1917 they stood on the Italian front until the end of the war.

Much can be read about the fact that the leadership of the Monarchy did not consider Slavic nationalities, especially Ruthenians, as “first-class” soldiers. Distrust was high, especially in the context of the Russian front. The commander of Przemysl, General Kusmanek, for example, specifically feared the betrayal of Ruthenian troops. In fact, both the Ruthenians and the Poles stood well on the battlefields. There was no particular problem with the attitude, as shown by the fact that volunteer troops from both nationalities could be recruited, the Polish and Ukrainian legions. Sure, the creation of their own state hovered before the eyes of Polish and Ukrainian volunteers, but this was seen as achievable in cooperation with the Monarchy and against the Russians.

I think the regiment badge is very pleasing despite its simplicity. The enameled one in particular. Very good luck and you need a pretty serious wallet to buy this. The plain badge, on the other hand, is quite common. Even a postcard adorned with an enamel badge does not come into contact with the collector every day. The red enamel is the same as the lapel color of the regiment, as was the case with most regiments.