IR 73

According to the inscription of the post card, it was the infantry regiment of the Eger Region. This area is located in Western Bohemia. During the Great War, this region was still predominantly inhabited by Germans. The command of the regiment was in Prague, the center of the cadre was in the city of Eger (today Cheb). The IX. Prague division and VIII. corps were its higher units.

Like other reliable Sudeten German regiments, the 73rd Infantry Regiment was often deployed on dangerous fronts. In the fall and winter of 1914, they fought along the Drina River in the campaign against Serbia. In February 1915, the regiment was ordered to the Carpathians, and during the year they took part in the offensive against Russia. In November 1915, during the 4th Battle of the Isonzo, they were placed on the Italian front, on the southern front section of the Karst. In the spring of 1916, the regiment was transferred to the counterattack in South Tyrol. After that, they were stationed either in Tyrol or on the Karst, first assigned to the 12th Mountain Brigade, then as part of the 8th Division. They were stationed on the Hétközség plateau in Tyrol in 1918 as well. The end of the war found the regiment here. On November 14, 1918, they arrived home in the city of Eger, where the regiment was disbanded within days.

73-er postcards and souvenirs are quite common and can still be easily obtained today. The beautiful enamel cap badge is not too rare either, but the regiment also had simpler plate badges.