Kappenabzeichen - Sapkajelvény történetek

1. Armee Christmas 1915

August 18, 2025Less valued, often not very spectacular pieces of cap badge collections are the rather common badges of higher units. Some of these are simpler pieces, often decorated with the famous portrait of the monarch. However, there are also those that depict battle scenes. The badges of the Isonzo Army stand out among these. Despite their large number, they are sought after and relatively expensive. The Christmas badge of the 1st Army was made at the end of 1915. It is one of the most common badges. To my knowledge, Kappenabzeichen were also made for Christmas 1914. Among them was the portrait badge of the monarch of the 1st Army. It was perhaps the first real cap badge of the Great War. A new design was made for the second Christmas, this time with a trench scene. I think the depiction is attractive and expressive. The badge was mainly made of grey metal, but silver copies also survived. Of course, those are rarer and more expensive. I brought up the issue of army badges not only because they are relatively easy to collect, and the collection can grow quickly. But also because many are truly valuable and attractive works. Thirdly, because they go well with the postcard used as a background in the post. The postcard is much rarer than the badge. It is also a spectacular, beautiful piece. [...] Read more...

Sisi HIR 1

August 14, 2025Elizabeth of Hungary was perhaps the most popular royal wife in Hungarian history. Due to the dynastic marriages typical of feudalism, it was always usual for Hungarian rulers to have a consort chosen from foreign aristocracy and royal families. The custom extends from the hated XIII. century Gertrude of Merano to Sisi. It is rather peculiar that both the hated and the beloved monarchs died violent deaths, becoming victims of assassination. The family of the Bavarian princess Elisabeth of Wittelsbach was related to the Austrian Habsburg house. Franz Joseph’s mother was also a Wittelsbach girl. The romance of the young Franz Joseph and Sisi and their marriage in 1854, contrary to the customs of the time, were not without a love affair, although the pairing of the couple obviously also served political interests. The rigid etiquette of the Viennese court (“I trust in ancient virtue!”) led to constant friction between the more enlightened, life-loving young woman and her iron-hatted environment. To escape the Vienna drill, she often went to Hungary, mainly to Gödöllő castle, to rest. Her frequent presence played a role in her popularity in Hungary. Another reason may have been the counterpoint to the dislike (hatred) felt for the young ruler, Franz Joseph. He had suppressed the 1948 Hungarian War of Independence. Instead of the also rigid, iron-hatted, unlovable king who slept on an iron camp bed and hung a picture of the Battle of Temesvár above his mattress in his palace, (the last, 1849 victorious battle of the Habsburgs in Hungary), someone from the royal family was needed whom the people could respect. Of course, the Sisi-fanaticism was not only characteristic of Hungarians; the described contrast was visible and perceptible to all the peoples of the Monarchy. But in September 1898, an Italian anarchist committed an assassination attempt against her in Geneva. Her injury was not fatal, but even careful treatment could not stop the sepsis that followed, which killed her a few days later. Her tombstone in the Capuchin Crypt in Vienna always has a wreath or ribbon in Hungarian national colors. Sisi was long dead when the 1st Hungarian Infantry Regiment took her name. During the Great War, the soldiers of the regiment went to combat under her name. Their cap badges and many other memorabilia were decorated with the queen’s portrait and name. She is also the centerpiece of the most common badge of the 1st Hungarian Infantry Regiment. I will also present a later, rarer version of this badge from 1917. [...] Read more...

Mt Tomba, HIR 1

August 5, 2025From February 1918, the 20th Honvéd Infantry Division was stationed in the upper reaches of the Piave River around Mt Tomba. The Piave and the valley of the streams flowing from the west surrounded Mt Tomba from the north and east. Tomba fell into French hands in early 1918. When the 20th Division arrived there, it was already firmly in their hands. The attack to retake it failed. In the first half of 1918, until the Piave Offensive in June, there was trench warfare in the area. French artillery from the mountain effectively shelled the roads along the Piave to the north. The necessary supplies could only be delivered to the front line at night, and even then with heavy losses. Local attack operations also took place at night. The division command promised a reward of 50 Korona and two weeks’ leave to those who captured a French prisoner. This happened a few times. During the Piave Offensive, the Monarchy’s forces also launched an attack on this front section, but the momentum did not last long. The infantry attack began at 6 a.m. on June 15. The 1st Honvéd Infantry Regiment attacked the French positions on Mt Tomba. By noon, the enemy’s advanced positions had been occupied. Due to the failure of the neighboring divisions and the intactness of the French main position opposite, the attack was stopped the next day, and the soldiers were ordered back to their starting positions. There was further fighting in the area until October. The positions were evacuated on October 28, and a general retreat followed on October 30. The troops of the 20th Division avoided being taken prisoner. The badge matching the post commemorates the fighting of the 3rd battalion of the 1st Honvéd Infantry Regiment on Tomba. Presumably made on the front, from the copper material of shell casings. It is not a unique trench art work, I have seen several pieces of it. The attached map sketch shows the front line and the settlements in the area. You can also see Feltre, where a field airfield operated. In Santa Maria brigade headquarters was located in the shelter of the mountains. The troops’ accommodation was set up in two railway tunnels next to the settlement. Near the front line, on the side of Mt Tomba, in sheltered spaces, the barracks belonging to the front line were located, which are shown in the opening picture. [...] Read more...

Tatarka valley, HIR 30

August 5, 2025The 30th Honvéd Infantry Regiment of Pest County was a regiment of the famous 40th “Fokos” Division and played an important role in its major operations. Its most well-known badge, published here, follows the war path until the spring of 1916. The last of the battlefields listed on the back of the badge were Toporoutz and Rarancze, the scene of bloody battles in January 1916. In a previous post, I also described the regiment’s 1916 battles in the Carpathians (here). In the summer of 1916, the regiment’s task was to stop Russian attacks that threatened the settlement of Kirlibaba. In the valley of the Dol Tatarka stream, the advancing Russians were pushed back. Later, the Russians nevertheless advanced on the mountains on both sides of the valley, so that they reached Kirlibaba with their artillery. The correspondence card attached to the post depicts the Dol Tatarka valley. [...] Read more...

30,5 (5)

July 26, 2025The 30.5 cm Skoda mortar has been featured many times. In this post, I can provide some new details to the previous information. First of all, the correspondence card is new. This bears the stamp of the battery that I wrote about here before, in connection with a wearing photo. In the previous post, I wrote about how a statue was erected in Istanbul for military nailing, depicting the 30.5 cm gun. Since there is a badge with a Turkish inscription with a picture of the gun, I assume that it depicts this statue. Or the type of gun that served as a model. I am also attaching pictures of two other badges that have not been featured so far. These are interesting because they clearly show the technical development of the gun. From 1917, the mortar was manufactured with a modified gun mount, as we can see in the opening picture. The picture inserted into the text shows the earlier version. [...] Read more...

Graz: War nailing

July 25, 2025Kriegsnagelung (mirror translation: war nailing) was a common form of fundraising during the Great War. In early 1915, the first wooden statues were made, into which steel nails purchased for donations could be hammered (hence the name). With the steel nails, the statue was transformed and became “Iron Székely” (Székelyudvarhely), “Iron Turul” (Nyitra), “Iron Guard” (Wehrmann im Eisen, Vienna). According to a summary study on the subject, such statues were erected in an extremely large number of settlements in the former German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Some of these have survived in their original form and are now kept in museums. Interestingly, a statue depicting a Skoda mortar was even erected in Istanbul in memory of the three Entente warships sunk in the Dardanelles. (It is another matter that the Skoda mortars only arrived in the last days of the battle, and the three ships sank after hitting mines in the early stages of the conflict.) The same source also knows about a statue erected in San Francisco! Each district of Vienna had its own statue. According to the sources, there were two statues in the city of Graz. One was erected by the public office of the province (Styria), the other by the disabled foundation of the most famous regiment of the province, the 27th Regiment of Graz. The latter is the subject of this entry, since the statue is also featured on the badge of the 27th. According to the sources, the statue was made by the sculptor Wihelm Gösser and was erected on August 15, 1916 in the Dominican barracks in Graz. It is still there today, preserved in the museum of the city’s garrison on the Schloßberg. Several postcards were issued with the image of the statue, also for fundraising purposes. As an addition, I am uploading the regiment’s letter seal, which I believe was made before the Great War. [...] Read more...

Kaiserjager

July 12, 2025The Tyrolean Kaiserjager were units corresponding to the regular regiments of the Kuk in this province with a special legal status. In principle, they could only be deployed to defend Tyrol, but in 1914 a legal loophole was found that allowed the Kaiserjager to be sent to Galicia. After the opening of the Italian front, however, they basically fought on this front section, in accordance with the original regulations. Like the Feldjager battalions, the Imperial Guards had a horn on their hats and a small horn on their field caps. I will present the latter in this post. I can add a matching letter seal to it. [...] Read more...

Mock badge Cadorna

July 7, 2025The internet offers incredible opportunities even for old-fashioned guys like me who don’t really know how to use search engines optimally. I sometimes stumble upon exciting information based on the udder between the horns. The truth is that it’s not really possible to specifically search for something that we don’t know about. There are quite a few mock badges that depict enemy soldiers in funny situations while the Monarchy’s bucks teach them the lesson. One such badge shows a fleeing Italian officer who, judging by his mustache, could be the Italian commander-in-chief, Cadorna. It’s a solid, nicely silver-plated badge. In terms of shape, material, and style, it’s similar to three other mock badges that I’ve shown here before. These badges are clearly the work of the same maker. Another series of mock badges in different look, material, and style was produced by the Arkanzas company, but these badges are typically “Arkanzas” and are otherwise also marked. Until now, I knew nothing about the origin of the four badges that are different from the others, similar to each other, since they are not marked. Now, however, the internet has provided the solution. In one of the archives, I saw the badges on a page of a 1916 issue of the contemporary Hungarian satiric magazine, Borsszem Jankó. The intact text clearly identified the publisher as the designer (manufacturer). Even more interesting is that in addition to the four known types, there are also pictures of 5 other badges on the page. However, I have never had these as concrete, finished badges in my hands. They all depict enemies next to allied soldiers, in funny, uncomfortable poses. I do not know whether these were finally realized, or were they just drafts? [...] Read more...

Landsturm 165

July 5, 2025The defense of the mountains south of the Pusster Valley was provided by the 49th Division. Its personnel varied a lot, but it was mainly composed of Tyrolean and Carinthian personnel. One of its most permanent units was the 96th Brigade. It consisted of several units, essentially mixed battalions, mostly Landsturm units from the area. I have already written about one episode of the defensive battle they fought here. In addition to the divisional badge, I have attached the badge of the 171st Landsturm to this entry. The further mention of the division allows us to introduce another unit and another badge. This is the 165th Landsturm Battalion, which fought in the 96th Infantry Brigade in the Great War. I can attach a nicely stamped field correspondence card of the unit to the attached excellent badge. [...] Read more...

IR 108 Mt Grappa

July 3, 2025The Monarchy’s army was significantly reorganized at the beginning of 1918. Instead of the previous infantry regiments with four battalions, regiments consisting of three battalions were created. Previously, one battalion received mountain training and was assigned to the mountain brigades. Now these have ceased to exist. New regiments were organized from the previously separated battalions. With the replacements, in many cases, the surplus units from the regiments with more than the required four battalions were also directed to the new regiments. In this way, more than 30 new regiments were formed this year. The 108th Infantry Regiment eventually received four battalions, because in addition to the two 8th and one 99th battalions originally intended for this unit, the previously separated I/81st Battalion was also added. The upper edge of the badge presented in the post shows the numbers of the three regiments next to the founding date of March 1918. The new regiments were deployed on the Italian front, so their badges bear the images and names of that front. I have previously shown the badge of the 106th Infantry Regiment here, which has the inscription Piave and the image of the Venetian lion. The badge of the 108th depicts a mountainous landscape with the inscription Italien (Italy). The 108th Regiment was assigned to the 60th Division, which was stationed in the mountainous terrain between the Siebengemeinden Plateau and the Piave, on both sides of the Brenta river. During the June 1918 offensive, the division was part of the unit attacking Mt Grappa. The attack failed to break through the Italian third line. Having achieved minimal territorial gains, it essentially stalled on the first day. The division’s regiments were largely destroyed by artillery fire from the mountains. With this in mind, the question arises as to when the badge was made? I think it was just before the offensive, perhaps with the purpose of improving the morale. The location of the photo attached to the post is unknown. The use of assault helmets suggests a date of 1918, as does the summer clothing. It depicts tired soldiers resting in mountainous terrain. It could have been made on Grappa. [...] Read more...

1. Armee Christmas 1915

Sisi HIR 1

Mt Tomba, HIR 1

Tatarka valley, HIR 30

Kriegsfürsorge Steiermark

June 30, 2025Badges were also made with the coats of arms of the Austrian provinces and the coats of arms of many cities. These are mostly beautiful enamel pieces and are publications of the war relief offices. The Styrian badge is a particularly beautiful, large badge. It depicts the provincial coat of arms. Apparently, anyone could buy it, like all war relief products. It is relatively rare to see such a thing on soldiers’ caps, badges depicting the ruler were more widely used. Some units’ own badges, such as the 44th or 26th Infantry Regiments are worn by many. In these regiments’ group photos, half of the soldiers are wearing the regimental badge. [...] Read more...

Submarines (3)

June 26, 2025The most successful unit of the Monarchy’s navy was the submarine fleet. The larger surface units were not deployed at all, with the exception of cruisers and destroyers. Submarines, however, were constantly deployed. They achieved important successes, especially in disrupting enemy merchant shipping. They also successfully attacked some larger surface units of the Entente navy, but these cases were more likely to be accidental, not targeted attacks. I have already shown the submariners’ service badge in a wearing photo here. Now I am attaching a picture of a sailor who has this badge on his jacket again. The subject of this post, however, is a submarine propaganda badge. The service badge is always present in the few wearing photos I know of, I have not yet seen the submarine Kappenabzeichen made in a wide variety in military photos. From this I assume that these served more propaganda purposes. There are some plate badges depicting battle scenes, like the one we are presenting now. And there were the beautiful, colorful fire enamel badges, with dozens of different decorations. I think not only the latter, but also the plate badges belong more to the patriotic badge category. [...] Read more...

Carst plateu – Doberdó

June 18, 2025The Italian front, which opened in 1915, had several front sections, each with a different character. In Tyrol, the fronts were mostly located between the peaks of high mountains, or in narrow passes between the peaks, which were mostly protected by fortresses. Further east, the mountains of Carinthia showed similar terrain. The Isonzo was the largest river near the border, with narrow valleys in its upper section, while the lower section had much larger and more extensive valleys. The estuary area was no longer mountainous, but rather hilly, more suitable for agricultural cultivation. Here, on the eastern bank of the river, lies the Karst plateau, the famous Doberdó battlefield. The Karst is a hilly region, rising 100-120 meters above the river, and beyond the edge is flatter, with a highland character. Since there are no deep ravines or high peaks, it was easier for troops to move in this area. Moreover, one of the important Italian military objectives, Trieste and the Italian-populated areas of Istria, could be attacked in this direction. Therefore, the main direction of attack for most of the Italian campaigns was this area. Between May 1915 and August 1916, the front line stretched along the edge of the plateau. In the 6th Battle of the Isonzo, the Italians managed to push the front back by 20 km, to the central part of the plateau, to the front line of Fajti Hrib, Kostanjevica, Hermada. The picture attached to the post depicts a detail of a trench on Fajti Hrib in 1917, vividly showing the improvised, shallow positions formed with great difficulty on the rocky plateau. The enemy could see into these from the heights in the background, so daytime movement in them was very dangerous. The attached badge is less detailed, we do not see trenches on it, only a landscape similar in nature to the photo. In the difficult conditions, both sides suffered huge losses [...] Read more...

Field railways

June 16, 2025The movement of troops and the provision of material supplies on all fronts of the Great War were basically carried out by railway. The expansion of capacity was continuous, and the reconstruction of tracks and equipment damaged by the enemy as the front moved was also a major task. Efforts were made to establish rail connections to places where there had been none before. The Prislop railway in the Eastern Carpathians was one such new railway line. Such was the case in several places with the railway line leading to the mountainous terrain of the Italian front, for example, the Julian Alps. The lines close to the front were mostly narrow gauge. In several places they operated with electricity generated by small electric power plants. Such was the case, for example, with the line leading to Lake Bohinj. This reached the settlement of Ukanc. From there, a cable car system carried supplies to the high mountainous terrain of the Krn front. The attached photo shows the wagons of a field railway. The badge chosen for the post, with its toy train-like train layout, fits in with these. [...] Read more...

LUR 6

June 13, 2025The headquarters of the 6th Landwehr Uhlan Regiment was in the city of Wels, and it was founded here in 1885. The crew was mostly from the surroundings and from the Prague area. Therefore, soldiers with mixed Czech and German mother tongues served in the regiment. On the site of the regiment’s traditionalists, they emphasize the role of the 6th Uhlan in Limanowa battle, 1914. At that time, they provided the cavalry of the XIV Corps led by Lieutenant General Roth and successfully attacked the flank of the advancing Russian troops, threatening them with encirclement in the Neu-Sandez area. General Roth was later awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa for his achievements in the battle. The regiment’s badge is a beautifully crafted fire enamel piece often seen in cavalry regiments. The oval disc contains the regiment’s letter and number, decorated with the Austrian imperial crown above. [...] Read more...

Boroevic (2)

June 12, 2025Boroevic Svetozar was one of the most respected Austro-Hungarian generals. His successes during the Great War are evidenced by his advancement in rank and position. I have already described his career in detail here. He rose from the command of a division to the command of a front, in the most difficult defensive positions. In the winter of 1914-15, he was a corps commander in the Carpathians, then on the Italian front he became the commander of the 5th (Isonzo) Army, and then the entire Italian front. The photo attached to the entry was taken of the colonel general during this period. During the war, perhaps because of his Croatian origin, he was not really popular in the general staff. His excellent leadership performance did not elevate him to the narrowest circle. His performance was honored with the Knight’s Cross of the Military Maria Theresa Order, but he did not become a confidant of the monarch or the chief of staff. The services of the outstanding military leader of the Monarchy were not claimed by the Yugoslav successor state either. He died in Austria in 1920. [...] Read more...

Innichen

May 30, 2025There were three provincial rifle regiments in Tyrol. The third was located in the eastern part of the province. Its headquarters and one of its battalions were in the small town of Innichen, located at the end of the Pusster Valley. Innichen is an ancient city, there was a settlement here even before the Romans, and then one of the important Roman military roads led through it. Later, it did not become a prominent ecclesiastical or secular seat, so even during the Great War it had a population of only 2-3 thousand people. The large barracks could have been built here due to the important strategic location of the place. During the Great War, the front was in the area of the mountain range on the southern side of the Pusster Valley. Unfortunately, I was unable to find out anything special about the building. After the Tyrolean riflemen, the Italian Alpini took possession of the block. It is still the barracks of the 6th Italian Mountain Rifle Regiment today. The building called Caserma Cantore is located at Georg Papiron Strasse 2. The Italian government wanted to modernize and expand it a few years ago. A training center with a permanent staff of 700 is planned to open here. The local population, most of whom are German-speaking, strongly opposes the development, fearing that the town will loose its ethnic character. I have attached to the post the beautiful badge of the rifle regiment that once served here. [...] Read more...

Landesschützenrgt. Bozen (2)

May 28, 2025Much has been said about the wooden statues made for fundraising, hammered with iron nails. I have also written here about the wooden shield of the Tyrolean 2nd Provincial Rifle Regiment, which is now kept by the Tyrolean Imperial Hunters Museum in Innsbruck. I brought up the subject again because of a beautiful correspondence card. It shows a scene. The shield hammered with nails was taken to the front sometime in 1916. The card shows the moment of delivery. I do not know of any other similar case, it could not have been very common. Perhaps also because other regiments were deployed on fronts far from their headquarters, so delivery would have been much more difficult. [...] Read more...

Graz, HQ of III. corps

May 25, 2025The III. Corps was organized from the areas of Carinthia, Styria and the Shore province. The corps headquarters was in Graz. I have already written about the corps’ role in a previous post here. The Corps Headquarters building was located at Glacisstrasse 39-41 and was built between 1843-5 in the classicist style. The builder was Johann Christoph Kees, from whom the building also got its name: “Kees Palace”. According to Austrian sources, the building was used by the Austrian army in 1877. In 1883, the corps headquarters and the district Landwehr headquarters were also located in this building. The Austrian army rented the building from the owners until 1967, when the Austrian state purchased the property. Originally designed as a customs house, the building was renovated in 2009 after decades of military use and is now used as a student dormitory. It has no particularly outstanding architectural value beyond the fact that it is the largest late classicist building in Graz. The 3rd Corps had several badges, of which I have now uploaded the “Steel Corps” badge decorated with a laurel wreath. [...] Read more...

Triglav, Zlatorog

May 20, 2025The 2nd Mountain Rifle Regiment (formerly the 27th Landwehr Infantry Regiment) was headquartered in Laibach (now Ljubljana). The regiment’s crew was of Slovenian nationality. A chamois can be seen on their badge. But why? On other regimental badges, animal representations more likely depict an eagle (often two-headed) or a lion. Why did a not very warlike herbivorous animal appear on the badge? For a long time, I had no clue that could explain this. I recently planned a hike to Lake Bohinj. This region is already part of the Julian Alps, the terrain before the highest ranges. From there, you can continue to Triglav, which is the highest peak of the mountain range and of Slovenia. The front line ran along its southwestern side during the Great War. While browsing, I found photos of a chamois statue that resembles the animal depicted on the badge. The statue itself doesn’t look old, but since it’s also on the badge, there must have been an earlier version of it 120 years ago. The statue’s name is Zlatorog, meaning golden horn. Online sources are full of information about an old Slovenian legend, according to which the Golden Horn will lead the seeker to a treasure buried on Triglav. If only he meets the animal. Of course, no one has seen it so far, so the treasure is still up on the mountain. You can try! The Golden Horn also got a statue in another settlement. But it doesn’t depict a chamois, but a mountain goat, with large, backward-curving horns. Unfortunately, the legend doesn’t say clearly whether Zlatorog is a chamois or a goat… [...] Read more...

Coastal defence

May 17, 2025A beautifully designed badge with (bored) bucks watching the sea on the Adriatic coast. This could also be phrased as soldiers heroically defending the coast. The coast defense consisted of infantry units and naval units. The thousand-kilometer-long Dalmatian coast was defended by only 6 battalions. The area around the ports was also defended by aging ships that were only used near the coast. The small force clearly indicates the low level of Italian (and Entente in general) interest. In addition to capturing a few smaller islands far from the coast, they only attacked the two major naval bases, with little success. The coast defense units were subordinate to the command responsible for securing Bosnia-Herzegovina-Dalmatia (BHD Kommando). The defense was divided into three zones. The two northernmost of these were commanded by Major General Wucherer. The headquarters was in Mostar. The postcard attached to the badge shows a bored sailor, also condemned to inactivity, writing a letter to those who remained at home. The coast guard and the navy also spent their time primarily patrolling, with little combat contact. The fleet had a few major offensive operations, but only submarines and naval aircraft were regularly deployed [...] Read more...

HIR 6 regiment number

May 15, 2025A special badge and a special picture. The picture was shot on August 10, 1914 in Szabadka, at the time of mobilization, before marching to the front. Departure to the front, with stiffened cuffs, a neatly ironed uniform, a decorative sword, elegant gloves. And with the regimental number on the officer’s cap. I have seen a few photos and I know many badges. I have never seen this pair, in any picture. I have never come across the enamel badge version of the regimental number. Maybe it was only made for the soldiers of HIR 6? It is also strange that it is already there in the first week of the Great War, that is, it was made in peacetime, and the guy obviously wore it. However, if this was possible in the summer of 1914, then it had to be included in the otherwise very strict uniform regulations. It would be good if I had adequate knowledge about this, whether this number on the cap was actually in accordance with the regulations? If so, why can’t we find other numbers, neither badges, no photos? According to experts, numbering the field cap was a requirement for the crew, and metal numbers were often used. The officer version shown here is therefore unique, since there was no need to put a number on the officer’s cap at all. The enameling could have been an improvement on a crew number. [...] Read more...

FAR 9K

April 28, 2025The reorganization of the cavalry divisions into infantry divisions affected not only the cavalry squadrons, but also the mounted artillery. The guns of mounted artillery was similar to that of traditional artillery units, only the personnel were riding horses for faster movement. After the reorganization, the horses used for fast movement were removed from the units. Also, the horse artillery units were given a new assignment. Thus, the artillery brigade of the 9th cavalry division was assigned to the 33rd division. And their name also changed: instead of the previous RtAR 9, after the reorganization they were given the name FAR 9K, where the letter K referred to the previous cavalry role (Kavallerie). I wrote all this in detail because, in addition to the extremely beautiful badge, the presented correspondence card is also special. It was written home by the lieutenant of the aforementioned artillery regiment to his beloved on October 26, 1918, in the last week of the Great War. There is no sign that collapse was imminent. The letter writer dreamed that 3 months have passed since his last leave, and that he will have to wait another two months before he can go home again. Did he return safely to his beloved? The 33rd Division was in reserve at the lower reaches of the Piave at that time, relatively far from the front lines. The main direction of the Italian attack was further north, and the inglorious situation when the armistice dates were misinterpreted and Italians took entire divisions prisoner did not occur on this front. So Lieutenant Szili had a good chance of getting home by the end of the year, the date written on the postcard. [...] Read more...

26. Landsturm Regiment

April 24, 2025The headquarters of the 26th Landwehr and Landsturm regiments was Marburg (now Maribor, Slovenia). The Landsturm was the third tire of the army. The older age groups were drafted here at the beginning of the war. The regiments’ task was not to fight on the front lines, but to operate the areas behind the front in the military organization. However, by the autumn of 1914, most of the Landsturm and Népfölkelő regiments had already come under fire, because only these units could be urgently sent to the front line to replace the huge losses. The regiments suffered heavy losses. Most of them were disbanded in 1915, not replenished. A few regiments survived. These were later supplemented by younger age groups. Their combat value rose to a higher level. This also happened with the 26th Landsturm regiment. As can be read in the margin of the attached correspondence, it was deployed in the most vulnerable sections of the Italian front. The regiment was used as separate battalions in the III. and IV. sections of the Italian front, i.e. in the Dolomites and Carinthia and in the upper reaches of the Isonzo in the 92nd and 93rd divisions. The 26th Landsturm regiment did not have its own insignia, so I have attached to the post the enameled hat insignia used by the Landwehr regiments. It is possible that the Landsturm also used these insignia in addition to the Landwehr [...] Read more...

St Lucia (2)

April 17, 2025The small town in Slovenia has already been featured here. Now it’s back because an exciting photo shows one of the town’s houses. The main subject, of course, is not the house, but the Italian armored car standing in front of it. Let’s start thinking about the car. How did it get there? According to the inscription, it’s a vehicle captured nearby. The photo doesn’t show any damage, so it was probably abandoned due to a technical fault, which is how it ended up in Austrian hands. But this is also a very shaky explanation. The area around St Lucia is mountainous, sliced by the narrow valleys of the Isonzo and other rivers. The armored car was best used on roads, and the road network here was not very dense. But it’s also unclear how Italians managed to bring the car to the front line in the valley from the main Italian defense line on the opposite mountain plateau (Kolowrat)? But as the photo shows, it was somehow brought down and then abandoned in the valley. The other important question is the location, of the picture. St Lucia is still a very small settlement with just a few streets (its current name is Most na Soci). In the background of the picture, the mountain Bucenica can be seen rising on the other side of the Isonzo. This hill and Mengore, as well as another hill further south, formed the Tolmein bridgehead, which played a prominent role in the 1917 breakthrough, the miracle of Caporetto. Near the presumed location, you can walk online using the well-known street view program, observe the surroundings and houses. I have tried to identify the building in the picture in today’s pictures. I am attaching the best result. The orientation and mass of the building are similar, the arrangement of the windows is not, but it could have been rebuilt several times in 110 years. [...] Read more...

IR 57 in Tarnów

April 11, 2025The 57th was a Galician regiment, headquartered in the city of Tarnów. For Hungarians, Tarnów is primarily notable because it was the birthplace of Jozef Bem, the legendary commander of the 1848 War of Independence, or Grandpa Bem. The 57th Regiment was part of the 1st Division and saw action on all battlefields. The letter seal attached to the post shows the monument erected on the Königgrätz battlefield, as does the opening picture. The regiment distinguished itself here in 1866, even though the Monarchy lost the war with the Prussians. The regiment’s badge shows the town hall building in the background behind the gate, which stands on the city’s market square. The town hall, built in the 1300s, acquired its current form in the 1500s with a Renaissance-style reconstruction. The predecessor of the settlement was founded 3 km from the present city centre in the 9th century. The city developed on its present location after the adoption of Christianity and the battles fought during the establishment of the Kingdom of Poland. Its first documented mention dates back to 1124. During the Polish Golden Age, it had 1200 inhabitants, and its water supply and sewage system were considered a very modern development. In addition to the Catholic cathedral, the city also had a community building of the Reformed Church and a synagogue, as well as a school. At that time, the city was the property of the Tarnowski family. The city was ravaged by Swedish troops in 1655, and later its importance declined with the cessation of Polish statehood. During the modernization of the Monarchy, the city began to flourish again with the construction of the railway. During the Great War, the Russians occupied it in November 1914, but after the breakthrough at Gorlice, it came under Austro-Hungarian control again. [...] Read more...

IR 6

April 4, 2025The house regiment of Újvidék had a mixed national composition. Hungarians, Serbs, and Germans served in the regiment. This composition reflected the mixed ethnic groups of the Bácska and Banat, that were mostly settled in the 1700s a region that had been depopulated during the Ottoman era. The regiment was part of the 32nd Division and fought on the Russian front until February 1918, mainly assigned to the IV Corps. In 1918, the division was transferred to the Italian front. The regiment’s well-known cap badge shows the 6er buck fighting a hydra (I think). I found a similar patriotic postcard, where this legendary animal has eight heads. Each wears the cap with the national colors of an enemy country. There is even a Japanese among the heads! Japan, of course, did not play a major role in the main European war theater. It plundered German property in the Far East. Its military supplies to the Entente were also significant [...] Read more...

IR 21

April 2, 2025A Czech regiment, headquartered in Kuttenberg. The beautiful badge of the 21st Infantry Regiment is a collector’s dream. It was probably made only for one series at the end of the war, in a small number of copies. Therefore, it is very rare. The main motif is the mountain, unfortunately unknown to me. It reminds me of the regiment’s stay in Tyrol. This regiment also belonged to the 10th Division, meaning that they were in this area from May to September 1916, more precisely in the III. Rayon, in the Dolomites. In the summer of 1916, they were assigned to the III. “Edelweiss” Corps for three months, which is also indicated by the badge. Obviously, belonging to the elite corps must have filled the crew with great pride, so it was immortalized on the badge. The accompanying postcard shows a portrait of the regiment commander, Colonel Vinzenz Reimer, the Knight of San Ubaldo. Both the card and the badge listed the important stages of the war from 1914 to 1918. This is common to both. [...] Read more...

IR 98

March 31, 2025Unfortunately, from now on, the esteemed reader will only rarely see a composition on this page where the cap badge and the accompanying illustration are closely related. The cards and wearing photos depicting Kappenabzeichen have run out. We have to be satisfied with field cards like the current one: a card issued by the regiment, but unfortunately the cap badge is not reflected in the motif. But this should not discourage us, as the beautiful badge of the 98th Infantry Regiment definitely deserves presentation. This regiment came from the Czech-speaking part of Silesia (Hohenmauth), and a mixed German and Czech crew fought in it. It belonged to the 20th Infantry Brigade of the 10th Division. Until May 1916, it was on the Russian front, first in the 4th Army, and then in the Carpathians as part of the 3rd Army. They were again part of the 4th Army in the Gorlice breakthrough. They were transferred to the Southwestern Front for the Tyrolean offensive in 1916. In September 1916 they were sent to the Karst Plateau, and in 1918 they fought on the Piave Front. The background of the badge shows the seaward edge of the Karst Plateau, with the Hermada Heights in the background, where the regiment fought in 1917. [...] Read more...

FSAB 1

March 25, 2025The Monarchy had 6 fortress artillery regiments and a dozen of independent fortress artillery battalions. The six regiments were stationed in larger fortresses and fortress systems. Such were, for example, the fortresses protecting Przemysl or the port of Pola. The battalions were responsible for securing smaller fortifications and valley locks, primarily along the Italian border. The 1st Fortress Artillery Battalion also had such a role in the eastern part of Tyrol, for example in the Dolomites. The location of the positional artillery strengthening the defense at the foot of the famous Drei Zinnen mountain group can be seen on contemporary maps. Part of the battalion was therefore not stationed in real fortresses, but in camouflaged firing positions established at strategic points of the defensive section. Their task was to repel attacks. Accordingly, they were not equipped with large-caliber, long-range guns, but with the usual field artillery equipment, the 8 cm field cannon, and the 10.5 cm field howitzers. The beautiful badge of the 1st Battalion was already included here. Now I have taken it out again to present it together with the newly discovered field correspondence card. [...] Read more...

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