Common Army
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Common Army (german: Gemeinsame Armee, hu, Közös Hadsereg) as it was officially designated by the Imperial and Royal Military Administration, was the largest part of the Austro-Hungarian land forces from 1867 to 1914, the other two elements being the
Imperial-Royal Landwehr The Imperial-Royal Landwehr (german: kaiserlich-königliche Landwehr or ''k.k. Landwehr''), also called the Austrian Landwehr, was the territorial army of the Cisleithanian or Austrian half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1869 to 1918. Its cou ...
(of Austria) and the Royal Hungarian Landwehr. However, it was simply known as the Army (''Heer'') by the Emperor and in peacetime laws, and, after 1918, colloquially called the ''k.u.k. Armee'' (short for Imperial and Royal Army). Established on 15 March 1867 and effectively disbanded on 31 October 1918 when its Hungarian troops left, the Common Army formed the main element of the "armed power" (''Bewaffneten Macht'' or ''Wehrmacht'') of the new double monarchy, to which the Imperial and Royal Navy (''k.u.k. Kriegsmarine'') also belonged. In the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
all land and sea forces of the monarchy were subordinated to the '' Armeeoberkommando'' set up in 1914.


History


Origin of the name

Until 1889 the armed forces bore the title "k.k." ('' kaiserlich-königlich'' i.e. "Imperial-Royal", which was technically incorrect after 1867 for a common institution of both Austrian and Hungarian halves of the Empire), as they had done before 1867. Only on the express wish of the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...
was the designation "k.u.k." and "cs. és kir." (
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
: "
kaiserlich und königlich The phrase Imperial and Royal (German: ''kaiserlich und königlich'', ), typically abbreviated as ''k. u. k.'', ''k. und k.'', ''k. & k.'' in German (the "und" is always spoken unabbreviated), ''cs. és k. (császári és királyi)'' in Hungari ...
", Hungarian: "császári és királyi", i.e. "Imperial and Royal") introduced in order to make the distinction clearer between the new Austrian army, the ''k.k. Landwehr'', and the new Hungarian force, the ''m. kir. Honvédség''. The navy did not use "k.u.k." as often, because there were few other naval forces apart from the main navy.


Common institution

After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 15 March 1867 the army and navy were no longer institutions of a single state, but of the new double monarchy, which was composed of two countries on an equal footing: the Empire of Austria (
Cisleithania Cisleithania, also ''Zisleithanien'' sl, Cislajtanija hu, Ciszlajtánia cs, Předlitavsko sk, Predlitavsko pl, Przedlitawia sh-Cyrl-Latn, Цислајтанија, Cislajtanija ro, Cisleithania uk, Цислейтанія, Tsysleitaniia it, Cislei ...
) and the no longer subordinate
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...
( Transleithania); the two being joined together in a
real union Real union is a union of two or more states, which share some state institutions in contrast to personal unions; however, they are not as unified as states in a political union. It is a development from personal union and has historically be ...
. From that point on, Emperor Franz Joseph - hitherto the "
Emperor of Austria The Emperor of Austria (german: Kaiser von Österreich) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A hereditary imperial title and office proclaimed in 1804 by Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the Hou ...
, King of Hungary, Bohemia, Croatia, Dalmatia, Galicia, etc." - bore the title Emperor of Austria ''and'' King of Hungary. Overall command still lay with the monarch who communicated with the army through the newly established Military Chancellery of His Majesty the Emperor and King. The Imperial and Royal War Ministry (''k.u.k. Kriegsministerium'' - called the ''Reichskriegsministerium'' until 1911) was responsible for the administration and maintenance of the Army (and Navy) structure; its associated General Staff being responsible for strategy. Its Chief of the General Staff had the right to address the monarch directly.


Main element of the armed forces

The Austrian act of 11 April 1889 (a law with identical content was passed in Hungary), which superseded the defence act of 1868, amended in 1882, stated clearly in section 2 that: :: ''The armed forces are divided into the Army, the Navy, the ''Landwehr'' and the ''Landsturm.'' '' In section 14 the annual recruiting quota for the Army and Navy was set at 103,000; of which 60,389 had to come from the "kingdoms and lands represented in the '' Reichsrat''". The recruiting target for Austrian '' Landwehr'' army raised for territorial defence was 10,000 men. The quotas were to be adjusted to meet requirements every ten years by political agreement between Austria and Hungary and by associated laws. The Austrian ''Landwehr'' and the Hungarian '' Honvéd'' were not subordinate to the Minister of War, but to the Imperial and Royal Minister for Defence (''Landwehrminister'') and his Royal Hungarian counterpart, unofficially called the ''Honvéd Minister''.


Funding

In all matters of joint concern, including the Common Army, there was a fixed cost-sharing between the two parts of the Empire. From 1867 onwards, Hungary bore 30% of the total cost. This figure was increased in the Compromise negotiations in 1888 to 31.4% and in 1907 to 36.4%. The total cost of the Army, ''Landwehr'' and Navy in 1912 was around 670 million
krones Krones AG is a German packaging and bottling machine manufacturer. It produces lines for filling beverages in plastic and glass bottles or beverage cans. The company manufactures stretch blow-moulding machines for producing polyethylene terep ...
. That was less than 3.5% of the entire national income, in 1906 it was only 2.5%. In
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
the cost in 1912 was about 5% of the net national product. Austria-Hungary remained the great power with the lowest expenditure on its armed forces.


Neglect and factional interests

In the long period of peace during the final decades of the 19th century, the army and navy were increasingly neglected. Military expenditure was not popular in either the Austrian ''Reichsrat'' or Hungarian ''Parlament'', at least for their common forces. The much-needed modernization of the army was delayed again and again. This was to cause problems with
mobilization Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories an ...
in 1914. (The Mountain Troops of the Imperial-Royal Landwehr were, however, an exception and very well equipped.) Hungarian politicians repeatedly demanded a separate Hungarian army. The monarch agreed a compromise in the 1867 accord: the two halves of the empire should be allowed their own territorial forces in addition to the common army. Hungary immediately began to establish the Royal Hungarian Landwehr, usually called the ''Honvéd'', even in German. But Emperor and King Franz Joseph I mainly focused on the unity of the Army and Navy enshrined in the Compromise, and reinforced this in 1903 after further attempts by Hungary in his army order of Chlopy (a training area in
Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...
): ::True to their oath, all My armed forces are progressing down the path of serious fulfillment of their duty, imbued with that spirit of unity and harmony, which each national character respects and before which all opposition melts, by exploiting the individual attributes of each people for the sake of the greater whole . .. Jointly and united, as it is, must My army remain.


Franz Ferdinand's reforms

In 1898, when Archduke and heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, was entrusted by the Emperor with an analysis of the armed forces of the monarchy, the overdue need to rejuvenate its rather elderly General Staff quickly became apparent to him. The 76-year-old Emperor agreed in 1906 to Franz Ferdinand's proposal to replace the chief of staff, Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky, also 76 years old, by 54-year-old Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, and the heir immediately tasked Conrad with modernizing structures and processes. The 65-year-old minister of war, Heinrich von Pitreich, was also replaced in 1906 at Franz Ferdinand's request. The investment proposals of the heir were implemented for political reasons but only to a small extent; in World War I, the Austro-Hungarian army was far less well-equipped than the armed forces of the confederated
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
.


Wartime

From 1867 to 1914, Austria-Hungary's land forces only had to deal with one emergency: the occupation campaign in
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
after the
Congress of Berlin The Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878) was a diplomatic conference to reorganise the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which had been won by Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Represented at th ...
approved its
military occupation Military occupation, also known as belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is the effective military control by a ruling power over a territory that is outside of that power's sovereign territory.Eyāl Benveniśtî. The international law ...
in 1878. The deployment was needed in order to overcome armed resistance. In 1908, part of the common army mobilized to quell an uprising in Bosnia-Herzegovina. After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, in the summer of 1914 the 84-year-old Emperor appointed Archduke Friedrich as the Army's Commander-in-Chief, as he himself had no longer wanted to hold this role in wartime since 1859. By agreement, Friedrich left all operational decisions to his Chief of the General Staff, Conrad. After his accession in November 1916,
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
took over personal command of the armed forces again.


Organisation

Besides the Common Army there were also the: * Imperial and Royal Navy * Royal Hungarian Landwehr (''Magyar Király Honvédség'') or ''Honvéd'' *
Imperial-Royal Landwehr The Imperial-Royal Landwehr (german: kaiserlich-königliche Landwehr or ''k.k. Landwehr''), also called the Austrian Landwehr, was the territorial army of the Cisleithanian or Austrian half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1869 to 1918. Its cou ...
(in
Cisleithania Cisleithania, also ''Zisleithanien'' sl, Cislajtanija hu, Ciszlajtánia cs, Předlitavsko sk, Predlitavsko pl, Przedlitawia sh-Cyrl-Latn, Цислајтанија, Cislajtanija ro, Cisleithania uk, Цислейтанія, Tsysleitaniia it, Cislei ...
) The Common Army and the Navy were run by the Imperial Minister of War (''Reichskriegsminister''), later, from 20 September 1911, the Imperial and Royal Minister of War, in Vienna, who was immediately subordinated to the Emperor and King. The two Landwehrs were run by the State Defence Minister of the Imperial-Royal Government in Vienna and his counterpart in the Royal Hungarian government in
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...
. In 1915 all the supplementary and honorific names in regimental titles were officially dropped and they were henceforth only to be referred to by their numbers. In practice this did not happen; firstly, because no-one bothered to do so and, secondly, because the very frugal Imperial and Royal military administration had ordered that all existing stamps and headed letters had to be exhausted first.


Recruiting and garrisoning

Unlike the k.k. Landwehr and k.u. Landwehr, the Common Army and the Navy (the majority of the Navy's crews admittedly came from the region around
Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into pr ...
and the rest of the littoral - and most of the Navy spoke Italian) recruited their soldiers from across the double monarchy, i.e. from both the
Cisleithania Cisleithania, also ''Zisleithanien'' sl, Cislajtanija hu, Ciszlajtánia cs, Předlitavsko sk, Predlitavsko pl, Przedlitawia sh-Cyrl-Latn, Цислајтанија, Cislajtanija ro, Cisleithania uk, Цислейтанія, Tsysleitaniia it, Cislei ...
n and the Transleithanian halves of the Empire. All military elements that did not come from the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...
(including Upper Hungary,
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
and
Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of ...
) or from
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...
and
Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Bar ...
(that were part of the Lands of the Hungarian Crown) were designated as "German regiments", regardless of whether they were made up of Poles, Croats or Italian-speaking Tyrolese. All the rest were designated as "Hungarian regiments". German and Hungarian regiments differed from one another in their dress, but their designation as "German" or "Hungarian" was no indication of the languages used within those units (see section on languages). * 57 infantry regiments were called "German" regiments * 45 infantry regiments were called "Hungarian" regiments. * 4 infantry regiments (of Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry) had a special status both in terms of uniform and language. * The rifle (''Jäger'') battalions belonging to infantry regiments were organized according to the same system * Artillery, sappers, logistic train and cavalry were also mostly organized along national lines, but lacked any descriptive additions to their unit names. But it was known that all hussars came from the lands of the Hungarian crown (with Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian and German as their native language), the Uhlans from Galicia (speaking Polish and Ukrainian) and the dragoons from the German-Austrian crown lands, Bohemia and Moravia (speaking Czech and German). The "armed power" (Army, Navy, Landwehr, Honvéd) was under the command of the Emperor and King in his capacity as "the supreme warlord" (''allerhöchster Kriegsherr''). This title was primarily of formal significance because, after the hapless campaign led by Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1859 in Italy, the monarch had retired from active military command and the actual command from then on in peacetime, was exercised by the War Ministry in Vienna and, in the First World War, by Commander-in-Chief Archduke Friedrich - only appointed for the war - and his Chief of General Staff, Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf. On 2 December 1916 Emperor Charles I again took personal command. Franz Joseph I had never made special visits to the troops, but had made contact with local regiments on his journeys around the Monarchy and had participated in the annual "imperial exercises" (''Kaisermanövern'') until he was very old. In addition, he always turned out in his field marshal's uniform, when not abroad, in order to testify to the link with his soldiers. The 30-year-old Emperor Charles I, who succeeded to the throne in the middle of the war, took the term
commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...
very seriously and tirelessly visited the front and his troops. A feature of the Common Army was the frequent changes of troop locations during the early first decades. The
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...
s of individual
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
s were moved at very short intervals to other locations (in 1910 only three infantry regiments of the Common Army were based entirely in one
garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mili ...
: the 14th Infantry at
Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...
, the 30th Infantry at
Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
and the 41st Infantry at
Chernivtsi Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the u ...
). As a result, the traditional relationship between a regiment and a specific place and local population could not be formed (as was promoted, for example, everywhere in the various armies of the German Empire). Troops were often stationed at the other end of the Empire, so that, in the event of civil disturbance, they would not fraternize with the local population. But their widespread distribution was also the result of a lack of
barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...
. This went so far that even individual companies had to be separated from their battalions and housed independently. After greater efforts had been made, in the years before the First World War, to build new barracks and renovate existing ones, this practice reduced markedly.


Armament

After their defeat at Königgrätz in 1866, Emperor
Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until ...
and his army commanders were keen to learn lessons from the defeat, both in terms of armament, equipment and uniform, as well as army organization and military application. Very quickly,
breech-loading A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition ( cartridge or shell) via the rear (breech) end of its barrel, as opposed to a muzzleloader, which loads ammunition via the front ( muzzle). Modern firearms are generally breec ...
guns were introduced, something that had hitherto been long-delayed, the use of which by the Prussians was seen as crucial to their success. Thus, the earlier Lorenz muzzle-loading system was converted to breech-loaders based on a proposal by Vienna master gunsmith, Karl Wänzel. The infantry small arms, Extra-Korps weapons and ''Jägerstutzen'' converted in this manner to single-shot breech-loaders were standardized under the designation "Model 1854/67" or "Model 1862/67" and distributed to the respective branches of service. However, the Wänzel system was not intended to be anything more than a temporary stopgap. Subsequently, the ''tabernacle lock'', developed by Joseph Werndl, provided an entirely new solution in the shape of a fundamentally groundbreaking
breechblock A breechblock (or breech block) is the part of the firearm action that closes the breech of a breech loading weapon (whether small arms or artillery) before or at the moment of firing. It seals the breech and contains the pressure generated by t ...
system. This rotary block with loading groove for breech loading rifles subsequently made the Austrian Arms Factory (''Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft'') in
Steyr Steyr (; Central Bavarian: ''Steia'') is a statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3r ...
into the biggest arms producer in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
in its day. These small arms, standardized on the Werndl system, were introduced with the designations M1867, M1873, M1867/77 and M1873/77 and formed the standard weapon of the Imperial and Royal infantry and cavalry. for more than twenty years. The next big leap in the development of the small arm was the transition from the single-shot breechloader to the
repeater In telecommunications, a repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it. Repeaters are used to extend transmissions so that the signal can cover longer distances or be received on the other side of an obstruction. Som ...
. The system developed by Ferdinand Mannlicher had a straight-pull bolt action and
magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
of 5 cartridges in the centre of the
stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a compan ...
. This weapon system, first standardized in the k.u.k. Army in 1886, was, at that time, one of the most advanced weapons in the world and, in its improved version, the M1895 was the standard rifle of Austro-Hungarian soldiers to the end of the First World War. Three million of these rifles were produced in Austria by
Steyr Mannlicher Steyr Arms () is a firearms manufacturer based in Sankt Peter in der Au, Austria. Originally part of Steyr-Daimler-Puch, it became independent when the conglomerate was broken up in 1989. Prior to 1 January 2019, the company was named Steyr M ...
and also in Hungary. In addition to firearms, a number of edged weapons were standardized in the period from 1861 to the end of the Habsburg monarchy. These were the M1861, M1869 and M1904 cavalry officer's and trooper's
sabre A sabre (French: sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as t ...
s; the M1877 light cavalry sabre; the M1862 infantry officer's and soldier's sabre and the sabre for officers and men of the Imperial Landwehr Mountain Troops, this sabre also being used between the world wars by the Vienna Police. Furthermore, a standard M1853 engineers' sabre was produced which, with its wide, heavy blade functioned more as a cutting tool than a weapon. All of these edged weapons are displayed in Vienna's
Museum of Military History The Museum of Military History – Military History Institute (german: Heeresgeschichtliches Museum – Militärhistorisches Institut) in Vienna is the leading museum of the Austrian Armed Forces. It documents the history of Austrian ...
. The development of
handgun A handgun is a short-barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also braced ag ...
s went through two different stages. In 1870, the
revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that has at least one gun barrel, barrel and uses a revolving cylinder (firearms), cylinder containing multiple chamber (firearms), chambers (each holding a single ...
was introduced in 1870, in place of the previous single-shot, muzzle-loading
pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...
. These were the two high caliber guns developed by Leopold Gasser: the 11mm M1870 Army revolver and, four years later, the improved model M1870/74. In addition, there was also the 9mm infantry officer revolver, the Gasser-Kopratschek M1872, and the 8mm
Rast & Gasser M1898 The Rast & Gasser Model 1898 was a service revolver used by the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I and various armies in World War II. History 180,000 copies were produced by the firm Leopold Gasser Waffenfabrik in Vienna from 1898 to ...
. Subsequently, the multi-shot repeater pistol was introduced, namely the 9mm
Roth–Steyr M1907 The Roth–Steyr M1907, or, more accurately Roth-Krnka M.7 Leszek Erenfeicht: ''Pra-pra-Glock: Repetierpistole M.7'', in: ''Strzał'' Nr. 1(80)/2010, , pp. 36–50. was a semi-automatic pistol issued to the Austro-Hungarian ''kaiserliche und kön ...
and
Steyr M1912 The Steyr M1912, also known as the Steyr-Hahn, is a semi-automatic pistol developed in 1911 by the Austrian firm Steyr Mannlicher, based on the mechanism of the Roth–Steyr M1907. It was developed for the Austro-Hungarian Army and adopted in ...
. Both guns have a rigidly locked recoil for chargers with a magazine for 10 and 8 rounds, respectively, in the grip. From the end of the 19th century several countries worked on the development of the
machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles ...
. In Austria-Hungary in 1890 Archduke Karl Salvator and
Major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...
Georg Ritter von Dormus developed the so-called mitrailleuse. These early models are displayed in the
Museum of Military History The Museum of Military History – Military History Institute (german: Heeresgeschichtliches Museum – Militärhistorisches Institut) in Vienna is the leading museum of the Austrian Armed Forces. It documents the history of Austrian ...
in Vienna. However, these technically highly ambitious developments proved to be unsuitable for use in the field, so eventually the
Schwarzlose machine gun The Maschinengewehr (Schwarzlose) M. 7, also known as the Schwarzlose MG, is a medium machine-gun, used as a standard issue firearm in the Austro-Hungarian Army throughout World War I. It was utilized by the Dutch, Greek and Hungarian armies dur ...
, developed by Andreas Schwarzlose, was introduced in 1907 as the Model M1907 and M1907/12. Both the repeating pistols described above, as well as the Schwarzlose machine gun, were used by the
Austrian Army The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of nat ...
until 1938 after the k.u.k. Army was disbanded in 1918.


Regimental colours

There were only two types of regimental colour in the Austro-Hungarian land forces of the Common Army. * Regiments and battalions carried a white, rectangular standard on the obverse of which was the Imperial Eagle with the coat of arms of all kingdoms and lands in the Empire. On the reverse was a portrait of the Immaculate Mother of God within a corona and with twelve golden stars around her head. *Infantry regiments (2nd, 4th, 39th, 41st and 57th) carried a rectangular imperial yellow standard with the imperial coat of arms both on the obverse and reverse sides. Both types of standard were bordered on three sides by a yellow, black, red and white toothed pattern. The standards were made of silk and measured 132 x 176 cm. They were assembled from two pieces, i.e. the reverse of the yellow standard was not a mirror image of the obverse side. K.u.k. Regfahne w v.PNG, Standard of the Common Army in white (obverse) K.u.k. Regfahne w r.png, Standard of the Common Army in white (reverse) K.u.k. Regimentsfahne gelb.png, Standard of the Common Army in yellow (both sides identical)


Conscription

From 1866 there was general
conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to Ancient history, antiquity and it continues in some countries to th ...
. It was defined from 1868 by agreed, identical laws in both the Austrian and Hungarian halves of the Empire. They covered service in the army, the
navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
, the '' Landwehr'' and the ''
Landsturm In German-speaking countries, the term ''Landsturm'' was historically used to refer to militia or military units composed of troops of inferior quality. It is particularly associated with Prussia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Sweden and the Nethe ...
''. The length of service in the standing armies was 12 years: ::::3 years in the
line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Art ...
(active duty) ::::7 years in the reserve ::::2 years in the non-active part of the ''Landwehr'' One-year voluntary service was permitted both in the army (or the navy) as well as the ''Landwehr''. The one-year volunteers received no wages and equipment (including a horse if needed) had to be procured. Compulsory service began at age 21. All persons aged 19 to 42 were liable for ''Landsturm'' service, unless they belonged to the army, the ''Landwehr'' and the replacement reserve.


Peacetime order of battle in July 1914

In July 1914, the Common Army's order of battle was as follows: * 16 corps * 49 infantry divisions - 76 infantry brigades - 14 mountain brigades * 8 cavalry divisions - 16 cavalry brigades Infantry: * 102 infantry regiments (each of four battalions) * 4 Bosnian-Herzegovinian (''Bosnisch-Hercegowinische'') infantry regiments (each of four battalions) * 4 Imperial Tyrolian rifle regiments (''Tiroler Kaiserjäger'') (each of four battalions) * 32 rifle battalions (''Feldjäger'') - 1 Bosnian-Herzegovinian rifle battalion (''Bosnisch-Hercegowinisches Feldjäger Bataillon'') Cavalry: * 15 regiments of
dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...
(''Dragoner'') * 16 regiments of hussars (''Husaren'') * 11 regiments of
lancers A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the ...
(''Ulanen'') The only difference between heavy (uhlan) and light (dragoon, hussar) cavalry was in the uniforms and unit titles; which were chosen for genuine historic reasons. Artillery: * 42 field
artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...
regiments (''Feldkanonen-Regimenter'') * 14 field
howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...
regiments (''Feldhaubitz-Regimenter'') * 11
horse artillery Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving, and fast-firing artillery which provided highly mobile fire support, especially to cavalry units. Horse artillery units existed in armies in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, from the early 17th to ...
battalions (''Reitende Artillerie- Divisionen'') * 14 heavy howitzer battalions (''Schwere Haubitz-Divisionen'') * 11
mountain artillery Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for use in mountain warfare and areas where usual wheeled transport is not possible. They are generally capable of being taken apart to make smaller loads for transport by horses, humans, mules, tractor ...
regiments (''Gebirgsartillerie Regimenter'') * 6
fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
artillery regiments (''Festungsartillerie Regimenter'') * 8 (later 10) independent fortress artillery battalions (''selbst. Festungsartillerie Bataillone'') Logistic troops: * 16 logistic "divisions" Technical troops: * 14
sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparin ...
battalions (''Sappeur-Bataillone'') * 9
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...
battalions (''Pionier-Bataillone'') * 1 bridge battalion (''Brücken-Bataillon'') * 1
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...
regiment (''Eisenbahn-Regiment'') * 1
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
regiment (''Telegraphen-Regiment'') So-called march battalions (''Marschbataillone'') were used to raise personnel strength for mobilization as well in the replacement of battle casualties. There was no system of reserve regiments as in the German Army.


Languages

In the multinational state of the Imperial and Royal monarchy, German was the official, common, language of command and control. The roughly 100 relevant commands in German that were necessary for the effective discharge of their duties had to be learnt by every
soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' deri ...
. Only a small proportion of army units spoke German exclusively; and in the navy, Italian was spoken by the majority of sailors. A "service language" was used for communications between military units. This was German in the Common Army and k.k. Landwehr, and Hungarian in the Honvéd. The "regimental language" was used for communication with a regiment. It was the language that the majority of the men spoke. If, as in the case of the 100th Infantry in Krakau, the unit was made up of 27% Germans, 33% Czechs and 37% Poles, there were three regimental languages. Every
officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
had to learn the regimental language within three years. In all, there were 11 officially recognized languages in the k.u.k. monarchy. Schiessschule 1.JPG, Shooting range Handgranatenwerfer an der isonzofront 10. september 1917.jpg, Austro-Hungarian infantry Stosstruppen Isonzofront.jpg, Austro-Hungarian assault troops (Italian front, September 1917) Attacco austro-ungarico 1917.jpg, Attack at the Isonzo front K.u.k. Hochgebirgskompanie etwa 1917 in Alt-Prags (Bagni di Braies Vecchia).jpg, Austrian-Hungarian
Gebirgsjäger ''Gebirgsjäger'' () are the light infantry part of the alpine or mountain troops (''Gebirgstruppe'') of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The word '' Jäger'' (meaning "hunter" or "huntsman") is a characteristic term used for light infantr ...
in 1917 MG-Nest.jpg, Austro-Hungarian machine-gun somewhere in the Tyrolean high mountains area 1917 ortler vorgipfelstellung 3850 m highest trench in history of first world war.jpg, Highest trench in history of first world war (3850m) at the peak of
Ortler Ortler (; it, Ortles ) is, at above sea level, the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps outside the Bernina Range. It is the main peak of the Ortler Range. It is the highest point of the Southern Limestone Alps, of South Tyrol in Italy, of ...
Polní telegrafní oddíl.gif, Field telegraph section Austria-Hungarian army in the construction of wire connections Austro- hungarian 305 mm Howitzer.jpg, 305 mm Howitzer Skoda 305 mm Model 1911 LOC War of the Nations.jpg, Škoda 305 mm Model 1911 of the Austro-Hungarian army being positioned in the Carpathians during the fighting of 1914/1915 01915 Dekorierung bei Zabia Wola Żabia Wola (powiat grodziski).jpg, Soldiers getting decorated at the Eastern front Austrian troops marching to their quarters at St. Paulus, 1916.JPG, Austrian troops marching to their quarters at St. Paulus,
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
01915 Öst.ung. Panzerzug Nr. 8. (Austro-Hungarian armored train).jpg, Austro-Hungarian armored train Nr. 8 Budweis Kasernen.jpg, Barracks in Budweis


References


Literature

* Tamara Scheer, Language Diversity in the Habsburg Army, 1868-1918, unpublished Habilitation Thesis, University of Vienna, Vienna 2020. http://othes.univie.ac.at/65387/ *Peter Melichar, Alexander Mejstrik: Die bewaffnete Macht. In: Helmut Rumpler, Peter Urbanitsch (ed.): Die Habsburgermonarchie 1948-1918. Vol. IX: Soziale Strukturen, Part 1, Section 2, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna, 2010, 1263-1326 * Christa Hämmerle, Die k. (u.) k. Armee als 'Schule des Volkes'? Zur Geschichte der Allgemeinen Wehrpflicht in der multinationalen Habsburgermonarchie (1866-1914/18), in: Christian Jansen (ed.), Der Bürger als Soldat. Die Militarisierung europäischer Gesellschaften im langen 19. Jahrhundert: ein internationaler Vergleich, Essen, 2004, 175-213. * Laurence Cole, Christa Hämmerle, Martin Scheutz (ed.), Glanz - Gewalt - Gehorsam. Militär und Gesellschaft in der Habsburgermonarchie (1800 bis 1918), Essen, 2011. * Manfried Rauchensteiner: ''Der Tod des Doppeladlers: Österreich-Ungarn und der Erste Weltkrieg'', 2nd ed., Verlag Styria, Graz, 1994 * Manfried Rauchensteiner: ''Österreich-Ungarn und der Erste Weltkrieg: Bildband'', Steirische Verlagsgesellschaft, Graz, 1998 * Heinz von Lichem: ''Der Tiroler Hochgebirgskrieg 1915–1918''. Steiger Verlag, Berwang (Tyrol), 1985, * Johann Christoph Allmayer-Beck: ''Die bewaffnete Macht in Staat und Gesellschaft''. In: Adam Wandruszka, Peter Urbanitsch (ed.), ''Die bewaffnete Macht'' (Die Habsburgermonarchie (1848–1918) 5, Vienna, 1987) 1–141 * Johann Christoph Allmayer-Beck, Erich Lessing: ''Die K.u.k. Armee. 1848–1918''. Verlag Bertelsmann, Munich, 1974, * Johann Christoph Allmayer-Beck: ''Das Heeresgeschichtliche Museum Wien. Saal VI - Die k.(u.)k. Armee von 1867-1914'', Vienna, 1989 * k.u.k. Kriegsministerium "Dislokation und Einteilung des k.u.k Heeres, der k.u.k. Kriegsmarine, der k.k. Landwehr und der k.u. Landwehr" in: Seidel's kleines Armeeschema - published by Seidel& Sohn, Vienna, 1914 * k.u.k. Kriegsministerium "Adjustierungsvorschrift für das k.u.k. Heer, die k.k. Landwehr, die k.u. Landwehr, die verbundenen Einrichtungen und das Korps der Militärbeamten", Vienna, 1911/1912 * Glenn Jewison, Jörg C. Steiner
''The Austro-Hungarian Land Forces 1848–1918''
* Heinz von Lichem: ''Spielhahnstoß und Edelweiß – die Friedens- und Kriegsgeschichte der Tiroler Hochgebirgstruppe „Die Kaiserschützen“ von ihren Anfängen bis 1918'', Stocker Verlag, Graz, 1977, * Graf Bossi Fedregotti: ''Kaiserjäger'', Stocker Verlag, Graz, 1977 * Julius Lohmeyer: ''Das Militär Bilderbuch – Die Armeen Europas'', Carl Flemming Verlag, Glogau o.J. * Hubert Frankhauser, Wilfried Gallin: ''Unbesiegt und doch geschlagen'', Verlagsbuchhandlung Stöhr, Vienna, 2005 * Stefan Rest, M. Christian Ortner, Thomas Ilming: ''Des Kaisers Rock im Ersten Weltkrieg – Uniformierung und Ausrüstung der österreichisch-ungarischen Armee von 1914 bis 1918'', Verlag Militaria, Vienna, 2002, * Oskar Brüch], Günter Dirrheimer: ''Schriften des Heeresgeschichtlichen Museums in Wien'', Vol. 10: ''Das k.u.k. Heer 1895'', Militärwissenschaftliches Institut, Stocker Verlag, Graz, 1997, * Adam Wandruszka (ed.): ''Die Habsburgermonarchie 1848-1918 / Die bewaffnete Macht.'' Band V, Vienna, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1987, . * Peter Urbanitsch/Helmut Rumpler (ed.): ''Die Habsburgermonarchie 1848-1918 / Verfassung und Parlamentarismus: Verfassungsrecht, Verfassungswirklichkeit, zentrale Repräsentativkörperschaften.'' Vol. VII, Vienna, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2000, . * Obstlt. Alphons Frhr. v. Wrede, "Geschichte der K.u.K. Wehrmacht von 1618 bis Ende des XIX Jh.", Vienna, 1898-1905.


External links


Austrian Military History

Austria-Hungary's Armed Power, 1900–1914

Austro-Hungarian Army


* ttp://www.oldphoto.info Oldphoto.info - Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Army {{Military of Austria-Hungary ! Military history of Austria-Hungary