The Imperial-Royal Mountain Troops (german: Kaiserlich-königliche Gebirgstruppe) were founded in 1906 as part of the Austrian Landwehr, the territorial army of 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 half of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. As a result, the abbreviation "k.k." (for ''kaiserlich österreichisch, königlich böhmisch'' or "Imperial Austrian, Royal Bohemian") was used and not "k.u.k." ("Imperial and Royal") which would have implied a connexion with the Hungarian half of the Empire. Proposed in a memorandum by Conrad von Hötzendorf, in February 1906 the War Ministry in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

convened a session on Alpine border security.

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Tunk, agreed with him and put forward a concept, the fundamentals of which were then carried out. The existing state rifle regiments were to be trained as mountain troops and, together with 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 ...

'' border patrol companies and

gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

departments were to form the backbone of a territorial defence force with local knowledge on the border of

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

Formation and deployment on 1 Aug 1914

On 1 May 1906 the two state rifle regiments with their HQs stationed in

Bozen Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

and Trient (now

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third ...

and

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...

, both in Italy) and the 4th Landwehr Infantry (Klagenfurt) were nominated as "high mountain troops" (''Hochgebirgstruppe'') and, in 1909, a third state rifle regiment, with its HQ stationed in Candido, was added. In 1911, the fifth regiment followed: the 27th Imperial-Royal Landwehr Infantry (Laibach). The area of the Carnic ridge in

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carin ...

and the

Julian Alps The Julian Alps ( sl, Julijske Alpe, it, Alpi Giulie, , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large p ...

was assigned to the 4th Landwehr Infantry (

Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...

) and the 27th Landwehr Infantry (

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

). These two, hitherto standard infantry regiments were given the new uniform of the mountain troops. From 11 April 1917 they bore the names 1st and 2nd Mountain Rifles. 1st Imperial-Royal State Rifles (Trient) (''k.k. Landesschützenregiment "Trient" Nr. I'') * Commanding Officer: Colonel Adolf Sloninka von Holodów * HQ / I

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 ...

in Trient * II Battalion in

Strigno Strigno (german: Striegen) is a '' frazione'' of the '' comune'' (municipality) of Castel Ivano, Trentino, in the northern Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, ...

* III Battalion in Ala * IV Battalion in

Rovereto Rovereto (; "wood of sessile oaks"; locally: ''Roveredo'') is a city and ''comune'' in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River. History Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the frontier b ...

2nd Imperial-Royal State Rifles (Bozen) (''k.k. Landesschützenregiment "Bozen" Nr. II'') * Commanding Officer: Colonel Karl Josef Stiller * HQ / II Battalion in

* I Battalion in Meran * III Battalion in Riva del Garda 3rd Imperial-Royal State Rifles (Innichen) (''k.k. Landesschützenregiment "Innichen" Nr. III'')Initially, only the 3rd Rifles had 4 battalions. This was transferred to the 1st Regiment before 1914 and moved from Innichen to Rovereto. * Commanding Officer: Colonel Hugo Schönherr / Colonel Josef Hadaszczok * HQ in

Innichen Innichen (; it, San Candido , lld, Sanciana) is a municipality in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is located in the Puster Valley on the Drava River, about northeast of Bolzano, on Italy's border with Austria. It hosts Italy’s Internationa ...

* I Battalion in Primör * II Battalion in

Predazzo Predazzo (, literally big meadow) is a village and '' comune'' in the province of Trento, northern Italy. Predazzo is located about 58 kilometres northeast of Trento in Val di Fiemme. It is one of the main centers of Val di Fiemme (the other ...

* III Battalion in Ampezzo Mounted Tyrolean State Rifle Division * Commanding Officer: Lieut. Colonel Moritz Srnka * Trient *4th Landwehr Infantry (Klagenfurt) (''Landwehr Infanterie Regiment "Klagenfurt" Nr. 4'') : 44th Infantry Brigade - 22nd Infantry Division - III Army Corps : Commanding Officer: Colonel Friedrich Eckhardt von Eckhardtsburg : Established: 1889 : HQ / III Baon in

: I / II Baon in Hermagor : Nationalities: 79% German - 21% Other : Recruiting district: Klagenfurt *27th Landwehr Infantry (Laibach) (''Landwehr Infanterie Regiment "Laibach" Nr. 27'') :44th Infantry Brigade - 22nd Infantry Division - III Army Corps : Commanding Officer: Colonel Karl Zahradniczek : Established: 1901 : HQ / I and III Baon in Laibach : II Baon in

Görz Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label=Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Goritz ...

: Nationalities: 86% Slovene - 14% Other : Recruiting district: Laibach The regiments began with high alpine training and moved into so-called summer stations in mountain inns, Alpine Club huts and tented camps, where they carried out intense training. The winter stations were naturally located in the valleys, but this did prevent there being a comprehensive programme of winter exercises, alpine skiing course and skiing training in the mountains.

Dress and equipment

In 1907, the gamecock spray of white and black feathers that had been worn on the cap until 1887 by the state rifles was re-introduced. Together with the

edelweiss EDELWEISS (Expérience pour DEtecter Les WIMPs En Site Souterrain) is a dark matter search experiment located at the Modane Underground Laboratory in France. The experiment uses cryogenic detectors, measuring both the phonon and ionization signal ...

on the collar, it formed the badge of the Imperial-Royal Mountain Troops. Otherwise the

uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, ...

was the same as that of the ''Jäger'' infantry. What was new was the pike gray mountain dress: mountain boots, mountain socks, britches, heavy jacket, cap, coat, cape. Officers continued to wear their previous Landwehr uniform as individual (i.e. not in squads) on parade. GebSchtzMützenabz

s and companies were given

pack animal A pack animal, also known as a sumpter animal or beast of burden, is an individual or type of working animal used by humans as means of transporting materials by attaching them so their weight bears on the animal's back, in contrast to draft ani ...

s. The rifle was replaced by the (shorter) 8mm Mannlicher M 95

carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and lighte ...

. They were issued with additional equipment adapted to the requirements of mountain warfare; including skis, ropes, crampons and

ice axe An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow, ice, or frozen conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its simplest role it is used like a walking ...

s. Regiments were reinforced by a mountain machine gun section of four

machine guns 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) ...

which, to improve mobility, could be carried by pack animals or in manportable packs at the highest altitudes. The same applied to the take-apart

mountain gun 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 ...

s. Portable field stoves (''Schwarmöfen'') and heated tents assisted troops to operate in inhospitable conditions. When skiing the two-stick approach had replaced the single-stick method. The Bilgeri binding was a touring binding that could be used with the normal hiking boot. *Extract from the pamphlet "Mountain Warfare in Winter" (''Gebirgskrieg im Winter'') : Produced by the k.u.k. State Defence Command in Tyrol o.J. ::Alpine equipment as follows: :::A. General mountain equipment which is allocated to every soldier in combat units; it comprises: ::::1 rucksack with 2 breast pockets ::::1 climbing stick ::::1 pair of snow shoes (''Schneereifen'') ::::1 pair of snow glasses ::::1 pair of four-toothed crampons :::B. Equipment of the high Alpine sections: the above equipment and, in addition: ::::1 pair of ten-toothed crampons with straps ::::1 complete set of skis (''Skizeug'') ::::1 pair of avalanche cords (''Lawinenschnüre'') ::::1 pair of shoe covers (''Schuhüberzüge'') ::::1 pair of mitten covers ::::1 windbreaker ::::1 pair of windproof trousers ::::1 snow suit (in emergencies also a parka) :::for every four men: ::::1 ice pick with pick sling ::::1 tin of glacier ointment ::::1

spirit stove A portable stove is a cooking stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight, used in camping, picnicking, backpacking, or other use in remote locations where an easily transportable means of cooking or heating is needed. Portable stoves ...

and container :::A complete set of skis comprises: ::::1 pair of skis and bindings ::::1 pair of double sticks ::::1 pair of carrying straps-''Fellersatz'' ::::1 pair of ''Harschteisen'' ::::Ski wax :::A pair of skis and bindings consists of: ::::1 pair of ski planks ::::1 pair of bindings with spanners and affixing screws ::::1 pair of sole plates ::::1 set of ski straps

Badges of rank

File:Jäger der k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-18.png, Jaeger (''Jäger'') File:Patrouilleführer der k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-18.png, Lance Corporal (''Patrouillenführer'') File:Unterjäger der k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-18.png, Corporal (''Unterjäger'') File:Zugsführer k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-18.png, Master Corporal or Lance Sergeant (''Zugsführer'') File:Oberjäger k.k. Gebrigstruppe 1907-18.png, Sergeant (''Oberjäger'') File:Kadett k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1908-14.png, Cadet Sergeant (''Kadett-Feldwebel'')
Cadet (''Kadett'') from 1908 File:Stabsoberjäger k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-14.png, Staff Sergeant (''Stabsoberjäger'') until 1914 File:Stabsoberjäger k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1914-18.png, Staff Sergeant (''Stabsoberjäger'') after 1914 Kadett-Offiziersstellvertreter k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-08.png, Cadet Warrant Officer (''Kadettoffiziersstellvertreter'') to 1908 File:Fähnrich der k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1908-18.png, Ensign or Officer Cadet (''Fähnrich'') from 1908 File:Offiziersstellvertreter k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1915-18.png, Warrant Officer ('' Offiziersstellvertreter'') from 1915 File:Leutnant k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-18.png, 2nd Lieutenant (''Leutnant'') File:Oberleutnant k.k. Gebirgstruppe1907-18.png, Lieutenant (''Oberleutnant'') File:Hauptmann k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-18.png, Captain (''Hauptmann'') File:Major k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-18.png, Major (''Major'') File:Oberstleutnant k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-1918.png , Lieutenant Colonel (''Oberstleutnant'') File:Oberst k.k. Gebirgstruppe 1907-18.png , Colonel (''Oberst'') The rank stars and the edelweiss badge of the officers were made of metal thread. The stars of the other ranks were made of celluloid, the edelweiss of metal. From 1914, cadets and ''Staffsoberjäger'' wore stars of white silk.

References

Sources

* Austrian State Archives/War Archives (''Österreichisches Staatsarchiv/Kriegsarchiv''), Vienna. * Heinz von Lichem: ''Spielhahnstoß and Edelweiß'', Leopold Stocker Verlag, Graz, 1977. * Heinz von Lichem: ''Der Tiroler Hochgebirgskrieg 1915 - 1918''. Steiger Verlag, Berwang (Tirol), 1985. * Graf Bossi Fedregotti: ''Kaiserjäger''. Stocker Verlag, Graz 1977. * Carl von Bardolff: ''Soldat im alten Österreich''. Diederichs Verlag, Jena 1938. * Rest- Ortner-Ilming: ''Des Kaisers Rock im 1st Weltkrieg''. Verlag Militaria, Vienna, 2002. * Michael Wachtler and Günther Obwegs: ''Krieg in den Bergen - Dolomiten''. Athesia Bozen, 2003. * von Lempruch: ''Ortlerkämpfe 1915 - 1918''. Buchdienst Südtirol, 2005. * Herman Hinterstoisser, M.Christian Ortner, Erwin A. Schmidl ''Die k.k. Landwehr-Gebirgstruppen''. Vienna, 2006, .

Literature

* Hubert Fankhauser: ''Freiwillige an Kärntens Grenzen. Die Regimentsgeschichte der K. K. Kärntner freiwilligen Schützen 1915 bis 1918th'' Vehling Verlag. {{Military of Austria-Hungary

Mountain troops Mountain warfare (also known as alpine warfare) is warfare in mountains or similarly rough terrain. Mountain ranges are of strategic importance since they often act as a natural border, and may also be the origin of a water source (for example, t ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...