4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade (Federal Army)

4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade
Lineup	1956
Country	Austria
Armed forces	Federal Army
Armed forces	Land Forces
Branch of service	Mechanized
Type	Panzergrenadiers
Subordinate troops	Reconnaissance and Artillery Battalion 4; Tank battalion 14; Panzer Grenadier Battalion 13; 35th Panzer Grenadier Battalion; Armored Staff Battalion 4;
Insinuation	Federal Ministry for National Defense and Sport
Brigade headquarters	Vogler Air Base , Hörsching
Nickname	The fourth, the heaviness;
motto	Act with foresight
Colours	black
equipment	Main battle tank Leopard 2A4, armored personnel carrier ULAN, self-propelled howitzer M109A,
commander
Brigade commander	Brigadier Mag. Siegward Schier
Deputy Brigade Commander	Colonel Martin Bogenreiter
Chief of Staff	Major of the General Staff Service Paul Schönbacher
insignia
Identification symbol	comet

The 4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade ( 4th PzGrenBrig ) is the mechanized brigade of the Austrian Armed Forces and has several battalions of various branches of arms . Your command is stationed at the Hörsching barracks, at Vogler Air Base. The brigade is the Leopard 2 - battle tanks and Ulan armored personnel carriers equipped.

The 4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade has been the Heavy Brigade of the Federal Army since the Federal Army Reform in 2016 , in which all mechanized forces are combined. The association is intended for robust missions at home and abroad and is crucial for maintaining capabilities in conventional national military defense.

history

1956-1973

The command of the 4th Brigade was formed as Army Group III on August 1, 1956 in Hörsching. In 1962 it was renamed the 4th Jäger Brigade and on April 1, 1964, when it was converted and renamed the 4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade, the “Fourth” was born. The brigade consisted of Panzer Staff Battalion 4, Panzer Artillery Department 4, Panzer Battalion 14, Panzer Grenadier Battalion 13 and Panzer Grenadier Battalion 15 (Aus). In 1968 the command moved its headquarters from Hörsching to Ebelsberg. The 4th PzGrenBrig passed the first practical test, brought about by the invasion of the WAPA states into the former CSSR, and impressed with its readiness and willingness to work.

1974-1997

In 1974 the units of the 4th PzGrenBrig were declared standby units. In 1975 the brigade was placed under the newly formed command of the 1st Panzer Grenadier Division and was restructured as a result. The reorganized brigade was formed from Panzer Staff Battalion 4, Panzer Battalion 4, Panzer Grenadier Battalion 13 and Jagdpanzerbataillon 7.

1983–1984 Formation of 4 Panzer Artillery Battalion in Gratkorn and subsequent subordination to 4th PzGrenBrig. For the brigade, as one of the first units, the assistance operation began in 1990 at the state border in Burgenland. In the summer of 1991, parts of the “fourth” took part in the security operation on the Austrian-Yugoslav border in Styria and thus contributed to the general calming of the Austrian civilian population. In the course of the reclassification in 1991, the 4th PzGrenBrig was subordinated to Corps Command III.

1998-2004

When the first women were accepted into the armed forces, the brigade again lived up to its role as a pioneer in 1998.

The 4th Panzer Artillery Battalion was also dissolved in 1998, but the 10th Panzer Artillery Battalion and 9th Panzer Artillery Battalion were subordinated, making the 4th Panzer Army Brigade the most armored unit in the armed forces. During the large-scale PfP exercise Strong Resolve 02 in Poland in spring, the 4th PzGrenBrig was the first Austrian association to form the core of a multinational brigade. With the formation of the new command of the land forces in 2002 and the resulting reorganization, the brigade consists of Panzer Staff Battalion 4, Panzer Battalion 10, Panzer Battalion 14, Reconnaissance Battalion 1, Reconnaissance Battalion 2, Panzer Grenadier Battalion 13 and the 9th Panzer Artillery Battalion.

2005-2015

In the course of the subdivision on October 1, 2005, the brigade consisted of the Armored Staff Battalion 4, the Panzer Battalion 14, the Jäger Battalion 12 (Amstetten), the Jäger Battalion 15 (Kirchdorf), the Panzer Grenadier Battalion 9 (Horn), the Panzergrenadier Battalion 13 and the Panzer Artillery Battalion 3 ( Allentsteig). At the end of 2007 the Jäger Battalion 15 was shut down. From May to November 2008 the "fourth" headed the Multinational Task Force South , consisting of units from five nations in Kosovo. On October 1, 2013, after 45 years, the brigade command was relocated from Ebelsberg to Hörsching.

2016 – to date

With the reform LV21.1, the 4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade received the addition "Die Schwere". In order to underline this unique selling point, the brigade was assigned the Panzergrenadierbataillon 35 (large medium) as of October 1, 2016 and at the same time the Jägerbataillon 12 (Amstetten) was transferred to the Lower Austrian Military Command.

Recruits of the Jäger Battalion 12
Main battle tank Leopard 2A4 (Panzerbataillon 14)
Armored personnel carrier Ulan (Panzergrenadierbataillon 13)

Subordinate associations

Reconnaissance and Artillery Battalion 4 (Allentsteig, Horn)

The reconnaissance and artillery battalion 4 represents the brigade's reconnaissance component . Its soldiers are active in the front line and feel how far enemy forces have advanced. Furthermore, they provide with their M-109A5Ö-propelled howitzers for the steep fire support of the brigade. After calculating the target coordinates, the artillerymen can hit targets with pinpoint accuracy from many kilometers away or illuminate entire areas within a very short time.

Panzerbataillon 14 (Wels)

Panzerbataillon 14 is the mobile, firepower and armored hard core of the Heavy Brigade. With its "Leopard" 2A4 main battle tank, it has two strengths: mobility and firepower. These advantages come into their own especially in flat and hilly areas.

Panzergrenadier Battalions 13 and 35 (Ried and Großmittel)

Panzergrenadier Battalions 13 and 35 are particularly flexible thanks to their mix of soldiers and combat armored personnel carriers. Their extraordinary strength lies in the alternation between fighting from an armored personnel carrier and swarming troops into the field.

Panzer Staff Battalion 4 (Hörsching, Freistadt, Wels)

The Armored Staff Battalion 4 supports the Heavy Brigade in all tasks: The command support company ensures the connections (radio, telephone, etc.). The workshop company and the supply and transport company are responsible for the repair of vehicles and equipment and also supply the brigade with ammunition, operating materials (fuel, etc.) and field equipment. The soldiers of the NBC defense company are specialists in atomic, biological and chemical threats, and the training company trains junior officers and officer candidates from all over Germany. The headquarters company is available for the battalion's own supply.

Web links

Article about the brigade on the website of the Federal Army

swell

↑ 4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade. In: Bundesheer.at. Retrieved August 10, 2010 .
^ The new structures of the armed forces , website www.bundesheer.at, accessed on June 29, 2016
↑ ^a ^b BMLVS / Command 4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade: 50 years of the 4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade - Festschrift . Ed .: BMLVS. HDruck BMLVS, Hörsching December 1, 2013.
^ Editorial staff of the 3rd Panzer Grenadier Brigade: "Bringing down the flag" - Panzerbataillon 10 disbanded , 23 January 2007, bundesheer.at

[1] 4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade. In: Bundesheer.at. Retrieved August 10, 2010 .

[2] The new structures of the armed forces , website www.bundesheer.at, accessed on June 29, 2016

[:0-3] BMLVS / Command 4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade: 50 years of the 4th Panzer Grenadier Brigade - Festschrift . Ed .: BMLVS. HDruck BMLVS, Hörsching December 1, 2013.

[4] Editorial staff of the 3rd Panzer Grenadier Brigade: "Bringing down the flag" - Panzerbataillon 10 disbanded , 23 January 2007, bundesheer.at