Bosnian-Herzegovinian infantry

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Bosnian-Herceovinian infantryman in parade adjustment

The Bosnian-Hercegovinian infantry (called Bosniaks in Austrian military jargon and common parlance ) were part of the Austro-Hungarian infantry in the Army of Austria-Hungary , which had been granted a certain special status. The Bosnian-Hercegovinian infantry had their own uniform and their units received their own number sequence within the Joint Army .

With the exception of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the team came almost exclusively from the areas of Croatia that belonged to the Hungarian part of the empire and from Montenegro . The religious regulations of soldiers of Islamic faith were meticulously taken into account (see kuk military chaplaincy ). Officers and NCOs came from other infantry regiments during the initial deployment phase and kept their own adjustments .

The units belonged to the line infantry and in August 1914 consisted of four infantry regiments (number 1-4) and a military police battalion .

history

Emperor Karl during an inspection of the Bosnian-Hercegovin Infantry Regiment No. 2 ( South Tyrol , 1917)

In 1878 the two were Ottoman provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary occupied by the military . Although the two provinces still belonged to the Ottoman Empire under constitutional law , the Austro-Hungarian administration began to build up an administrative apparatus, thereby creating a fait accompli. After unrest in 1881/82, which could only be put down with military force, the male population began to be used for military service.

As a first step , a Bosnian-Herzegovinian infantry company was set up in each of the four supplementary districts ( Sarajevo , Banjaluka , Dolnja Tuzla and Mostar ) in 1882 , which was expanded by one company each in the following years , so that four independent battalions were formed in 1885 and eight in 1889 could. In 1892 three more battalions could be set up. In 1894 the military administration decided to introduce the regimental association for the Bosnian-Herzegovinian infantry analogous to the rest of the army. A “very high resolution” of January 1, 1894 ordered this, but the implementation turned out to be extremely difficult and could only be completed in 1897.

The Feldjäger Battalion was established in 1903. The term Feldjäger referred to a sub-genus of the infantry in kk usage. At that time there were no longer hunters as skirmishers or light infantry in the Danube Monarchy or in Germany. Nevertheless, the hunter battalions were considered to be an elite force and received selected replacements.

organization

General

According to the provisional organizational provisions issued at the same time, each regiment was divided into a regimental staff, into three field battalions of four field companies each and one substitute battalion, of which only the cadre consisted in peacetime.

The Feldjäger battalion had a battalion staff, four field companies and a replacement company cadre.

units

Description of the organization with proof of the correct spelling in "Seidl's Small Army Scheme" (July 1914)
  • Bosnian-Herzegovinian military police battalion
Established: 1903 - II Army Corps - 25th Infantry Troop Division - 50th Infantry Brigade
Nationalities: 96% Bosniaks - 4% others
Supplementary district and replacement company cadre: Sarajevo (defensive camp)
Garrison: Bruck an der Leitha
Commander: Colonel Vladimir Terbojević
  • Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry Regiment No. 1
Established: 1894 - II Army Corps - 25th Infantry Division - 49th Infantry Brigade
Nationalities: 94% Bosniaks - 6% others
Supplementary District and Replacement Battalion Squad: Sarajevo
garrison
Staff, I. Baon - Vienna II. District Engerthstrasse 226 (Archduke Albrecht Kaserne)
II. Baon: Wiener Neustadt
III. Baon: Sarajevo
Commanding officer: Colonel Carl von Stöhr
Staff officers: Colonel Emil Greger - Colonel Lt. Rudolf Knezić - Lieutenant Colonel Philipp von le Beau - Major Ludwig Rath - Major Karl Kortan - Major Ernst Burel - Major Franz Markowski - Major Josef Kosanović
  • Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry Regiment No. 2
Established: 1894 - III. Army Corps - 6th Infantry Troop Division - 11th Infantry Brigade
Nationalities: 93% Bosniaks - 7% others
Supplementary District and Replacement Battalion Squad: Banja Luka
garrison
Staff, I., II. Baon: Graz Grenadiergasse 8 (New Dominican Barracks)
III. Baon: Banja Luka
Commanding officer: Colonel Ernst Kindl
Staff officers: Colonel Lt. Johann Spindler Edler von Narentafels - Colonel Lt. Anton Leśić - Major Gustav Horny - Major August Kolár - Major Boguslav Ritter von Mihalić - Major Konstantin Kuźma - Major Karl Schneider
  • Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry Regiment No. 3
Soldiers of InfRgt No. 3 at prayer
Established: 1894 - IV Army Corps - 31st Infantry Troop Division - 62nd Infantry Brigade
Nationalities: 94% Bosniaks - 6% others
Supplementary district and replacement battalion cadre: Tuzla
garrison
Staff, I. Baon Budapest Nandor-ter 2 (Ferdinandskaserne), II. Baon Budapest Retek-utca (Count Szapáry Barracks)
III. Baon: Tuzla
Commander: Colonel Johann Brenner von Flammenberg
Staff officers: Colonel Lt. Ferdinand Breith - Lieutenant Colonel Karl Hoffmann - Major Franz Jaschonek - Major Nikolaus Čanić - Major Ernst Ritter von Meissl - Major Josef Freiherr Henriques de Ben-Wolsheimb - Major Otmar Zapp von Chlumfeld - Major Karl Graf Coudenhove
  • Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry Regiment No. 4
Established: 1894 - III. Army Corps - 28th Infantry Troop Division - 55th Infantry Brigade
Nationalities: 95% Bosniaks - 5% others
Supplementary District and Replacement Battalion Squad: Mostar
garrison
Staff, I., II. Baon: Trieste Via Coroneo 4 (1 company in Capodistria)
III. Baon: Mostar
Commanding officer: Colonel Anton Klein
Staff officers: Colonel Lt. Ferdinand Schenk - Lieutenant Colonel Johann Tuschner - Lieutenant Colonel Eduard Edler von Bisenius - Major Andreas Šešić - Major Josef Schlechta

Additional units

In 1916 the Bosnian-Hercegovinian InfRgt No. 5 was set up and renamed in October 1917 to bh InfRgt No. 10.
  • In February 1918 the following were set up:
InfRgt No. 5 (newly established)
InfRgt No. 6
InfRgt No. 7
InfRgt No. 8
  • Established military police battalions:
  • In August 1915:
No. 2 and No. 3
  • In February 1916
No. 4, No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7
  • In February 1918:
No. 8

(Battalions No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 were disbanded in February 1918.)

Uniformity

One-year volunteer corporal of the kuk Bosnian-Herzegovinian infantry.png

The characteristic piece of clothing of this troop was the fez , which was worn both for parade and field uniform. For the parade, a three-branched oak leaf or a pine tree was infected, the height of which should be approx. 16 cm and the width approx. 13 cm. The fez consisted of reddish brown milled sheep's wool (for the field uniform in pike gray) and was equipped with a tassel made of black sheep wool (for the field uniform in pike gray). This tassel consisted of 18.5 cm long fringes attached to a rosette. For gagists , interns, ensigns and equals, the tassel was made of silk. The fez had to be put on so that the tassel was facing back. To prevent the tassel from wandering, it was attached to the top of the fez with a cord. For officers and ensigns, the infantry chako or black field cap was prescribed as headgear. However, if they were Muslims, they could wear the fez. Tabs and blouses corresponded on average to those of the German line infantry. The buttons were yellow with the regimental number.

The trousers were so-called knee trousers based on the oriental model. They consisted of the two thigh parts and the calf pieces (remotely similar to the German wedge or riding breeches of the Wehrmacht - but instead of pointing to the front), which were each composed of a front and a rear part. There were two slanted pockets on the front. The thigh parts were held wide to below the knees and narrowed from then on. The downward running calf pieces were connected to the thigh parts by a 3.5 cm wide band of double-layered fabric. The calf pieces could be closed with five clips (hooks and eyes). At the openings of the trouser legs there was a 3.5 cm wide gauze of linen (was pulled through under the foot).

The Bosnian-Herzegovinian military police were equipped with the same pike-gray uniform for both parade and field service (march adjustment). The leveling color was grass green.

The Bosnian-Herzegovinian infantry wore the same uniform, but in light blue for parade and in pike gray for field service. The leveling color was alizarine red.

All other mountings and equipment (man armor) corresponded to those of the line infantry.

Marching music

The Bosniaks are coming.jpg

In honor of the kuk Bosniaks, especially InfRgt No. 2, the bandmaster Eduard Wagnes composed the so-called “ Bosniaken March ” in 1895 under the title The Bosniaks are coming . It is currently the traditional march of Telecommunications Battalion 1 in Villach .

In memory of the heroic and excellent deeds of InfRgt No. 2 during the attack on Monte Meletta-Fior under Stephan Duić on June 7, 1916, Eduard Wagnes composed the "Meletta March".

Others

Germans, Bosniaks, Austrians and Hungarians in World War I (propaganda postcard, 1915)

On the initiative of the descendants of the members of InfRgt No. 2 and the then Landwehr Stammregiment 54 , a street in the district of Straßgang was named Zweierbosniakengasse in the 1980s by the then mayor Alexander Götz and the municipality of Graz .

No regiment was honored more often in World War I than the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry Regiment No. 2. This was due, among other things, to the successful storming of Monte Meletta-Fior near Asiago in the northern Italian province of Vicenza. The regiment was able to conquer the mountain in the course of the Austro-Hungarian South Tyrol offensive on June 7th, 1916 after heavy and heavy fighting. 208 dead and around 800 wounded - around 35 percent of the population - were to be mourned.

Personalities

gallery

First World War

  • On watch in front of the War Ministry in Vienna

  • Officers

  • Troop inspection at the front by Archduke Eugen

  • Imam with soldiers at field prayer

  • Gojkomir von Glogovac (center) at the award of the Military Maria Theresa Order in 1917

Military cemetery ("Bosniakenfriedhof") in Lebring-Sankt Margarethen

  • Entrance to the cemetery

  • Memorial plaque on the right

  • Memorial plaque on the left

  • Central tomb

  • View of the cemetery from the south

  • Information board

literature

  • Hermann Hinterstoisser, Christoph Neumayer, Erwin A. Schmidl, Helmut Wohnout: The Emperor's Bosniaks: The Bosnian-Herzegovinian troops in the Austro-Hungarian army, history and uniforms from 1878 to 1918 . Verlag Militaria , Vienna 2008, ISBN 978-3-902526-16-8
  • Reinhard Stradner: Bosnia's loyal sons , troop service, issue 06, Vienna (2003), 534-541
  • Stefan Rest: The emperor's rock in the First World War . Verlag Militaria, Vienna 2002, ISBN 3-9501642-0-0
  • Werner Schachinger, the Bosniaks are coming! - Elite troops in the Austro-Hungarian Army 1879-1914 . Leopold Stocker Verlag , Graz 1994, ISBN 978-3-7020-0574-0
  • Allmayer-Beck , Lessing : The K. (below) K. Army. 1848-1914 . Bertelsmann, Munich et al. 1974, ISBN 3-570-07287-8 .
  • Sigmund Gandini, Kurt Ragas: The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry Regiment No. 2 in World War 1914 to 1918 . Ed .: Traditional Association of Members of the former Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry Regiment No. 2, Federal Ministry for National Defense. Main lecture on Citizenship Education. 1971.
  • kuk war ministry “Dislocation and division of the kuk army, kuk navy, kk landwehr and ku landwehr” in: Seidel's small army scheme - published by Seidel & Sohn Vienna 1914

Web links

Commons : Bosnian-Hercegovinian Infantry  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ^ Official spelling of the kuk military administration. Differing spellings that have arisen over time and are also used (e.g. "Bosnian-Herzegovinian infantry") are not correct.
  2. ↑ In Austria-Hungary, battalion was abbreviated as Baon
  3. ↑ Adjustment regulation Part I, Section 2, p. 26.
  4. ↑ today we say Muslims
  5. ↑ Bosniaks March. Retrieved December 31, 2013 .