Mountain Infantry Battalion 85
The Mountain Infantry Battalion 85 (Geb Inf Bat 85, coll. 85i) is one of the oldest fusilier battalions in the Swiss Army . It was founded in 1876, was subordinate to the mountain troops since 1936 and from 1962 to the mountain division 12 . The Mountain Fusilier Battalion 85 was a unit of the Canton of Glarus , which was dissolved at the end of 2002 and was re-established in 2008 as the Mountain Infantry Battalion 85. It is made with militiamen .
history
The Fusilier Battalion 85 was founded on January 26th, 1876 by the Glarus District Administrator , although the cantons had already ceded most of their military powers to the federal government. Commanders and soldiers mostly came from the canton of Glarus and the district administrator had to formally confirm each battalion commander. For the Glarner Landsgemeinde and the battle celebration ("drive") in Näfels, the battalion usually provided the honorary company.
First World War
During the First World War , the battalion was deployed at various locations for border protection (border occupation). The most dangerous section was at the Stilfser Joch on the Umbrail Pass , where the front ran between the warring states Austria-Hungary and Italy .
Second World War
During the Second World War , the battalion was initially deployed in Graubünden and Toggenburg. After the failure of the German Wehrmacht against the Swiss Jura, the 85i was in June 1940 at night alarm moderately to Welschland moved.
In 1940 the battalion was deployed in the Reduit as part of the "Glärnisch Group" in Glarnerland and placed directly under the 4th Army Corps.
Lock point at Näfels
The Näfels blocking point of the Glärnisch group was an anti-tank obstacle that stretched north of Näfels across the valley entrance into the Glarnerland and comprised the following infantry and artillery units:
- Command post of the Bergli Group Glärnisch A 6710
- Feldbachrippe command post of Infantry Regiment 35 A 6731
- Artillery works Näfels-Niederberg A 6740
- Artillery plant Beglingen A 6756
- Starkenbach-Nord infantry plant, cavern for anti-tank A 6002
- Infantry plant Hang, bunker for anti-tank A 6742
- Sitenhölzli infantry factory, bunker for anti-tank A 6761
- Schlösslirippe infantry factory, cavern for anti-tank A 6829
- Windegg infantry factory, cavern for anti-tank A 6837
- Infantry factory Damm, bunker for anti-tank A 6759
Mission and operational area within the framework of the Army 61
With Army 61 , the battalion was assigned as part of Mountain Infantry Regiment 35 to the newly created Mountain Division 12 of Mountain Army Corps 3.
The mountain division 12 had to block the eastern flank of the Gotthard , maintain the connection to the fortress brigade 13 (Fest Br 13), protect the national road N13 (A13) ( San Bernardino axis ) and be ready as a reserve for a field division.
The operational area of the reinforced division stretched from the state border 120 km in the east-west axis and 70 km in the north-south axis and covered a large part of the canton of Graubünden .
With Army 95 , the train was replaced by an anti-tank guided weapon company , turning the mountain battalion into a field battalion. In 2002 Geb Füs Bat 85 was dissolved along with many others. With the Army XXI there are no longer any Glarus battalions.
today
On July 1, 2008, due to the demand for infantry battalions, the 85th was re-formed as a mechanized mountain infantry battalion. It consists of:
- Staff Geb Inf Bat
- Geb Inf Stabskp 85
- Geb Inf Kp 85/1, 85/2, 85/3
- Geb Inf Ustü Kp 85/4
It has a target population of around 1,000 men. The equipment includes infantry weapons, wheeled infantry fighting vehicles 93 “Piranha”, reconnaissance vehicles 93/97 “Eagle” as well as transport vehicles and trucks.
literature
- Karl Küng, Kdt Füs Geb Bat 85 (Ed.): The Glarner Bataillon: 125 years Geb Füs Bat 85 . Verlag Bäschlin, Glarus 2001, ISBN 978-3-85546-118-9 .
- Werner Pfenninger: The Glärnisch group: the defense of the Glarnerland 1940-1945 . Documentation. Swiss Society for Military History Study Trips GMS, Wettingen 2006.
- Valentino Crameri: The Mountain Division 12. History of the Mountain Division 12 from its foundation in 1962 to the turn of the millennium . Publisher Gasser, Chur 1999.
Web links
Page no longer available , search in web archives: Glariosa 2001: The Glarner Bataillon Geb Füs Bat 85 celebrated its 125th anniversary with a parade through the canton capital Glarus
Individual evidence
- ↑ Commander Reduit Brigade 24: Commemoration of the Battle of Näfels - The journey
- ↑ NZZ of August 28, 2008: Walking along the front lines of the First World War. History becomes tangible on the military-historical path in the area of the Umbrail Pass
- ↑ DDPS: History of Geb Inf Bat 85 ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ ETH Library: The Mountain Division 12
- ↑ Glarus24 of December 16, 2009: Flag delivery Geb Inf Bat 85 ( Memento of the original of April 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
