Imperial and Royal State Rifle Regiment "Bozen" No. II

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State rifleman in parade adjustment after 1908
A tunic for the service of a first lieutenant in the Landesschützen Regiment No. II

The Imperial State Rifle Regiment "Bolzano" no. II was an infantry federation of kk Landwehr and belonged to kk Gebirgstruppe .

Naming

The original name was kk Landesschützen-Regiment Nr. II and was supplemented in 1897 with the addition of the garrison of the regimental staff. From then on it was called the kk Landesschützen-Regiment "Bozen" No. II . The last time the regiment was renamed by a decree by Emperor Karl I on January 16, 1917, was the Imperial and Royal Kaiserschützen Regiment "Bozen" No. II . There was no official reason for this.

Lineup

On May 1, 1893, the ten existing state rifle battalions were combined into regiments. The regiment No. II (only in the country protecting the numbering in Roman numerals was made) was created from the merger of the former state battalions.:

From May 1, 1906, it belonged to the mountain troops that were newly established on this date.

In October 1901 the regiment was increased by the staff of the (temporarily) dissolved Imperial and Royal Rifle Regiment "Innichen" No. III .

Composition and association membership 1914

  • 88th Landess Rifle Brigade - 44th Landwehr Infantry Division - XIV Army Corps
  • Ethnic composition: 55% German-speaking - 41% Italian-speaking - 4% others
  • Regimental language: German

The ethnic composition could no longer be covered with the extremely heavy losses from the Tyrolean countries and Vorarlberg alone, so that more and more replacements from other parts of the country had to be added to the regiment during the course of the war. It is doubtful whether the Tyrolean / Vorarlberg (not related to German-speaking) share still reached the 50% mark in 1918.

Dislocation

Barracks of the 1st Battalion in Bolzano
Summer barracks of the 3rd + 4th Kp LSR II in Vermiglio
  • Training stations

For specific mountain training, the state riflemen were transferred to summer stations by company. There were smaller barracks there or suitable buildings (larger inns) were rented.

Command headquarters Winter garrison Summer station
Regimental Kdo. Bolzano Bolzano
I. Baon-Kdo. Bolzano Fucine - 46 ° 18 ′ 38 "  N , 10 ° 43 ′ 57"  E
3. Comp. Bolzano Vermiglio
4. Comp. Bolzano Vermiglio - 46 ° 17 ′ 52 ″  N , 10 ° 41 ′ 34 ″  E
5. Comp. Bolzano Acidule di Pejo - 46 ° 21 ′ 48 ″  N , 10 ° 40 ′ 24 ″  E
MG Abt II / 2 Bolzano Fucine
II. Baon-Kdo. Meran Prad
1. Comp. Meran Trafoi
2. Comp. Meran Sulden
Geb.MG Abt II / 1 Meran Prad
III.Baon-Kdo. Riva Condino - 45 ° 53 ′ 23 ″  N , 10 ° 36 ′ 1 ″  E
6th comp. Riva Pinzolo - 46 ° 9 ′ 36 ″  N , 10 ° 45 ′ 55 ″  E
7th comp. Riva Daone - 45 ° 56 ′ 49 ″  N , 10 ° 37 ′ 12 ″  E
8th comp. Riva Storo - 45 ° 51 ′ 2 ″  N , 10 ° 34 ′ 35 ″  E
9. Comp. Riva Bezecca - 45 ° 53 '47 "  N , 10 ° 43' 4"  O
MG Abt III / 3 Riva Condino
  • In case of war

The area from the Stilfser Joch to Lake Garda was assigned to him as a combat section . At the same time, like the others, it had to deploy detachments to garrison the fortifications . (According to current law, the state riflemen were only allowed to be used to protect the homeland or to defend the borders of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. In order to circumvent this regulation, the fight against Russia was simply declared necessary to protect the homeland .)

Division from west to east

  • 2nd battalion with the companies in Pejo, Pizzano and Fucine (all in Val di Sole )
  • Assigned Defense Section: Cevedale, Monte Vioz , Punta di San Matteo, Corno di tre Signori, Punta di Albiolo, Tonale Pass, Cima di Presena.
  • III. Battalion with companies in Spiazzo, Daone, Sioro, Bezzecca.
  • Assigned Defense Section: Cima di Presena, Lòbbia, Dosson di Genova, Monte Rossola, Cima di Seroten, Cima delle Cornelle, Cima di Carsine, Cima del Palù, Lake Garda.
Lòbbia bassa, Lobbia di Mezzo, Lobbia alta - northernmost part of the fighting section of the III. Battalion with the source of the Rio Sarca di Genova
Regimental commanders
  • 1893 to 1897: Colonel Camillo Troll
  • 1897 to 1899: Colonel Johann von Kantz
  • 1899 to 1906: Colonel Kato Savij
  • 1906 to 1910: Colonel Viktor Seidler
  • 1910 to 1913: Colonel Gustav Szekely de Doba
  • 1913 to 1915: Colonel Karl Stiller

Uniformity

Until 1906/1907 the riflemen wore the uniform of the kk Landwehr. Afterwards they were equipped with the outfit of the mountain troops introduced that year. This consisted of the following pieces of equipment:

  • Pike-gray field cap with attached play tap (in the field the play tap was only put on on command)
  • Pike gray blouse with patch pockets and grass green parolis . Officers to parade or on orders with shoulder boards.
  • Pike-gray knee breeches with knee-high wool stockings
  • Mountain boots
  • Officers and batches carried the short saber

This was both field and parade adjustments . In contrast to this, officers in parade adjustment had to wear the old outfit as an individual (e.g. for the award of medals). This consisted of:

Battle days of the regiment in the First World War

On August 1, 1914, the regiment mobilized and was transferred to the Russian front by rail. The association gathered in the Grodek area from August 17th to 25th and marched to Lemberg until August 26th .

Battle of Lviv

  • August 27, 1914: Battle near Dunayov
  • 30th to 31st August 1914: Battle of the Gnila Lipa. Then retreat to Grodek.

Battle of Grodek

  • September 8-11, 1914: Skirmishes near Lelechowka and Majdan-Walddorf, near Sloboda, Pawlowa Gora.
  • September 8-11, 1914: Skirmishes near Ottenhausen, Wielkopole, Stromna, Zuszyce, Powitno, Zaluze and Bojana
  • September 12, 1914: march back behind the San to the Petna area; there restoration (rest)

Battle of Przemysl

  • October 3, 1914: advance on Przemysl to relieve the besieged fortress
  • October 5, 1914: Attack on Wislok
  • October 14-19, 1914: Fighting near Tyskowice
  • October 20 to November 3, 1914: Trench warfare, then march back behind the Dunajec
  • November 18-26, 1914: Skirmishes near Tymowa, Porabka and Wisznicz-nowy
  • November 28, 1914: March back to the area east of Cracow
  • November 29 to December 4, 1914: Defensive battles in front of Cracow and on the Zasan saddle

Battle of Limanowa-Lapanow

  • December 6-10, 1914: Advance against Lapanow with aggressive battles
  • December 15-17, 1914: Battle in pursuit towards Borzecin
  • December 18-22, 1914: Chase battles at Radlow, Walruda and Curyla on the Dunajec. Relocation of the regiment to the Siemichow area east of Tarnow
  • December 25, 1914 to February 21, 1916: Trench warfare
  • February 22 to March 2, 1915: Relocation by rail to Eastern Galicia. Discharge in Delatyn

Fighting in Eastern Galicia and Bukovina

Defensive battle in the mountains
  • March 4-8, 1915: Fighting near Solotwina and the Bistricza.
  • March 9-14: Restoration (rest)
  • March 20 to May 8, 1915: Fights near Zalszczyki with the capture of the city.
  • May 9 to July 23, 1915: Fights near Chernivtsi , Trojca-Ilince on the Prut and near Zezawa. Then relocation to Welschtirol

Italian theater of war

(The detachments deployed as crews of the fortifications on the plateau of the Seven Municipalities had been in this section for a long time.)

  • June 1915: The IX. March Battalion and IV Field Battalion (formerly IX Marschbaon) conduct defensive battles on the Presena Glacier and on Monte Coston.
  • July 23 to August 25, 1915: Relocation of the rest of the regiment to the Isonzo Front. As an army reserve at Prvacina, Ovcja-Draga and Jazbine.
  • August 25 to October 23, 1915: Defensive battles of the I. and II. Baon in the Schwarzkofel - Schrimblerjoch - Sennsattel area, III. Baon in the Frawort - Weitjoch area, IV. Baon on the plateau of Lavarone-Folgaria.
  • October 25, 1915 to March 17, 1916: Trench warfare on the Lavarone- Folgaria plateau , in the area of ​​the Riva fortress , on the Terragnola front, in Judiciary and near Rovereto

Spring offensive 1916

  • March 17 to May 18, 1916: Concentration of the regiment in Val Pine (n. Baselga) (The IV. Baon was dissolved and divided between the Landessschützen regiments No. I and No. III.)
  • May 18-19, 1916: Relocation via Trient -Matarello to the Pederzano-Sasso area
  • May 21, 1916: march into the offensive, march into the Vallarsa - 45 ° 46 ′ 55 ″  N , 11 ° 7 ′ 3 ″  E
  • May 23 to June 22, 1916: Heavy attack and position battles in Vallarsa
  • June 23, 1916: withdrawal of the front and
  • until October 1917: heavy defensive battles in Vallarsa and on the Zugna Torta
  • August 14, 1916 to the end of March 1918: The II. Baon was relocated to the Fassaner Alps and fought on the Cauriol in the Fassa Valley
  • May 22, 1917: the 3rd Baon was commanded to the plateau of the seven municipalities and took part in the storming of the Ortigara-Lepozze.

Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo

  • 6th to 8th October 1917: Concentration of the regiment in Lavis (II. Baon remained in the Fassaner Alps)
  • October 8 to 9, 1917: Rail transport to Villach
  • October 10 to 16, 1917: Walk across Tarvisio - Predil Pass to the Pustina camp
  • October 24th to 26th, 1917: breakthrough battle near Flitsch
  • October 27, 1917: Battle at Monta Aperta
  • October 29, 1917: capture of Tarcento
  • October 30, 1917: Battle at Braulins on the Tagliamento
  • November 5, 1917: Crossing the Tagliamento
  • November 7, 1917: Battle at Barcis
  • November 9, 1917: Crossing over Monte Cavallo
  • November 22, 1917 to March 25, 1918: Storming of Monte Spinnucia south of Felter. Then transition to the trench warfare on the Mote Spinnuccia and Monte Tomba.
  • End of March 1918: The 2nd Baon is ordered back to the regiment. The IV. Baon (formerly V. Baon) was disbanded and distributed to the other battalions.
  • November 4th: The regiment on the march back home was captured by the Italians advancing in the Vallarsa without resistance. (For reasons that have not yet been explored, the Austro-Hungarian High Command informed the troops that the war would end on November 3rd, although November 4th was expressly stated in the armistice negotiations. In this grotesque way, the Italians managed to take over 300,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers completely by surprise Capture soldiers.)

Others

A high point for the regiment was the delegation of a company to the inauguration of the Andreas Hofer Memorial Chapel in Sand in Passeier (today St. Leonhard in Passeier ) on September 20, 1899. The company (together with a company of Kaiserjäger and about 6500 standing riflemen) "graciously" inspected by Emperor Franz Joseph .

The motto of the regiment was: "Victory or death is our motto"

Regimental march

The regimental march was the same for all three Landesschützen / Kaiserschützen regiments - the Kaiserschützenmarsch .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Unless otherwise stated, all organizational data refer to the summer of 1914
  2. ↑ Wording of the decree: I order that from now on the state riflemen are called Kaiserschützen. I am convinced that these brave troops, who have won immortal laurels until now, will make the new name shine in glory, for my joy, for their honor and for the good of the fatherland. Karl mp
  3. ↑ Regardless of its actual geographical location, this area was referred to in Austro-Hungarian military jargon as the plateau of the seven municipalities.
  4. ↑ From the war diaries of Major General Rudolf-Hermann Miksch, Major August Spigl and First Lieutenant Dr. Ernst Payrer

literature

  • Austrian Federal Ministry for the Army and War Archives. Under the direction of Edmund Glaise-Horstenau (Ed.): Austria-Hungary's Last War 1914–1918. Volume I-VII. Verlag der Militärwissenschaftlichen Mitteilungen, Vienna 1930–39.
  • Hans Magenschab: The grandfathers' war 1914–1918. Publishing house of the Austrian State Printing House, Vienna 1988.
  • Heinz von Lichem : The lonely war. Athesia Verlag, Bozen 1981.

Web links

Commons : Landesschützen-Regiment "Bozen" No. II  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files