Riding Tyrolean riflemen

Captain of the riding Tyrolean riflemen in parade adjustment

The Reitende Tiroler Landesschützen ( renamed on January 16, 1917 by Emperor Karl I to Reitende Tiroler Kaiserschützen ) - full name: Imperial and Royal Reitende Tiroler Landesschützen-Division - were a cavalry association of the Austro-Hungarian Land Forces .

Although they were not counted among the mountain troops like the other state riflemen , they formed the cavalry of the mountain associations together with the “Riding Dalmatian state riflemen” . Together with the Landwehr-Uhlan Regiment No. 1, the riding Tyrolean riflemen formed the 1st Landwehr cavalry brigade with headquarters in Wels .

The task of the Reitende Landesschützen was originally only the reporting, courier and liaison service. However, they were also used as reconnaissance cavalry in the pursuit battles in Galicia in 1914, as well as infantry, later also in the high mountains.

Association membership and composition on July 1, 1914

1st Landwehr Cavalry Brigade

Assigned as liaison cavalry:

1st and 3rd squadrons of the 44th Landwehr Infantry Division

2nd squadron to 11th Honvéd Cavalry Troop Division

Nationalities: 58% German - 38% Welschtiroler - 4% other

Establishment

According to the National Defense Act and the Landwehr Act , the existing state rifle battalions should be provided with two companies on horseback for reporting and liaison service. The whole of Tyrol was intended as a supplementary district . In 1872, a joint cadre for the two companies was initially formed in Innsbruck . This received the designation "Cadre-Commando for the country riflemen on horseback" and had a peacetime status of 28 soldiers and 21 horses. He was supposed to manage the training of the officers and men and was responsible for the training of the horses. The training period for the recruits was three months. 185 soldiers and 161 horses per company were planned as the war-like target stock.

In 1874, the two companies were renamed squadrons , analogous to the rest of the Landwehr cavalry . After the reorganization of the Landwehr in 1889, the two squadrons were combined into a division, with a replacement division to be set up in the event of war. The establishment of a regular divisional staff was, however, not considered to be absolutely necessary in peacetime, so that only the cadre staff of the now "Cadre of Landesschützen on Horseback in Tyrol and Vorarlberg" and an instruction staff existed for each squadron (No. 1 and No. 2). Here the conscripts (but not the soldiers transferred from the reserve of the army cavalry) received their basic training during a year of military service. The war target strength was set at 456 soldiers and 410 horses.

In 1894 the association was given the new name “Division Mounted Tyroler Landesschützen”, a division staff, two field squadrons and a replacement squad were set up. The replacement cadre should be brought to the strength of half a field squadron in the event of war. On August 31, 1906, a third field squadron was ordered by a “very high resolution”.

In 1910 the association was renamed the “Reitende Tiroler Landesschützen-Division” and the divisional headquarters were relocated to Trento . This division staff was formed from the division command and the mounted telegraph patrol. In the event of war, the combat and provisions train as well as the "cavalry withdrawal for higher command" were put together from the substitute cadre and the augmentation magazine. The field squadrons were brought to the war target strength by assignment of replacement teams.

Armament

In the initial equipment, the mounted riflemen (according to their tasks) only carried the M1869 cavalry saber and the Gasser army revolver M1870 / 74. This was housed in a revolver pouch made of brown upper leather with a shoulder strap. The officer's saber was similar to that of the men, but the handle was tied with silver-plated wire, and the basket was pierced, decorated and polished. From 1876 onwards, the teams also received the "System Fruhwirth" repeating carbine and, in place of the cavalry saber, a special saber bayonet with a basket that was only halfway out on the left. After the M90 ​​carbine was available, it replaced the previously used Fruhwirth rifle, and the saber bayonet was exchanged for the "light cavalry saber" M1877. In contrast to the normal cavalry, this troop originally did not have any machine guns and therefore no machine gun platoons. (In the course of the First World War , however, that was changed - as was the task of the troops.)

Uniformity

Until 1889, the troops wore a dark brown tunic with four attached pocket flaps and grass-green equalization . On the left shoulder there was a grass-green armpit loop (black and gold for officers). The buttons were gold in color. The hat for officers consisted of a black felt stump with a narrow, folded-down brim. On the left side above the ear there was a gold-colored hunter's horn with a silver Tyrolean eagle. One or two feathers were tucked behind these badges as a hat decoration. The teams wore a field cap, also with feather headdress. The pants were blue-gray with grass-green passepoils .

After 1889 the riding Tyrolean riflemen got new uniforms. A pike-gray tunic was now worn according to the same pattern as the previous one. In the officers' case, the edges of the pocket flaps were lined with grass-green cord. The brim of the hat (which was now also worn by the teams for the parade) was now horizontal at the back and front, but was curved upwards on the sides. The hunter's horn with the Tyrolean eagle moved forward and came to rest over the left eye. A black rooster bush served as a feather ornament. In addition, a fur skirt was worn in the style of the dragoons. However, the strings of the skirt were made of grass green. In 1907, the previous stand-up collar on the fur skirt was replaced by a wide, fold-down collar. A neck clip was attached to the underside of the collar to close the collar. The buttons were now silver. Nothing serious changed in the pants. In addition, the teams generally wore cavalry boots. Off duty officers could wear blue-gray pantaloons with shoes or ankle boots. From 1903 this regulation was also used for longer-serving NCOs.

On duty, officers and men wore a blue-gray, visorless cap in the style of the cavalry.

Battle calendar

• September 9, 1914: Participation in the battle of Rawa-Ruska (88th kk Landesschützen Brigade)
• May 9, 1915: Persecution of the Russian units defeated in the battle of Sieniawa
• until October 1915: fighting in Galicia, on the San and on the Strypa
• From October 1915: Relocation to the Italian front, 1st squadron to Carinthia, 2nd, 3rd squadron and machine gun department south of Moietto in the Adige Valley.

• The unit is increased to four field squadrons, three machine gun and three foot divisions

• After the battle of Karfreit and the retreat of the Italians from the Dolomites and Isonzo fronts, the unit was relocated to the area south of the Ortler . Here they held the summit positions on Punta San Matteo, Monte Vioz and Palon del Mare. The Vioz hut held by the riding Tyrolean Kaiserschützen was the highest command post of the entire war.

At the end of the war, the widely dispersed divisional association dissolved. Some of the riflemen managed to escape to the area north of the Reschen Pass , some were taken prisoner in Italy.

Commanders

• 1874 - 1882: Major ( Colonel ) Gustav Freiherr von Tinti
• 1882 - 1891: Rittmeister (Major) Joseph Castiglione
• 1891 - 1893: Rittmeister Carl Freiherr von Vevér
• 1893 - 1895: Rittmeister (Major) Carl Daummers
• 1895 - Oct. 1902: Rittmeister ( Lieutenant Colonel ) Carl Schudawa
• Jan. 1903 - April 1908: Rittmeister (Major) Adalbert von Szilvasy
• April 1908 - February 1911: Major (Lieutenant Colonel): Emil Hofsass
• Feb. 1911 - Oct. 1914: Major (Lieutenant Colonel) Moritz Graf von Srnka

Remarks

1. ↑ There was no justification for this
2. ↑ In Austria-Hungary, divisions were used to refer to artillery, train and cavalry units. Correct divisions, however, were called cavalry or infantry troop divisions
3. ↑ also referred to as a gendarmerie repeating rifle
4. ↑ Blue-gray was a color that fluctuated between anthracite and dark blue-black. Blue-gray was not to be taken literally here

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Heinz von Lichem "War in the Alps" Volume I, p. 171
2. ↑ Semek "History of the kuk Wehrmacht" Volume V p. 567
3. ↑ Semek "History of the kuk Wehrmacht" Volume V p. 568

literature

• Hermann Hinterstoisser, M. Christian Ortner, Erwin A. Schmidl (eds.): The kk Landwehr mountain troops. History, uniforms and equipment of the Austrian mountain troops from 1906 to 1918. Verlag Militaria, Vienna 2006, ISBN 3-902526-02-5 , p. 223.
• Austro-Hungarian War Ministry: Adjustment regulation for the Austro-Hungarian Army, the Imperial and Royal Landwehr, the Imperial and Royal Landwehr, the affiliated institutions and the corps of military officials. Vienna 1911/1912.
• Stefan Rest, M. Christian Ortner, Thomas Ilming: The emperor's rock in the First World War. Uniforms and equipment of the Austro-Hungarian army from 1914 to 1918 . Verlag Militaria, Vienna 2002, ISBN 3-9501642-0-0 .

Web links

Commons : Official patterns of Austria-Hungarian uniforms (Landwehr)  - collection of images, videos and audio files