The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual
Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army,
the Imperial Austrian Landwehr, and the Royal Hungarian Honved.
In the wake of fighting between the Austrian Empire and the Hungarian
Kingdom and the two decades of uneasy co-existence following, Hungarian
soldiers served either in mixed units or were stationed away from Hungarian
areas. With the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 the new tripartite
army was brought into being. It existed until the disestablishment of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire following World War I in 1918.
The joint "Imperial and Royal Army" units were generally poorly trained and
had very limited access to new equipment because the governments of the Austrian
and Hungarian parts of the empire often preferred to generously fund their own
units instead of outfitting all three army branches equally. All of the
Honvédség and the Landwehr regiments were composed of three battalions, while
the joint army k.u.k. regiments had four.
The long-standing white infantry uniforms were replaced in the latter
half of the 19th century with dark blue tunics, which in turn were replaced by a
pike grey uniform used in the initial stages of World War I. In September
1915, field gray was adopted as the new official uniform color.
The last known surviving member of the Austro-Hungarian Army was World War I
veteran Franz Künstler, who died in May 2008 at the age of 107.
From the Compromise of 1867 to the World War
= Planning and operations= Austria-Hungary avoided major wars in
the era between 1867 and 1914 but engaged in a number of minor military
actions. Nevertheless, the general staff maintained plans for major wars against
neighboring powers, especially Italy, Serbia and Russia.
In the late 19th century the army was used to suppress unrest in urban areas
of the empire: in 1882 and 1887 in Vienna and notably against German
nationalists at Graz and Czech nationalists in Prague in November 1897.
Soldiers under the command of Conrad von Hotzendorf were also used against
Italian rioters in Trieste in 1902. The most significant action by soldiers
of the Dual Monarchy in this period was the Austro-Hungarian occupation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina in the summer of 1878. When troops under the command of
Josip Filipović and Stjepan Jovanović entered the provinces expecting little
or no resistance, they were met with ferocious opposition from elements of
both Muslim and Orthodox populations there. Despite setbacks at Maglaj and
Tuzla, Sarajevo was occupied in October. Austro-Hungarian casualties amounted to
over 5,000 and the unexpected violence of the campaign led to recriminations
between commanders and political leaders.
= Size and ethnic and religious composition=
In 1868, the number of active-duty troops in the army was 255,000, and the
total could be expanded to 800,000 upon mobilization. However, this was
significantly less than the European powers of France, the North German
Confederation and Russia, each of which could field more than one million men.
Though the population of the empire had risen to nearly 50 million by 1900, the
size of the army was tied to ceilings established in 1889. Thus, at the start
of the 20th century, Austria-Hungary conscripted only 0.29% of its
population, compared to 0.47% in Germany, 0.35% in Russia and 0.75% in
France. The 1889 army law was not revised until 1912, which allowed for an
increase in annual conscriptions. The ethnic make-up of the enlisted ranks
reflected the diversity of the empire the army served; in 1906, out of every
1000 enlisted men, there were 267 Germans, 223 Hungarians, 135 Czechs, 85
Poles, 81 Ruthenians, 67 Croats and Serbs, 64 Romanians, 38 Slovaks, 26
Slovenes, and 14 Italians. From a religious standpoint, the
Austro-Hungarian army officer corps was dominated by Roman Catholics. In 1896,
out of 1000 officers, 791 were Roman Catholics, 86 Protestants, 84 Jews, 39
Greek-Orthodox, and one Uniate. Of the pre–World War military forces of the
major European powers, the Austro-Hungarian army was almost alone
in its regular promotion of Jews to positions of command. While the Jewish
population of the lands of the Dual Monarchy was about 5%, Jews made up
nearly 18% of the reserve officer corps. There were no official barriers to
military service for Jews, but in later years this tolerance eroded to some
extent, as important figures such as Conrad von Hötzendorf and Archduke Franz
Ferdinand sometimes expressed anti-Jewish sentiments. Franz Ferdinand
was also accused of discriminating against Protestant officers.
= Funding and equipment= Following the 1867 constitutional
arrangements, the Reichsrat was dominated by German Liberals, who
generally regarded the army as a relic of feudalism. In Budapest, legislators
were reluctant to authorize funds for the joint army but were generous with
the Hungarian branch of the army, the Honvédség. In 1867 the military budget
accounted for about 25% of all government spending, but the economic
crash of 1873 hit Austria-Hungary hard and foreign observers questioned whether
the Dual Monarchy could manage a major war without subsidies. Despite increases
throughout the 1850s and 1860s, in the latter half of the century
Austria-Hungary was still spending less on its army than were other major
European powers. While the budget continued to rise—from 262 million
crowns in 1895 to 306 million in 1906—this was still far less per capita
than for other major European states, including Italy, and about on par with
Russia, which had a much larger population. Further contributing to the
monarchy's military weakness was the low rate of conscription: Austria-Hungary
conscripted only 0.29% of its population annually, compared to 0.47% in Germany
and 0.75% in France. Attempts to increase the yearly intake of recruits
were proposed but repeatedly blocked by officials in Budapest until an agreement
was reached in 1912. In the emerging field of military
aviation, Austria-Hungary lagged behind other European states. While balloon
detachments had been established in 1893, they were mostly assigned to the
fortress artillery, except for a brief period from 1909 to 1911 when they were
under command of the multifaceted Verkehrs Brigade. Realization that
heavier-than-air machines were necessary or useful came late, and Austria-Hungary
acquired only five airplanes by 1911. In 1914 the budget for military aviation
was approximately 1⁄25th the amount spent by France. Austria-Hungary entered
the war with only 48 first-line aircraft.
Austro-Hungarian Army in July 1914 36,000 Officers
414,000 NCOs and troops 87,000 horses
1,200 artillery pieces Official designations were as follows:
regiments of the common army were designated Imperial and Royal;
Hungarian: "Császári és Királyi") Austrian Landwehr regiments were
Imperial-Royal); Hungarian: császári/királyi)
Hungarian Honved regiments were called Royal Hungarian
After war was declared, 3.35 million men gathered for action.
The Austro-Hungarian Imperial Army was officially under the control of the
Commander-in-Chief, Emperor Franz Josef. By 1914, however, Franz Josef was 84
years old and the chief of staff, Count Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, effectively
had more power over the armed forces. Conrad favored an aggressive foreign
policy and advocated the use of military action to solve Austro-Hungary's
territorial disputes with Italy and Serbia.
Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen was appointed Supreme Commander of the
Austro-Hungarian army by Franz Joseph on July 11, 1914. It was thought he would
not interfere with the operational and tactical plans of Conrad von Hötzendorf.
Friedrich remained Supreme Commander until February 1917, when Emperor
Charles I decided to assume the office himself.
= Common Army= The Common Army consisted of:
16 corps 49 infantry divisions: 76 infantry
brigades, 14 mountain brigades 8 cavalry divisions: 16 cavalry brigades
102 infantry regiments, including 4 Bosnian-Herzegovinian infantry regiments
4 Imperial Tyrolian rifle regiments 32 rifle battalions, including 1
Bosnian-Herzegovinian rifle battalion 42 field artillery regiments, including
14 field howitzer regiments 11 mounted artillery battalions, 14
heavy howitzer battalions 11 mountain artillery regiments
6 fortress artillery regiments: 8 independent fortress artillery
battalions 15 regiments of dragoons, 16 regiments
of hussars, 11 regiments of lancers 16 transport battalions
23 engineer battalions, 1 bridge construction battalion, 1 railway
regiment, 1 telegraph regiment = Imperial-Royal Landwehr=
The Imperial-Royal Landwehr was the standing army of Austria responsible for
the defence of Austria itself. 35 Landwehr infantry regiments: each of
3 battalions 6 Landwehr regiments of lancers
8 Landwehr field artillery battalions, 8 Landwehr field howitzer battalions
The mountain infantry had the following units:
2 Landwehr mountain infantry regiments, the 4th and 27th
3 Tyrolean rifle regiments—from January 1917 named "imperial rifles"
1 mounted Tyrolean rifle battalion 1 mounted Dalmatian rifle battalion
= Royal Hungarian Landwehr= The Royal Hungarian Landwehr or Royal
Hungarian Honved was the standing army of Hungary. A part of the Honved was the
Royal Croatian Landwehr, which consisted of 1 infantry division and 1 cavalry
regiment. 6 Landwehr districts
2 infantry divisions 2 cavalry divisions
4 infantry brigades 12 independent infantry brigades
4 cavalry brigades 32 infantry regiments
10 regiments of hussars 8 field artillery regiments
1 horse artillery battalion The infantry regiments of the k.u.k.
army had four battalions each; the infantry regiments of the k.k. and k.u.
Landwehr had three battalions each, except the 3rd Regiment of the "Tiroler
Landesschützen", that had also four battalions.
In 1915 units that had nicknames or names of honour lost them by order of
the War Ministry. Thereafter units were designated only by number. For instance,
the k.u.k. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 4 became Infanterie-Regiment No. 4.
Landsturm The Landsturm consisted of men aged 34
to 55 who belonged to the Austria k.k. Landsturm and the Hungarian k.u.
Landsturm. The Landsturm formed 40 regiments totaling 136 battalions in
Austria and 32 regiments totaling 97 battalions in Hungary. The Landsturm was
a reserve force intended to provide replacements for the first line units.
However, the Landsturm provided 20 brigades who took to the field with the
rest of the army. Standschützen
The Standschützen were originally rifle guilds and rifle companies that had been
formed in the 15th and 16th centuries, and were involved time and again in
military operations within the borders of the Austrian County of Tyrol. A
Standschütze was a member of a Schützenstand, into which he was
enrolled, which automatically committed him to the voluntary, military
protection of the state of Tyrol. In effect they were a type of Tyrolean
local militia or home guard. Medals
The following were the medals awarded to a Zugsführer of the 2nd Regiment of the
Tyrolian Imperial Rifles, who saw action at:
Galicia the Carpathian Mountains
Col di Lana: Austria–Italian border Monte Piano: Austria-Italian border
bei Lafraun: Austria-Italian border Monte Pasubio: Austria-Italian border
Sextner Dolomiten Mountains: Austria-Italian border
Ortler Mountain: Austria-Italian border Hohe Schneid: Austria-Italian border
Tonale Paß: Austria-Italian border Cima Presena: Austria-Italian border
Busazza Mountain: Austria-Italian border He received the following decorations:
Silver Medal of Bravery 1st Class Silver Medal of Bravery 2nd Class
Bronze Medal of Bravery Emperor Franz Joseph/before January 1917)
Karl-Cross Casualty Medal
Medal of Honor of the State of Tyrol to its defenders
Ranks and rank insignia of the Austro-Hungarian Army
The different colors of the rank patches and buttons on the tunic are the marks
for identifying the infantry regiments = General officers=
Note The ranks displayed after the "/" are
the Hungarian equivalents of the Austrian ranks, since they were used in
this format in the Magyar Királyi Honvédség / königlich ungarische
Landwehr. The English equivalents are from the
Austrian Bundesheer's homepage. Types of uniforms
See also Army ranks and insignia of the
Austro-Hungarian Army Army Slav
Austro-Hungarian First Army in World War Comparative military ranks of World War
Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars
List of Austro-Hungarian colonel generals
Orders, decorations, and medals of Austria-Hungary
List of Austro-Hungarian field marshals Weapons of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
The Good Soldier Švejk References
Further reading Brüch, Oskar; Dirrheimer, Günter. Das
K.u.k. Heer 1895. Schriften des Heeresgeschichtlichen Museums in Wien.
Graz: Leopold Stocker. ISBN 3-7020-0783-0.
Lichem, Heinz von. Spielhahnstoß und Edelweiß. Graz: Stocker Verlag. ISBN
370200260X. Lichem, Heinz von. Der Tiroler
Hochgebirgskrieg 1915–1918. Berwang: Steiger Verlag. ISBN 3854230524.
Lohmeyer, Julius. Das Militärbilderbuch: Die Armeen Europas. Glogau o.J.: Carl
Flemming Verlag. Allmeyer-Beck; Lessing. Die K.u.K. Armee
1848–1918. München: Bertelsmann. Rest; Ortner; Ilmig. Des Kaisers Rock im
1. Weltkrieg. Wien: Verlag Militaria. ISBN 3950164200.
Schreiber, Georg. Des Kaisers Reiterei. Wien: Verlag Kremayr & Scheriau.
External links A webpage, which is devoted to
Austro-Hungarian Army. Detailed informations about: Organisation,
biographies of the leaders, uniforms, and detailed weapon statistics
Austro-Hungarian Army, by Glenn Jewison & Jörg C. Steiner
Austro-Hungarian Military Ranks at Uniforminsignia.net
Generals of Austria and Hungary, 1816-1918
Antique Photography & Postcards of Austro-Hungarian army 1866-1918