Austria-Hungary Kappenabzeichen: WW1 Unit & Patriotic Military Cap "Tinnies"

[Guest Rick Research]

These are the niftiest looking out of a collection. None are maker marked, which is odd since they are better than most, and all but the center bottom with enamel:

Top left to right-- VI. Korps Arz (named after its commander/ 8(th) K(avallerie) T9ruppen) D9ivision) (I think)/ "RAD 8 b4" have NO clue whatsoever what that one is!!!

Bottom left to right--Inf Rgt 68 (must be home garrison city arms)/Inf Rgt 78 1914-1917/ 85 (Inf Rgt? shield also of home city?)

Will post them in small related batches as I can get to them during my library cataloging project.

[Gordon Craig]

Rick,

Great looking Kappenabzeichen. Especially the enamelled ones. Most of the ones I see for sale were never enamelled. I am especially intrigued by the first two. Some of these cap badges combined motiefs from Hungary and Austri but not many. Please do me one favour though and don't call them "tinnies".

Regards,

Gordon

Edited May 1, 2009 by Gordon Craig

[Guest Rick Research]

Actually, most of them are "zinkies."

Here are another few--

Top left: F(eld)K(anonen)R(egiment) 15 Weltkrieg 1914-17. Reverse marked to Prof. Madechy in Wien. Top right: S(chwere)H(aubitz)D(???) 6- S(chwere)F(eld)A(rtillerie)R(egiment) 15, 1914 Weltkrieg 1916 by the prolific G. Gurschner of Wien who at least seems to have marked most of the badges which are marked.

Middle-- and these rather confuse me, since they seem to indicate detached battalions from infantry regiments (???)--

Left: KuK 4/81 Inf Baon v Falkenhayn 1917 Middle: 1915-1917 Inf. Baon. X/59. Right: K.u.k. Inftr.-Baon. No. II/5 Gragjenik 27./XI.1914

Bottom left: Patriae Ac Humanitati Reservespital Brcko Belgrad 1915. Another Gurschner piece Bottom right: K.u.k. Rekonvaleszenten Sammelstelle Wien, Rotunde 1916-17. Designer K. Sxchwarz marked on the obverse.

More than 30 years ago wen I had started my own now long gone collection of these, it was the sheer endless, always satisfying DIVERSITY of these that caught my attention. When even a Convalescent Collection Point in the rotunda of a public building issued their own "elite pride" unit badge....

Will post more (many more) when I can fit them in.

[Ulsterman]

Very cool. This would make a good "pinned project". These items were 'there" and seemingly, still affordable.

(Sorry-actually, now I look at this close up, that hat badge is a designation, not a tinnie).

Edited May 1, 2009 by Ulsterman

[Ulsterman]

An odd little one:

[Guest Rick Research]

Yup-- for private initiative unofficial unit badges, not regulation insignia.

Some more on a railways theme--

Top left: generic "Eisenbahn Sicherung" by the prolific Gurschner. Top middle: Panzerzug No. IV 1914-1918 Frei vom Feinde die Bahn. Gurschner again Top right: another generic, solid zinky "1914 Eisenbahntruppe 1916"

Bottom left: Weltkrieg K.u.k. Feldtransport Leitung V. 1914-16 (I had the same one 30+ years ago and the world being small, maybe it has come BACK again!) Bottom center: 1914 KuK Pferdefeldbahn 1917. Another Gurschner Bottom right: K.u.k. Kurier-Posten des A.O.K. 1914-1917. Obverse has designer Kovesdy G. but made by... you guessed it-- Gurschner

That one rather makes one think of certain sorts of "pride" parades, these days....

[Guest Rick Research]

Now for some BIG units. Not the badges-- these are all scanned at the same scale to each other (125% at 150dpi)--but big UNIT sizes...

ARMIES!

Top left: Weihnachten im Felde 1914 I. Armee Top right: I. Armee Weihnachten im Felde 1915

Middle left: Winter Feldzug 1914-15 in der Karpathen 2. Armee Viribus Unitis. Gurschner on obverse Middle right: sorry, placed this wrong misreading the number-- 11. Armee (not II.) Tirol 1916. Great design typical of these tiny treasures!

Bottom left: Karpathen Durchhalten! 3. Armee 1914-1915. Another Gurschner product. Bottom right: 1915 Vk. Vracar Avala Viribus Unitis 9.Octobr15 Belgrad 3 Armee

[Guest Rick Research]

More ARMIES--

Top left: Feldzug 4. Armee 1914-15 Viribus Unitis. Gurschner--a heavy brass piece. Top middle: 1914 Weltkrieg 1915 Viribus Unitis 5. Armee. Yup, Gurschner again. Top right: VI. Armee 1914. Surprise! Made by G. Hermann, Wien!!!

Bottom left: Karpathen Wacht 1914-1915 Deutsche S?darmee. Reverse credits designer Hptm. Swoboda, but again made by Gurschner. Bottom middle: 1914 Weltkrieg 1915 W FJI Mit Vereinter Kraft! 11. Armee. Bottom right: 1914 Weltkrieg 1915 Viribus Unitis Armee Pflanzer

The designs are usually muted (snipers!!!) but the backs are sometimes bright and... just weird:

:beer:

[Gordon Craig]

Rick,

Great display of these badges. Re the middle row of these badges. In his book on "KAPPENABZEICHEN" Robert Todero translates BAON. as Battalion so perhaps they are for individual battalions whithin a regiment.

Regards,

Gordon

Actually, most of them are "zinkies."

Here are another few--

Top left: F(eld)K(anonen)R(egiment) 15 Weltkrieg 1914-17. Reverse marked to Prof. Madechy in Wien. Top right: S(chwere)H(aubitz)D(???) 6- S(chwere)F(eld)A(rtillerie)R(egiment) 15, 1914 Weltkrieg 1916 by the prolific G. Gurschner of Wien who at least seems to have marked most of the badges which are marked.

Middle-- and these rather confuse me, since they seem to indicate detached battalions from infantry regiments (???)--

Left: KuK 4/81 Inf Baon v Falkenhayn 1917 Middle: 1915-1917 Inf. Baon. X/59. Right: K.u.k. Inftr.-Baon. No. II/5 Gragjenik 27./XI.1914

Bottom left: Patriae Ac Humanitati Reservespital Brcko Belgrad 1915. Another Gurschner piece Bottom right: K.u.k. Rekonvaleszenten Sammelstelle Wien, Rotunde 1916-17. Designer K. Sxchwarz marked on the obverse.

More than 30 years ago wen I had started my own now long gone collection of these, it was the sheer endless, always satisfying DIVERSITY of these that caught my attention. When even a Convalescent Collection Point in the rotunda of a public building issued their own "elite pride" unit badge....

Will post more (many more) when I can fit them in.

Edited May 1, 2009 by Gordon Craig

[Guest Rick Research]

But aside from the British system-- which had zillions of battalions "from" regiments which never served together... X. battalions in a regiment, when 3 was normal?

Here are some Landsturm ones just to show that old and fat and slow could have 'em too--

Top: K.k. Landst. Inf. Baon. No. 75. Designer so small on obverse hard to read even in hand-- Martz (?), Wien.

Middle left: 1916 1917 K.k. Ldst. I. R. 2 Isonzo Front. Another Gurschner piece. Rather difficult to see the complicated microscopic trench battle scene on the dulled obverse surface--easier from the shiiny gilt back. This large badge, atypically, is held on by two feeble bent prongs and not the usual pin. Middle right: Lst. Inf.-Rgt. No. 5. Figure is in incredibly high relief. No clue what the ships offshore and "lightly shelled" urban background indicate about this unit's area of operations.

Bottom left: Landsturm 24 Treue: Wacht. Grampa's got grenades!!! Bottom right: 1914 1917 Landsturm 35. Papa with a small child is rather forelorn as a martial emblem of unit pride! :unsure:

[Guest Rick Research]

On a theme of Ottoman allies:

Left: simply an oddball FOREIGN patriotic one. Top shows a tughra and bottom Arabic script with an Ottoman soldier. Made by Gurschner again. Weird!

Middle: XV. Kais. Osm. Armeekorps across top and then Arabic squiggles again. Gurschner again. This was the only Turkish Corps to serve in Europe during the war, on the Bulgarian-Romanian front. German and Austro-Hungarian units were blended in, perhaps explaining this.

Right:

now we (or at least I ) have a mystery, two mysteries:

1) Cannot make out what the unit designation K.u.k. G. H. D. v. M. 1916 meant. Normally I'd have gone with G(ebirgs) H(aubitz) something or other from the howitzer left foreground...

but since it is under a crescent moon'd star, in a desert aiming past palm trees at the Pyramids of Giza (rather premature imagery!)...

it must have been one of the little units wandering around alongside the German "Pascha" and later "Jilderim" troops in Palestine.

???

[Ian]

Rick,

You are right on the money with your 'guess' about the k.u.k. G.H.D. v M. (Kaiserlich und Konigliche Gebirgshaubitzdivision von Marno) This particular badge is associated with von Marno and the mountain artillery group he led. I have a translated copy of a diary associated with this group during their time in Palestine.

I believe that the 'X' in the X/59 stands for the 10th March (or replacement) battalion of the 59 Infantry Regiment.

Great badges by the way and I am envious of a couple that you have and I don't

Ian

[Guest Rick Research]

:Cat-Scratch: Ahhhhhhh

1) D = Division (the Russians called Battalion that too) (not up on Hapsburg unit nomenclature)

2) Soooooo.... mountain artillery in the desert..... some genius thought THAT up!

I suppose what it was must have been: little LIGHT guns, packed on mules... so actually NOT as completely insane as it first seems. I have a very nice group to the mechanic of a Bavarian 37mm pom-pom platoon that wandered across the Sinai and over the Suez with Baron Kress's expedition, and they were used as "flat fire" artillery for precisely that reason: portability.

Thanks! Any clue what the most enamelled one was in the first post?

More tomorrow. They've all been pinned in very deep cases and I can't even read what many of them are (dull finishes) until I remove them for scanning.

Major Adolf Marno von Eichenhorst? I've always wondered if these little badges were entirely paid for out of the CO's pocket, or if the officers had a whip around... or even if the other ranks were asked to cough up the cash in advance for what had to have been expensive die work and complicated shipping from Back Home.

[Ian]

Rick,

Exactly right; mules horses and a few camels. The diary, whilst only short, does lists the pack animal death toll amongst other things.

The first lot of enamelled badges are:

VI Korps - Artur Arz von Straussenburg

8 Kavallerie Truppe Division (the truppe disignation was drop some time around late 1916 early 1917 and so it would have become 8KD in lieu 8KTD)

Reitende Artllerie Division 8, Batterie No. 4 (Horse Artillery Division)

The remaining three are for Infantry Regiments; IR 68, IR 78 and IR 85

I hope that answers your question.

Ian

[Guest Rick Research]

Indeed! Battery 4 had some Schillings to fling around! Many thanks and... will be posting many many more. Probably half of what is left are artillery, but some oddball and Mysterious Stuff still. (Not many, but at least one Cryptic Abbreviation in Hungarian! )

Thanks! Rick

[Guest Rick Research]

Last one for tonight-- a miscellany:

Top left: 40. Honved Tabori Tarackos Ezred (obviously mountain artillery regiment from the design) Top right: 1914/17 M.K. 22 H. Gy. E. which is Roy. Hung. 22 Honved Inf. Rgt (I think)

Middle left: Kuk Ers(atz !!! for the CADRE???) Komp f?r Wachdienste d. Heeres d. M.(ilt?r) K.(ommendantur or -ommando?) Lemberg which is interesting since despite the "watch service" designation, the little tiny men are digging trenches-- LABOR unit! Middle center: Lovcen-Stiftung (???) des K.u.k. Milit?r Gouvernement in Montenegro 10 Jan 1916. Middle right: Elektro Baon 1915 Weltkrieg 1918 (as if there was only ONE ??!!)

Bottom left: K.u.k. Hus.(aren) Regt. No. 11 Ferdinand I K?nig v. Bulgarien 1914-16 (cheapo didn't spring for anthing better!) Bottom right: AEIOU 15. ( Ohhhhhhhkay. Some cavalry regiment 15 from the helmet....)

[Ian]

Rick,

Another set of very nice badges.

You are correct in the Honved Infantry Regiment 22 badge.

Bottom right belongs to Dragoon regiment 15. The AEIOU is the initials for the official Austrian state motto (Latin). Unfortuantely I don't know what the motto is. Anyone ?

Ian

[Iver]

Austria Erit In Orbe Ultima

Edited May 2, 2009 by Iver

[Gordon Craig]

Gentlemen,

As an aside, the letters seen on the Kappenabzeichen are still used today on the arm shield of the Maria Theresa Military Academy in Austria.

Regards,

Gordon

[Guest Rick Research]

Groups and Corps:

Top left: Heeresgruppe Mackensen 1916-1917 Feldzug gegen Rum?nien (Gurschner) Top middle: Heeresgruppe B?hm Ermolli Wel Krieg Top right: Heeresgruppe GO Erzherzog Eugen 1916. (Gurschner)

Middle left: Karpathen Korps Hoffmann 1914-1915 Middle center: Brueckenkopf Iwangorod 19 5/VIII 15. Middle right: Heeresgruppe Landro 1916 (I had one of these in my yout' too-- Landriano in Italy, and Archduke Eugen's nameless bust)

Bottom left: III 1917 Eisernes Korps Bottom middle: 1916 21. Korps (designed by a Ltn. ... whose name is under the catch on this one. Gurschner again) Bottom right: XII. Corps Lemberg-Chyrow Pilica-Bug-Szczara Jankow-Prusiecko Iwangorod Branowiczy. Affixed by bent prongs and not a pin.

[Guest Rick Research]

Artillery units on a theme of "flat designs"

Top left: Kaiser-Regiment 15 cm. schw. Haub. Batt. No. 45 Top right: Fest.(ungs) Art. Regt. No. 1 15 cm. schw. Haub. Batt. 59

Bottom left: Ldw. Feld-Kan. Reg. Nr. 13 (designer F. Planegger on obverse and maker "TB" in a shield on solid reverse) Presumably the sky was once a more lifelike color paint. Bottom right: Batterie 3 Reserve Feld Kanonen Rgt G12 (for Gebirgs 12 or ???)

Having one eye and always having been near-sighted, these MICROSCOPIC designs are fascinating. Wouldn't have been visible beyond the wearer's shoulder, but....

[Guest Rick Research]

Two extremes:

Infantry Regiment 37, which was so corroded with "Zinkpest" before I gave it a good scrubbing that couldn't even tell what it WAS! Joska Baka IR 37. 1914-1918. Bare traces of a silver flashed finish remain.

versus the panoramic epic that was Infantry Regiment 100 (all of these are at the same scale)

Maybe twice same scale for a little better appreciation of microscpic die cutting artistry:

This one manages to mention every commander from the regimental on up and all the higher commands. Don't think I need to type out the insription on THIS one! :rolleyes:

[Guest Rick Research]

Some infantry regiments:

Upper left: 1914-1918 Loudon Infanterie (Whatever that name indicates-- no regimental number). This is ALUMINUM, and made by Gebr?der Schneider Wien (still best known for their WW2 Luftwaffe badges) Upper Right: 7 Khevenh?ller Infanterie. Another oddball in solid heavy steel!

Lower left: Franz Josef Otto 17. Inf. Reg. Kronprinz 19 24/XI 16. Made by Gurschner. Lower middle: K.u.k. Infanterie Rgt. No. 21 1914 1916 Bottom right: 23 Inf. Rgt. Markgraf v. Baden 1914 1916 (Gurschner)

[Guest Rick Research]

More infantry regiments:

Upper left: Invaliden Fond IR 61 1914 1916 Serbien Russland Italien (more on this one below) Upper middle: Inf. 75 Rgt. 1914-17 Kote 363 Rawa Ruska-am san an der Szreniawa Karpathen Martynswstary Hodow (Gurschner) Top right: Inf Rgt 84

Left lower: Inf. 96 Rgt. Welt Krieg Costesin Verena Right lower: III/83 III/76 IV/83 Tapfer u. Treu I.R. 106 1918 Piave Batorsag ?s Husec

[Guest Rick Research]

This is probably one of the worst designs I've seen. The dull clay-green color and the microscopic print camouflage each other. The design is shallow and... empty. And who in their right mind thought an invalids' fund made an appropriate cap insignia?