Looking for help

[stephen]

Gentlemen,

I looking for help in respect of an officer of the Imperial Austrian officer Oberst Joseph Traxler von Schrollheim Uhlanen-Regiment Kaiser Franz Joseph. The gentleman in question is a my wife's great grand father. We have very little to go on a photo which I will post later and that's about it.

My wife's family were expelled from the Czech republic at the end of WWII and moved to upper Bavaria. There seems to have been some amalgamation between Joseph and my wife's Grandfather Franz who has the unwieldy, and I think/thought improbable title of Ritter Franz landwehr von Wehrheim-Traxler von schrollheim. I say thought because thought because though there is nothing really to substantiate there are now little pieces of information filtering through that seem to give it more credence than I first thought.

So my question is have you heard of this man, regiment or know anything about it that might be able to sign post me to fresh evidence. I have done some fairly extensive searches on the net But would welcome any input. As I say I will post and image of the gentleman in question in the next few days. Thank you in anticipation of your help or suggestions

[Mike Dwyer]

Gentlemen,

I looking for help in respect of an officer of the Imperial Austrian officer Oberst Joseph Traxler von Schrollheim Uhlanen-Regiment Kaiser Franz Joseph. The gentleman in question is a my wife's great grand father. We have very little to go on a photo which I will post later and that's about it.

I found a website, located at http://www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk/regcomm79.htm, that lists Austro-Hungrian Army regimental commanders from the year 1879. The list shows the commander of 6. Uhlanen-Regiment Kaiser Franz Joseph being Oberst Joseph Traxler von Schrollheim. That's about all I could find.

[Glenn J]

Stephen,

my own sources regarding the pre 1900 Austrian Army are a little thin. Oberst Joseph Traxler commanded the 6th Uhlans from 1876-1879. As he is still listed as plain Joseph Traxler in Wrede's "Geschichte" it would appear he was enobled around 1879-1880. He is not listed as a commissioned officer or officer cadet in 1848 but appears in the 1859 Schematismus as a Rittmeister 2. Classe in the 9. Uhlanen-Regiment and holder of the Knight's Cross of the Tuscan Saint Stephan's Order. By 1865 he was still serving in the 9. Uhlanen-Regiment and had advanced to the rank of Rittmeister 1. Classe.

He did not command a brigade or higher formation so in all probability retired as an Oberst, possibly a Brevet Major General.

I would suggest an email or a letter to the Austrian War Archives who will most certainly have his records and will provide copies on request:

kapost@oesta.gv.at

Regards

Glenn

Edited February 26, 2006 by Glenn J

[stephen]

Glenn,

That is incredibly helpful and I will most certainly follow up the lead with the Austrian Archives. The book by Werde, is that a contemporary source? Lastly, the rank of Rittmeister equates to exactly what I am assuming an NCO of some sort.

I will publish the image of this gentleman shortly and perhaps that will give you guys something more to go on. Though I must say I am really impressed. The family don't actually know th

[stephen]

Mike,

Thanks for that it is a great website and provided my first start for a hint. Reallly appreciate you looking

Cheers

[Glenn J]

Stephen,

a Rittmeister is a cavalry captain.

Major Alphons Freiherr von Wrede produced the multi-volume work "Geschichte der K.u.K. Wehrmacht" during the period 1898-1905.

Regards

Glenn

[stephen]

Glenn,

Thanks again assumptions a dangerous thing. After posting my reply I was thinking, out loud, that the Imperial Forces were not really models of social mobility-so I should have thought before I wrote.

Anyway my own gross ignorance aside many thanks again.

Kindest regards

Stephen

[stephen]

Glenn,

Please excuse my ignorance but what does the abbreviation K.u.K stand for-I have excellent German and again I would hazard a guess but given my recent track record I thought it better to ask.

Ps My wife was delighted with the information indeed we called my father in law in Munich yesterday to tell him, equally he didn't know about the ennoblement or the order.

[Glenn J]

Stephen,

Kaiserlich und K?niglich (Imperial and Royal).

Regards

Glenn

[stephen]

Glen,

Thanks again

[Glenn J]

Stephen,

a little bit more information from my friend J?rg C. Steiner in Vienna:

Traxler was enobled on the 24th September 1878 and as he appears to have had no children of his own, this heriditary nobility was passed along to his two nephews - Josef and Anton on the 31st July 1879.

In 1879 he went onto half-pay status (Wartegeb?hr) for one year on account of being unfit for service due to illness. In 1881 he definitively retired as an Oberst.

Regards

Glenn

[stephen]

Glenn,

Firstly, let me thank you and Herr Steiner for this information this is most useful and really much ore than I have been able to turn up in the last year.

It is also starting to clarify the muddied waters of my wife's-lets all her Simone-heritage. As mentioned in the original post her family were expelled from Czechoslovakia, the village of Halze nee Hals in about 1947. They were initially settled in Steingarten in Oberbyern and from thence moved to the outskirts of Munich, to be precise the Icking/Ebenhausen. And the that is about as much that I am certain of. My wife's grandfather Franz Hermann was posted as missing in the vicinity of Krivoy Rog during WWII and with him all real authentication of the story is gone.

The family brought very little from Bohemia and those items they brought suggest wealth and status but do not confirm either. They also brought a curious name von Landwehr Wehrheim-Traxler von Schrollheim, in my tiredness on Saturday night I put the first von in the wrong place!, I also suggested that Joseph Traxler was a great grand father were in reality it now appears that he was a great great uncle.

The family story is that Franz Herman Traxler was adopted by the Franz Ritter Von Landwehr Wehrheim. The story, to my mind is iffy, on a number of counts and therefore a mystery and therefore interesting. The family are largely unquestioning recipients though Simone, who is an artist is starting to become more critical. For me not only does it provide an element of intrigue it also helps to place my children in a continuum.

So in short thanks Glenn if I appear vague it because I posted as a whim and did not expect that much information but I am extremely grateful for this and any more you might turn up.

Your truly

Stephen

[Mike Dwyer]

Stephen,

I was just doing some checking on the Internet and I found the name Hugo Ritter von Landwehr-Wehrheim on a Wikipedia article (all written in German which I'm not that great at) about Hals. It appears he owned the schloss there???? The part of the article related to him states:

Am 1. Februar 1887 ?bernahm Hugo Ritter von Landwehr-Wehrheim das Gut und das Schloss, der in diesem Jahr als kaiserlicher Oberst in den Ruhestand trat. Er starb noch im gleichen Jahr in Marienbad. Sein Nachfolger war sein Sohn Franz Ritter von Landwehr-Wehrheim. Zusammen mit seinen beiden Adoptivt?chtern wurde er nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg nach Pappenheim (Bayern) vertrieben, wo der letzte Gutsherr von Hals am 2. August 1949 starb.

I know Wikipedia is not considered the best source by some, but at least this has the last name you mentioned. The article further states that Hugo Ritter von Landwehr-Wehrheim left the schloss to his son, Franz Ritter von Landwehr-Wehrheim.

The full article is at http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal%C5%BEe

[stephen]

Mike,

Thanks for that I had just located that web page at the weekend, I guess it must a new(ish) page, because I have been looking albeit half heartedly for the last couple of years.

as mentioned in my post to Glenn these are the shreds of evidence which are starting to put flesh on this particular story. My father in law has the main source cited for this page the history of Hals but I can only read it when in Muich-not unlike snoopy reading War and Peace a word a day??

Once again thanks and if you have the inclination please keep looking.

[stephen]

Just an additional piece of information another trawl of google turned up an Alain Traxler von Schrollheim born in 1930 serving (assumption) with the French force in Algeria who died in 1956.

Additionally, there is an Elisabeth Traxler von Schrollheim alive and well and living Paris-the plot thickens

[Glenn J]

Stephen,

Anton Traxler von Schrollheim (presumably the nephew as discussed above) was born at Josephstadt in Bohemia on the 10th of August 1864 as the son of a postmaster. He entered the Theresia Military Academy at Wiener-Neustadt in 1882 from which he graduated as a Lieutenant in 1885 in Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 5 Kaiser von Russland. he was promoted to Oberlieutenant on the 1st of May 1889 on transfer to Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 10 F?rst zu Liechtenstein. After attending the War School he was assigned to the General Staff on the 1st of February 1893 and was assigned as a General Staff officer to the 18th Cavalry Brigade in Budapest.

Promoted to Hauptmann 1. Classe on the 1st of May 1896 he was serving in the 8. Galizisches Uhlanen-Regiment as a Rittmeister in 1901. A Major since 1 Nov 1903 he was serving as the Chief of Staff of the 11th Infantry Division at Lemberg in 1904. His promotion to Oberstleutnant was on the 1st of May 1908. He is show in 1909 as the commander of the 1st Division of the 1. Galizisches Ulanen-Regiment. A division was a Half-Regiment. He retired in 1911 and was then employed as a uniformed retired officer (in Lokalverwendung) at the Military Veterinary High School in Vienna where he spent the remainder of his career until 1918. He received a brevet promotion to Oberst (mit Titel and Charakter) sometime after 1916. In 1914 he shown as living at Strohgasse 9 in Vienna's 3rd District.

Regards

Glenn

[stephen]

Glenn,

Once again I am overwhelmed with the depth and thoroughness of the information which you are generating and also immensely grateful.

I am assuming, and that has proved inadvisable in this correspondence, that Anton was born a Traxler ohne Von? Equally, I am assuming that Joseph may have emigrated to France-I am currently pursing this issue separately it seems to much of a coincidence that a Traxler von Schrollheim would turn up on a memorial for the Algerian War dead in Paris?

Further to this Glenn is there any trace to Hugo or Franz von Landwehr Wehrheim in your current resources. Simone's family (paternal side) were the Traxler von Schrollheim's and her grandfather Franz Herman (perhaps Anton's son) seems to have been adopted by Franz von Landwehr.

I am awaiting a copy of the image and now I am beginning to wonder who it is?

Anyway, Glenn thanks again