Austro Hungarian Uniforms

[Pralea]

I recently started to have an interest in Austro -Hungarian uniforms and i can recognize a cavalry uniform (the saber, the shoulder  cord ). I can also recognize the collar badges, but i can see any deference between artillery and infantry. Can anybody tell me what are the main difference in uniform? For exemple the form of the collar or the type of their boots          

Edited May 1, 2020 by Pralea

[Paul R]

Sounds like an interesting topic.  Maybe someone can assist?

[Bayern]

Hello Paul R ,I can assist .

[Pralea]

[Bayern]

 Hello Pralea , the man portrayed in the photo is a Officer of the Austro Hungarian Army ,a Oberleutnant . he wears the Field Grey uniform introduced in late 1915 . the colour of the collar patches is impossible to determine but the cut of the jacket suggests Infantry . The Austrian Army comprised three entities . The Common Army , The Hungarian Honved and the Austrian Landwehr . the Hungarian Honved used slate grey colour collar patches .perhaps your man belonged to some Regiment of the Honved 

[Pralea]

Thank you very much! 

artillerie ingenieur-assistant ????

[Bayern]

Pralea , Yes ,if you observes closely the rank stars on the collar patch you will find this stars different of the stars of the Oberleutnant in the first pic. because they are Rosettes , the type of stars used by Officials , beamten , Civilians with Officer consideration . 

[Pralea]

Thank you very much!

[Pralea]

Hello, So black fur collar are Husar and gray Ulan. They are the only ones that were this type of collar?

the last one (black fur collar) has a infantry shoulder strap and also the cut of the uniform doesn't look like cavalry and no long boots.   

[Bayern]

Pralea , The man in the first photo is apparently a cavalryman . he wears the field cap without peak and the Pelzulanka . which replaced the Pelisses of Dragoons and Uhlans in 1916. it was Field Grey in colour without coloured cuffs , the fur of the collar must had been black but in the practice it varied much . the man on the photo carries Cavalry sabre with a antiquated portepee NCO type . he wears ankle boots and putees but no spurs and these fact is strange. notably his Pelzulanka appears deprived of the yellow and black cords used to close the fur collar . the other man to my judge is not Austrian , Romanian or inclusive Serbian .perhaps . regarding the colour of the early war Cavalry pelisses fur . by 1914 it was black for all . Hussars weared until 1909 white fur ,but at the beggining of the war black was uniform 

[Pralea]

Thank you very much, Bayern!!! The second one is quite strange. The field cap without peak  was exclusive for  cavalry and artillery?  

  

[Pralea]

[Bayern]

The peakless cap was of regulation for Cavalry , mounted Artilley ,Remount, and Train . but during the War many others used to wear the peakless cap . usually Officers. 

[Pralea]

Thanks, Simi!

[Pralea]

Could be the same guy?

[Pralea]

On 18/07/2020 at 05:12, Simius Rex said:

I'm fairly certain that the guy standing with his wife is a Magyar Királyi Csendőr szakaszvezető (Royal Hungarian Gendarmerie corporal) wearing a qualification badge for a csendőr járőrvezető (patrol leader.) 

Beleive it or not, the rank of corporal of the gendarmerie was actually "csendőr" and not "szakaszvezető" which was a bit confusing because ANY member of the Hungarian gendarmerie was also called a csendőr, regardless of rank. 

The stripes on his lower left sleeve are service stripes.  Each thin stripe represents 3 years of service and the thick stripe represents "long service" which I believe is either 5 or 7 years, but it's been so long that I don't remember the exact number. 

I found an interesting photo of a group of Hungarian csendőrs on the internet as well as a photo of a csendőr patrol leader's badge.  Simi.    

Austrian Gendarmerie?

[Pralea]

14230-MMSM-Clisee-Sticla-Colectia-Pipas_011.tif

[Pralea]

The picture was taken in Maramureş (Máramaros) and indeed it is an aria were the majority of the population was not hungarian 

[GdC26]

5 hours ago, Simius Rex said:

I have enlarged your close-up picture of the collar (see picture below) and what I see is quite astonishing.  I have never seen such a device on a K.u.K collar tab before.  It looks like a leaf with some berries clustered around the lower stem.  I must check my reference books to find out what this could represent.  In the meantime, I have posted a picture of the Gendarmerie's collar tabs in the period of the Austro-Hungarian Empire below. 

There were sub-branches of the Royal Hungarian Gendarmerie that were responsible for patroling areas within the Kingdom of Hungary where the population had non-Hungarian speaking residents.  A few examples include:  the Horvát-Szlovén Csendőrség (Croatian/Slovenian Gendarmerie Division) the Bosznia-Herczegovina Csendőrség, and the Erdély Csendőrség (Siebenburgen Gendarmerie Division) so maybe this unusual rank-device that looks like a laurel leaf with berries is from one of those branches under the command of the Royal Hungarian Gendarmerie.  Honestly, I am realy not sure.   

Simi.

Very interesting post Simi, thanks for this.

[Pralea]

How can i tell if this guy is cavalry or artillery?  

[GdC26]

2 hours ago, Simius Rex said:

Thank you, Sandro.  I also find it very interesting when I see something I have never seen before.  Have you ever seen the unusual rank-device on the gendarm's collar tabs above??  I will continue trying to find-out exactly what a laurel leaf with berries with on an NCO's braided parolin represents, but maybe somebody here knows what it is.  I am speculating, that since the portrait was taken in Máramaros, Transylvania, and that there existed a Transylvanian Gendarmerie Division of the Royal Hungarian Gendarmerie, that MAYBE this gendarm was a member of that unit.  This is, of course, only speculation.  Simi.   

Pleasure Simi. Like you, I've never seen it - but if time permits this weekend I'll take out the books and if I find anything I'll share it here. Sandro

[Pralea]

         

15 hours ago, Simius Rex said:

I don't know where you are finding all these nice portraits, but most of these guys (or maybe even all of them) look Hungarian !!

I work in a museum, i also teach history, but obviously austro-Hungarian uniforms is not my speciality. I recently developed a interest in ww1 uniforms and this site helped me a lot. Can you suggest some serios books on this subject?

Edited July 24, 2020 by Pralea

[Bayern]

Simius , In the Hungarian Kingdom and it includes Transylvania until 1918 the oakleaf with acorns was the collar badge of Foresters either State ones or those of the private properties . Noble or not Landowners or in some cases villages or towns who owned Forests . the most common were the silver or silvered oakleafs .