The Alpine companies (german: Hochgebirgskompanien) were specialized mountain infantry troops that were part of the
Austro-Hungarian land forces during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
History
Because normal forces could not be employed on reconnaissance and combat tasks in the high mountains of the Alps, in 1916 Alpine ''Streif'' companies (''Streifkompanien'') were established. They were renamed in 1917 to ''Hochgebirgskompanien'' ("Alpine companies" or, literally "high mountain companies"). The members of these
companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
represented all the
ethnic group
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
s of the
monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...
together. They all had previous Alpine experience, either as a result of their agricultural experience or as Alpine tourists before the war, and were specifically trained for fighting in the mountains. The specially selected
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
s and men of the mountain companies were issued with Alpine equipment, and were intended, and in practice were able, to overcome natural obstacles even in the most difficult terrain.
Mission
The mission of this specialist force (or ''Schwarm'') was to secure and maintain climbing paths and routes in high-Alpine terrain, as well as to make
military supply
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
routes practicable. For this, they were equipped with wire cables, rope ladders, iron bars and other equipment.
Organisation
An Alpine company was divided into a company HQ, three rifle
platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
s and a machine gun platoon equipped with two
07/12 machine guns, three to four mountain guide patrols, two telephone patrols and a technical section.
The replacement of personnel came from the units available in the respective branch of the army. Those battle casualty replacement battalions (''Ersatzbataillone'') from which the majority of the men in the individual companies originated, were designated as a replacement cadres; as a result they could be units in the
Common Army
The Common Army (german: Gemeinsame Armee, hu, Közös Hadsereg) as it was officially designated by the Imperial and Royal Military Administration, was the largest part of the Austro-Hungarian land forces from 1867 to 1914, the other two eleme ...
or the ''
k.k. Landwehr''.
Equipment
The personal equipment of a soldier in the Alpine companies consisted of:
rucksack
A backpack—also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, rucksac, pack, sackpack, booksack, bookbag or backsack—is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders ...
,
alpenstock
An alpenstock (german: Alpen- "alpine" + "stick, staff") is a long wooden pole with an iron spike tip, used by shepherds for travel on snowfields and glaciers in the Alps since the Middle Ages. It is the antecedent of the modern ice axe.
Frenc ...
,
snowshoe
Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...
s (''Schneereifen''), snow goggles, mountaineering boots, ''Krötteln'' (
crampon
A crampon is a traction device that is attached to footwear to improve mobility on snow and ice during ice climbing. Besides ice climbing, crampons are also used for secure travel on snow and ice, such as crossing glaciers, snowfields and ice ...
s) and, in accordance with regulations of 1918 for the equipment and clothing in mountain warfare: a pair of ten-pointed
crampons
A crampon is a traction device that is attached to footwear to improve mobility on snow and ice during ice climbing. Besides ice climbing, crampons are also used for secure travel on snow and ice, such as crossing glaciers, snowfields and ice ...
, full
ski
A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...
equipment,
avalanche cord, a pair of shoe covers, a pair of
overmitts, a
windcheater
A windbreaker, or a windcheater, is a thin fabric jacket designed to resist wind chill and light rain, making it a lighter version of the jacket. It is usually of lightweight construction and characteristically made of a synthetic material. A ...
, windproof trousers and a
snowsuit or – in its absence – a snow jacket.
The Alpine companies were among the most highly decorated units of the
imperial forces
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texas ...
. Several members were awarded the
Military Order of Maria Theresa
The Military Order of Maria Theresa (german: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden; hu, Katonai Mária Terézia-rend; cs, Vojenský řád Marie Terezie; pl, Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy; sl, Vojaški red Marije Terezije; hr, Vojni Red Marije Te ...
, for example,
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
Peter Scheider of the 17 Alpine Coy for the capture of the Monticello Ridge on the
Tonale Pass
Tonale Pass ( it, Passo del Tonale) (el. 1883 m./6178 ft.) is a high mountain pass in northern Italy across the Rhaetian Alps, between Lombardy and Trentino.
It connects Valcamonica and Val di Sole. It is delimited by the Ortler Al ...
(together with the 28 Coy under
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
Toni Kaaserer) in the summer of 1918 during
Operation Avalanche
Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but ...
(''Unternehmen Lawine'').
See also
*
Imperial-Royal Mountain Troops
The Imperial-Royal Mountain Troops (german: Kaiserlich-königliche Gebirgstruppe) were founded in 1906 as part of the Austrian Landwehr, the territorial army of the Cisleithanian half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As a result, the abbreviation " ...
Literature
* "Truppendienst", Austrian Federal Army, Chapter 292, Issue 4/2006.
{{Military of Austria-Hungary
Austro-Hungarian Army
Military history of Austria-Hungary
Mountain troops