The ''Kaiserjäger'' (officially designated by the
Imperial and Royal
The phrase Imperial and Royal (, ) refers to the court/government of the Habsburgs in a broader historical perspective. Some modern authors restrict its use to the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918.
During that period, it in ...
(''k.u.k.'') military administration as the ''Tiroler Jäger-Regimenter'' or "Tyrolean Rifle Regiments"), were formed in 1895 as four normal
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
regiments within the
Common Army of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
. Despite the name "Tirol" in its title its members were not just recruited from the crown land of
Tyrol
Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
(including
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...
) but also from other parts of the monarchy. The regiments were disbanded in 1918 with the end of the
k.u.k. monarchy. The word ''
Jäger'' (meaning "hunter" or "huntsman") is a characteristic term used for
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
or light infantrymen in a German-speaking context.
Background
The first standing troops in the Tyrol were the native Tyrolese soldiers of the Tyrolean State Battalion (') formed in 1703. This was superseded in 1745 by the Tyrolean Field and State Regiment (''Tiroler Feld- und Landregiment''), which was given the status and
prerogative
In law, a prerogative is an exclusive right bestowed by a government or State (polity), state and invested in an individual or group, the content of which is separate from the body of rights enjoyed under the general law. It was a common facet of ...
s of an imperial
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation.
In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
and went under the regimental number 46. Due to the political situation during the
Napoleonic era
The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and history of Europe, Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly (French Revoluti ...
, the regiment was permanently stationed in
Veneto
Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...
– still Austrian at that time – in 1801, which is why it lost its original name.
As its successor in Tyrol, the 64th Tyrolean Rifles (''Tiroler Jägerregiment Nr. 64'') was established, based on a Tyrolean rifle corps and the
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
of ''Kurz'schen Jäger'' ("Kurz's Rifles"). When Tyrol fell to the
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...
in 1805, the name Tyrolean Rifles was withdrawn. After the return of Tyrol to the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
in 1814, the reorganization of a Tyrolean rifle corps was immediately begun. Initially it consisted of one battalion, but was later expanded to three. The
inhaber
''Inhaber'', or Proprietor, was a term used in the Habsburg military to denote special honors extended to a noble or aristocrat. The Habsburg army was organized on principles developed for the feudal armies in which regiments were raised by a weal ...
of the Rifles was
Feldmarschall-Leutnant Franz Philipp Fenner von Fenneberg (1762–1824), which resulted in the contemporary title of ''Fennerjäger''.
Founding of the regiment
In spring 1815, Emperor
Francis I directed the establishment of a ''Kaiser-Jäger-Regiment'' of four
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
s and 16
companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...
. The formation of this regiment began on 16 Jan 1816. By contrast with the ''Jäger'' troops of Old Austria that were organized into independent ''Feldjäger'' battalions (''
k.u.k. Feldjäger''), this new regiment was the only (Imperial and Royal) ''Jäger'' regiment of the Empire of Austria until 1895 (when the "Great Regiment of Tyrolean Emperor Rifles", or ''Großen Regiments der Tiroler Kaiserjäger'', was split up.
The soldiers of this regiment, whose strength was 5,000 men, were recruited by state conscription (''Konscription'') - until the introduction of general conscription (''Wehrpflicht'') in 1868, their posts were determined by lot - and by the absorption of 1,400 men from the former ''Fennerjägerkorps'' and of 600 Tyrolean soldiers who returned to their homeland after the end of the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
. Initially conscription service was for 12 years; later, this was reduced to 8 years and then 6 years, the pay of the soldiers being commensurate with length of service.
Organisational changes
For 33 years the organization of the regiment remained unchanged until, in 1849, it was restructured into six battalions of four companies and one battalion of six companies. In 1859 an additional 8th battalion was established. In 1863, another reorganization followed; from now on the regiment had six battalions, each of six companies, and a depot battalion, from which a seventh battalion was supposed to be created in time of mobilization.
After the introduction of general conscription (''Wehrpflicht'') in 1868 the regiment comprised seven battalions, seven reserve companies and a battalion recruiting
cadre. In 1880 the regiment was brought up to a strength of ten battalions by the allocation of disbanded ''
Feldjäger battalions.
By 1 May 1895, the strength had been further raised to 16 battalions by the allocation of soldiers from the ''Feldjäger'' corps and the Regiment had been divided into four ''Jäger'' regiments, each of four battalions. The newly formed regiments were given the designation "1st (2nd, 3rd or 4th) Imperial and Royal Tyrolean Rifles (Kaiserjäger)" or ''Kaiserliches und königliches 1., 2., 3., und 4. Tiroler-Jäger-Regiment "Kaiserjäger"''.
The Emperor himself was the Regimental Colonel (or ''
Inhaber
''Inhaber'', or Proprietor, was a term used in the Habsburg military to denote special honors extended to a noble or aristocrat. The Habsburg army was organized on principles developed for the feudal armies in which regiments were raised by a weal ...
''); his second-in-command (''Zweitinhaber'') and the commanding officers were personally appointed by him.
Structure
On 1 May 1895 the 16
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
s of the Tyrolean Jäger Regiment (Emperor Franz Joseph) (''Tiroler Jägerregiment Kaiser Franz Joseph'') were directed to form into 4 regiments that were set up as follows:
* 1st Rifles with its HQ, II, III and IV Battalions in
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
, I Battalion in
Bregenz
Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
* 2nd Rifles with its HQ, I, II and IV Battalions in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, III Battalion in
Brixen
Brixen (; , ; or , ) is a town and communes of Italy, commune in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano.
Geography
Brixen is the third-largest city and oldest town in the province, with a population of nearly twenty-three t ...
* 3rd Rifles with its HQ, III and IV Battalions in
Trient, I Battalion in
Reiff am Gartsee, II Battalion in
Rofreit
* 4th Rifles with its HQ, II, III and IV Battalions in
Lienz, I Battalion in
Hall in Tirol
Hall in Tirol is a town in the Innsbruck-Land district of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Austria. Located at an altitude of 574 m, about 5 km (3 mi) east of the state's capital Innsbruck in the Inn (river), Inn valley, it has a population of 14,77 ...
As a result of the usually frequent moves of the garrisons in Austria-Hungary, the units (official abbreviation TJR for Tyrolean Jäger Regiment) were based in the following towns and cities of the three Tyrolean regions (
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
,
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
and
Welsch Welsch may refer to:
* Georg Hieronymus Welsch (1624–1677), German physician
* Gottfried Welsch (1618–1690), German physician
* Heinrich Welsch (1888–1976), Saarlandic politician
* Henry Welsch (1921–1996), American football and basebal ...
Tyrol) in August 1914:
* 1st Rifles
*:HQ, I, II and IV Battalions in
Trient
*:III Battalion and Recruit Battalion Cadre in
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
(Klosterkaserne)
* Commanding Officer: Colonel
Guido Novak von Arienti
:Field officers: Lieutenant Colonel Paul Gschliesser – Major August Preindlsberger – Major Guido Blaas – Major Emanuel Leuprecht – Major Maximilian Ritter Barth von Barthenau – Major Friedrich Fössl
*2nd Rifles
*:HQ, I and II Battalions in
Bozen
*:III Battalion in
Meran
Merano (, ; ) or Meran () is a (municipality) in South Tyrol, Northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier Va ...
*:IV Battalion and Recruit Battalion Cadre in
Brixen
Brixen (; , ; or , ) is a town and communes of Italy, commune in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano.
Geography
Brixen is the third-largest city and oldest town in the province, with a population of nearly twenty-three t ...
* Commanding Officer: Colonel Alexander Brosch von Aarenau
:Field officers: Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Kreschel Edler von Wittigheim – Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Freiherr von Schleinitz – Lieutenant Colonel Gerhard Scherrer – Lieutenant Colonel Theodor Ritter von Zeynik – Major Erbst Devarda – Major Johann Ritter von Bezard – Major Friedrich Graf Meraviglia-Crivelli
:Feldkurat:
Karl Drexel
*3 Rifles
*:HQ, II, III and IV Battalions in
Rofreit (Jägerkaserne)
*:I Battalion and Recruit Battalion Cadre in
Trient (Kaiserjägerkaserne)
*:One company in
Ala
* Commanding Officer: Colonel Heinrich Vonbank
:Field officers: Lieutenant Colonel Johann Lercher – Lieutenant Colonel Josef Poletilović – Major Ignaz Fürmkranz – Major August Planiseig – Major Franz Bauer – Major Karl Köbe
*4th Rifles
*:HQ, II, III and IV Battalions in
Riva
*:I Battalion and Recruit Battalion Cadre in
Hall in Tirol
Hall in Tirol is a town in the Innsbruck-Land district of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Austria. Located at an altitude of 574 m, about 5 km (3 mi) east of the state's capital Innsbruck in the Inn (river), Inn valley, it has a population of 14,77 ...
* Commanding Officer: Colonel Ernst Dietrich
:Field officers: Colonel Ludwig Abendorf – Lieutenant Colonel: Lorenz Covin – Lieutenant Colonel Rudolf Ritter von Kriegshaber – Lieutenant Colonel August Fischer vom See – Major Karl Kreiner – Major Varius Graf Levaulx Freiherr von Vrécourt
Operational service

The ''Kaiserjäger'' saw operational service at the storming of Casina Fersada on 23 February 1849, the attack on the village of Pregasina on 16 June 1848, the night battle at
Volta on 26 June 1848, capture of a French cannon on 4 June 1859 during the
Battle of Magenta
The Battle of Magenta was fought on 4 June 1859 near the town of Magenta in the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, a crown land of the Austrian Empire, during the Second Italian War of Independence. It resulted in a French-Sardinian victory under ...
, the storming of Oliosi on 24 June 1866, and the storming of the
insurgents' position in Kremenac on 21 October 1878 during the occupation of
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and
Herzegovina
Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...
.
In addition to military combat operations, the ''Kaiserjäger'' were also involved in the expansion of military as well as civil infrastructure. They are reputed to have laid the ''
Kaiserjägersteig'' road from
Levico Terme (Löweneck) in the
Sugana Valley in the 1870s and 1880s. that runs across the plateau of
Lusern and the
Seven Communities and ends at Malga Monterovere (1,255 m).
During the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the four regiments fought with heavy losses, first in Galicia and the Carpathians against Russia, until they were deployed on the plateau of the Seven Communities
Trient and at
Isonzo after the start of fighting on the Italian front.
The
orders shown in the illustration and handwritten notes of a ''Kaiserjäger'' sergeant (''Zugsführer'') bear witness to the operations of the unit during the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
:
This ''Kaiserjäger'' (later
Alpine Company or, ''Hochgebirgs-Kompanie'', No. 30) fought:
* in
Galicia
* in the
Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains ...
* at
Col di Lana
* at Monte Piano
* on the plateau of the
Seven Communities (Lafraun/Lavarone)
* at
Monte Pasubio
* in the
Sexten Dolomites
* at
Ortler
* on the Hoher Schneid (Ortler Massif)
* at the Tonale Pass (Adamello – Presanella Massif)
* at the Cima Presena (Adamello – Presanella Massif)
* and at the Busazza (
Adamello –
Presanella Massif)
For that he was awarded the following honours:
* the Silver
Medal for Bravery, 1st class
* the Silver Medal for Bravery, 2nd class
* the Bronze Medal for Bravery
* the
Karl Troop Cross
* the
Wound Medal for being wounded once (on 20 September 1918 at Zigolon – Adamello-Presanella)
* the Medal of Honour of the
County of Tyrol
The (Princely) County of Tyrol was an Imperial State, estate of the Holy Roman Empire established about 1140. After 1253, it was ruled by the House of Gorizia and from 1363 by the House of Habsburg. In 1804, the County of Tyrol, unified with th ...
to its defenders
The ''Kaiserjäger'' were not mountain troops, but regular infantry. These well-trained peacetime soldiers were regularly sacrificed during the campaign in
Galicia and could not be replaced to the same extent. In the
Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive the 2nd Rifles lost almost 80% killed, wounded and missing - on 2 and 3 May 1915 alone they lost 26
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 about 600
NCOs and
men
A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy.
Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the fa ...
. The 4th Rifles lost 1,300 men over these two days.
In the autumn of 1915, the ''Kaiserjäger'' and ''
Landesschützen'' were transferred to the
Italian Front in order to support the despairing ''
Standschützen'' militia and small numbers of regular forces defending Italian attacks and to assist in stabilizing the front.
A higher percentage (about 40%) of the ''Kaiserjäger'' were soldiers from Trient (i.e. they were Welsch Tyrolese). The rest were made up of the Tyrolese and inhabitants from the rest of the
monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...
. Despite the many Italian-speaking ''
Jäger'', there were hardly any
desertion
Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...
s in the fighting against the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
, although it had been assumed in Italy that their "''brothers from the unconquered territories (
irredenta) strive joyfully in the womb of their Mother Italia''" (
Gabriele D'Annunzio). All the greater was the disappointment when the men of Trentino showed no inclination to change sides. On the contrary, the following saying circulated among the Fanti (infantry) and
Alpini in 1916: "''Dio ci liberi degli irredenti!''" ("God deliver us from the unsaved").
Because of the possibility of unrest the 2nd TJR was moved in 1916 with its garrison (and the recruit battalion
cadre) to
Beneschau in
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
.
Dress
The uniforms of the ''Jäger'' units were the same, except in minor details. A hat made of matte black, waterproof
felt
Felt is a textile that is produced by matting, condensing, and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic fiber, acrylic or acrylonitrile or ...
served as the parade headdress. It consisted of a crown and brim adorned with a circular, green cord, the ''Jäger'' emblem and a plume of black rooster feathers. The hat cord was made of sheep's wool, and had a button and an acorn covered with a green wool. The two acorns were attached to the rear part of the crown. The cord for officers was made of black and gold thread.
The crown was in the shape of an oval cone, with a moderately sized dent in the top. The brim was flat in front and behind, but turned up at both sides. The edge of the brim was edged with black, lacquered calfskin.
On the left hand side of the crown was a rearward sloping pocket made of hat felt for attaching the feathers. The hat emblem - of gold coloured metal - consisted of the hunter's horn. In the centre of the coil, the ''Kaiserjäger'' troops had the
Tyrolean eagle made of nickel-silver. This emblem was fastened above the hat feather pocket, such that the eagle was at the same angle as the plume. The plume was tied up in the form of a rooster tail on a 1.5 mm thick piece of iron wire. The length of the plume was 29 cm. The plume was inserted into the pocket on the hat, so that the feathers hung towards the rear in an arch.
On the march the ''Kaiserjäger'' wore the
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
field cap.
The
tunic
A tunic is a garment for the torso, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. It might have arm-sleeves, either short or full-length. Most forms have no fastenings. The name deri ...
(''
Waffenrock'') of the ''Jäger'' was – for officers and men – cut in the same style as the line infantry. The other ranks' coat was made of pike gray cloth and had grass-green
epaulettes, shoulder trim, collar and cuffs. The buttons for all regiments were yellow and marked with the battalion number.
The short plain jackets worn by the ''Jägers'' for active service and ordinary duties, were of the same colour as the tunics with grass-green gorget patches to indicate their arm of service. Their remaining items of dress were no different from those of the
ordinary infantry.
Trousers were of pike grey cloth and cut long in accordance with the regulations for German regiments. The trousers of the officers had grass-green
lampasses; NCOs and other ranks had grass-green
piping
Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid.
Industrial process piping (and accomp ...
along the side seam.
Pike grey
Apart from the headdress, the most distinctive feature of the Kaiserjäger uniform was the base color of "pike grey" (''Hechtgrau''). This color (which was of a greyer shade than the light blue shown in illustrations on this page) had distinguished the
jäger regiments of the
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
n (and subsequently
Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
) armies from 1801 until 1915. In 1908 it had been adopted as the universal color of the new field service uniform adopted for most of the army except the cavalry, except for the cavalry.
''Kaiserjäger'' and ''Kaiserschützen''
The ''Kaiserjäger'' were often confused with the Tyrolean ''
Kaiserschützen'', who belonged to the ''
k.k. Landwehr'', and were part of the regular armed forces of Austria-Hungary. The confusion arose from the decree of April 1917, in which Emperor
Charles I granted the title ''Kaiserschützen'' to the Tyrolean
state rifles. (The state rifles, known as ''Landesschützen'' or ''Kaiserschützen'', were mountain troops and wore a different uniform.)
Ranks
One curiosity of the rifle troops was that the private soldier was called a ''Jäger'' (rifleman, literally "hunter") whereas the lowest NCO's rank was that of ''Unterjäger'' (''unter'' normally meaning "under" or "below").
Monuments
Monuments to the fallen Kaiserjägers were erected in
Bregenz
Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
and in the
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
district of Amras during the First World War and in the interwar period. The Kaiserjäger monument in
Bolzano
Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...
, which was created by Karl Ernstberger in 1917/18 but not completed, was demolished by the Italian fascist regime in 1926/27 to make room for the
Bolzano Victory Monument.
[Sabrina Michielli, Hannes Obermair (eds): ''BZ ’18–’45: ein Denkmal, eine Stadt, zwei Diktaturen. Begleitband zur Dokumentations-Ausstellung im Bozener Siegesdenkmal.'' Vienna-Bozen/Bolzano: Folio Verlag 2016. , p. 80–3.] The sculptures of the former Bolzano monument, which were designed by Franz Ehrenhöfer, can now be found at the
Bergisel in Innsbruck.
Tradition
In order to maintain the tradition of the ''Jäger'', in 2000 the annual officer cadet intake at the
Theresian Military Academy in Vienna's Neustadt was given the title ''Kaiserjäger''. In 2004, the 82 graduates of the course joined the
Austrian Armed Forces as professional officers.
Footnotes
Literature
* Anton Graf Bossi-Fedrigotti: ''Kaiserjäger – Ruhm und Ende''. Leopold Stocker Verlag, Graz, 1977
* E. Wißhaupt: ''Die Tiroler Kaiserjäger im Weltkrieg 1914–1918'' (2 vols., 1935 and 1936)
* Generalmajor Kasimir Freiherr von Lütgendorf: ''Die historische Entwicklung des Landesverteidigungswesens, der Kaiserjäger und Landesschützen'', Vienna, 1914
* Bernhard Wurzer: ''Tirols Heldenzeit'', Innsbruck, 1959
*
k.u.k. Kriegsministerium: „Dislokation und Einteilung des k.u.k Heeres, der k.u.k. Kriegsmarine, der k.k. Landwehr und der k.u. Landwehr“ in: Seidels kleines Armeeschema – pub.: Seidel & Sohn, Vienna, 1914
* Haager, Christian et al.: Tiroler Kaiserjägerbund: Tiroler Kaiserjäger seit 1816 – die Geschichte der Tiroler Eliteregimenter; Gründung – Einsätze – Ausrüstung / herausgegeben von Tiroler Kaiserjägerbund und Alt-Kaiserjägerclub Innsbruck; Innsbruck, 1991 and Cremona, 1996²
* Huter, Franz: Ein Kaiserjägerbuch 1 – Die Kaiserjäger und ihre Waffentaten. Innsbruck: self pub. by the Bergisel Museum, 1980
* Huter, Franz: Ein Kaiserjägerbuch 2 – Kurzgeschichte des Bergiselmuseums – Innsbruck: self pub. by the Bergisel Museum, 1985
* Jakoncig, Guido: Tiroler Kaiserjäger im Weltkrieg. – Innsbruck: Wagner, 1935
* Potschka, Ludwig: Geschichte des Tiroler Jäger-Regiments Kaiser Franz Joseph – Innsbruck: Wagner, 1885 (4 vols.)
* Raschin Edler von Raschinfels, Karl: Die Einser-Kaiserjäger im Feldzug gegen Rußland: 1914–1915; Extract from the diary of the regimental adjutants – edited by Karl Raschin Edler von Raschinfels; Bregenz: Teutsch, 1935.
* Schemfil, Viktor: Das k.u.k. 3. Regiment der Tiroler Kaiserjäger im Weltkriege 1914–1918 – edited by Viktor Schemfil based on the wartime documents of the regiments; Bregenz: Teutsch, 1926.
External links
Die Tiroler Kaiserjäger ("The Tyrolean Kaiserjäger")
Österreich-Ungarns bewaffnete Macht 1900-1914 ("Austria-Hungary's Armed Power 1900–1914")The Kaiserjäger Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imperial and Royal Kaiserjager
Kaiserjager
Infantry units and formations