Gemeiner (pl. Gemeine, en: private or soldier [1] ) was until 1918 the common designation to soldier(s) in the Austro-Hungarian Army (k.u.k. Army) and German Army. In line to the particular branch of service it contained the rank file as follows:
Designation | Austria-Hungary | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank insignia | ||||||||||
Rank description | Husar | Infantrist | Jäger | |||||||
Branch | Cavalry | Infantry | Mountain infantry | |||||||
(English) | (Hussar only) | (Infantryman) | (Rifleman) | |||||||
Jäger is a German military term referring to specific light infantry units.
The Grande Armée was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empire to exercise unprecedented control over most of Europe. Widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest fighting forces ever assembled, it suffered catastophic losses during the disastrous Peninsular War followed by the invasion of Russia in 1812, after which it never recovered its strategic superiority and ended in total defeat for Napoleonic France by the Peace of Paris in 1815.
The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army, was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army, the Imperial-Royal Landwehr and the Royal Hungarian Honvéd.
A facing colour, also known as facings, is a common tailoring technique for European military uniforms where the visible inside lining of a standard military jacket, coat or tunic is of a different colour to that of the garment itself. The jacket lining evolved to be of different coloured material, then of specific hues. Accordingly, when the material was turned back on itself: the cuffs, lapels and tails of the jacket exposed the contrasting colours of the lining or facings, enabling ready visual distinction of different units: regiments, divisions or battalions each with their own specific and prominent colours. The use of distinctive facings for individual regiments was at its most popular in 18th century armies, but standardisation within infantry branches became more common during and after the Napoleonic Wars.
The Imperial-Royal or Imperial Austrian Army was the armed force of the Habsburg monarchy under its last monarch, the Habsburg Emperor Francis II, composed of the Emperor's army. When the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, it assumed its title of the troops of the Austrian Empire under the same monarch, now known as Emperor Francis I of Austria.
Korporal is the German and Danish spelling of the English corporal. Korporal is used in a number of armed forces as the lowest rank of the non-commissioned officers group. However, in the German Bundeswehr, it is considered a high enlisted personnel rank. In Switzerland the rank is used in the Fire Department as well.
The Common Army 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 elements being the Imperial-Royal Landwehr and the Royal Hungarian Honvéd. However, it was simply known as the Army (Heer) by the Emperor and in peacetime laws, and, after 1918, colloquially called the k.u.k. Armee.
The Royal Hungarian Honvéd or Royal Hungarian Landwehr, commonly known as the Honvéd, was one of the four armed forces of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918, along with the Austrian Landwehr, the Common Army and the Imperial and Royal Navy. The term honvéd was used to refer to all members of the Hungarian land forces in 1848-49, but it was also used to refer to enlisted private soldiers without a rank.
The Imperial and Royal Infantry was an arm of the Common Army of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and comprised two elements:
Stabswachtmeister is in the Austrian Bundesheer a NCO-rank. As lowest grade of the Staff-NCO rank group he is normally dedicated to command a platoon or to serve in a military staff appointment. However, he might also be assigned to command a military squad.
Bootsmannsmaat was, in the Austro-Hungarian Navy (1786-1918), an enlisted rank and, in the Imperial German Navy, a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank.
This article deals with the rank insignia of the Austro-Hungarian Army, as worn by the Austro-Hungarian Army after the reorganisation in 1867 until 1918.
Stabsarzt, in English Staff Surgeon, is a military commissioned officer rank in German speaking armed forces. In the German Bundeswehr and the former Wehrmacht and Reichswehr, it describes a qualified or licensed surgeon or dentist who practises military medicine, with a rank equal to captain in the army and the air force or lieutenant in the navy. In the Austrian and Swiss armies, the rank is Hauptmann.
Oberarzt, literally meaning "senior physician," in English known as first lieutenant (Dr.), was a military commissioned officer rank in the Austro-Hungarian Common Army until 1918, and in the German Reichswehr and Wehrmacht until 1945.
Adjustierung is any uniform of the Austrian armed forces. It is derived from the German (Austrian) verb adjustieren. Another historical term used for military uniforms, e.g. in the Austro-Hungarian Army (1867–1918), was Montur, and in the Prussian Army Montierung.
Patrouilleführer was a military rank of the k.u.k. Austro-Hungarian Army (1867–1918). It might be comparable to enlisted men OR2/ Private 1st class ranks in Anglophone armed forces.
Infanterist – was the designation to the lowest private rank of infantry, the biggest armed forces branch of the common Austro-Hungarian Army from 1867 to 1918.
The Paroli was initially the designation for the coloured gorget patches of the Austro-Hungarian Army. It is applied on the gorget of a uniform coat or jacket and the battle-dress blouse. The Parolis indicated the egalisation colour and served as discrimination criteria of the 102 infantry regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Army, as well as dragoon regiment and the regiment of the uhlans. In other German-speaking armed forces, the designation was called Kragenpatte, Kragenspiegel, or Arabesque.
The military ranks of the German Empire were the ranks used by the military of the German Empire. It inherited the various traditions and military ranks of its constituent states.
The Imperial Austrian Army formed the land forces of the Austrian Empire. It arose from the remains of the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor after its dissolution and in 1867 was reformed into the Common Army of Austria-Hungary and the Imperial-Royal Landwehr after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. In addition to the army, there was also the Austrian Navy. The army took part in the Napoleonic Wars until 1815, the First Italian War of Independence, the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Second Italian War of Independence, the Second Schleswig War, the Third Italian War of Independence and the Austro-Prussian War. Notable generals were Josef Radetzky, Karl Philipp of Schwarzenberg, Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, Frederick Bianchi and Julius von Haynau.