From the formation of the regiment in the late summer of 1890 to its baptism of fire at the end of August 1914 near Jaroslawice (Poland) to the continuation of the tradition by the Jägerbataillon 12 in Amstetten.
The formation of the regiment
“The Military Ordinance Gazette reports: The Emperor has ordered the formation of a 42nd Cavalry Regiment, which will be established on January 1, 1891 as Dragoon Regiment No. 15.”
(Innsbrucker Nachrichten, August 20, 1890, page 10)
By the end of September 1890, a large number of officers for the Dragoon Regiment No. 15 (DR 15) had already arrived in Wels, where the regiment was formed from parts of the existing Imperial and Royal Cavalry Regiments. cavalry regiments. The assigned recruits came mainly from Lower Austria, Vienna and what is now the Czech Republic. The dislocation changed several times. The regiment came via Enns to Brünn-Gröding, where it was stationed from 1897. The last pre-war transfer to Wiener Neustadt and Traiskirchen took place in November 1907. This transfer was carried out in April 1908 and for this reason the replacement troops were stationed in Wiener Neustadt during the First World War. The DR 15 was the only dragoon regiment with a white collar, which is why they were also known as “the white dragoons”. On December 5, 1890, Emperor Franz Josef appointed a regimental commander: Field Marshal Lieutenant Anton Freiherr von Bechtolsheim, who was famous for his successful cavalry charge at the Battle of Custoz(z)a in 1866. This victory was celebrated annually by the DR 15 as a traditional day. Until the owner’s death on January 25, 1904, the DR 15 proudly bore his name. After that, the regiment was the only dragoon unit without a namesake.
Genesis of the Austrian cavalry troops
By 1848, five different types of cavalry regiments had developed in the Austrian army, which differed in terms of the type of horses and armament. A distinction was made between heavy cavalry (cuirassier and dragoon regiments), which were expected to be decisive in battle, and light cavalry (hussar and Uhlan regiments), which were intended for reconnaissance and outpost duties. There were also chevaux-léger regiments as a middle ground. The war against Prussia in 1866 brought the painful realization that cavalry was increasingly ineffective against the increased firepower of infantry weapons. One consequence of this defeat was the reorganization of the cavalry in the Imperial and Royal Army. Army. Although the 41 cavalry regiments retained their traditional designations (14 Dragoons, 14 Hussars and 13 Uhlans), they were standardized in terms of training, armament and equipment. As the future use as a reconnaissance unit became increasingly important, the cavalry units were at the forefront of training in the telegraph service. From 1895, attempts were made to equip the cavalry with machine-gun sections, so that by 1909, eight cavalry machine-gun sections, each with four machine guns, had been established. Development of Dragoon Regiment No. 15 until the start of the war
Training began as planned and in September 1891, the young DR 15 took part in its first major maneuver in northern Lower Austria. In December of the same year, Archduke Franz Salvator was assigned to the DR 15 as a high-ranking member of the regiment. A major social event was the annual drag hunt, which was organized every spring in the name of the Archduke and the DR 15. Franz Salvator remained assigned to the regiment until February 1912. A particular highlight was the inspection of the regiment by Emperor Franz Josef in 1892, which attracted thousands of visitors to the training ground of the Wels garrison. Until shortly before the start of the war, one-year volunteer courses were held at the regiment at regular intervals in order to increase the number of reserve officers. Every year in August and September, the regiment took part in major maneuvers and military exercises. Selected highlights were:
- In 1902, the regiment took part in a major maneuver in the remote Hungarian lowlands, where both offensive and defensive procedures were practiced.
- The annual participation in the imperial maneuvers from 1906 to 1908 in August and September of the respective year. During the maneuvers in 1909, training focused on cooperation with infantry regiments. The regiment was therefore split into several infantry regiments and performed reconnaissance and patrol duties.
Assistance at a major fire
The DR 15 not only excelled at a military level, it also excelled at providing assistance in the event of accidents. An example of this is the support provided to the fire department during a fire in the garrison town of Gröding. On May 6, 1906, the regiment was able to distinguish itself at a fire in the Gröding brickworks, as not only the fire department was quickly at the scene of the accident. The newspaper “Das Vaterland” reported the following day: “The crew of the local Dragoon Regiment No. 15, led by the commander Major v. Strobel, also took part in the extinguishing and rescue work.”
The deployment in World War 1
All cavalry divisions of the Imperial and Royal Army had the task ofconcealing their own deployment at the start of the war with the Russian Empire. At the beginning of the war with the Russian Empire, all cavalry divisions of the Imperial and Royal Army had the task of concealing and covering their own deployment and at the same time conducting long-range reconnaissance. Together with the Uhlan Regiment No. 13, the DR 15 was subordinate to the 21st Cavalry Brigade, which in turn was subordinate to the 4th Cavalry Division. According to the aforementioned order, it was to conduct long-range reconnaissance from the Brody area (today the city is located in the Ukraine). After completing its mission, the division was withdrawn behind the Bug River. On August 21, 1914, the Dragoon Regiment No. 15 experienced its baptism of fire under the leadership of its commander Colonel Alfred Brosch von Fohraheim. One of the last cavalry battles of the First World War took place near Jaroslawice (south of Brody on the River Strypa), when the regiment’s squadrons, together with parts of the Uhlan Regiment No. 13, encountered three Russian cavalry regiments. The actual battle between the cavalry units lasted only a few minutes, after which the Russian troops were put to flight. However, the accurate fire of the superior enemy artillery prevented further pursuit. Unfortunately, this first combat mission was a very costly one for the DR 15, from which it was only able to recover slowly. The 15 Dragoons also proved their worth in the autumn battles in Galicia, often in dismounted operations, but the regiment’s losses continued to mount. Lieutenant Herbert von Hötzendorf, a son of Field Marshal Conrad von Hötzendorf, is representative of all those who fell during this time of heavy losses. The young officer was mustered into Dragoon Regiment No. 15 on August 18, 1912. Just a few weeks after the start of the war, his young life ended at Rawanowska on September 8, 1914. As foot troops and on horseback, the White Dragoons fought in the Carpathian winter of 1914/15 to prevent the Russian army masses from breaking into the Hungarian lowlands: the defense of the Tylic Saddle (Poland, around 40 kilometers southeast of Neusandez) and the defensive battles at Beliki Priloh. The 4th, 5th and 10th Cavalry Divisions were combined in the Berndt Cavalry Corps and defended the area north of the Carpathian passes. After this winter of hardship, the Dragoon Regiment No. 15 had another opportunity to successfully demonstrate its offensive capabilities in the spring of 1915. As part of the Gorlice-Tarnow offensive (today in Poland), it carried out a dashing attack over the Dukla Pass, Sanok in the direction of Przemysl (eastern Galicia, today Poland). During the capture of the fortress of Przemysl, the 15 Dragoons were at the center of the battle. The then divisional commander of the 4th Cavalry Division, Major General Brandt, was the first general to enter the recaptured fortress on the San. At the end of May 1915, the 4th Cavalry Division was for the first time not under the command of the 3rd Army (which had been transferred to the Italian front), but of the 11th German Army, which was inserted in Galicia between Przemysl and Jaroslau. A particularly costly battle for both sides took place at the end of June near Bukaczowce-Bobrka (Galicia, present-day Poland). In this battle, the breakthrough through the enemy’s positional system was only achieved during a night battle.
In the further course of 1915, the 15 Dragoons were under the command of various cavalry corps and reached the Jasinow Dubie area via Kowel and Roziszcze towards the end of the year. Always involved in fierce battles, the regiment was characterized by a spirited advance and great tenacity. Despite their bravery, however, heavy losses could not be avoided.
By May 1916, the k.u.k. Divisions in the east were increasingly supplied with marching battalions, thus increasing the usability of all troops. As part of the so-called Brussilov Offensive of the Russians, the DR 15 fought mostly infantry in the Luck area. At the beginning of 1917, the regiment was separated from the 4th Cavalry Division and joined the German Southern Army as divisional cavalry. In 1918, it was transported from the east and transferred to the Italian theater of war, where the DR 15 fought until the end of the war in the same autumn. Traditional association in the federal army of the 1st Republic
In the federal army of the 1st Republic, the Burgenland Dragoon Squadron No. 1 took over the maintenance of the DR 15’s traditions. army and the new federal army. On the one hand, the new squadron had the same call signal as the DR 15, and on the other, the traditional associations presented ribbons to the new Dragoon Squadron No. 1, which was set up in Bruck-Neudorf in 1922 and stationed in Neusiedl from August 1923. On July 1, 1936, the squadron was incorporated into the newly formed Dragoon Regiment Prince Eugene of Savoy No. 1 of the Austrian Armed Forces as the 1st Cavalry Squadron. On Tradition Day (August 21, 1914 – cavalry battle near Jaroslawice), the battles of 1914 and the victims of the First World War were commemorated annually. In addition, ceremonies and marches were repeatedly organized at memorial plaques and monuments commemorating the achievements of Dragoon Regiment No. 15. One of these was erected in the Karlskirche church in Vienna. The comradeship associations of the former 15 Dragoons were based in Vienna and proudly took part in these traditional celebrations. Maintaining tradition in the Federal Army of the 2nd Republic
The tradition of the Dragoon Regiment No. 15 was also transferred to the Federal Army of the 2nd Republic. By order of the Federal Ministry of Defence (BMLV), the former Panzerbataillon 1 was entrusted with the management of the DR 15 tradition in the Tradition Decree of 20 December 1967. When Panzerbataillon 1 became Jagdpanzerbataillon 1 on June 1, 1978, the BMLV confirmed this tradition management in a new tradition decree dated October 27, 1987. The reorganization of the Austrian Armed Forces in the 21st century also required a change in tradition management. For the DR 15, this meant that the Jäger Battalion No. 12 in Amstetten has been carrying on the tradition of the White Dragoons since August 21, 2010.
