Grenz infantry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Habsburg Austria (and later the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary), Grenz infantry or Grenzers were troops who came from the Croatian and Transylvanian Military Frontier. This borderland formed a buffer zone between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire, and the troops were originally raised to defend Austria against the Ottoman Turks. When there was no danger of war against the Ottomans, the Grenzer regiments were employed by the Habsburgs in other theatres of war, although one battalion of each regiment would always remain guarding the border.

Grenzers were the successors to the irregular army of Pandurs, which were also raised as a militia by the Habsburgs in the 18th Century to defend the border with the Ottomans and also used as skirmishers in the Seven Years' War. However, by the time of the Napoleonic Wars, troops from the Frontier were now formed into more regular line infantry regiments, but were considered by the Austrian generals as something between light and line infantry. They were given training in marksmanship, skirmishing and the basics of linear tactics. At the start of the war, the 18 Grenz infantry regiments formed about a quarter of the Austrian army.

However, because the Grenzers were not as good in the role of line infantry as the regular regiments, the Austrian military command never held them in much esteem, and following a mutiny in 1800, their numbers were reduced from 57,000 to only 13,000. Despite this, the Grenz infantry performed better than most other Austrian troops, especially at Marengo and Austerlitz, earning them respect from the French. Napoleon held them in high opinion and considered them as the only warlike troops in the entire Austrian army. He had no hesitation in using the Grenz infantry after Austria's defeat in the War of the Fifth Coalition in 1809. The Treaty of Schönbrunn compelled Austria to cede territory in the Military Frontier and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th Grenz Infantry Regiments went into French service. They served for Napoleon until his defeat in 1814.

However during the 19th Century, the threat from the Ottoman Turks diminished and there was less need for troops to defend the Frontier. Also, with rise of Slav nationalism and self-determination, the Austrian high command grew suspicious of the Grenz infantry and a possible uprising. With these factors, the number of Grenz infantry were steadily reduced, although they remained in service in the Austrian and later Austro-Hungarian army until the First World War.