db1189556-uewhg

This year’s General Rapport, which took place in Vienna from 25 to 28 September 2025, was more than worthy of the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Union of the European Historical Military Groups – an event that will be remembered for a long time.

Thursday, 25 September 2025

The associations met in casual attire for an informal ‘meet and greet’ at the well-known Salmbräu in Vienna’s third district. Over good beer from the in-house brewery and in a familiar, convivial atmosphere, old friendships were refreshed and new ones forged. Networking across all borders, because the common goal and anticipation were evident: a weekend dedicated to community and the transnational European military tradition. A successful start that already marked the spirit of camaraderie.

Friday, 26 September 2025

The day began with a special highlight, as the delegations from the associations gathered for a joint lunch in the vaults of the historic town hall cellar at the personal invitation of Vienna’s mayor, Dr. Michael Ludwig. This is an honour that is rarely available and one of which we at UEHMG can be particularly proud. After welcoming words from the City of Vienna by Mag. Markus Schober and a delicious meal, the actual General Rapport began at 2 p.m. in the premises of the ‘Rathauskeller’.

A video message from Federal Minister of Defence Mag. Klaudia Tanner, in which she particularly emphasised the excellent cooperation between the Union and the Austrian Armed Forces, as well as a welcome address by the President of the UEHMG, Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc. Reports from the Deputy President, the Vice-Presidents present, the Secretary General, the Financial Officer and the Administration Officer opened the General Rapport – the actual General Assembly of the UEHMG.

After that, the Executive Committee was unanimously elected, which also includes several new faces, including the new Media Officer, Sergeant Dietmar Engler, and the new Administration Officer, Lieutenant iTR Jürgen Marte. Furthermore, Colonel iTR Hans Joachim ‘Hajo’ Böhm was elected Deputy President, Colonel d.Cav. Michael Islinger, Lieutenant Colonel iTR Adrian Staiger and Colonel iTR Tsoncho Tsatsov were elected Vice-Presidents, and Schützenfähnrich iTR Andreas Georg Tarbuk was elected UEHMG Adjutant.

The President expressed his special thanks to the members who had served in leadership positions for many years and who had retired from their previous roles at the start of the new period, such as Deputy President Colonel iTR Michael Joannidis, Vice-President Lieutenant iTR Nataša Salihović and Administration Officer Captain iTR Franz Schlosser. All of the above will of course remain with the Union, but wish to take a step back in future at their own request. Sincere thanks are therefore also due on behalf of all officials, because without the above, the UEHMG would not be the unifying community that it is today!

During the general meeting, around 100 members of the Bürgerwache Saulgau e.V. 1239 took part in five specially organised professional city centre tours, which provided an insight into Vienna from a cultural perspective and also contributed to cross-border exchange.

Conclusion
It was an extremely successful General Assembly as part of the General Report 2025, at which issues were addressed, the course was set for the successful implementation of new ideas, elections were held and organisational matters (such as the discharge of duties) were dealt with. Similarly, the general policy and orientation of the UEHMG as a dedicated European and military history community of values was discussed and confirmed in a spirit of camaraderie. The focus was always on common ground and unity, because the UEHMG is the sum of its members – every association and every member counts.

Later that evening, everyone gathered at the HSV Wien grounds in Stammersdorf. There, a cosy, convivial finale followed at the so called ‘Gulaschkanone’ (field kitchen) – in keeping with true military tradition and camaraderie. As the final highlight, the Bürgerwache Saulgau e.V. 1239 provided an impressive performance of the Great German Tattoo under the open sky with their music and marching band, taking advantage of one of the few rain breaks of the evening. The solemn sound of drums and trumpets in the dark night provided a fitting end to an eventful day, which will remain in our memories for a long time, thanks to the brilliance of the music.

Saturday, 27 September 2025

On Saturday, participants gathered early in the morning at Vienna’s Karlsplatz to form up for the procession into the ’Karlskirche’. In military formation, they marched into this magnificent church building, which is now cared for by the ‘Knights of the Red Star’, who kindly offered us this unique opportunity. The musical and vocal accompaniment for the Holy Mass was once again provided by the music of the Bürgerwache Saulgau e.V. 1239, whose singers offered a very special artistic treat. Under the direction of Dean Peter Müller, who came with his ‘own’ Bürgerwache Saulgau, a mass was celebrated in the breathtaking Baroque setting, which is rarely enjoyed in this form. The song ‘Der gute Kamerad’ (The Good Comrade) from the Wars of Liberation of 1809 provided a dignified musical finale to the mass, dedicated to the victims of all wars and all forms of violence, and impressively highlighting the UEHMG’s idea of uniting nations.

After a short break with culinary refreshments in Vienna’s wonderful restaurants, we headed to the large assembly of colourful troops in the area of the outer castle gate, known as the ‘Heldentor’, in the early afternoon.  A gate full of history, which is also intended to remind us of the fallen of many wars and was inaugurated in 1824 on the 11th anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig, Napoleon’s great defeat.

Under the stern gaze of the commander-in-chief of the associations, Major Alfred Cunat of the Deutschmeister Schützenkorps 1897, a long procession formed, consisting of musicians, German civil guards, and traditional associations from the countries of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, including infantry, artillery, cavalry, navy, traditional gendarmerie, but also imperial German and royal Italian infantry. The flair of a vanished era blew across the Heldenplatz during these hours. The sight of the uniforms, flags and marching band in front of the historic backdrop of the Hofburg was more than impressive, magically attracting the audience and hundreds of tourists and once again demonstrating the lively diversity of military history traditions in a Europe united in friendship.

As the entire procession of over 200 men and, of course, women set off to the sound of military music, it felt like being transported back to a long-gone time: colourful uniforms, flags, neighing horses, helmets glinting in the sun, cockades, golden lacing, waving plumes and clanking sabre hangers – framed by the synchronised marching and military commands from another era echoing across the square.

An impressive march that one is likely to experience only once in a lifetime, in such a historic setting in the heart of Vienna – how fortunate for all those who were there! In front of the monument to Archduke Karl, the triumphant over Napoleon at Aspern in 1809, the associations formed an open square formation. UEHMG President Major General Michael Blaha, MSc, and guest of honour Archduchess Camilla of Habsburg then inspected the parade of the many traditional troops assembled around the monument square. The countless flags and standards of the UEHMG associations, in keeping with ancient military tradition, were lowered one after the other – an unforgettable spectacle.

Following the President’s speech and the greeting by Archduchess Camilla of Habsburg, several particularly honourable and long-serving members were awarded the highest decorations of the UEHMG. Special mention must be made of Captain iTR Jean Claude Garin, aged 88 (!), who insisted on running across the entire square to the award ceremony in the famous Bersaglieri running style, with cock feathers bobbing on his hat and flag in hand. The audience responded with thunderous applause to this more than athletic performance by the oldest UEHMG participant on site!

After a General de Charge by the Deutschmeister Schützenkorps 1897 and a cannon salute that was really impressive – a woman in the audience fell off a bench due to the sound – the associations lined up for a joint march-past and parade. With flags flying to the beat of roaring marching music, the president and guests of honour reviewed the parade, during which, in addition to the dashingly marching colourful infantry, the 2nd Dragoons under Colonel d.Cav. Islinger and the Esterhazy Hussars under Cavalry Captain Kickinger, also presented a splendid picture of military cavalry artistry. Finally, as a special highlight to conclude the event, the Bürgerwache Saulgau ev. 1239 marched out under the command of Colonel iTR Dirk Riegger to the sound of marching music – much to the delight of the audience, who were reluctant to clear the way so they could be closer to the action and the music.

Everyone who was there that day will have something to talk about at home for a long time, and the UEHMG has set the bar quite high for future anniversaries – an afternoon at Vienna’s Heldenplatz that will remain unforgettable for everyone!  

The evening concluded at the Stöckl im Park restaurant (in the park of the Palais Schwarzenberg), where participants reflected on the past few days over an excellent buffet and in a convivial atmosphere. The evening was characterised by camaraderie, conviviality and stimulating conversation. It was a fitting end to this wonderful, but also quite exhausting, anniversary day in the heart of Vienna.

Sunday, 28 September 2025

All good things must come to an end, and so the participants of the General Rapport set off on their journey home that day, hopefully taking with them the unifying spirit of the Union to spread in their own countries. For those who wanted to linger a little longer or even stay a few more days in beautiful Vienna, two additional city tours were offered in the morning, which were very well attended and revealed some otherwise well-kept secrets of Vienna’s city centre.  

This marked the end of a General Rapport that set new standards in every respect – in terms of organisation, camaraderie, solemn dignity, but also due to the unique locations in the centre of Vienna. A big thank you goes to everyone involved who, through their commitment and discipline, made this anniversary an unforgettable event, especially our President, who spent countless sleepless nights planning and without whose personal contacts to decision-makers much of this would not have been possible.

But as the saying goes, after the General Rapport is before the General Rapport, and so we are already looking forward to seeing each other again in 2026!   

Here you can find impressions of all events connected with the General Rapport in September 2025 in Vienna to mark the 35th anniversary.

Lunch at Rathauskeller

Meeting of the General Rapport

Dinner at HSV Wien

Tattoo

Festive Mass at Wiener Karlskirche

Festive ceremony at Wiener Heldenplatz

Dinner at Stöckl im Park restaurant

On 17 August 2025, delegations from various traditional units and associations, as well as friends of authentic tradition preservation, gathered in the park of Laxenburg Palace to commemorate the birthday of Blessed Emperor Karl I. So it was no surprise that the organisers were also delighted with the so-called ‘Kaiserwetter’.

The afternoon began with the entry of numerous traditional associations from all over Austria and the report to the Procurator of the Order of St. George, Baron Vinzenz von Stimpfl-Abele, who represented HIRH Karl von Habsburg, Grand Master of the Order, that day. This was followed by impressive drill demonstrations in the tradition of the Austrian Imperial and Royal Cavalry, which thrilled the audience. Then the initiator and main organiser, Colonel iTR Michael Islinger, welcomed the guests.

In his address, Baron Vinzenz von Stimpfl-Abele first conveyed the warm greetings of Archduke Karl, then addressed the significance of his grandfather, Emperor Karl I., and placed his legacy in relation to the current European and global political situation: ‘Emperor Karl knew that lasting peace can only be achieved if one does not humiliate the enemy too much. It was clear to him that after this terrible war, Europe would have to live together again as equals, and that peace without a humiliated side was a prerequisite for this. Subsequent developments after the First World War would quickly demonstrate how right he was. Unfortunately, however, politics to this day seems to have learned very little from history and from Emperor Karl. Just recently, at the so-called ‘Alaska Summit’ peace was negotiated without the attacked, the victim, even being at the table. Politicians bow and kowtow to aggressors and war criminals, thereby relativising or ignoring the fact that international law and human rights are being trampled underfoot. And Europe? Europe sits at the kids’ table, is nothing more than a bystander. There is still disagreement on important issues because many politicians are obviously thinking more about themselves than about their great responsibility.’

And he continued: ‘The son of the last emperor, Archduke Otto, always emphasised that history must be understood as a runway for the future. But that presupposes that one knows it, tries to understand it, and draws the right lessons from it. This applies above all to those who are dedicated to preserving traditions, especially all who proudly wear the emperor’s uniform. Because preserving traditions means also preserving peace! Preserving traditions is about preventing forgetting and living memory. With respect, but at the same time, always critically questioning. This applies to the big questions, for example, which ideals, but also which interpretations of history one follows, as well as in seemingly small, for example, with regard to the decision of who one accepts which award or which decoration from. Ultimately, living and passing on tradition means a great responsibility for each of the organisations gathered here today, but also for each individual – responsibility for our identity.’

Afterwards, Father Sebastian Hacker OSB, capitular of the Schottenstift, echoed the idea of the festive speaker that ‘preserving tradition means also preserving peace’ and in this spirit, everyone celebrated an atmospheric field prayer together.

It was an imperial birthday almost like in the emperor’s time, which everyone present enjoyed and took home lasting impressions.

On the occasion of a combined birthday celebration – the commander of the ’k. u. k. Dragonerregiment 2 Nikolaus Graf Pejacsevich‘, Colonel of the Cavalry Michael Islinger, celebrated his 65th birthday and the regimental commander of the ’k.u.k. Traditionsinfanterieregiment No 49 Feldmarschall Heinrich Freiherr von Heß”, Colonel iTR Dr. Georg Hesz celebrated his 80th birthday – the two traditional associations invited to a celebration at a Lower Austrian wine tavern on 23 May 2025.

The two regiments have had a special connection to the UEHMG and the Arch House by hosting the Imperial Ball for over 15 years now, as our Grand Master takes over the patronage of this wonderful event every year and our President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, heads the organisation.

As a special guest, Defence Minister Mag. Klaudia Tanner was welcomed alongside many high-ranking representatives from the armed forces, the preservation of tradition and society, who emphasised the importance of preserving military tradition in a witty speech and then struck up a joint ‘Happy Birthday’ with a glass of Habsburg wine. President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, took the opportunity to cultivate and deepen the dialogue with the esteemed Federal Minister in this truly amicable atmosphere.

We wish the jubilarians a happy birthday and many more enjoyable hours of camaraderie!

Find below some impressions of the successful event.

Supported by the Kaiser Karl Gebetsliga for International Peace, the Order of St. George, a European Order of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the Union of  the European Historical Military Groups and the Technical National Museum, the town of Brandýs nad Labem – Stará Boleslav invited to an Audience at Emperor Karl I. on 17 May 2025.

The event was organised under the patronage of HIRH Charles of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria, and was also held to mark the 450th anniversary of the coronation of Rudolf II, the later Holy Roman Emperor, and the 110th anniversary of the death of the sailor, explorer and writer HIRH Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Tuscany.

The event was organised with the utmost gratitude by Colonel iTR Dr. Milan Novak and was attended by HIRH Archduke Georg von Habsburg-Tuscany and Prince Franz Ferdinand von Hohenberg and his wife. The festivities were accompanied by the music band of the castle guard and police TR.

The historic steam train from Prague arrived at 9.30 am and the guests were welcomed with music. The guests were then taken to the garden of Brandýs Castle, where the historical military troop units paraded. The speeches and honours were held by Colonel iTR Dr. Novak, Archduke George of Habsburg-Tuscany and Prince Franz Ferdinand of Hohenberg.

After the marching in, the speeches and the honours, we continued to the pilgrimage church of the Assumption of Mary. The Holy Audience Mass was celebrated by ThLic. PhDr. Daniel Janácek, Ph.D. O.Praem., Abbot of the Royal Premontrateneser in Prague Strahov, and was musically accompanied by the church choir and the Václav Orchestra (Jiri Streic: Missa Lux et Origo).

A presentation of the noble art of falconry took place in the castle gardens. And in the afternoon there was the imperial manoeuvre ‘Remembrance of Pula’ with the participation of the Imperial and Royal Navy, which gave an insight into the life of soldiers in those days.

Finally, there was a promenade with dancing in the castle garden, while at the same time the historic steam train departed with the guests back to Prague Central Station.

Last but not least, there was a chamber concert in the castle chapel with the Far Musica chamber orchestra conducted by Michael Housa. The piano concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach in D minor, performed by pianist Jan Lukas, was remarkable.

The event ended on Sunday, 18 May 2025, with a Holy Mass in the castle chapel with the relic of Blessed Karl I of Austria. The mass was celebrated by Fr. Stanislav Zlnay, the leader of the Kaiser Karl Gebetsliga in Slovakia.

The UEHMG would like to thank the initiator, Colonel iTR Dr. Milan Novak and his colleagues for this extremely successful audience in the holy year 2025 and we hope that this “spirit” will be continued in the coming years in the sense of our k.u.k. tradition and in memory of Blessed Emperor Karl I of Austria.

The Imperial Ball 2025 took place on 25 January – once again during the traditional ball season. The organisers were once again delighted to welcome a full house to the 15th Imperial Ball in the wonderful atmosphere of Korneuburg’s historic town hall.

Mayor Christian Gepp, MSc, continued a tradition that has honoured us year after year by inviting us to a pre-event champagne reception in the town hall.

Among the many guests of honour, HIRH Maximilian von Habsburg, who enhanced the Imperial Ball with exquisite wines from his vineyard, deserves special thanks.

It is not possible to list the many representatives of the traditional regiments here, but we are happy to let the pictures on the website of the Imperial Ball speak for themselves. In any case, we are delighted that the Ball of the Traditional Regiments – organised and hosted by Infantry Regiment 49 and Dragoon Regiment 2 together with the UEHMG – was once again so well received by the uniformed traditional community in 2025.

One of the first highlights was the opening dance by the dance couples of the BHAK for Leadership and Security of the Theresian Military Academy, which obviously motivated the ball guests to get up and dance themselves to the sounds of the ‘Late Night Band’. At midnight, the international opera singer Antonella Malis offered us samples from her marvellous repertoire and also sang the imperial anthem with us.

Our discotheque ‘Club Charles’ was also very popular again. And those who just wanted to have a quiet and cosy time visited the frizzante bar and smokers’ lounge in the inner courtyard. As every year, we also put together 15 main prizes for the raffle for the 15th Kaiserball. High-quality gifts from supporters of the ball were presented to surprised and delighted ball guests – ranging from an infantry sabre from the imperial and royal era to a golf training session at the HSV and a candlelight dinner at our caterers restaurant.

Catering was once again provided by our k.u.k. court kitchen  ‘Praterwirt’ with à la carte specialities. The official part of the ball ended with the midnight quadrille and midnight snack, and the organisers and many of the guests really started to enjoy themselves together. The real hard core, of course, stayed up until the final stroke at 4am. A few hours of light-heartedness and camaraderie was good for all guests and we are already looking forward to seeing everyone again at the 16th Imperial Ball!

All pictures at https://www.kaiserball.eu/impressionen/

The Hohenzollern-Kürassiere Sigmaringen celebrated their 40th anniversary with a ceremony in the Sigmaringen town hall.

Below you will find an article about the event, which was published in the ‘Südkurier’ on 7 February 2025.

The Austrian Armed Forces, the province of Lower Austria, ‘Licht ins Dunkel’ and ORF invited guests to the 2024 Military Music Festival in Grafenegg on 22 and 23 May in aid of ‘Licht ins Dunkel’.

In addition to the host, the Military Music of Lower Austria, military musicians from Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Upper Austria, Burgenland, Carinthia and the Guard Music from Vienna took part in this year’s event. 

In addition to the musical performances by well-known composers, the highlight of this year’s Military Music Festival was the world premiere of the newly composed work ‘Dream of an Austrian Reservist’ by Carl Michael Ziehrer, in which the ‘Reitende Artilleriedivision Nr.2’ (RAD2) with its cannon was also in action.

‘The Great Austrian Tattoo’ marked the end of the event. For the first time, this composition was staged with historical traditional organisations, represented by the Deutschmeister Schützenkorps and the ‘RAD2’ with the cannon.

It was a huge pleasure for Obstlt iTR Michael Joannidis and his comrades to be part of this event, but also a great challenge.

The 1st Commanders Meeting of the UEHMG took place in Korneuburg on 19 October 2024. The President, Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, invited other umbrella organisations at all levels and, of course, the member associations of the UEHMG. Over 40 participants accepted the invitation, resulting in a colourful mix of functionaries, associations and uniforms.

After the official welcome by the President and a round of introductions of all participants, the commander of the conference location in the military barracks of the NBC Defence Centre, Colonel Mag. Jürgen Schlechter, addressed the attendees and presented the tasks and capabilities of his troops. President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, then explained the reasons for this meeting in detail. He pointed out the impact of the pandemic, inflation and war in Europe in recent years. All commanders were now called upon to work with motivation and commitment to improve the quality of the maintenance of tradition and to promote cooperation at all levels.

The guest of honour at the event, HIRH Karl von Habsburg, emphasised the importance of maintaining military tradition as a link between the past and the present. Compliance with rules, norms and standards is important to him and he also sees the task of quality assurance as anchored in the UEHMG as an umbrella organisation. Particularly when it comes to the awarding of medals and honours, he said, it is important to pay attention to the seriousness and always ask the question of the legitimacy of the award. With its ‘sub auspiciis’ seal, which the UEHMG was the first institution ever to be awarded, he emphasised the trust placed in the UEHMG as an institution and the leadership of the current President.

After the group photo, Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, introduced the three planned working groups and their chairmen. The first working group dealt with the basic definition and differentiation of the maintenance of tradition, the second working group dealt with the gos and no-gos in execution, including how to deal with mistakes, and the third working group dealt with communication of the umbrella organisations with their members and with each other. The results of the working groups were then presented and we will of course distribute the protocols within the UEHMG as soon as they are available in writing.

Finally, the President honoured two awards that had been pending for some time. The Administration Officer Captain iTR Franz Schlosser was awarded the Badge of Honour as a neck medal and the Adjutant General Major General iTR Peter Pritz was awarded the Great Golden Badge of Honour as a breast star – both with great applause and the approval of the comrades present. In addition, each participant in the Commanders Meeting received a certificate of thanks and recognition, a commemorative pin and a bottle of traditional wine as a gift.

After an intensive day of work, characterised by motivation, camaraderie and engagement, everyone left the barracks with the clear opinion to continue this meeting next year and to work together on the implementation of the results. A complete success for the UEHMG and a big thank you to everyone involved!