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The Linz k. u. k. Traditional Dragoon Regiment No.7 “Herzog von Lothringen und Bar” under its commander Colonel iTR Consul Johann Marian Eckhardt von Eckenfeld held its already legendary spring parade in Linz in almost imperial weather on Saturday, 1 April 2023.

The parade marched at 2 p.m. from Martin Luther Platz along the main road, lined by a line of spectators, to the main square. Here the usual military procedure took place: announcement, national anthem/people’s anthem,  walking down the front as well as welcoming of the guests of honour and the regiments by the commander of the DR7.

In addition to the insignia troop of the HUAk Enns, 450 uniforms came from Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Germany and from almost all federal provinces of Austria. For the first time, the rifle club from the town of Stribro (Czech Republic) and the Polish Volunteer Uhlan Legion were also present at the parade. The troops were commanded by Mjr iTR Alexander Sascha Eckhardt von Eckenfeld, MBA.

Guests of honour included the Academy Commander of HUAk Enns Col. Mag. (FH) Mag. Klaus Klingenschmid, MSS, GenMjr iTR Andreas Rotter, GR Regina Traunmüller (for the Mayor of Linz), Mjr iTR Hubert Niederfriniger, Lkdt der BG, Schützen und Traditionsverbände OÖ, BO der Tiroler Kaiserjäger, Mjr iTR Romed Giner, from the UEHMG Hptm iTR Ing. Christian M. Zehetmayer were welcomed.

The regimental band of LIR2 Linz played under the direction of Kapellmeister Ing. Michael Safnauer and Musikmeister Ostv Walter Forstner. The regimental chaplain of the DR7, Mag. Samuel Josef Ebner, celebrated the liturgy of the Word, which was musically accompanied by the choir of the five Dragoons from Cerknica (Croatia). Unfortunately, the intercessions in Croatian, Slovenian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian and German could no longer be said, as it began to rain heavily and the ceremony had to be interrupted. After the truncation, we went straight to the reception at the Old City Hall.

Photos: Zgsf iTR Ing. Karlheinz Mattern, IR 59

On 25 March 2023, the Dragoon Regiment of Ostrach hosted the Spring Meeting of the South-West German Association. The meeting served to get to know the individual units better, to exchange information between the groups, to announce upcoming dates and to foster camaraderie.

Commander Reiner Nusser was able to welcome groups from all over Baden Württemberg to the local history museum – including delegations from Stuttgart, Reutlingen, Wolfach, Sipplingen, Tuttlingen, Sigmaringen, Bad Saulgau and Weingarten.

The participants learned from the director of the local history museum, Gerhard Fetscher, about the special features of the three-country community of Ostrach as well as the circumstances surrounding the Battle of Ostrach in 1799. The museum received a lot of praise and recognition for the detailed exhibition and one or the other already announced another visit.

Afterwards, the participants were taken by the citizens’ bus to the Buchbühl memorial, where they were welcomed with three gun salutes from the dragoon cannon. Regimental historian Bernhard Ummenhofer explained the construction and significance of the monument. It was erected in 1903 by the Ostrach Veterans’ Association to commemorate the many who died in the battle of Ostrach.

The day came to a successful conclusion at the Landhotel Hirsch, where the Ostrach Dragoons received much praise for the organisation and implementation of the spring meeting from UEHMG Liaison Officer Bruno Herunter, Commander Toni Rädle, Hohenzollern Cuirassiers Sigmaringen, and Captain Jerg J. Werner, Stadtgarde zu Pferd Stuttgart, among others. On behalf of the Dragoon Regiment, Commander Reiner Nusser thanked all participants for coming, Gerhard Fetscher for the guided tour of the local history museum, the citizens´bus team for the transport and Petra Megerle for taking photos during the day.

Just before Christmas, the now traditional end of the year took place, with a virtual toast in uniform to Christmas and the upcoming New Year.

The executive committee of the UEHMG wishes all comrades and friends a healthy and happy New Year!

Traditionally, the Saint Sylvester´s cannon of the “Badische Böllerschützen Nußdorf” took place on 31.12.2022.

More than 300 spectators watched the cannons being loaded and fired in Überlingen Altbirnau. The cannoneers of the Dragoon Regiment Ostrach 1799 e.V. Matthias and Michael Kunze as well as Uli Schuler took part with the muzzle-loading cannon, calibre 95 millimetres.

On Sunday, 13.11.2022, the nationwide day of remembrance for the victims of violence, terror and war took place in Ostrach. The Dragoon Regiment No.11 zu Ostrach 1799 e.V. also took part.

Originally, the Remembrance Day was introduced by the “Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge” (German War Graves Commission) to commemorate the many millions of victims of the First World War. Especially in the current time, the day is not only a day of mourning, but also a sign for peace and reconciliation, especially for the victims of the terrible war in Ukraine.

The flag delegations of the associations and comradeships solemnly entered the church in Ostrach. The churchgoers, associations and comradeships then marched to the Ostrach cemetery with musical accompaniment.

The official commemoration ceremony then took place at the war memorial. Texts and poems were recited by pupils and Mayor Christoph Schulz gave a speech. While the music band played the song “vom guten Kameraden” (of the good comrade), the gunners of our dragoon regiment fired three salutes.

The subsequent lunch was a nice conclusion for all participants.

On Sunday, 13 November 2022, the traditional memorial mass for the fallen of the two World Wars took place in the Prandtauer Church in St. Pölten at the invitation of the church rector DDr. Knittel.

After two years of interruption due to corona, delegations of the Kameradschaftsbund, the Hesser Garde and the Radetzky-Orden followed the invitation. The UEHMG was represented by its President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, and the Deputy President Lieutenant Colonel iTR Michael Joannidis.

After a short prayer service and a salute at the Hesser Monument, the delegations marched together into the church, where the fallen and missing of the World Wars were commemorated in a dignified manner, but also the victims of the current war on the border of Europe.

Afterwards, the rector of the church, DDr. Knittel, invited the participants to the sacristy for a communal ending. A big “Thank you” for this event, which we hope will be attended more by the traditional delegations in the future.

On Sunday, October 23, 2022, a memorial event for the Blessed Emperor Karl I. took place in the palace garden of Laxenburg near Vienna on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death.

The President of the Cavalry Association, Colonel of Cavalry Franz Prandstätter, had the honour to welcome HIRH Eilika von Habsburg as representative of her husband HIRH Georg von Habsburg, as well as the President of the UEHMG, Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, and the Adjutant General, Major General iTR Peter Pritz.

Many delegations accepted the invitation and were able to watch the dragoons and infantrymen in impressive drill demonstrations, which ended with a general de charge and a defile.

Afterwards, a field service commemorated the Blessed Emperor Karl I., whose official day of remembrance falls on October 21. This touching part of the event ended with a blessing of the horses.

Last but not least, the participants had the opportunity to enjoy food and drinks in the best imperial weather and to exchange ideas in a friendly atmosphere before the successful event came to an end. Below are many impressions provided by the Cavalry Association.

We all looked forward with great anticipation to the General Rapport 2022 in Schwaz in Tyrol. It was already clear during the preparations that a committed and professional team was at work here and that Schwaz itself is a good place for the preservation of tradition.

A large number of comrades had already arrived on Thursday to get in the mood for the next few days over a convivial dinner. It hardly needs to be mentioned that this first evening in companionable surroundings already turned out to be a long one.

On Friday, a wreath-laying ceremony took place at St. Martin’s Cemetery, where a commemorative plaque for the deceased of the 1st World War was presented. With great attention to detail, research had been done on all the persons mentioned and an exact assignment of origin, dates of life and religion had been made. The weather was also mild and the morning rain had even given way to sunshine. With humorous words from the pastor, dignified musical accompaniment and a large number of participants, this commemoration of the dead was a truly respectful start to the General Rapport.

This was continued with its large meeting in the rooms of the Franciscan monastery. As the reports were mostly very brief due to the limited possibilities of the previous year, the meeting could be held in just under three hours. The new admission of the Dragoon Regiment No.11 Maximilian Graf Baillet de Latour zu Ostrach 1799 and the Bürgerwehr Wolfach 1827 should be emphasised. For the accompanying persons, a guided tour of the beautiful little town of Schwaz took place during the meeting.

In the evening – and this is always a matter of concern to us at the UEHMG – a joint dinner for all participants was on the agenda. Almost 100 uniformed members and their accompanying persons took part and enjoyed the camaraderie. This exchange continued in small groups in various pubs until the early hours of the morning – understandable, since we had not met on such a large scale since last year.

On Saturday morning there was the opportunity to visit the Schwaz mine and Freundsberg Castle – both interesting sites with a lot of history and significance for the region. In the afternoon, the actual ceremony took place on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the k.u.k. Tiroler Kaiserjäger Schwaz, 1st Regiment, which was held entirely in the Franciscan Church due to the weather conditions. A dignified mass introduced the ceremony, followed by honourable speeches, a ramble through history and, last but not least, the handing over of command and some well-deserved honours.

The event ended with good food and drink in the inner courtyard of the monastery, although due to the temperatures, the already tried and tested localities nearby were quickly sought out again. It goes without saying that the General Rapport and the anniversary event of the Kaiserjäger ended on a convivial note until midnight.

On behalf of the UEHMG we thank all participants for their presence, the organiser for the truly excellent organisation and sincerely congratulate on the 100th anniversary.