History

Austrian Military Recruitment within Galicia

Recruiting Soldiers into the Austro-Hungarian Army

 

Use of the massive regimental military records collection microfilmed by the Family History Library at the War Archives in Vienna depends to a large extent on determining the name of the regiment in which a soldier served. There are indexes for locating officers, but not for enlisted men. Finding the name of the regiment into which a soldier enlisted is critical to finding his muster and service record.

 

Soldiers were recruited and enlisted by regiments that had permission to recruit in specific geographical locations throughout the vast empire. The infantry regiments were the primary recruiters, although other types of military units also recruited soldiers directly.

 

A useful tool which shows the locations of regiments stationed throughout the empire is the Location Index for the Imperial Austrian Army and Navy Troops. Dislokations-Verzeichnis des k.u.k. Heeres und der k.u.k. Marine, 1649-1914 / Otto Kasperkovitz, 1969. 320 p.  (Film # 1186632 item 1).

 

The Location Index shows where regiments, battalions, etc. were garrisoned or stationed. If a soldier was married the events of baptism, marriage or burial for family members may have been recorded in the records of the garrison location.

 

Essential Recruitment Location charts are found in Alphons Wrede’s History of the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces: Geschichte der k. und k. Wehrmacht. Wien: L. W. Seidel & Sohn, 1898-1909.   6 vols. (Film #1186632-1186633). The primary chart is called: Uebersicht der Werb- (Ergänzungs-) Bezirks-Eintheilung von 1781 bis 1889.   It is found in Vol. 1, p.114. The charts show regimental recruiting area assignments over an extended period of time.

 

An expanded version of these charts is found in the following table. This table lists the names of political districts within Galicia and the number of the infantry regiment that had permission to recruit there at the time periods indicated. Infantry regiments were the primary recruiters.

 

State	District	1781	1807	1817	1830	1853	1857	1860	1867	1883
Galizien	Bochnia	12, 57	56	56	56	56	20	20	20
Galizien	Brzezany	16, 29	24	24	24	24	58	55	55	55
Galizien	Czortków	27, 49	41	41	.	.	24	58	.	95
Galizien	Jaslo	13, 36	40, 20	10	40	40	40	40	40	90
Galizien	Kolomea	.	41	41	24	24	24	24	24	24
Galizien	Krakau	.	38	.	.	.	56	56	13	13
Galizien	Lemberg	14, 50	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30
Galizien	Myslenice	10, 56	15, 56	56	56	56	56	56	56	56
Galizien	Przemysl	24, 59	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	10
Galizien	Rzeszów	26, 45	29, 8	10	40	40	40	40	40	40
Galizien	Sambor	7, 20	44	15	12	10	10, 9	10	77	77
Galizien	Sandec	11, 57	20, 1	20	20	20	20	20	20	20
Galizien	Sanok	3, 54	22, 7	15	12	.	10	77	45	45
Galizien	Stanislau	21, 25	58	58	58	58	58	58	58	58
Galizien	Stryj	18, 28	58	.	9	9	9	9	9	9
Galizien	Tarnopol	40, 43	46	63	63	15	15	15	15	15
Galizien	Tarnów	17, 55	12, 10	40	57	57	57	57	57	57
Galizien	Zloczów	8, 22	63	63	15	15	15	.	80	80
Galizien	Zólkiew	4, 25	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	89
West Galizien	Kielce-Siedlec	.	38	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
West Galizien	Lublin	.	55	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
West Galizien	Radom	.	50	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
West Galizien	Zamosc	1, 12	23	.	.	.	.	.	.	.

 

Copyright © 2001 Steven W. Blodgett. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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