In 1807 Archduke Charles reorganised the Austrian Army so that, on a war footing, the infantry regiment consisted of three Fusilier Battalions and a Division of Grenadiers (two companies). The Fusilier Battalion had six companies with a strength of 6/800 men.
As was usual in many Continental armies of this period, the Grenadiers were grouped together in 'elite' battalions and a typical Grenadier Battalion would have three Divisions in it, i.e. six company's. They would be commanded by a staff officer from one of the parent regiments and took his name, consequently they frequently changed. During the period under review they were as follows:
| Name | Grenadier Div parent Regts | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Berger | 15, 28, 47 | B |
| Fischer | 11, 25, 54 | B |
| Meinaers | 17, 16, 21 | B |
| Call | 36, 42, 35 | B |
| De Best | 3, 4, 63 | C |
| Frisch | 1, 12, 57 | C |
| Puteani | 59, 14, 49 | C |
| Welsberg | 27, 16, 26 | A |
| Possman Von Algesheim | 8, 22 ---- | C |
| Portner | 9, 24, 44 | B |
| Hronade | 10, 29, 40 | C |
| Obermayer Von Ebersberg | 30, 41, 58 | B |
| Purcell Von Roreston | 31, 51 ---- | A |
| Faber Von Weidenau | 48H, 52H --- | A |
| Chimani Von Namberg | 53, 61H9 62H | A |
| Lanyi | 2, 19H, 33H | C |
| Czarnokay Von Charlottenburg | 34H, 37H, 60H | B |
| Habinay Von Terstina | 32H, 39H --- | D |
| H denotes Hungarian | ||
As can be seen, some battalions had only two Grenadier Divisions and others a mixture of elements from German and Hungarian Regiments. The battalions normally operated in groups of at least four. Deployed as follows: (The alphabetical notations represent the locations of the battalions).
- A - In Italy.
B - With the main Army.
C - With the Austro- Bavarian Corps under Wrede in South Germany.
D - Location not known.
There are two further battalions named Stabinazy and Masse, but I do not know what regiments made up their complement. They served with the main army and in South Germany respectively during the period 1809-1813
All the regiments are named and numbered in Knotel and in Funcken.
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© Copyright 1974 by Donald Featherstone.
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