Pandurs
| Pandurs | |
|---|---|
 Croatian pandurs from 1742 |
|
| Active | |
| Country |  Habsburg Monarchy Austrian Empire |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | East-Turkish front West-European front |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Baron Franz von der Trenck |
The Pandurs were an irregular militia from the Military Frontier and Croatian Kingdom, part of the Habsburg Monarchy and later Austria-Hungary, and used as a non-linear (irregular) army in the frontier against the Ottoman Empire. They fought on both the East-Turkish front, and the West-European front.[1]
The Pandurs were deployed primarily to raid behind enemy lines, attack baggage and supply trains, conduct guerrilla warfare, and to fight in extended formations. They were well-known for their ferocity in combat, and also because they tended to plunder before engagements, which caused endless grief to their superior officers.[citation needed] The Pandurs were formed in the Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th century, but were not deployed in large-scale conflicts (due to their specialized nature). This unit was first mustered by Baron Franz von der Trenck, who served under Maria Theresa of Austria.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Etymology
Although Baron Franz von der Trenck was the first to use the term "pandours", its origins are unclear as the word is not native to any South Slavic, Hungarian, Romanian or Turkish languages.[3] Many scholars agree that the term probably originated from the Latin banderius, meaning a follower of a standard or banner.[3][4]
[edit] History
In 1740 Austria found itself in the War of the Austrian Succession against the King Frederick II of Prussia. The war eventually embroiled most of Europe, and Queen Maria Theresa needed the help supplied by Baron Trenk, who offered to equip 1000 soldiers to engage in war for the queen. The Pandurs were composed of Croats,[5][6][7] Morlachs[5], Romanians[5], and Serbs.[5] Trenck's pandurs spared the town of Waldmünchen in Germany near the Czech border, during the war.[8] An annual celebration of the event during summer is the Historiches Freilichtfestspiele.[8] On June 18, 1741, Pandurs made action against the fortress of Zoptenberg.[citation needed]
Pandurs also existed in other countries - Tudor Vladimirescu (approx. 1780 - 1821), the Romanian revolutionary hero, led an army of Pandurs in the Wallachian uprising of 1821. They most likely originated in the period of Austrian administration in Oltenia (1716/1718-1739).
[edit] Composition
The first formation of Trenk's pandurs numbered about 1030 soldiers and had the following officer positions:
- One commander, major (oberstwachtmeister Trenk)
- Two captains (kapetan)
- One overlieutenant (oberleutnant)
- Five lieutenants (leutnant)
- One billet (kvartir)
The members of the Pandur units were Croats and Serbs. The Serb pandurs were mainly from the Croatian Military Frontier and Slavonian Military Frontier.[5]
[edit] Equipment and clothing
The standard armament of the pandurs was as follows (18th century[9]):
The typical clothing, based on Engelbrecht illustrations (1740s), was:[8]
- red hooded cloak, secured with bone or metal buttons, and open with metal clip.
- Underneath the cloack, a Balkan Gunjac, a short thick jacket with yellow cords.
- Thick white socks with Opanci, made out of single leather piece.
- The troops showed their allegiance by coloured sashes, the Habsburg used red and yellow.
- Hungarian plain iron-mounted sabre, with leather grip, carried in leather scabbard with simple metal tip.
- Locally made musket of the Turkish sisana-type, 1.4 m long.
The clothing of the pandur major (1740s):[8]
- Standard black army tricorne, long Balkan ponytail
- Hussar-styled uniform, longer tunic than the pelisse
- Edged coat lined with fox fur.
The clothing of the pandurs was very similar to the Turkish military uniform. Turkish influence on the culture of the region was heavy, since the Turks had been driven out of Slavonia only 30 years before.
[edit] Legacy
- Today the word "pandur" is a Serbo-Croatian derogatory term for a police officer akin the "cop" in English.
- There is also an armoured fighting vehicle called Pandur, which is produced by the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Harry Houdini Collection, John Davis Batchelder (Library of Congress) p. 347: The eclectic magazine of foreign literature, science, and art, Svezak 33 Publisher: (New York : Leavitt, Trow, & Co.), 1844-1898, OCLC Number: 6298914
- ^ Wolfgang Menzel p. 50: The history of Germany, tr. by mrs. G. Horrocks
- ^ a b Philological Society (Great Britain) [p. 419: http://books.google.com/books?id=AnBXAAAAYAAJ&dq=pandur%20slavonic&pg=PA418#v=onepage&q=pandur%20slavonic&f=false A new English dictionary on historical principles: founded mainly on the materials collected by the Philological Society, Volume 7, Part 2]
- ^ The Chambers Dictionary, ISBN 8186062254, p. 1172: "Pandour"
- ^ a b c d e David Hollins, Darko Pavlović (pp. 3-5): "Austrian Frontier Troops 1740-98" Osprey Publishing, ISBN 9781841767017
- ^ Walter Laqueur p. 14: Guerrilla warfare: a historical & critical study Transaction Books, ISBN 978-0-7658-0406-8
- ^ Leopold von Ranke, Sir Alexander Cornewall Duff-Gordon p. 57: Memoirs of the house of Brandenburg: and history of Prussia ..., Svezak 3 Alibris, ISBN 1410216144
- ^ a b c d David Hollins, Darko Pavlović, Austrian Frontier Troops 1740-98, pp. 42-43
- ^ Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, Heidi John, Bernd Witte, Gedichte, geistliche Oden und Lieder, p. 356
