I am looking for an officer, an NCO or a private soldier from the period 1868–1918 (after the introduction of conscription)
Part 1: Place of birth/”Heimatzuständigkeit” within the borders of present-day Austria
OFFICERS (and GENERALS)
Qualifikationslisten c.1870–1918: Main series A–Z
Please note that “Qualifikationslisten” for officers who following the break-up of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1918 became citizens of other successor-states are likely to have been handed over to these states (e.g. for Hungary).
During World War I more cursory descriptions (“Vormerkblätter”) tended to replace the full-blown “Qualifikationslisten”.
The “Militärschematismen” for army and Landwehr remain useful sources for this period.
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND PRIVATE SOLDIERS
(born between c.1850 and 1900)
The following preliminary information is required for research on NCOs and privates: surname, first name, date of birth, place of birth or “Heimatzuständigkeit” (not necessarily identical with the place of birth)
Please note: Follwing the introduction of conscription in 1868 the ”Grundbuchsblätter” for conscripts were drawn up, updated and preserved by local agencies (“Ergänzungsbezirkskommanden”) in the various provinces of the Habsburg Monarchy.
Due to this very decentralisation the Vienna Kriegsarchiv only holds the “Grundbuchsblätter” for conscripts born within the borders of present-day Austria (with major exceptions, see below).
☐ Burgenland (formerly part of the Kingdom of Hungary)
From the 1865 birth cohort onwards (not digitised)
Please note: Burgenland “Grundbuchsblätter” may also be found in the series for Lower Austria and Styria.
☐ Carinthia
From the 1865 birth cohort onwards
☐ Lower Austria
From the 1865 birth cohort onwards
☐ Upper Austria
Up to the 1864 birth cohort
From the 1865 birth cohort onwards (currently unavailable )
☐ Salzburg
Up to the 1864 birth cohort
☐ Styria
Up to the 1864 birth cohort
From the 1865 birth cohort onwards (up to the 1903 birth cohort links are available on the level of archival boxes)
☐ Tyrol
☐ Vorarlberg
☐ Vienna
Up to the 1864 birth cohort (for further explanation see here)
From the 1865 birth cohort onwards
“Grundbuchsblätter” for the following Austrian provinces are not in the Kriegsarchiv:
☐ Salzburg: “Grundbuchsblätter” of Salzburg conscripts born between 1865 and 1900 are in the Salzburger Landesarchiv. They are available online.
☐ Tyrol (including South Tyrol): “Grundbuchsblätter” (and other personnel files) of Tyrolese conscripts born between c. 1850/1865 and 1900 are in the Tiroler Landesarchiv Innsbruck (Evidenzarchiv | Land Tirol). They are available online.
(Later Italian) personnel files for men born after 1876 (South Tyrol) are in the Archivio di Stato in Bolzano.
☐ Vorarlberg: “Grundbuchsblätter” (and other personnel files) of Vorarlberg conscripts born after 1865 are in the Vorarlberger Landesarchiv in Bregenz.
There is a valuable history of the branches and regiments of the Imperial-Royal and Imperial and Royal (Austro-Hungarian) army from 1618 onwards by Alphons Freiherr von Wrede, Geschichte der k. u. k. Wehrmacht, 5 vols. (Vienna 1898–1905, incomplete). For a separate index of the regimental proprietors, regimental commanders and senior officers killed in combat see here (PDF, 317 KB).
I am looking for an officer, an NCO or a private soldier from the period 1868–1918 (after the introduction of conscription)
Part 2: Place of birth/”Heimatzuständigkeit” outside the present-day Republic of Austria
“Grundbuchsblätter” for conscripts from the lands of the Hungarian Crown (Hungary, Croatia-Slavonia, Transylvania) and from the Cis-Leithanian provinces listed below are not to be found in the Kriegsarchiv.
“Qualifikationslisten” of officers who became citizens of other successor-states after 1918/1919 are likely to have been handed over to these states.
☐ Hungary (→ Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Serbia)
Hungarian “Grundbuchsblätter” were destroyed in 1945.
☐ Bohemia, Moravia, Austrian Silesia (→ Czech Republic)
“Grundbuchsblätter” for conscripts born between 1865 and 1886 (fragments only for the birth cohorts up to 1864, largely destroyed for conscripts born between 1887 and 1898) are preserved at the Vojenský Historický Archiv in Prague.
In the Vienna Kriegsarchiv you may find:
“Grundbuchsblätter” for Bohemia, Moravia and Austrian Silesia for the birth cohorts up to 1864 (online): ‘Diverse’ — ‘Diverse I’
“Grundbuchsblätter” for the birth cohorts 1865-1900 for conscripts from southern Bohemia and southern Moravia (online): ‘Sudeten I’ — ‘Sudeten II’ — ‘Csl Bohemia’
☐ Bosnia-Herzegovina
☐ Bukovina (→ Romania, Ukraine)
“Grundbuchsblätter” for the birth cohort from 1865 onwards are in the TsDIAL of Ukraine in Lviv (Lemberg). Also see ‘Wojak – Żołnierze CK Armii Austro-Węgier’ which provides an alphabetical index to help locate individual “Grundbuchsblätter” (and other military documents) in the TSDIAL record group no. 780 which have been digitised.
☐ Dalmatia (→ Croatia)
☐ Galicia-Lodomeria (→ Ukraine, Poland)
“Grundbuchsblätter” for the birth cohorts from 1865 onwards are in the TsDIAL of Ukraine in Lviv. Also see the project ‘Wojak – Żołnierze CK Armii Austro-Węgier’ which provides an alphabetical index to help locate individual “Grundbuchsblätter” (and other military documents) in the TsDIAL record group no. 780 which have been digitised.
☐ Carniola (→ Slovenia)
Also see the “Grundbuchsblätter” for Styria (parts of present-day Slovenia having been part of the duchy of Styria up until 1918/19) preserved at the Vienna Kriegsarchiv.
☐ Austrian Littoral: Trieste, Istria, Gorizia-Gradisca (→ Italy, Slovenia)
“Grundbuchsblätter” (and other personnel files) for the birth cohorts 1860–1900 can be found in the Archivio di Stato di Trieste and the Archivio di Stato di Gorizia.
☐ Tyrol – Trentino (→ Italy)
“Grundbuchsblätter” for conscripts born after 1867 are in the Archivio di Stato di Trento.