Alpine companies

The Alpine companies (

First World War

.

History

Because normal forces could not be employed on reconnaissance and combat tasks in the high mountains of the Alps, in 1916 Alpine Streif companies (Streifkompanien) were established. They were renamed in 1917 to Hochgebirgskompanien ("Alpine companies" or, literally "high mountain companies"). The members of these

ethnic groups of the monarchy together. They all had previous Alpine experience, either as a result of their agricultural experience or as Alpine tourists before the war, and were specifically trained for fighting in the mountains. The specially selected officers

and men of the mountain companies were issued with Alpine equipment, and were intended, and in practice were able, to overcome natural obstacles even in the most difficult terrain.

Mission

The mission of this specialist force (or Schwarm) was to secure and maintain climbing paths and routes in high-Alpine terrain, as well as to make

military supply

routes practicable. For this, they were equipped with wire cables, rope ladders, iron bars and other equipment.

Organisation

An Alpine company was divided into a company HQ, three rifle

07/12 machine guns

, three to four mountain guide patrols, two telephone patrols and a technical section.

The replacement of personnel came from the units available in the respective branch of the army. Those battle casualty replacement battalions (Ersatzbataillone) from which the majority of the men in the individual companies originated, were designated as a replacement cadres; as a result they could be units in the

k.k. Landwehr

.