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Alex wrote:

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Another unit history - request!
I'd like to find out about Ulanen Regiment No. 8 during the Great War.
Please tell me if you've got any information apart from battle orders.

I am afraid I have bad news, Alex. There is no history of Galician Uhlan Regiment Nr. 8 during Great War 1914-1918. There is only an old history detailing the history of the regiment until 1860 (*). I consulted my notes and I couldn't find any references to this regiment either, so to find something about it I am afraid you would need to dig into the fonds of the Kriegsarchiv in Vienna. However, the archive has four unpublished regimental histories of k.u.k. Ulanen-Regiments during World War I and namely for Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 2, Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 3, Landwehr Ulanen-regiment Nr. 5 and Landwehr Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 6. They have all been written after the war by former officers of the regiment. Some were finished, while others were not. The history of Schwarzenberg Ulanen from Tarnów appears to be completed. It is comprised of two volumes (Teil I - 1907 to 1916, total 134 pages) and (Teil II - 1916-1918, total 205 pages).

(*) THÜRHEIM, ANDREAS GRAF: Geschichte des k. k. 8. Uhlanen-Regimentes Erzherzog Ferdinand Maximilian. Wien: 1860.

I am sorry I could not be of more help, but the fact is that most regimental histories of k.u.k. cavalry regiments from the 1914-1918 period are about Dragoner and Hussar regiments. Ulanen regiments didn't appear to get that much attention.

lp,

Klemen

Thanks for your reply. Do you know anything about the role Ulan-regiments fulfilled during WWI in general? Did they still serve in the light cavalry/reconnaissance - role in the later phases of the war, or did they fight dismounted? Where were they deployed? Balkans, Eastern Front or even Isonzo?

Hello Alex!

I am afraid Alex I don't know all the answers to your questions. From what I know most of the cavalry fought as dismounted infantry after 1915. Most Austrian divisions had a small detachment of cavalry (Divisions-Kavallerie or Dions.Kav.), which was mostly provided by Dragoon and Hussar regiments. It appears that most of the Ulanen Regiments fought on the Eastern Front. Only in 1918 some of them found themselves transferred  to the Italian Front. I have in front of me a detailed order of battle for the Austro-Hungarian Forces on the Italian Front for autumn 1917. Most Austro-Hungarian divisions had detachments of cavalry from Dragoon and Hussar regiments. For example the 17th k.u.k. Infantry Division had a squadron from 16th Hussar Regiment, while 21st Schuetzen Division had its detachment of cavalry comprised from a squadron of 7th Dragoon Regiment (4. Schwadron). The only division on the Italian Front at that time that appears to have the presence of the Uhlans was the the 106th Landsturm Infantry Division, whose Dions.Kav. consisted of a squadron of the 1st Ulanen Regiment. You can follow the movements of the Uhlan regiments by following the movements of the brigades and divisions through the following website (*). For more details about what was the life in a k.u.k. Uhlan regiment in Great War I suggest you try to find the memoirs of Lieutenant Aleksander Praglowski, a Polish cavalry officer who served during the war in the 4th Uhlan Regiment. He arrived with his 3rd Cavalry Division on the Italian Front in 1918. I am sure you will be able to find some answers to your questions in this book.

Aleksander Pragłowski: "Od Wiednia do Londynu: Wspomnienia". Polska Fundacja Kulturalna, 1968

URL(*): http://www.austrianphilately.com/dixnut/dn6e6.htm

Hope this helps.

lp,

Klemen

Another unit history - request!
I'd like to find out about Ulanen Regiment No. 8 during the Great War.
Please tell me if you've got any information apart from battle orders.

Alex, it seems I have spoken prematurely, when I said that there is no regimental history of UR.8. It seems that there is.

Kornel Krzeczunowicz: "Ułani Ksiecia Józefa. Historia 8 Pułku Ulanów KS. Józefa Poniatowskiego, 1784-1945", B. Swiderski, London 1960. The book has about 316 pages. There appears to be also a small chapter about the regiment in Great War 1914-1918. Not sure how detailed is the chapter about WW1, but there is a list of officers of UR.8 who were killed during the war 1914-1918, so I guess that means that there must also be something about the regimental military operations. At least a short overview if nothing else. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to Napoleonic wars, Polish-Soviet War 1919-1921 and the Polish Campaign 1939, though..

This regiment also has its own website: http://www.ulani.pl/

Hope this helps.

lp,

Klemen