🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹Heeresgeschichtliches Museum Panzerhalle: Composition of Austrian Infantry Company in 80s

The historic building of Object 13 in the Vienna Arsenal (Heeresgeschichtliches Museum Panzerhalle) was built in 1936 as a garage for military vehicles. Since 2017, it has served as a display of the history of armoured troops, containing more than 30 armoured vehicles. 

In the 1980s an Austrian Bundesheer infantry company was generally composed of a company headquarters (HQ) with a HQ squad and a supply squad, three infantry platoons of equal composition and a heavy weapons platoon. Usually commanded by a First Lieutenant or Captain, on infantry company had a total strength of 212 soldiers with two motorcycles, 8 light trucks and 13 trucks. The squads and teams directly subordinated to company HQ served for immediate command and control in combat, supplying the soldiers with food and ammunition as well as servicing weapons and vehicles. The company's actual fighting power comes from the three rifle platoons, trained and armed for close combat and equipped with machine guns for high firepower. The combat support platoon fielded two medium mortars Type 82 (81 mm) as well as six light anti-tank weapons 66/79 "Carl Gustav” (84 mm), to deliver supporting or anti-tank defense fire at the point of main effort.

Flak towers in Augarten Park, Vienna 🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹🌩️🌩️🌩️🌪️🌪️🌪️

Two of Vienna’s Flak Towers are located in Augarten Park, approximately 2.5 kilometers north of the city’s historic center. These are the G-Tower (Gefechtsturm – Gun Tower) and the L-Tower (Leitturm – Fire-Control Tower), both constructed between July 1944 and January 1945 following the third-generation Flak Tower design. They were the final towers of their kind built by the Third Reich. Standing at 55 meters, the Gun Tower is the tallest Flak Tower ever constructed. The G-Tower measures 43 by 43 meters at the base and reaches a height of 55 meters, typically equipped with eight (four twin) 128 mm guns and thirty-two (eight quadruple) 20 mm guns. The Gun Tower and the Fire-Control Tower are located about 400 meters apart.

 

April 2025 Wien Museum - "Controlled Freedom": The allied forces in Vienna 🚩🇺🇸🇬🇧🇫🇷🇦🇹

Following Vienna’s liberation in April 1945 by Red Army, the city faced destruction, homelessness, hunger, and cold. Yet cultural life quickly returned—arts events resumed on April 27 under Soviet orders, soon joined by efforts from France, the UK, and the US. This marked an unprecedented influx of international culture. These initiatives supported Austria’s political and economic recovery and helped lay the emotional groundwork for a national identity distinct from Germany. The exhibition Controlled Freedom highlights how postwar cultural activity shaped the emergence of a democratic Austria—an influence that endures today. Toy jeep with Allied military policemen from 50s (From the private collection of Prof.Mag.Rolf M. Urrisk-Obertyński (Wien Museum).

Happy Friday! 🐣🐣🐣

Never-ending battle for my shelves...🤨

Lineol artillery crew with Goso cannon 💣💣💣

Lineol field artillery gun crew operates a Göso tinplate cannon. Old German toys from 30s.

German WW1 Cavalry from Manz 🏇🏇🏇

These 5.4 cm German cavalrymen were produced from a composition material by Manz(Germany) from 1914 to 1918.

Mercedes-Benz 770 from Tipp & Co 🚨🚨🚨

Adolf Hitler’s Mercedes-Benz 770 – Tipp & Co Model (1937, Germany) Tippco’s tinplate military vehicles rank among the finest clockwork tin toys of the pre-war era, standing alongside top-quality makers like Lineol and Hausser/Elastolin in craftsmanship and design. This tinplate toy limousine n934, produced by Tipp & Co in Nuremberg in 1937,represents the Mercedes-Benz 770 "Großer Mercedes" convertible. Originally introduced in 1930 as a state vehicle for high-ranking officials, the full-sized version was famously used by Adolf Hitler throughout the 1930s. The toy features the same license plate, 11A-19357, as Hitler’s actual car, reflecting both its historical accuracy and propaganda significance.Tipp & Co also produced the n934/7 version of this toy model with electric lights. The Adolf Hitler's and Waffen SS figures are produced by Lineol, Tippco and Elastolin (Germany) in 30s/40s.

WW2 German LMG Machine Gunner from different makers 🔫🔫🔫

It was very interesting to compare these three composition figures depicting a marching German soldier with his MG 08/15. These figures from 30s were produced by (from left to right): Kienel, Elastolin (664/15) and Lineol(5/153). In my opinion, Elastolin managed to create the most interesting and detailed version.

China during World War I 🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳

From 1917 to 1918, China took part in World War I as an ally of the Entente Powers. While it did not deploy combat troops abroad, approximately 140,000 Chinese laborers, enlisted in the British Army's Chinese Labour Corps, supported both British and French forces before the war concluded. 7.5 cm Composition Chinese WW1 soldier produced by Manz(Germany) in 1914 - 1918 and the Special Gunpowder Tea.🍵🫖