Hausner Gábor - Kincses Katalin Mária - Veszprémy László szerk.: A Hadtörténeti Múzeum Értesítője. Acta Musei Militaris in Hungaria. 4. „Kard és koszorú”. Ezer év magyar uralmi és katonai jelképei. (Budapest, 2001)
KATONAI JELKÉPEK - ILLÉSFALVI PÉTER: Vadász- és hegyicsapatok megkülönböztető jelzései 1867-től napjainkig
DISTINCTIVE INSIGNIA OF RIFLE AND MOUNTAIN TROOPS FROM 1867 TO PRESENT DAY The history of rifle troops dates back to 1801 in the Hapsburg Empire, when the so-called Tyrolean Rifle Regiment was established. From 1806 on it was simply called the Rifle Regiment, until 1808, when it was disbanded. From it they formed the staff of nine field rifle battalions. Five years later, under the command of Sir Fenner von Fenneberg (Kt) the Rifle Corps named after him was set up, which was reorganized in 1816 into the 'Emperor Franz Tyrolean Rifle Regiment'. The latter may be regarded as the direct predecessor of the Emperor's Rifle Regiment that always bore the name of the reigning emperor who was also the first owner of the regiment. In 1895 the regiment's 16 battalions were formed into four Tyrolean Emperor's Rifle Regiments, each with four battalions. Onto their headgear they pinned hunting-horns with the imperial eagle inside. From 1906, the three Tyrolean National Rifle Regiments of the ImperialRoyal Army became mountain troops of the Monarchy's land forces. Apart from their special training, their headgear was ornamented by blackcock plumes and their collar-patches by metal edelweiss flowers. During the course of World War I the edelweiss, as a symbol, came into general use at troops having served in mountainous areas. The short-lived rifle battalions of the National Army, organized in 1919, did not have any distinctive insignia until 1938, when the traditional spirit and emblems of the rifle troops were revived. At that time the border guard was disbanded and border rifle troops were established within the Royal Hungarian Army. The hunting-horn of former field rifle battalions was worn on their caps with the battalion number inside. Beside the cap badge a new troop badge was introduced for their use; the Turul (the sacred bird of prey of Hungary) grasping a sword had to be worn above the right side pocket of their tunics. In 1939 the Royal Hungarian 1 st Infantry Mountain Brigade was established, and soldiers of the troops ranged to this unit wore a peaked field cap, on which the edelweiss badge was placed on a patch displaying the colours of the branch of service. Border rifle battalions, equipped for mountain warfare, were allowed to wear both distinctive insignia. Border rifle battalions reorganised as mountain rifle battalions could wear the border ranger troop insignia, as well. Border rifle units remained in existence even after World War II, in the so-called democratic army. These troops were soon subordinated, according to the Soviet model, to the Ministry of the Interior, they could, however, keep their troop insignia for a short period. In 1949 these units were reorganized as the Border Guard of the Ministry of Interior, parting completely with old rifle traditions. From 1990, immediate reaction border guard forces, the so-called border rifle companies were organised within the Border Guard of the Ministry of Interior. Soldiers of the companies could, on their tunics and headgear, wear the border rifle insignia introduced in 1939, which later became the distinctive badge of all border guard formations.
