Literature on Austro-Hungarian WW1 Uniforms

 

The subject of Austro-Hungarian uniforms used during WW1 is a big and complex one, but luckily there is a number of in-print publications to be had for anyone eager and willing to learn more.

First we of course have these two booklets published by the well-known British publisher Osprey, in their long series "Men at Arms":

 

They both follow the standard Osprey pattern, with super artwork, first-rate text (by the now sadly deceased Peter Jung), tables with special info, and photos that are both sharp and fresh. For a sample page, click here!

They are both less than 50 pages each, and if something is to be deplored, it's that a relatively big portion of the text is dedicated to a potted history of the war, as it was fought by the Austro-Hungarian Army, and although helpful for anyone not too knowledgeable on these matters, it is pretty easy to find it elsewhere, something that cannot be said about the details of uniforms and equipment. You can order it directly from Osprey, who have a fast and efficient service.

So if you are really serious about this subject, there is actually only one book that you should get and that is this one:

This is simply a STUNNING book, 507 pages thick, written by three professional experts, Stefan Rest, M. Christian Ortner and Thomas Ilming, and backed up by the second-to-none collections in the Heeresgeschictliches Museum in Vienna - the book is filled by sharp museum quality photos of pieces of equipment held by them, many quite unique in the world, and many of which have been there since the war. These 1.200 colour illustrations are supplemented by some 250 contemporary photos, also first quality, very sharp - some amazingly so - and never seen before, at least not by me. For a sample page, click here!

It is expensive, but actually worth its price. (If you count the info you get for your buck, you get much, much more with this book than with the two Osprey booklets - but that's perhaps an unfair comparison.) And its going to be THE book to have in this subject for a very, very long time.

More info on this amazing book can be had by clicking here!

AND...

And then there is always these two Italian books below, that both contain a LOT of material, not least detailed colour profiles (although not as nice as Ospreys, they are still as functional. And lets face it: Ospreys books are really booklets. You get a lot of MORE material in these two below than in the Osprey ones.)