"Woman and the Austrian Armed Forces"
Höller, Eva: Women and the Austrian Armed Forces in: Walter Hellbock, Franz Wagner, Heinrich Starhemberg (1999): The Labour Movement and the Austro-Italian War, Wien: Arbeiterverlag
Limits imposed on Austria in the Treaty of St-Germain and in the Geneva Protocols to discourage offensive action restricted them to 30000 and later 50000 members of the armed forces. While even official numbers rose higher, with the aid of some creative bookkeeping, both the legendary Shadow Army as well as the use of civilian "contractors" expended them even more to nearly four times the allowed numbers. It was mainly men that served in these roles, not just because of then current gender roles, but also because most occupations were considered to bolster combat troops. A good example are drivers and mechanics. While not necessarily combat troops, outside of treaty defined reconnaissance and messenger roles, they were officially filled by civilians, but as soon as the war started integrated into their units as serving soldiers. It was however still several thousand woman who served in various roles. Most of them were in secretarial roles, or as cooks, laundry maids and similar roles.
When the war started there was a large amount of emergency legislation introduced into the Austrian parliament. And as so often with emergency measures, there were things that slipped through the cracks. While mostly unnoticed at the time, despite careful wording, an estimated 750 woman were brought from the various officially civilian auxiliaries into the Armed Forces. While most simply carried on their jobs, not affected by the change, there were some prominent immediate examples, that set the precedents for what followed. Most well known were the cases of the pilot Anna Starhemberg, who died flying a bomber aircraft soon after, or of Rebecca Sailer, who served as a translator with the staff of the 3rd Gebirgsjäger Division.
While those cases were very publicly fought over, both in court as well as in the newspapers, most others at first slipped through the cracks. With total mobilisation of the population in progress, Woman suddenly taking up work wasn't unusual. After all, a great many men holding unskilled or easily trained jobs were called to arms. And so things repeated as they had done a decade earlier during the Great War, if in greater numbers, and most of all, far faster.
While no branch of the Armed Forces officially actively recruited woman, even after cases had been rushed through the courts and additional legislation was put into place, there were an ever increasing amount of cases where woman were given military ranks, where they had previously worked as civilians. In some cases this even happened with woman that had only started in their positions after the war had started.
With muster and training plans working out like a clockwork, it didn't take long until all eligible men not otherwise occupied had been called up and put though training. With some 'military' occupations, this notably consisted of a three day course, until they returned to do their old job, now under direction of the military. However even by the people in charge these training regimes were considered dangerously short, but necessary for the continued survival of the nation.
It was then two months into the war that a snag was hit. All men were already serving in the Armed Forces, by way of professional army, shadow army, paramilitary elements or through training, or were considered indispensable in their their current position, or by age or health not considered capable of military service.
It was then that Staatsekretär für Heereswesen Julius Deutsch returned to the initial legislation that was passed when the war started and declared that the legislation concerned all citizens, not just male. It simply read 'All citizens between eighteen and thirty-five'*. His own party was torn over this. There were a core of feminist supporters of the measure, with the end goal of total equality, while others opposed it, again with females as the loudest voice. If brought to a vote, it is likely that the measure would have passed with the barest of margins, but only since the war was considered won already.
The CS however was different. Most of the base of the party was against the measure, and so were most vocal politicians. In this it is notable that the party leadership and the Ministers were curiously quiet on the matter, and silently kept Deutsch's back free to implement it.
By the time the armistice was declared, muster of woman was still in progress, proceeding slower than the males previously, for a number of reasons.
Therefore far slower than the call up of men, only the age cohorts born between 1908 and 1910 had entered training when the war ended.
There were also a small number of woman serving in foreign volunteer formations. This wasn't published widely until the controversial decision by Deutsch, but that much more afterwards. Mostly the woman in those formations were already serving second line roles, and units with a high amount of woman were deliberately assigned occupation or garrison duty far from the front lines, however even with those measures in place, a few of them did end up in front line combat.
*German has gendered Nouns. Think 'Headmaster' and 'Headmistress' and similar, but for pretty much every noun. In most cases the female form is formed by adding an "-in" at the end, though exceptions exist. However until roughly two decades ago it was accepted that the male form often serves as a neutral for both genders, depending a bit on context. Let's ignore current matters for now, dealing with military matters one assumes "Staatsbürger" to be male, not gender-neutral, and certainly not "Staatsbürgerin". There are however other parts, even parts of the Austrian constitution where "Staatsbürger" is used for both. (That is not to imply in any way that male and female citizens were equal in the 20s and 30s in most matters. In fact, one of the few matter they were fully equal was in their right to participate in elections.)
Limits imposed on Austria in the Treaty of St-Germain and in the Geneva Protocols to discourage offensive action restricted them to 30000 and later 50000 members of the armed forces. While even official numbers rose higher, with the aid of some creative bookkeeping, both the legendary Shadow Army as well as the use of civilian "contractors" expended them even more to nearly four times the allowed numbers. It was mainly men that served in these roles, not just because of then current gender roles, but also because most occupations were considered to bolster combat troops. A good example are drivers and mechanics. While not necessarily combat troops, outside of treaty defined reconnaissance and messenger roles, they were officially filled by civilians, but as soon as the war started integrated into their units as serving soldiers. It was however still several thousand woman who served in various roles. Most of them were in secretarial roles, or as cooks, laundry maids and similar roles.
When the war started there was a large amount of emergency legislation introduced into the Austrian parliament. And as so often with emergency measures, there were things that slipped through the cracks. While mostly unnoticed at the time, despite careful wording, an estimated 750 woman were brought from the various officially civilian auxiliaries into the Armed Forces. While most simply carried on their jobs, not affected by the change, there were some prominent immediate examples, that set the precedents for what followed. Most well known were the cases of the pilot Anna Starhemberg, who died flying a bomber aircraft soon after, or of Rebecca Sailer, who served as a translator with the staff of the 3rd Gebirgsjäger Division.
While those cases were very publicly fought over, both in court as well as in the newspapers, most others at first slipped through the cracks. With total mobilisation of the population in progress, Woman suddenly taking up work wasn't unusual. After all, a great many men holding unskilled or easily trained jobs were called to arms. And so things repeated as they had done a decade earlier during the Great War, if in greater numbers, and most of all, far faster.
While no branch of the Armed Forces officially actively recruited woman, even after cases had been rushed through the courts and additional legislation was put into place, there were an ever increasing amount of cases where woman were given military ranks, where they had previously worked as civilians. In some cases this even happened with woman that had only started in their positions after the war had started.
With muster and training plans working out like a clockwork, it didn't take long until all eligible men not otherwise occupied had been called up and put though training. With some 'military' occupations, this notably consisted of a three day course, until they returned to do their old job, now under direction of the military. However even by the people in charge these training regimes were considered dangerously short, but necessary for the continued survival of the nation.
It was then two months into the war that a snag was hit. All men were already serving in the Armed Forces, by way of professional army, shadow army, paramilitary elements or through training, or were considered indispensable in their their current position, or by age or health not considered capable of military service.
It was then that Staatsekretär für Heereswesen Julius Deutsch returned to the initial legislation that was passed when the war started and declared that the legislation concerned all citizens, not just male. It simply read 'All citizens between eighteen and thirty-five'*. His own party was torn over this. There were a core of feminist supporters of the measure, with the end goal of total equality, while others opposed it, again with females as the loudest voice. If brought to a vote, it is likely that the measure would have passed with the barest of margins, but only since the war was considered won already.
The CS however was different. Most of the base of the party was against the measure, and so were most vocal politicians. In this it is notable that the party leadership and the Ministers were curiously quiet on the matter, and silently kept Deutsch's back free to implement it.
By the time the armistice was declared, muster of woman was still in progress, proceeding slower than the males previously, for a number of reasons.
Therefore far slower than the call up of men, only the age cohorts born between 1908 and 1910 had entered training when the war ended.
There were also a small number of woman serving in foreign volunteer formations. This wasn't published widely until the controversial decision by Deutsch, but that much more afterwards. Mostly the woman in those formations were already serving second line roles, and units with a high amount of woman were deliberately assigned occupation or garrison duty far from the front lines, however even with those measures in place, a few of them did end up in front line combat.
*German has gendered Nouns. Think 'Headmaster' and 'Headmistress' and similar, but for pretty much every noun. In most cases the female form is formed by adding an "-in" at the end, though exceptions exist. However until roughly two decades ago it was accepted that the male form often serves as a neutral for both genders, depending a bit on context. Let's ignore current matters for now, dealing with military matters one assumes "Staatsbürger" to be male, not gender-neutral, and certainly not "Staatsbürgerin". There are however other parts, even parts of the Austrian constitution where "Staatsbürger" is used for both. (That is not to imply in any way that male and female citizens were equal in the 20s and 30s in most matters. In fact, one of the few matter they were fully equal was in their right to participate in elections.)
Anyone got the hints? Eh, doesn't really matter.
As mentioned cracks are forming in the parties. This, this very much is one of those that will lead to the CS splintering post war. It's very much ideologically, no matter what else, based on catholic values. That include the woman at home, and certainly not anywhere near a battlefield.
And those errors might have just been deliberate. And not opposing the implementation might be based on the idea that no matter what they do, there might still be the German Wehrmacht rolling over the border any day now... (After all, you don't operate a decade under the assumption, and then simply ignore it). After all, if they oppose the measure now, well, they'd have a harder time to get it in place if the situation gets desperate enough to need it.
And deliberately set up that way by me, to give us the dillema. Now if only I could get that "Homefront Ferdinand" piece to work, where he's called on the carpet about those insane ideas...
As mentioned cracks are forming in the parties. This, this very much is one of those that will lead to the CS splintering post war. It's very much ideologically, no matter what else, based on catholic values. That include the woman at home, and certainly not anywhere near a battlefield.
And those errors might have just been deliberate. And not opposing the implementation might be based on the idea that no matter what they do, there might still be the German Wehrmacht rolling over the border any day now... (After all, you don't operate a decade under the assumption, and then simply ignore it). After all, if they oppose the measure now, well, they'd have a harder time to get it in place if the situation gets desperate enough to need it.
And deliberately set up that way by me, to give us the dillema. Now if only I could get that "Homefront Ferdinand" piece to work, where he's called on the carpet about those insane ideas...