Uniform Identification Help Please

[amaschwa]

Hello, I'm working on my family tree and I have quite a few pictures of military men in my box of family half-truths. I think they might be Hungarian or Austrian as that's where my family (swabian) is from. Any help you guys could offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My great-grandfather is in the first three, one of which (the one with the smaller group of men) has a postmark saying it's from 1928. The picture after that was important enough to keep but my grandparents didn't tell us anything about who this man was.

[amaschwa]

A few more pictures of interesting looking men in uniform. Where might they have been that they needed skis?

[Ian Hulley]

The first set seem to be Austria/Hungarian based on the caps and insignia ... also their tri-fold medal ribbons. The last shot shows a Red Army nurse looking at the tunic and shoulder boards.

Ian.

[amaschwa]

Thank you! That does make sense, because my great-grandparents were arrested in 1919 under suspicion of helping the Red Army take over Hungary. But they were both exonerated and since they sided with Germany in later years I assumed they couldn't have possibly been involved with a Communist overthrow of their government, but who knows. These could be friends or extended family...

But I still have a hard time believing they were pro-communist since I think I figured out which uniforms the ones in the second and third picture are from my first post - the one of the battalion with just my great-grandfather after it - I'm pretty sure they were some kind of Austrian Heimwehr. His uniform matches others that I have found while searching. And my great-grandmother always listed him as a "German National in Hungary" which I could not wrap my mind around until I read up on Austria during the interwar period and their conflict with National Socialism. There was a group who identified themselves as "German Nationals" and who favored the creation of a greater Germany, and that falls in line with some of the actions my family took afterwards. They were absolutely with the Nazis. Everyone except for my grandfather, who having been born in Budapest felt more Hungarian than German. I'm pretty sure that's why he never told us about his father, because I have a feeling that's why they lost their farm and were deported from Budapest to Germany. Which didn't happen to everyone within our extended family. Does anyone know anything more about the Austrian Heimwehr that might confirm my theory?

Thank you again for what you did tell me, Ian. It definitely gives me another angle to explore in my research - I'm going to have to pull out my great-grandparents court papers from their suspected "Red Team" (that's how it translated) days.

[history1]

The first set seem to be Austria/Hungarian based on the caps and insignia [...]
Ian.

Agree.
http://www.mlorenz.at/images/03_infanterie_1-38.jpg

[history1]

[...] I'm pretty sure they were some kind of Austrian Heimwehr. His uniform matches others that I have found while searching.

Heimwehr units where local, I doubt that they went to the mountains to take a skiing course or winter fighting course.
Appreciate if you can share the photos (links only or photos with source) which fits for Heimwehr uniforms.

And my great-grandmother always listed him as a "German National in Hungary" which I could not wrap my mind around until I read up on Austria during the interwar period and their conflict with National Socialism. There was a group who identified themselves as "German Nationals" and who favored the creation of a greater Germany, and that falls in line with some of the actions my family took afterwards. They were absolutely with the Nazis.

The German National Movement (= Deutschnationale Bewegung) existed long before the Nazis. Even one of their successors the DNSAP (Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei) is not the NSDAP because it was disbanded in 1933. https://tinyurl.com/nq2d3wn

Everyone except for my grandfather, who having been born in Budapest felt more Hungarian than German.[...]I have a feeling that's why they lost their farm and were deported from Budapest to Germany.[...]

Any evidence for the latter? Do you mean deported to Germany or to Austria, which was part of the 3rd Reich?
If you need help to translate German documents don´t hesitate to ask!

[Tapani K.]

The first set seem to be Austria/Hungarian based on the caps and insignia ... also their tri-fold medal ribbons. The last shot shows a Red Army nurse looking at the tunic and shoulder boards.

Ian.

And the Red Army shoulderboards mean that this pic is taken in or after 1943. Most of the other pictures seem to be somewhat older.

regards,
Tapani K.