Page 115 - QDG Volume 9 No. 5

1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards Panzergrenadierbataillon 35
– Lead, Follow, Fight
At home just 35 kilometers south of
Vienna, the 35th Mechanized Infantry
Batallion (“Panzergrenadierbataillon 35”)
was honored to receive a high ranking
delegation of the distinguished 1st The
Queen’s Dragoon Guards with whom the
common history is stretching back more
than 100 years when the Austro-Hun-
garian Emperor Franz Josef II. has been
made colonel-in-chief in 1896.
Nowadays both the 35th Mechanized
Infantry Batallion, which forms an integral
part of the Austrian Armed Forces only
Armoured Brigade, and the Regiment
specializing in mounted reconnaissance
have more in common then one might
expect.
Being demonstrated the batal-
lions main weapon system, the IFV
(“Schützenpanzer”) ULAN, with its
long ranging, precise and fully stabi-
lized 30mm autocannon that is capable
of instantly switching between armor-
piercing sabot and multi-purpose
rounds, solid armor protection and excel-
lent mobility by experienced troopers,
the officers and NCOs of the delegation
were able to get a good picture of the
batallions capabilities and it’s equip-
ments quality. The Austrian “Grenadiers”
also showed their proven small arms and
squad-level heavy weapons that are part
of every infantry squad that can rapidly
dismount from the IFV and engage the
enemy in close combat, protecting their
tanks in vulnerable terrain from getting
ambushed, scouting ahead of the main
formation, breaching obstacles and
clearing areas to seize and hold critical
objectives.
RSM with his commission firmly in his crosshairs
The IFV, of which roughly 50 are
assigned to each of the two batallions,
has been introduced in the early 2000’s
and is now being subjected to an exten-
sive life extension program which has
already been initialized and should be
concluded by the end of the decade.
In this time a possible successor to the
vehicle might be selected, and a likely
candidate is the ASCOD 2 in a similar
configuration as in the British AJAX
programme.
After getting briefed on the IFV, the
visitors had the opportunity to mount
RSM showing his officer dress style
QDG visit the Regiment
113
the “ULAN” themselves for an extensive
and enjoyable roundtrip on the exten-
sive and quite tricky training ground
surrounding the barracks that is home to
the 35th Mechanized Infantry Batallion.
Quite a few challenging obstacles and
interesting terrain features in amiable
weather condition gave the visitors a
good impression of the Grenadiers daily
work as well as a good helping of dust
which is the reason why the home of the
35th Mechanized Infantry Batallion is
often referred to as the “Wüstengarnison”
(“desert barracks”).