Military Vehicles - Austria: Books - History, Types and Construction

100 Jahre Panzerwaffe im österreichischen Heer

The history of the Austrian Panzerwaffe. A story of political and military mistakes, but also a story of technical masterpieces of Austrian military technology, which produced revolutionary developments (from the world's first wheeled tank to the world's first battle tank to the world's most modern infantry fighting vehicle).

An Austrian fate. It is hard to imagine how history would have turned out differently if those responsible had appreciated the value of these developments from the very beginning. For long periods of time, the inventive spirit of industry was stifled and the army was denied the (vital) equipment and weapons it needed.

This book aims to show the success story of the Austrian Panzerwaffe and domestic military technology. However, it is also intended to give the soldiers and technicians of all ranks who achieved these feats and who established the outstanding reputation of the Austrian Panzerwaffe worldwide the recognition they deserve...

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Der Steyr-Puch Haflinger des Österreichischen Bundesheeres

The Steyr-Puch Haflinger is considered a cult vehicle today. The small all-wheel drive vehicle has found its museum home in Graz, in the Puch Museum, where many variants can be admired. But it can also still be found on the road, and thanks to the Internet there is a worldwide community and bond of Haflinger fans.

In his book, Walter Blasi describes the long journey of this vehicle to become one of the mainstays of the Austrian Armed Forces. The course for the Haflinger was set as early as 1956. The first prototypes were built in 1957.
The subsequent test drives by the Graz test department were accompanied by great interest from the population. In 1959, the off-road vehicle finally went into series production under the name "Haflinger Type 700 AP".

The name "Haflinger" is derived from the mountain horse that has proved its worth in the Austrian army and was spontaneously coined during a demonstration. It took some time before the Haflinger became a military-grade vehicle. In 1958, the vehicle was already being subjected to extensive testing in several military departments.
The Haflinger was eventually used by commanders, commandos and small radio teams. The "normal" version had four seats, the radio Haflinger had three seats.

The vehicle subsequently developed into a military export hit. There was great interest abroad. 80 percent of production was exported to 110 countries.
In the 1970s, large foreign deliveries went primarily to Africa. The subsequent decline in demand for the Haflinger was gradually compensated for by orders for its bigger brother, the Pinzgauer.

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