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 now a cult vehicle. Its museum home is the Puch Museum in Graz, where many variants are displayed. It can still be seen on the road, and thanks to the internet, there is a global community of Haflinger fans.

Walter Blasi describes in his book the long journey of this vehicle to becoming a key pillar of the Austrian Armed Forces. The groundwork for the Haflinger was laid in 1956, and the first prototypes were built in 1957.
The test drives by the Graz testing department attracted great public interest. In 1959, the vehicle went into series production as the "Haflinger Type 700 AP".
The name "Haflinger" comes from a well-proven mountain horse of the armed forces and was spontaneously coined during a demonstration. From 1958, the vehicle was tested in several military units.
The Haflinger was used for commanders, command posts, and small radio teams. The standard version was four-seater, the radio Haflinger three-seater.
The vehicle became a military export hit. 80 percent of the production was exported to 110 countries. In the 1970s, many vehicles were exported to Africa. The decline in demand was gradually offset by orders for its larger brother, the Pinzgauer.

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