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Landsturm

The Landsturm were militia units composed of older reservists serving in the armies of Prussia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Starting in 1813, all able-bodied Prussian males aged 15 to 60 not in the Prussian Army or Landwehr had to respond to the orders of the Landsturm, making them the last national military reserve. The Landsturm were obliged to resist French invasion using any weapons available, included axes, pitchforks, scythes, and shotguns, and they were ordered to make themselves a nuisance to the Napoleonic troops however possible, violating the laws of war. The Austro-Hungarians similarly formed a Landsturm from men aged 34 to 55, serving as replacements for frontline units and providing a militia for local defense. During World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Army fielded 20 Landsturm brigades, consisting of 40 regiments composed of 136 Austrian battalions and 32 Hungarian battalions. Sweden formed its own Landstorm in 1808 during the Finnish War; all able unmarried men from 18 to 25 were conscripted for the Landstorm, and 30,000 were armed for that purpose. The original Landstorm was disbanded in 1811, only to be recreated in 1885 for all able Swedish males from 27 to 32. The Landstorm was abolished and incorporated into the regular army in 1942. In Switzerland, the Landsturm was drawn from men aged 42-50 until 1995.

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