Hitler serves in the Austro-Hungarian military in World War I

[WolfBear]

What if Hitler would have served in the Austro-Hungarian military instead of the German military during World War I?

Basically, there are two ways to make this happen:

1. Hitler is rejected from the German military due to him being an Austrian citizen and is sent back to Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I so that Austria-Hungary can draft him.

2. Hitler doesn't move to Germany in 1913 but rather remains in Austria-Hungary--thus making him ripe for enlistment by Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I.

Would fighting for Austria-Hungary (a regime which he detested, for the record) have caused Hitler to have a different mentality and different political views in comparison to our TL?

Also, if Hitler would have still survived World War I in this TL, would he have been able to immigrate to Germany and to make a name for himself in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s (just like in our TL)? Or would his past service in the Austro-Hungarian military have been a significant handicap for him in Germany in this TL?

[The Horny Goat]

Post by WolfBear
What if Hitler would have served in the Austro-Hungarian military instead of the German military during World War I?
1. Hitler is rejected from the German military due to him being an Austrian citizen and is sent back to Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I so that Austria-Hungary can draft him.
2. Hitler doesn't move to Germany in 1913 but rather remains in Austria-Hungary--thus making him ripe for enlistment by Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I.
Would fighting for Austria-Hungary (a regime which he detested, for the record) have caused Hitler to have a different mentality and different political views in comparison to our TL?
Also, if Hitler would have still survived World War I in this TL, would he have been able to immigrate to Germany and to make a name for himself in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s (just like in our TL)? Or would his past service in the Austro-Hungarian military have been a significant handicap for him in Germany in this TL?

True - but #1 doesn't automatically follow. My great-grandfather
emigrated (with wife and 7 children) from the UK to Canada in 1912 and
in August 1914 at his own expense travelled to London and presented
his RN Reserve commission papers and asked for a posting. (He
commanded a minesweeper for 4 years and at wars' end returned home and
resumed his life) I emphasize - he served in the Royal Navy NOT the
Royal Canadian Navy. While he definitely wasn't Hitler the parallel is
clear.

As for Austria - one unusual trivia from WW2 is that at least 1/2 the
SS officers tried at Nuremberg were Austrian born.

[SolomonW]

Post by The Horny Goat

Post by WolfBear
What if Hitler would have served in the Austro-Hungarian military instead of the German military during World War I?
1. Hitler is rejected from the German military due to him being an Austrian citizen and is sent back to Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I so that Austria-Hungary can draft him.
2. Hitler doesn't move to Germany in 1913 but rather remains in Austria-Hungary--thus making him ripe for enlistment by Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I.
Would fighting for Austria-Hungary (a regime which he detested, for the record) have caused Hitler to have a different mentality and different political views in comparison to our TL?
Also, if Hitler would have still survived World War I in this TL, would he have been able to immigrate to Germany and to make a name for himself in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s (just like in our TL)? Or would his past service in the Austro-Hungarian military have been a significant handicap for him in Germany in this TL?

True - but #1 doesn't automatically follow. My great-grandfather
emigrated (with wife and 7 children) from the UK to Canada in 1912 and
in August 1914 at his own expense travelled to London and presented
his RN Reserve commission papers and asked for a posting. (He
commanded a minesweeper for 4 years and at wars' end returned home and
resumed his life) I emphasize - he served in the Royal Navy NOT the
Royal Canadian Navy. While he definitely wasn't Hitler the parallel is
clear.
As for Austria - one unusual trivia from WW2 is that at least 1/2 the
SS officers tried at Nuremberg were Austrian born.

Being in the Austrian army would mean that it's less likely that he would
return to Munich, although not impossible. He would probably not be in the
Verbindungsmann which means he probably would have nothing to do with the
German Workers' Party and would not be ordered to join the party.

[Ingo Siekmann]

Post by WolfBear
What if Hitler would have served in the Austro-Hungarian military
instead of the German military during World War I?
1. Hitler is rejected from the German military due to him being an
Austrian citizen and is sent back to Austria-Hungary at the start of
World War I so that Austria-Hungary can draft him.

Rather unlikely. According to the German Wikipedia, Hitler went to
Munich to avoid being drafted into the Austrian Army. In 1914, he was
arrested and deported to Austria, where he was mustered and declared
"unfit for service", something he later managed to keep secret. When the
war broke out, he was not the only Austrian in the German (esp.
Bavarian) Army.

Post by WolfBear
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler#Kunstmaler_in_Wien_und_M%C3%BCnchen
2. Hitler doesn't move to Germany in 1913 but rather remains in
Austria-Hungary--thus making him ripe for enlistment by
Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I.

Possible. Even after declared unfit for service, he could have been
drafted later, when the standards were lowered.
Something many people outside Austria - me neither until now - is, that
Austrian and Hungarian troops fought in Palestine, as allies of the
Ottomans. So - could the drafted Hitler sees combat at places like Gaza
or Jordan? Could he meet Lawrence of Arabia? Or maybe he starts to paint
kitschy desert scenes?

Post by WolfBear
Would fighting for Austria-Hungary (a regime which he detested, for
the record) have caused Hitler to have a different mentality and
different political views in comparison to our TL?

Maybe. He was a young man in his mid-twenties, and the stress of a war
and different environment - if not Flanders, maybe the mountains of
Tirol or the Eastern front would have influenced him.

Post by WolfBear
Also, if Hitler would have still survived World War I in this TL,
would he have been able to immigrate to Germany and to make a name
for himself in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s (just like in our TL)?
Or would his past service in the Austro-Hungarian military have been
a significant handicap for him in Germany in this TL?

He could have moved to Germany, but he probably would not have made a
name as a politician. His "political career" began when he stayed a
soldier in the German Army after the war, and esp. as he worked as
"undercover agent" for the military intelligence.

Thoughts? comments?

Bye
ingo

[The Horny Goat]

On Mon, 12 Feb 2018 16:52:52 +0100, Ingo Siekmann

Post by Ingo Siekmann
Possible. Even after declared unfit for service, he could have been
drafted later, when the standards were lowered.
Something many people outside Austria - me neither until now - is, that
Austrian and Hungarian troops fought in Palestine, as allies of the
Ottomans. So - could the drafted Hitler sees combat at places like Gaza
or Jordan? Could he meet Lawrence of Arabia? Or maybe he starts to paint
kitschy desert scenes?

Or for that matter been captured by the British and never returned to
Germany or Austria.

[SolomonW]

Post by The Horny Goat
On Mon, 12 Feb 2018 16:52:52 +0100, Ingo Siekmann

Post by Ingo Siekmann
Possible. Even after declared unfit for service, he could have been
drafted later, when the standards were lowered.
Something many people outside Austria - me neither until now - is, that
Austrian and Hungarian troops fought in Palestine, as allies of the
Ottomans. So - could the drafted Hitler sees combat at places like Gaza
or Jordan? Could he meet Lawrence of Arabia? Or maybe he starts to paint
kitschy desert scenes?

Or for that matter been captured by the British and never returned to
Germany or Austria.

More likely in the Austrian army, he would have fought the Russians which
was a disastrous war for the Austrians.

[The Horny Goat]

Post by SolomonW

Post by The Horny Goat
Or for that matter been captured by the British and never returned to
Germany or Austria.

More likely in the Austrian army, he would have fought the Russians which
was a disastrous war for the Austrians.

Lemme guess - he's on a train passing through Petrograd when the
Revolution comes......

[Ingo Siekmann]

Post by The Horny Goat

Post by SolomonW

Post by The Horny Goat
Or for that matter been captured by the British and never returned to
Germany or Austria.

More likely in the Austrian army, he would have fought the Russians which
was a disastrous war for the Austrians.

Lemme guess - he's on a train passing through Petrograd when the
Revolution comes......

hehe. :-)

Another possibility - he ends at the Alpine Front, against the Italians,
and is buried under an avalanche like so many others. 100 years later,
he is discovered as "WWI - Oetzi" and becomes a symbol of the peace
movement.

But it would have certain irony if Corporal Adolf Hitler dies in a last
stand in Gaza, fighting against Arabs lead by Lawrence of Arabia ...

Bye
Ingo

[SolomonW]

Post by Ingo Siekmann
But it would have certain irony if Corporal Adolf Hitler dies in a last
stand in Gaza, fighting against Arabs lead by Lawrence of Arabia ...

British, possibly Australian as Lawrence of Arabia was not in Gaza.

[The Horny Goat]

Post by SolomonW

Post by Ingo Siekmann
But it would have certain irony if Corporal Adolf Hitler dies in a last
stand in Gaza, fighting against Arabs lead by Lawrence of Arabia ...

British, possibly Australian as Lawrence of Arabia was not in Gaza.

Could be worse - he could end up surviving and emigrating to Australia
and making life tough for Curtin!

[jerry kraus]

Post by WolfBear
What if Hitler would have served in the Austro-Hungarian military instead of the German military during World War I?
1. Hitler is rejected from the German military due to him being an Austrian citizen and is sent back to Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I so that Austria-Hungary can draft him.
2. Hitler doesn't move to Germany in 1913 but rather remains in Austria-Hungary--thus making him ripe for enlistment by Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I.
Would fighting for Austria-Hungary (a regime which he detested, for the record) have caused Hitler to have a different mentality and different political views in comparison to our TL?
Also, if Hitler would have still survived World War I in this TL, would he have been able to immigrate to Germany and to make a name for himself in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s (just like in our TL)? Or would his past service in the Austro-Hungarian military have been a significant handicap for him in Germany in this TL?

Actually, Wolf, given Hitler's lifelong suicidal tendencies, and the fact that he was very lucky indeed to survive his injuries fighting for the extremely effective and efficient German military, I don't think there's much chance of his having survived the war fighting for the Austrians. They had no idea what they were doing, at all, much of the time anyway. Even the Czar's troops made mincemeat of them. A man with a death wish, like Hitler, would have gratified it rather easily fighting for the Austrian, rather than the German Emperor.