Trenck's Pandurs

Pandurs
Croatian pandurs from 1742
Active	1741–1748 (1756)
Country	Habsburg Monarchy
Type	Infantry
Role	light infantry, skirmishers
Size	1,000
Motto(s)	Vivat Pandur
Engagements	War of the Austrian Succession First and Second Silesian Wars
Commanders
Notable commanders	Baron Franz von der Trenck

Trenck's Pandurs (Serbo-Croatian: Panduri, German: Panduren) were a light infantry unit of the Habsburg Monarchy, raised by Baron Franz von der Trenck under a charter issued by Maria Theresa of Austria in 1741. The unit was largely composed of volunteers from the Kingdom of Slavonia and Slavonian Military Frontier, and named after security guards otherwise employed to maintain public order. The Pandurs were presented to the empress in May 1741—with the unit's military band—earning them a claim of pioneering martial music in Europe. The Pandurs did not use uniforms and had an overall oriental/Ottoman appearance. The original organization of the unit was retained until 1745, when it transformed into a regiment. Trenck was relieved of command in 1746 and imprisoned in Spielberg Castle, where he died in 1749. The unit ultimately transformed into the 53rd Infantry Regiment, headquartered in Zagreb, until it was disbanded in 1919. The regiment's commemorative medals bear Trenck's image wearing Pandur attire.

The Pandurs took part in the War of the Austrian Succession, including the First and Second Silesian War. They contributed to the capture or destruction of Zobten am Berge, Strehlen, Klaus Castle, Linz, Deggendorf, Diessenstein Castle, Cham, Cosel fortress and Munich. During the Battle of Soor, the unit looted a Prussian war chest and the belongings of Frederick the Great. They also took part in the Battle of Waterloo. In the Wellington museum in Waterloo, Belgium, their motto Vivat Pandur can be read, on a sword found on the battlefield. The Pandurs earned a reputation as brave, audacious, feared and ruthless soldiers, known for looting and pillaging. They were prone to disobedience, breaches of military discipline and stubbornness. The city of Waldmünchen, located near Cham, celebrates the Pandurs and Trenck as the city's saviors for sparing the city from destruction in 1742. The Pandurs' and Trenck's heritage is also preserved in the city of Požega, Croatia, where an eponymous living history troop and city music band exist.