In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
The ancient noble Austrian family of Liechtenstein, the most famous representatives of which were the minnesinger and the hero of jousting tournaments Ulrich von Liechtenstein and the Grand Commander of the Teutonic Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary, brother Kuno (Konrad) von Liechtenstein, who laid down his head in the battle with the Polish-Lithuanian army at Tannenberg in 1410. built at the beginning of the 17th century. in the dignity of the imperial princes (Reichsfürsts), along with large lands in Austria and Moravia, he also acquired the possessions of Schellenberg (in 1699) and Vaduz (in 1712) directly subordinate to the Roman-German (and in fact - the Austrian) Emperor, in the upper reaches of the Rhine valley, united in 1719 and proclaimed, with the sanction of the Emperor, the Principality of Liechtenstein. In 1806-1813, the Principality of Liechtenstein was part of the vassal of the French Empire of Napoleon I Bonaparte, the Rhine Union of German states - puppets of the "Corsican monster". In 1815-1866 Liechtenstein was a member of the German (German) Union. In 1878-1918, the Principality of Liechtenstein was a single customs and tax territory with the Austrian "crown land" Vorarlberg. During the Great (World War I) Liechtenstein remained neutral.
When he was a member of the German Union (this quasi-state formation, which was a kind of successor to the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation", included 39 sovereign states and cities, including part of the possessions of the King of Denmark - as the ruler of the German duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, King of the Netherlands - as the ruler of the German duchy of Luxembourg, and even the king of England - as the ruler of the German Hanover!) the Principality of Liechtenstein was obliged to supply a small military contingent to the allied armed forces. In the 30s. 19th century the Liechtenstein contingent consisted of a platoon of snipers ("scharfschützen") and auxiliary units, a total of 80 soldiers and officers. During the German bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1848-1849, the consolidated light battalion of the principalities of Hohenzollern and Liechtenstein, which were part of the "German Union", took part in battles with the Republican Baden revolutionary army in 1849. During the Austro-Italian war of 1866 (which coincided with since the "internal" Austro-Prussian war, which ended with the defeat by the Prussians and their allies of the coalition of South German states led by Austria and the exclusion of the latter from the "German Union") Liechtenstein troops took part in protecting the border of the Austrian South Tyrol.
After the dissolution of the German Union in 1868, the armed forces of the principality were disbanded. However, despite the dissolution of the standing army, universal military service in Liechtenstein was not canceled. Article 44 of the Liechtenstein Constitution of 1921 (as of 01.10.1998) states:
"1) Everyone capable of bearing arms is obliged, until the age of 60, to defend the Fatherland in case of need.
2) Except this case, it is allowed to create and maintain armed groups only if it seems necessary for the performance of police service and for maintaining internal order. More detailed provisions on this subject are contained in the legislation.
During World War II, 85 citizens of the Principality of Liechtenstein volunteered for the German Waffen-SS (SS troops). 40 Liechtenstein Waffen-SS veterans who survived the war and returned to their homeland were not subjected to any repression. The percentage of Waffen-SS volunteers of the total population was in Liechtenstein the highest among all European states.
In accordance with the Treaty of Accession to the Customs Union with Switzerland in 1923, the Swiss border guards took over the protection and control of the Liechtenstein border with Vorarlberg. In the spring of 1945, the police corps of the Principality of Liechtenstein was attached to help their reinforced unit.
The night from May 2 to 3, 1945, was especially stormy, when the marching column of military personnel who fought as part of the German Wehrmacht of the anti-Stalinist 1st Russian National Army Major General Boris Alekseevich Smyslovsky (1897-1988), former officer of the Finnish Life Guards Regiment and veteran white movement, also known under the pseudonym "Arthur Holmston", or "von Regenau", crossed the Liechtenstein border in the area of the Ginterschallenberg customs post. The border guards even opened fire, but stopped it when they learned that the Locum Tenens of the Russian Imperial Throne, His Imperial Highness, was in the column of General Smyslovsky's troops. Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich Romanov
Major General B.A. Smyslovsky asked the Liechtenstein authorities for political asylum for himself and his people. Shelter was granted, Smyslovsky's troops (in the amount of 500 people - despite the fact that the entire population of the Principality of Liechtenstein was 12,000 people at the time described!) Were disarmed and interned. The firm and uncompromising position of the then head of the Liechtenstein state, Prince Franz Joseph II, played a decisive role in granting political asylum to Russian refugees. Since then in Liechtenstein state museum the white-blue-red silk banner of the 1st Russian National Army is kept. In 1980, a commemorative obelisk was erected in Liechtenstein to commemorate these events.
In French, dedicated to the episode we have described, feature film"Wind from the East", in general, quite accurately reproducing the events, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich does not appear at all (although from the book of the Russian emigrant historian Dmitry Nikolayevich Tolstoy-Miloslavsky "Victims of Yalta" and from other sources it is known for sure that the Liechtenstein border guards in 1945 ., as mentioned above, ceased fire on the soldiers of General Smyslovsky only after the driver of the car of the Grand Duke shouted to them: "Do not shoot, the heir to the Russian Imperial Throne is with us!", and not: "Do not shoot, the Russian general is here!" , like in a movie).
Something else is more interesting. In his interview to the authors of the Russian television film "Ghosts of the Romanov House", another Russian emigrant, living in Liechtenstein, Baron Eduard Alexandrovich von Falz-Fein, who knew Vladimir Kirillovich well, said that by special order of Adolf Hitler, the Grand Duke was given personal protection.
When Falz-Fein met the Heir to the Russian Throne in the spring of 1945 in Liechtenstein, the Grand Duke, according to the baron, "was no longer wearing a German military uniform, because it was no longer safe for him to wear it at the time described." So, until the spring of 1945, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich Romanov wore a German military uniform and did not consider it reprehensible! But that's the way it is...
On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the Liechtenstein epic of Count Smyslovsky, the Russian representation of the Partnership of the XV Cossack Cavalry Corps named after General Helmut von Panwitz awarded His Serene Highness the Prince of Liechtenstein Hans-Adam II with a commemorative cross "Lienz 1945-2000", in gratitude and respect for the courage of his father, Prince Franz Joseph II, who gave shelter and political asylum to the Locum Tenens of the Russian Throne, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich and the troops of Major General Count Smyslovsky. In response, Prince Hans-Adam II sent the leadership of the Russian representative office of the Partnership thank you letter the following content:
Mr. Wolfgang Akunov
Dear Mr. Akunov!
Thank you very much for your letter dated January 10, which you wrote to me in your capacity as a representative and trustee of the Association of the XV Cossack Cavalry Corps named after General Helmut von Panwitz. It is a great joy and honor for me to be awarded by you, in memory of my late father, the commemorative cross "Lienz 1945-2000". With a feeling of great admiration for my late father, who then showed a lot of courage and strength and, using all available means, saved the lives of the people of Major General Count Holmston-Smyslovsky of the First Russian National Army, and in recognition of his merits, I willingly accept this reward.
With friendly greetings
Hans Adam II
Prince of Liechtenstein".
It is curious that not a word was said about the presence in the ranks of the troops of General Smyslovsky, who received asylum in Liechtenstein, the Heir to the Russian Imperial Throne, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich in the letter of the head of the Liechtenstein state...
Andreas Kieber (1844-1939) from the town of Mauren went down in history as "the last Liechtenstein soldier". A photograph taken in 1930 has survived, which shows Kiber armed with a Wild sniper rifle manufactured at the Royal Württemberg Arms Factory (located in Oberndorf am Neckar), similar to the Baden Jaeger rifle of the 1843 model and taking its name from the name of the Swiss engineer Johannes Wild (1814-1894). Kiberu's headdress was the Bavarian Jaeger helmet "raupenhelm" (literally: "helmet with a caterpillar"), model 1845, introduced in the Liechtenstein army in 1859, with a black hair comb ("caterpillar"), a small green sultan and a heraldic shield with Coat of arms of the Principality of Liechtenstein. In conclusion, it should be noted that in the photograph a long straight bayonet-dagger, which does not fit the Jaeger rifle, is attached to his gun, while the scimitar bayonet (made at the arms factory in the Saxon city of Suhl) for some reason hangs at the "last Liechtenstein soldier" on his side ...
This is the end and glory to our Lord!
Perhaps this is our great-power chauvinism or Russian irony, but with the phrase “army of Liechtenstein” (Luxembourg, Andorra, Monaco), no, no, yes, someone will laugh or at least smile. And there is something, but there is something to think about.
Liechtenstein himself owes his birth as at least some subject of European politics (at least the fifth creeping, but still a subject) exclusively to the career appetites of one conceited family. The Austrian family of Liechtenstein, which, like any other family in Europe, was rooting, growing rich and thirsting for power, had long dreamed of seating the fifth point of one of its offspring in the seat of the Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire. But here's the bad luck: in order to warm the coveted chair, the Liechtensteins had to own lands, the suzerain of which was directly the emperor.
Liechtenstein Castle in Vaduz
On the horizon of the 17th century, just into the hands of the Austrian businessmen, two tiny fiefs flashed - Vaduz and Schellenberg. For previous merits, the owners of these two gardens have achieved the assignment of the status of an imperial county to these lands. Then their affairs did not go well, and they decided to put some of the feuds under the hammer. The perspicacious then head of the Liechtenstein family, Hans-Adam I, first bought the Schellenberg fief in 1699, and 13 years later, the second "piece" - Vaduz. So a proud independent microstate can be called a suburban dacha of a family of feudal lords, or even a kind of bribe given in order to occupy a high post.
Hans Adam I
Two family gardens would have hung out like that, if not for another member of the Liechtenstein house - Anton Florian. Antosha, who served in the imperial treasury and always scurrying around at court, with the help of his matchmaker Eugene of Savoy, achieved the unification of two feuds into the principality of Liechtenstein in 1719, and Emperor Charles VI himself recognized Florian as the prince of Liechtenstein with certain freedoms and relative sovereignty.
Despite the dizzying somersaults of the European one, the united dacha property, named after the citizens who bought the plot, existed as part of the Holy Roman Empire right up to 1806. True, since 1799 this status has been purely nominal, because. the principality was occupied by the French. The princes of Liechtenstein at that time had no time for gardening - the division of the European "buffet" began.
The heads of the Liechtenstein clan succeeded each other, and some became them more than once in their lives. And now Johann I ascended the role of the official "godfather", and he just became the last prince of Liechtenstein, who nominally ruled it as part of the Roman Empire. The empire was crushed, some were afraid of the greatness of others, others of the power of others, and all together trembled from the power of Napoleon. Part of Germany was already occupied by the French, and citizens of the empire from Baden, Bavaria, etc. were already fighting on the side of the Corsican monster. The empire, whose elite held on to their possessions and titles rather than unity, eventually collapsed.
Map of Europe in 1700
Despite various historical storms and participation in the war against Napoleon, Johann I remained the ruler of Liechtenstein, although for some time his title was regency, and Liechtenstein himself was part of the puppet Confederation of the Rhine. Taking advantage opportunity, which developed in the military-political situation, Liechtenstein jumped out of the union in 1813, the next year Johann I became the first prince again, and a year later Liechtenstein entered the German Union.
Less than half a century later, the German Confederation followed the same rake as the Holy Roman Empire. Internal strife against the backdrop of a confederate system, the rise of nationalism, a series of revolutions in the subjects of the confederation, famine and war predetermined the decline of the union. In 1866, Prussia decided to take matters into its own hands - war broke out between Prussia, Italy and a number of duchies on the one hand and the nominal German Confederation, Austria, various kingdoms and duchies on the other.
Liechtenstein took the side of Austria. The proud holiday village of one family sent as many as 80 fighters into the muzzle of the war. This pioneer detachment did not participate in the battles from the word "absolutely". Moreover, when Austria blew the war away, the brave veterans of the long walk through the countryside trudged home without losing a single man. Moreover, they brought a friend with them. Having met on a walk either an Italian or an Austrian, they were so inflamed with friendly feelings for him that they invited him with them. Not an army, but just a bunch of dandelions. As they say, it's cute...
In 1868, the "army" was disbanded, and about a hundred peasants fled to their homes. From the same year, Liechtenstein declared its neutrality and sovereignty. So Liechtenstein lived, periodically basking in the rays of Austria-Hungary, and after losing the latter in the First World War - in the bosom of Switzerland.
Franz Joseph II - dear grandfather
second world war the Principality of Liechtenstein found under the reign of 33-year-old Franz Joseph II. While the head of the family blew the tune of neutrality and internal cohesion (a big trouble is to rally 11 thousand inhabitants), the princely family itself bought up the property of the Jews destroyed by the Nazis for its own benefit. Those. had close ties, mutually beneficial ties with the Nazis, because I did not come across a mention of Nazi commissions - all connections of this kind were personal, and all participants in these “business” relations were aware of where such riches and antiquities flowed into the bins of the Reich. As if such a “cute” detail was not enough, so the chatter about neutrality did not particularly touch the hearts of the citizens of the principality.
As a result, almost a hundred loyal subjects of Franz Joseph II joined the SS troops. Is it a lot? It seems not. But this amounted to almost 1% of the total population of Liechtenstein. Where did the modest inhabitants of a “sweet” seemingly independent European nook get such a mania to bring a “new European order” to dissident “barbarians”? The question is rhetorical.
Post-war police of Liechtenstein
But as soon as the "new European order" began to look for a gap into which to crawl away from these same "barbarians", the leaders of Liechtenstein made another somersault. Expecting to curry favor with the West in a future battle with the Union, and, perhaps, directly at the behest of the United States (the principality always warmed itself by someone else's fireplace), Liechtenstein accepted and provided asylum to the Jews from the Russland battalion. Those. from the very 1st Russian national army of Boris Smyslovsky, which, in fact, was engaged in the destruction of our compatriots with you in the hope of obtaining Gauleiter rights to once their own people. By that time, 462 unfinished enemies of the people remained. Apparently, very valuable things, because. reconnaissance and sabotage were also the duties of the Nazi servants.
Soon these citizens, whom Liechtenstein flatly refused to extradite, began to scatter like rats. It is generally accepted that most of the rat pack rushed to Argentina, but, in my humble opinion, if their fidgety tails appeared in the Buenos Aires area, it was only in transit, at least especially valuable personnel were unlikely to stay there. But the fate of the SS volunteers from quiet Liechtenstein after the war was somehow not advertised.
Hans Adam II
Now Liechtenstein does not have an official army, only law enforcement forces in the amount of 120 people. The head of the dwarf state is still the prince, now the son of Franz Joseph II, Hans-Adam II, rules. The idyll of the modern principality is emphasized by the idyll of the princely family itself. Hans-Adam and his offspring position themselves as connoisseurs and benefactors of the arts, sciences and entrepreneurship. And again we have a familiar bouquet of dandelions in front of us. At the same time, links with the Nazis are carefully erased from the official historical position of the princely house. And the father of the current prince is pure like a lamb of God.
Hans-Adam II - a high connoisseur of beauty (photo from the official website of the princely family)
This emphasizes not even the fact that the whole of Europe fought against the Union, in which, no, no, yes, the genetic memory will pop up to teach, and at the same time to rob the “barbarians”, whoever they may be. This emphasizes the immense cynicism, hypocrisy and, to the extreme, short memory especially when you really need it. And you can count on a share of gratitude, honesty in following the letter of any treaties on the part of Europe only in delirium.
Liechtenstein is one of the smallest European states, located between Austria and Switzerland on the right bank of the Rhine. This is a principality whose dynasty is one of the most ancient and noble families in Europe.
Liechtenstein is the smallest German speaking country in the world. In addition, it is the only German-speaking state that does not border Germany.
Liechtenstein is the only state, apart from Uzbekistan, limited to other countries that do not have access to the open sea. The country's territory of 160 square kilometers is limited by Austria and Switzerland.
In 1936, at the Summer Olympics in Berlin, the Principality of Liechtenstein and Haiti had an embarrassment: their flags turned out to be exactly the same! When the small European country recovered from the shock, it was decided to finalize the flag. The princely crown was added to the blue stripe of the flag of Liechtenstein - a symbol of princely power, the unity of the dynasty and the people.
Regular cops mostly do fines for owners of illegally parked cars and lazily sort out family disputes. The latter, by the way, happen infrequently.
Liechtenstein prison cells are more like a hotel room. By the way, the food for the prisoners is brought in from… restaurants. But the prison leadership explains this not so much by concern for the health of the wards, but by ... unwillingness to hire a separate cook. The prison, as a rule, is empty, so why the extra spending? By the way, prisoners with a sentence of more than two years are sent to Austrian prisons.
The last military intervention of Liechtenstein, while still part of the German Confederation, dates back to 1866 during the Austro-Prussian War - then their army was only 80 people. During the fighting, not a single soldier was injured, and the entire army returned home. However, at that time there were already 81 people in it - one Italian soldier joined the army of Liechtenstein, with whom the soldiers of the dwarf state became friends. Immediately after these events, the army was disbanded, and to this day Liechtenstein remains one of the few states in the world that does not have armed forces.
During the Second World War, Liechtenstein remained neutral, but was completely dependent on Switzerland for help and guidance.
In Liechtenstein there is an exceptional opportunity to sample culinary delights from around the world, as well as local traditional dishes such as kasknopfle (cheese dumplings) and cheese fondue (cheese melted in boiling white wine).
In Liechtenstein, breakfast is called Zmorga and includes toast with jam and coffee. The main meal is called Zmittag, usually salad, soup and dessert. A light Znacht dinner consists of a sandwich with cheese or various meats.
In 2010, the famous rapper Snoop Dogg asked the government of Liechtenstein to rent the country for a day to shoot a music video. The authorities thought about it, but refused, as the contractor's manager did not have time to complete the deal in the required time frame.
It was the first time in history that someone tried to film an entire country! A year later, Liechtenstein finally decided to take advantage of this idea and announced that anyone could rent the principality for a day for a rather modest sum of $70,000. This amount includes renaming the streets at their discretion, introducing their own currency, and staying/accommodating 150 guests.
« Captain of the Liechtenstein national team 40-year-old Mario Frick Now is a player-coach in one of the Liechtenstein clubs. It turns out that coaches play the best football. Ivan Quintans - a student, in addition to studying, works as a manager and manages to play. However, there are no players in the national team who would be engaged in hard work - no one plows in the fields or at construction sites. The guys work in offices at computers or mechanics in car dealerships, but nothing more serious. There are many great jobs in Liechtenstein and people are trying to get a good education to make money later. They understand that football is unlikely to feed. The game is just a hobby for them.».
ARMIES OF THE PRINCIPALITY OF LIECHTENSTEIN
The ancient noble Austrian family of Liechtenstein (the two most famous representatives of which were the minnesinger and the hero of jousting tournaments Ulrich von Liechtenstein and the Grand Commander of the Teutonic Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary, brother Cuno von Liechtenstein, who laid down his head in the battle with the Polish-Lithuanian army near Tannenberg in 1410), erected at the beginning of the 17th century. in the dignity of the imperial princes (Reichsfürsts), along with large land areas in Austria and Moravia, also acquired the possessions of Schellenberg (in 1699) and Vaduz (in 1712), in the upper reaches, directly subordinate to the Roman-German (actually Austrian) Emperor Rhine valleys, united in 1719 and proclaimed, with the sanction of the Emperor, the Principality of Liechtenstein. In 1806-1813, the Principality of Liechtenstein was part of the vassal of the French Empire of Napoleon I Bonaparte, the Rhine Union of German states - puppets of the "Corsican monster". In 1815-1866 Liechtenstein was a member of the German (German) Union (German: Deutscher Bund). In 1878-1918, the Principality of Liechtenstein was a single customs and tax territory with the Austrian "crown land" Vorarlberg. During the Great (World War I) Liechtenstein remained neutral.
When he was a member of the German Union (a very loose quasi-state formation - a kind of heir to the medieval "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation -", which included 39 sovereign states and cities with a permanent congress of representatives - the Bundestag; members of the German Union were, by the way, the king of Denmark - as the ruler of the German Schleswig-Holstein, the king of the Netherlands - as the ruler of the German duchy of Luxembourg, and even the king of England - as the ruler of the German Hanover!) the Principality of Liechtenstein was obliged to supply a military contingent to the allied armed forces. In the 30s. 19th century the Liechtenstein contingent consisted of a platoon of snipers ("scharfschützen") and auxiliary units, a total of 80 soldiers and officers (the illustration below shows an officer and shooter of the contingent of the Principality of Liechtenstein in the armed forces of the German Union in 1840). During the period of the German bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1848-1849. the consolidated light battalion of the principalities of Hohenzollern and Liechtenstein took part in the battles with the Baden revolutionary army in 1849. During the Austro-Italian war of 1866 (which coincided with the "inner German" Austro-Prussian war, which ended with the defeat of the Prussian coalition of South German states led by Austria and the exclusion of the latter from the German Union) Liechtenstein troops took part in guarding the border of the Austrian South Tyrol. 
After the dissolution of the German Union in 1868, the armed forces of the principality were disbanded. However, despite the dissolution of the standing army, universal military service in Liechtenstein was not canceled. Article 44 of the Liechtenstein Constitution of 1921 (as of 01.10.1998) states:
"1) Everyone capable of wearing is obliged, until the age of 60, in case of need to defend the Fatherland.
2) Apart from this case, it is allowed to create and maintain armed formations only if it seems necessary for the performance of police service and for the maintenance of internal order. More detailed provisions on this subject are contained in the legislation.
During World War II, 85 citizens of the Principality of Liechtenstein volunteered for the Waffen SS. 40 veterans of the SS troops who survived on the fields of war and returned to their homeland were not subjected to any repressions.
In accordance with the Treaty of Accession to the Customs Union with Switzerland in 1923, the Swiss border guards took over the protection and control of the Liechtenstein border with Vorarlberg. In the spring of 1945, the police corps of the Principality of Liechtenstein was attached to help their reinforced unit.
Especially stormy was the night of May 2-3, 1945, when a marching column of servicemen who fought as part of the German Wehrmacht of the anti-Stalinist 1st Russian National Army (1897-1988), a veteran of the White movement, also known under the pseudonym "Arthur Holmston", crossed the Liechtenstein border in the area of the Ginterschellenberg customs post. The border guards even opened fire, but stopped it when they learned that the Locum Tenens of the Russian Imperial Throne, His Imperial Highness Vladimir Kirillovich Romanov, was in the column of troops.
He asked the Liechtenstein authorities for political asylum for himself and for his people. Shelter was granted, the troops (in the amount of 500 people - despite the fact that the entire population of the Principality of Liechtenstein was 12,000 people at the time described!) Disarmed and interned. The decisive role in granting political asylum to Russian refugees was played by the firm and uncompromising head of the Liechtenstein state, Prince Franz Joseph II. Since then in Liechtenstein Historical Museum kept white-blue-red silk 1st Russian National Army. In 1980, a commemorative obelisk was erected in Liechtenstein to commemorate these events.
In the French feature film "Wind from the East" dedicated to the episode described by us, which in general accurately reproduces the events, Vladimir Kirillovich does not appear at all (although from the book of the Russian emigrant historian D.N. Tolstoy-Miloslavsky "Victims of Yalta" and from other sources it is known for sure that the Liechtenstein border guards in 1945, as mentioned above, ceased fire on the soldiers of General Smyslovsky only after the driver of the car of the Grand Duke shouted to them: "Do not shoot, the heir to the Russian Imperial Throne is with us!").
Something else is more interesting. In his interview with the authors of the Russian television film "Ghosts of the Romanov House", another Russian emigrant living in Liechtenstein, Eduard Falz-Fein, who knew Vladimir Kirillovich well, said that by special order of Adolf Hitler, the Grand Duke was given personal protection.
When Falz-Fein met the Heir to the Russian Throne in the spring of 1945 in Liechtenstein, the Grand Duke, in the words, "there was no longer a German military uniform, because it was no longer safe for him to wear it at the time described." This means that until the spring of 1945, Vladimir Kirillovich Romanov wore a German military uniform and did not consider this reprehensible! But that's the way it is...
On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Smyslovsky's Liechtenstein epic, the Russian representation of the Association of the XV Cossack Cavalry Corps named after General Helmut von awarded His Serene Highness Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein with a commemorative cross "Lienz 1945-2000", in gratitude for the courage of his father, Prince Franz Joseph II who gave shelter and political asylum to the Locum Tenens of the Russian Throne and the troops of Smyslovsky. In response, Prince Hans-Adam II sent a letter of thanks to the leadership of the Russian representative office of the Partnership with the following content:
Mr. Wolfgang Akunov
Dear Mr. Akunov!
Thank you very much for your letter dated January 10, which you wrote to me in your capacity as a representative and trustee of the Partnership of the XV Cossack Cavalry Corps named after General Helmut von. It is a great honor and joy for me to be awarded by you, in memory of my late father, the commemorative cross "Lienz 1945-2000". With a feeling of great admiration for my late father, who then showed a lot of courage and strength and, using all available means, saved the lives of the people of Holmston-Smyslovsky from the First Russian National Army, and in recognition of his merits, I willingly accept this award.
With friendly greetings
Hans Adam II
Prince of Liechtenstein ".
Not a word was said about the presence in the troops of the Locum Tenens of the Russian Imperial Throne, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, in the letter of the head of the Liechtenstein state... However, enough about that.
Andreas Kieber (1844-1939) from the town of Mauren went down in history as "the last Liechtenstein soldier". A photograph taken in 1930 has survived, which shows Kiber armed with a Wild sniper rifle manufactured at the Royal Württemberg Arms Factory (located in Oberndorf am Neckar), similar to the Baden Jaeger rifle of the 1843 model and taking its name from the name of the Swiss engineer Johannes Wild (1814-1894). Kiberu's headdress was introduced in the Liechtenstein army in 1959 by the Bavarian Jaeger helmet - "raupenhelm" (literally: "helmet with a caterpillar") of the 1845 model with a black hair comb ("caterpillar"), a green plume and a heraldic shield with a coat of arms Principality of Liechtenstein (see illustration above). In conclusion, it seems necessary to us to note that in the photograph a long straight bayonet-dagger, which does not fit the Jaeger's gun, is attached to his gun, while the scimitar bayonet (made at the arms factory in the Saxon city of Suhl) for some reason hanging from the "last Liechtenstein soldier" on his side ...
This is the end and glory to our Lord!
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