Military Academy and Cadet School Students' Insignia in the k.u.k. Army/k.k./k.u. Landwehr

Two distinct types of training establishments for the education of regular officer candidates in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy were in existence prior to the First World War: The military academies which directly commissioned successful graduates and the cadet schools who graduates were posted to their units usually as a Kadett-Offizierstellvertreter/Fähnrich before eventual commissioning. Students at both types of institute were generally known as Zöglinge or students. The insignia of the students of all these instructional establishments was generally the same with a couple of minor variations. The students were distinguished by braid on the collar according to their level of achievement at their respective academy/cadet schools as follows:

1.    Those with "good progress" or bei gutem Fortgang: 1 braid on the collar.

2.    Those with "very good progress" or bei sehr gutem Fortgang: 2 Parallel braids on the collar.

3.    Those with "outstanding progress" or bei vorzüglichem Fortgang: 2 Parallel braids on the collar with the addition of a small button on each braid.

The braid of academy students was of gold whilst that of the cadet school students was produced in yellow silk. Students at the Pioneer Cadet School wore silver coloured braid. Corporal's shako braid was worn by students with "good progress" at the cadet schools and Feldwebel's braid by the Zöglinge at the cadet schools with two collar braids and all Zöglinge at the military academies.

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