Prince Eugene of Savoy

Religion can be a dangerous thing when it is subverted to justify war and other criminal activities. Ever since the barbarism of the Christian Crusades, Militant Islam has been a…

Religion can be a dangerous thing when it is subverted to justify war and other criminal activities. Ever since the barbarism of the Christian Crusades, Militant Islam has been a serious threat to Christian Europe. For example the Iberian Peninsula expelled the last of it’s Moslem rulers shortly before Columbus rediscovered America. In 1683 Vienna was almost captured by the Islamic forces of the Ottoman Empire. Over the next 45 years the struggle against the Islamic Ottoman invaders continued in Eastern and South-eastern Europe. Heroes emerge from such epic struggles and in this case the hero was Prince Eugene of Savoy who is still being honored on modern Austrian coins.
The badge illustrated below features an equestrian Prince Eugene trampling a captured Islamic crescent topped flag pole. This design is modeled from a nearly identical statue in Vienna, Austria. I know this badge is Austrian and that it was issued between WWI and WWII. I suspect it was issued by a paramilitary group, possibly by a Heimwehr unit in Vienna. Anyone know for sure?