Trenck ' s Pandurs The Pandurs ( , ) were a skirmisher 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 uniform s and had an overall oriental 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 . 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 . Etymology . The term " pandur " made its way into military use via the Hungarian language — being used in Hungarian as a loanword , in turn originating from the Croatian term " pudar " , though the nasal in place of the " u " suggests a borrowing before Croatian innovated its own reflex for Proto - Slavic / ɔ̃ / . " Pudar " is still applied to security guards protecting crops in vineyards and fields , and it was coined from the verb " puditi " ( also spelled " pudati " ) meaning to chase or scare away . The meaning of the Hungarian loanword was expanded to guards in general , including law enforcement officers . The word was likely ultimately derived from medieval Latin " banderius " or " bannerius " — a guardian of fields or summoner . The medieval Latin " banderius " , in the meaning of the follower of a banner , has also been cited as an origin of the word . By the middle of the 18th century , law enforcement in the counties of Croatia included county pandurs or hussar s who patrolled roads and pursued criminals . In 1740 , the term was applied to frontier guard duty infantry deployed in the Croatian Military Frontier ( Banal Frontier ) , specifically its Karlovac and Varaždin Generalcies . The role of the pandurs as security guards was extended to Dalmatia after the establishment of Austrian rule there in the early 19th century . The term has dropped from official use for law enforcement officials , but it is still used colloquially in Croatia and the Western Balkans in a manner akin to the English word " cop " . The unit raised and led by Trenck is also referred to more specifically as " Trenck ' s Pandurs " , and less frequently in Croatia than elsewhere , as " Croatian Pandurs " . History . The Pandurs were a skirmisher unit of the Habsburg Monarchy , raised by Baron Franz von der Trenck following a charter ( ) issued by Maria Theresa of Austria on 27 February 1741 , permitting Trenck to raise a 1 , 000 - strong troop . The unit was largely composed of men enlisted as volunteers from areas of the Kingdom of Slavonia and Slavonian Military Frontier , consisting of ethnic Croats and Serbs . The Pandurs saw military action in Silesia , Bohemia , Bavaria and France . The Pandurs arrived in Vienna for a military parade for the empress on 27 May 1741 . The unit was headed by Trenck and included two captains , a senior lieutenant , five lieutenant s , a quartermaster , an adjutant , two chaplain s ( a Catholic and an Orthodox Christian ) , two medic s , 40 sergeant s , five scribe s , 80 corporal s and twelve musicians equipped with flute s , a drum and cymbal s . The musicians were called the " Turkish band " , after Ottoman military band s , and are considered pioneers of martial music in Europe . The Pandurs did not have specific uniform s — their clothes varied but were of Turkish style . Their oriental appearance was compounded by mandatory head shaving , leaving a rattail , as well as by the use of a horse tail bunchuk instead of a unit banner . Each Pandur carried four single - shot pistols , a fighting knife and a small knife . The Pandurs took part in War of the Austrian Succession , including the First Silesian War . They took part in capturing Zobten am Berge and Strehlen in Lower Silesia from the Prussians , and defending a bridgehead near Vienna after the Battle of Mollwitz . In 1742 , the Pandurs took part in capture of Klaus Castle in Styria as well as Linz and Deggendorf , where they defeated French troops before taking part in Austrian recapture of Munich . By the end of that year , the Pandurs had captured Diessenstein Castle and Cham from Bavarian defenders , completely destroying Cham to secure access for Habsburg troops led by Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller to Bohemia . In 1743 , the Pandurs led by Trenck captured Cosel fortress . In 1745 , during the Second Silesian War , the Pandurs took part in the Battle of Soor , where they looted a Prussian war chest containing 80 , 000 ducats , as well as weapons , horses and a tent belonging to Frederick the Great . The Pandurs earned a reputation for being brave and audacious , as well as feared and ruthless soldiers , looting and pillaging , but also characterized by disobedience , breaches of military discipline and stubbornness . On the other hand , the City of Waldmünchen , located near Cham , celebrates the Pandurs and Trenck as their savior for sparing the city from destruction in 1742 . Since 1950 , the city organizes a historical reenactment of the event involving about 300 actors . The original organization of the unit was retained until 1745 , when it was transformed into a Pandur regiment following Trenck ' s petition to the empress . Trenck was relieved of command in 1746 and tried for unspecified " acts of violence " . He was imprisoned in Spielberg Castle , where he died in 1749 . After the Peace of Aachen , the regiment was transformed into a Slavonian battalion on 22 December 1748 . In 1756 , as the Seven Years ' War started , the battalion was reformed into the 53rd Infantry Regiment and its headquarters moved to Zagreb ending history of the Pandurs . Still , the regiment kept its Pandur lineage alive through its commemorative medals bearing Trenck ' s image wearing Pandur attire . The regiment was disbanded in January 1919 . Legacy . The achievements of the Pandurs led by Trenck left a lasting mark on the culture and heritage of Croatia as well as Bavaria . An example of the unit ' s legacy is found in the village of Trenkovo — named after the commander of the Pandurs in 1912 . The village is located in area of Trenck ' s former Velika estate , near Požega , Croatia , where the baron lived . It was the location of a baroque manor once owned by Trenck , which was replaced by another structure in the late 18th or early 19th centuries . Pandur heritage is preserved by the " Trenck ' s Pandurs " ( ) military band — the official music band of the city of Požega — established on 28 January 1881 . In 1997 , an eponymous living history troop was established out of members of the band . Also , a Trenck festival is held annually in Waldmünchen , commemorating the events of 1742 , when the city was spared by Trenck from destruction . The military unit and its leader also give their names to a modern armed force unit and modern military equipment . Special police platoon " Trenk " , formed in Požega on 8 March 1991 , took part in the Croatian War of Independence . Steyr - Daimler - Puch produces the Pandur armoured fighting vehicle .