After a little of bit of misunderstanding and a lot of help from the good fellows of TMP I went back and I finally understood how an Austrian Battalion in 1866 was actually deployed for its Stosstaktik.
I went back to a 3 divisions formations, each division on 2 companies (one after the other) and each division deployed on 3 ranks of about 55 men each.
So pratically an Austrian Battalion could act through its 3 divisions, that could split or adapt to the surrounding terrein.
What changed was the emphasis on the mass formations (often confusing called "columns" in English language sources) in the assault, and the near-extinction of the line except in purely defensive fights. Two company masses abreast, each of of four double ranks, formed the Division mass (about 25m wide by 22m deep), while three Divisions made a battalion mass--formed as six double ranks (about 50m wide by 40m deep). The division mass was the normal fighting formation.
DIVISION MASS
BATTALION MASS
