2nd Army (Austria-Hungary)

Last updated
2. Armee
2nd Army
01914 K.u.K Kappenabzeichen der 2. Armee.jpg
Cap badge
ActiveAugust 1914 – November 1918
CountryFlag of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918).svg  Austria-Hungary
Type Army
Nickname(s)Ost-Armee (East Army)
Engagements
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli

The 2nd Army (German : k.u.k. 2. Armee), later designated East Army (German : Ost-Armee), was a field army-level command of Austro-Hungarian Army that was active during World War I. It was initially formed to take part in the Balkans Campaign before being transferred to the Eastern Front. In the final stages of the war, the army was evacuated from Ukraine before demobilizing in November 1918.

Contents

History

The 2nd Army was formed in August 1914 as part of Austria-Hungary's mobilization and the formation of Balkanstreitkräfte (Balkan Armed Forces) following its declaration of war on Serbia and Russia, carrying out the prewar plans for the formation of six field armies. [1] Just as all Austro-Hungarian field armies, it consisted of a headquarters and several corps, along with some unattached units. [2] It was initially composed of the XXI and III Corps, based in Hermannstadt and Graz, respectively, and was reinforced with the VII and IV Corps on 27 August and 2 September 1914. The 2nd Army was commanded by Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli. [3] The 2nd Army was already partially committed to the campaign against the Kingdom of Serbia when it was ordered to Galicia to fight against the Russian Empire. Since it was already engaged in combat, and due to transportation difficulties, only half of its strength could be switched to the new front. [4]

It left Potiorek before it could win him a victory; it returned to Conrad in time to participate in his defeat.

Winston Churchill, (about the 2nd Army relocation from Serbia to Galicia), [4]

In Galicia, the 2nd Army replaced the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army as part of Army Group Kövess due to the heavy losses it sustained in battle. In October it was transferred to Russian Poland and took part in the operations there. [5] [6] In February 1915, the 2nd Army was moved to the Carpathian Mountains after the 3rd Army had been badly mauled there earlier in January during its attempted offensive against Russian positions. In preparation for its attack, it was reinforced by the VII Corps. [7]

The harsh climate and mountainous terrain of the Carpathians caused many logistical problems and caused the 2nd Army to suffer from a supply shortage. The spread of disease and the cold temperatures also took their toll on the Habsburg troops. Due to a change in weather the offensive was delayed until late February. The 2nd Army launched its assault on the same positions that the 3rd Army attacked last month, along the strategic roads leading to Przemyśl fortress, but on a narrower front. Its objective was to liberate the besieged garrison at Przemyśl, which had been stuck there since Russia occupied Galicia in 1914. Although they received additional units the battle, the 2nd Army troops were unable to break through the Russian defenses and were pushed back by counterattacks. It sustained heavy losses in the process. The VII Corps under Archduke Joseph August dwindled to just 2,000 men. The Austro-Hungarians continued to fight throughout March, and chief of general staff Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf ordered the V Corps – the unit closest to Przemyśl – to liberate the fortress. Although the fortress garrison had surrendered after a failed break-out attempt on March 19, the 2nd Army was not informed, and so the offensive was attempted. The V Corps ended up being driven back with enormous losses. By the end of the campaign, the 2nd and 3rd Armies were nearly annihilated. [7]

During the Kerensky Offensive in 1917, the 2nd Army was driven back by the Russian 7th Army and later was defeated by the 11th Army at Zolochiv. [8] Around that time, it was organized under Supreme Command "East", led by Prince Leopold of Bavaria. The 2nd Army occupied parts of Ukraine in the spring of 1918 and was headquartered in the port city of Odessa. It was then reorganized as an occupation army, renamed the Ost-Armee (East Army). Field Marshal Böhm-Ermolli was replaced by General of the Infantry Alfred Krauss as the army's commander in May 1918. The units of the East Army were evacuated from Ukraine in the fall of 1918, though some units mutinied and imprisoned their commanders. The army was then dissolved in November. [5]

Order of battle in 1914

The 2nd Army order of battle in mid-1914 was as follows. [3]

Organization of 2nd Army in 1914
ArmyCorpsDivision
2nd ArmyXII Corps16th Infantry Division
35th Infantry Division
38th Honvéd Infantry Division
III Corps6th Infantry Division
28th Infantry Division
22nd Landwehr Infantry Division
VII Corps17th Infantry Division
34th Infantry Division
IV Corps31st Infantry Division
32nd Infantry Division
(Unattached)11th Infantry Division
43rd Landwehr Infantry Division
20th Honvéd Infantry Division
1st Cavalry Division
5th Honvéd Cavalry Division
8th Cavalry Division

Commanders

The 2nd Army only had two commanders during its existence, with one of them holding the post for most of the war. [6]

2nd Army commanders
FromRankName
August 1914 Field Marshal Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli
May 1918 General of the Infantry Alfred Krauss

Chiefs of staff

The 2nd Army had the following chiefs of staff. [9] [10]

2nd Army chiefs of staff
FromRankName
August 1914 Major General Artur von Mecenseffy
October 1914 Colonel Karl von Bardolf
May 1918Colonel Sándor Belitska

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brusilov offensive</span> 1916 Russian offensive during World War I

The Brusilov offensive, also known as the June advance, or Battle of Galicia-Volhynia, of June to September 1916 was the Russian Empire's greatest feat of arms during World War I, and among the most lethal offensives in world history. The historian Graydon Tunstall called the Brusilov offensive the worst crisis of World War I for Austria-Hungary and the Triple Entente's greatest victory, but it came at a tremendous loss of life. It was arguably the most successful offensive in the entirety of the First World War. The victory contributed to a morale upsurge among the Russian troops, in 1917, Nicholas II planned a general offensive along the entire front in order to end the Central Powers. After the victory, the Petrograd conference was held at which the post-war structure of the world was discussed. Even despite the losses, the Russian armies were still being reinforced with new forces, the number of weapons increased, and new railways were being built. The result of the battle will fully restore Russia's prestige among the allies, which forced them to make serious territorial concessions, such as Anatolia and Constantinople, the French government confirmed the possibility of the Russians themselves to choose which territories to tear away from Germany after the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli</span> Austro-Hungarian and German Field Marshal

Eduard Freiherr von Böhm-Ermolli was an Austrian general during World War I who rose to the rank of field marshal in the Austro-Hungarian Army. He was the head of the Second Army and fought mainly on the front of Galicia during the entire conflict. On 30 October 1940, Böhm-Ermolli was made a German Generalfeldmarschall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Przemyśl</span> 1914–15 battle on the Eastern Front of World War I

The siege of Przemyśl was the longest siege in Europe during the First World War. The siege was a crushing defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Army by the Russian Army. Przemyśl was a fortress-town and stronghold on the River San in what is now southeastern Poland. The investment of Przemyśl began on 16 September 1914 and was briefly suspended on 11 October, due to an Austro-Hungarian offensive. The siege resumed again on 9 November and the Austro-Hungarian garrison surrendered on 22 March 1915, after holding out for a total of 133 days. The siege has been referred to as "Austria-Hungary's Stalingrad".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austro-Hungarian Army</span> Land force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918

The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army, was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army, the Imperial-Royal Landwehr and the Royal Hungarian Honvéd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Army (Austria-Hungary)</span> Military unit

The 1st Army was a field army-level command in the ground forces of Austria-Hungary during World War I. The army fought in Galicia and Russian Poland in 1914–15 before being briefly dissolved in the summer of 1916. Shortly afterwards, it was reformed and sent to fight in the Romanian Campaign for the next two years. The 1st Army was demobilized in April 1918 due to its heavy losses, following Romania's surrender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Galicia</span> Battle in World War Is Eastern Front

The Battle of Galicia, also known as the Great Battle of Galicia, was a major battle between Russia and Austria-Hungary during the early stages of World War I in 1914. In the course of the battle, the Austro-Hungarian armies were severely defeated and forced out of Galicia, while the Russians captured Lemberg and, for approximately nine months, ruled Eastern Galicia until their defeat at Gorlice and Tarnów.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Vistula River</span> Battle of First World War

The Battle of the Vistula River, also known as the Battle of Warsaw and Ivangorod, was a major Russian victory against the German Empire and Austria-Hungary on the Eastern Front during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kraśnik</span> 1914 battle on the Eastern Front

The Battle of Kraśnik(German: Schlacht von Kraśnik) started on August 23, 1914, in the province of Galicia and the adjacent areas across the border in the Russian Empire, in northern Austria, and ended two days later. The Austro-Hungarian First Army defeated the Russian Fourth Army. It was the first victory by Austria-Hungary in World War I. As a result, the First Army's commander, General Viktor Dankl, was (briefly) lauded as a national hero for his success. The battle was also the first of a series of engagements between Austria-Hungary and Russia all along the Galicia front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorlice–Tarnów offensive</span> 1915 German offensive on the Eastern Front of World War I

The Gorlice–Tarnów offensive during World War I was initially conceived as a minor German offensive to relieve Russian pressure on the Austro-Hungarians to their south on the Eastern Front, but resulted in the Central Powers' chief offensive effort of 1915, causing the total collapse of the Russian lines and their retreat far into Russia. The continued series of actions lasted the majority of the campaigning season for 1915, starting in early May and only ending due to bad weather in October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rovno offensive</span> 1915 Austria-Hungary offensive on the Eastern Front of World War I

The Rovno offensive — the operation of the Austro-Hungarian Northern armies against the armies of the Russian Southwestern Front — the so-called campaign on Rovno, or Lutsk-Rovno offensive operation. The purpose of the offensive was the liberation of Eastern Galicia, but by the end of the operation, a small part of Eastern Galicia was still held by the Russian Imperial Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Komarów (1914)</span> August 1914 battle of WW1s Eastern Front

The Battle of Komarow was a battle on the Eastern Front during World War I. It would prove a victory for the Austro-Hungarian forces, but one they would not be able to reproduce in the coming months of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Puhallo von Brlog</span>

Paul Freiherr Puhallo von Brlog was a general of Austria-Hungary. During World War I, he commanded the Austro-Hungarian Army's 3rd and 1st Armies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial and Royal Uhlans</span>

Together with the Dragoons and Hussars, the Imperial and Royal Uhlans, made up the cavalry of the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1867 to 1918, both in the Common Army and in the Austrian Landwehr, where they were known as the Imperial-Royal Landwehr Uhlans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaders of the Central Powers of World War I</span>

The leaders of the Central Powers of World War I were the political or military figures who commanded or supported the Central Powers.

The 3rd Army was a field army-level command within the ground forces of Austria-Hungary during World War I. It was primarily active on the Eastern Front against the Russian Empire and in the Balkans against Serbia and Montenegro. Later on, the 3rd Army took part in some fighting on the Italian Front before returning to the eastern theater by 1917 to repulse the Kerensky Offensive. Its remaining units were merged with the 7th Army in January 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artur von Mecenseffy</span>

Artur Edler von Mecenseffy was an Austro-Hungarian Army officer who held the rank of Feldmarschall-leutnant and served during World War I, becoming the highest-ranking officer of Austria-Hungary to be killed on the battlefield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpathian Campaign</span> Battle in World War Is Eastern Front

The Carpathian Front, sometimes referred to as the Carpathian Winter War of 1915 was one of the largest military operations on the Eastern Front in terms of scale, duration, the number of troops involved in it and the losses of the parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balkanstreitkräfte</span> Austro-Hungarian forces responsible for the offensive against Serbia of 1914

The Balkanstreitkräfte, also known as the Balkan Army, was the force raised by Austria-Hungary for its offensive action against Serbia in August 1914, at the start of World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludwig Goiginger</span>

Ludwig Goiginger was an Austro-Hungarian Lieutenant Field Marshal who notably served in World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas von Fail-Griessler</span> Austro-Hungarian General of Infantry

Andreas Karl Franz Fail, from 1875 Fail-Griessler was an Austro-Hungarian General of Infantry. He was born 25 February 1857 in Graz and died 6 March 1919 in Graz. At the beginning of the First World War he was commander of the 32nd Infantry Troop Division in Syrmia during the Serbian campaign, then from September to November 1914 commanding general of the VII Army Corps, which during this time was deployed with the k.u.k. 2nd and 3rd Armies at the Carpathians.

References

  1. John Dixon-Nuttal. THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ARMY 1914-18. Chapter 3: Organization and Command of the Austro-Hungarian Army
  2. John Dixon-Nuttal. THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ARMY 1914-18. Chapter 4: The Army in the Field
  3. 1 2 Glenn Jewison; Jörg C. Steiner (2016). "Order of Battle - Galicia August, 1914". Austro-hungarian-army.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 December 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 Rothenberg, G.E. (1998). The Army of Francis Joseph. Central European Studies. Purdue University Press. p. 179. ISBN   978-1-55753-145-2.
  5. 1 2 John Dixon-Nuttal. THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ARMY 1914-18. Chapter 6 App. B: Armeen
  6. 1 2 Glenn Jewison; Jörg C. Steiner (2016). "Higher Commands and Commanders". Austro-hungarian-army.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  7. 1 2 Graydon A. Tunstall (13 May 2014). "The Carpathian Winter War, 1915". HistoryNet.com. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  8. Herwig (2009), p. 325
  9. 2. armáda (1914-1918). (in Czech)
  10. Východní armáda (1918). (in Czech)

Books