10th Army (Austria-Hungary)

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The Austro-Hungarian 10th Army was a major military unit of the Austro-Hungarian Army during the First World War . The army was initially on the Carinthian border and later on the western high mountain front in Tyrol . The Army High Command was deployed on the Italian front from February 1916 until the end of the war.

commitment

General of the cavalry Franz Rohr von Denta

1915

After Italy declared war in May 1915 the Carinthian southern border established for the protection along the Carinthian Alps in the defense section Rayon V the army group under General of Cavalry pipe Denta . The front ran roughly along the line from Kreuzbergsattel - Monte Paralba - Plöckenpaß - Roßkofel - Pontafel - Rombon to Flitsch . The opponent was the "Carnic Group" (Zona Carnia) of the Italians with around 8 brigades. The direct access to Carinthia was protected by Fort Hensel ( Canal Valley ), Fort Malborgeth , Fort Hermann and Battery Predilsattel ( Predilpass ) and the Seewerk Raibl ( Seebachtal ).

The Rohr group, almost entirely made up of Landsturm, maintained the connection between the Tyrol State Defense Command and the 5th Army on the Isonzo section and only counted about 40,000 men, 900 horsemen and 204 artillery pieces:

  • 92nd Landsturm Division (FML Karl von Langer with 183rd and 184th Brigade)
  • 57th Half-Brigade Major General Lanzinger
  • 59th Mountain Brigade: Major General Fernengel

VII Corps (later transferred to the 5th Army)

  • 17th Division (FML Yellow from Siegestern)
  • 20th Honved Division (Major General of Nagy)

Because of the mountainous terrain, the front was unsuitable for major operations. As a side show the portion opposite to the Italian remained "Zona Carnia" (General Lt. Clemente Lequio) up to 12 Isonzo in position war .

1916

In February 1916, the Rohr Army Group was upgraded and renamed the 10th Army. On June 18, 1916, the army received a new commander-in-chief in FML Scotti (the previous chief of staff), during which time the following units were subordinate to the army command:

  • 94th Landsturm Division (Major General Lavrowski )
  • 92nd Landsturm Division (Major General Krasel )
  • 59th Mountain Brigade (Colonel Dietrich)
  • 27th Mountain Brigade (Major General Greiner )

1917

In the breakthrough battle of Karfreit , the entire Italian front was rolled up in the Carnic roles and had to flee by the end of October 1917 in order to avoid the threatened separation. After the new front on the Piave was successfully established, the freed 10th Army took over command of the western section of the front (mostly high mountain front) in South Tyrol.

At the end of 1917, the 10th Army formed the right wing of Army Group Tyrol under the command of Field Marshal Conrad von Hötzendorf . Field Marshal von Krobatin was entrusted with the western high mountain front between Ortler - Adamello - Judicaria and the defense of the section Riva - Lagertal - Monte Pasubio - Monte Cimone (Vicentine Alps ).

1918

Alexander von Krobatin

On June 13, 1918, parts of the 10th Army on the Tonale Pass (military section Rayon II) carried out a diversionary attack - the company Lawine - in order to divert attention from the originally planned attack in the east in the course of the second Battle of the Piave , but the attacks by the Metzger group (1 and 22nd Divisions, 163rd Brigade) complete. During the second Battle of the Piave (June 15-22, 1918), the 10th Army belonged to Army Group Conrad under Field Marshal Conrad von Hötzendorf .

The following four corps groups were subordinate to the 10th Army in June 1918:

After the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian troops in the second Battle of the Piave, the forces involved, and thus also the 10th Army, switched to pure defense. Due to the heavy losses, another offensive in 1918 was out of the question and they were limited to holding the positions.

In the night from November 1st to November 2nd, 1918, as a result of the Italian breakthrough at the neighboring kuk III. Corps the order to the 10th Army that all troops of the XIV. Corps had to go back to the line of defense held in May 1916 on the Vielgereuth plateau . There most of the Austrian troops were cut off and fell into Italian captivity.

Commander in chief

literature

  • Austrian Federal Ministry of the Army from the war archive. “Austria-Hungary's Last War 1914-1918”, seven volumes of text and supplements, Verlag der Militärwissenschaftliche Mitteilungen, Vienna 1930
  • Anton Wagner: The First World War . Troop service series, Carl Ueberreuter Verlag, 1981

Web links