11th Army (Austria-Hungary)

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The Austro-Hungarian 11th Army was a major military unit of the Austro-Hungarian Army during the First World War . The Army High Command was deployed on the Italian front from March 1916 until the end of the war.

commitment

South Tyrolean Front: 11th Army deployment and attack area in May 1916

1916

According to the decision of the Austro-Hungarian Army High Command , the Southwest Front under Archduke Eugen was entrusted with an offensive in Trentino for the spring of 1916 , and the 11th Army under General of the Cavalry Viktor Dankl was formed in March from the staff of the Regional Defense Command of Tyrol . During the South Tyrol offensive in May 1916, the 11th Army counted 103 battalions (around 85,300 men) and 178 batteries (811 guns). The attack was scheduled between the Adige ( Rovereto area ) and the Suganertal , the focus of the attack was between the plateau of Vielgereuth (Folgaria) and the plateau of Lafraun (Lavarone).

The 11th Army was subordinate to three corps groups, in addition it was covered on the left wing (in the Valsugana ) by the attack of the 3rd Army in the direction of Borgo :

By the end of May, the new front line Serravalle-Monte Priafora- Arsiero -Asticotal- Asiago- Valsugana could be fought for by the offensive . On June 7th, Monte Meletta, northeast of Asiago, fell into Austrian hands. Because of the strong impact of the Austrian artillery, some Italian positions had to be evacuated almost without a fight. The Italian 1st Army under General Conte Pecori Giraldi was only able to maintain its positions west of Schio , in the Pian delle Fugazze area and on Monte Pasubio, thanks to reinforcements that were quickly brought in. The fighting on the Lafraun plateau also developed favorably.

Due to an Italian counter-offensive on the one hand and the Brusilov offensive on the other, the attack had to be broken off on June 9th. After the 3rd Army had withdrawn, the front was moved back by a strip of about three to four kilometers in the night from June 24th to June 25th to positions that were easier to defend. The new front line ran along Valmorbia - Borcolapass - Casteletto - Roana - Monte Interrotto - Cima Dieci - Civaron - Salubio - Setole. Only the Monte Pasubio and Monte Cimone have not given up and sat in the following trench warfare like a thorn in the Italian front.

1918

Advance into Italy, November 1917
Viktor von Scheuchenstuel

During the Second Battle of the Piave , the 11th Army took part in the Grappa massif and at Asiago with a simultaneous offensive.

  • III. Corps under Colonel General Hugo Martiny : 6th, 28th and 52nd Divisions, 6th Cavalry Division
  • XIII. Corps under General of the Infantry Friedrich Csanády : 5th, 16th, 38th, 42nd, 74th Divisions
  • VI. Corps under General der Infanterie Ernst Kletter : 18th, 26th, 39th and 53rd Infantry Divisions
  • XXVI. Corps under General der Infanterie Ernst Horsetzky : 27th and 32nd Divisions, 4th Cavalry Division
  • I. Corps under Infantry General Ferdinand Kosak : 60th and 55th divisions
  • XV. Corps under General of the Infantry Karl Scotti : 20th, 48th and 50th divisions
  • Reserves: 27th and 38th Divisions, 10th Cavalry Division

On June 15th at 7:00 am, the 11th Army with 8 infantry divisions (around 95,000 men) began the assault on the Folgaria plateau. It had not been possible to suppress the artillery of the opposing Italian 6th Army under General Montuori. In the afternoon this attack got stuck everywhere, and in the evening they had to fall back on the starting position. The attack of the XXVI. Corps (Horsetzky) captured Monte Mochin at short notice. However, the storm against Monte Asolone failed as well as that of the XV. Corps against Monte Spinuccia. After the battle had raged on the plateau of the Seven Municipalities and in the area east of it on the Grappa section, the large-scale "Battle of Veneto" was now reduced to the breakthrough battle on the Piave, which was conducted at the same time.

After the major Italian attack in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto , the kuk XXVI. Corps (General of Horsetzky Infantry) launched another counter-offensive on October 27, 1918 to relieve the pressure on the Grappa massif. The Austrian troops fought with the aim of breaking through from Grappa into the lowlands and rolling up the Italian Piavefront from behind. Eight attacks on Monte Pertica were repulsed by the Italian 4th Army in six hours of fighting. As a result of the armistice at Villa Giusti , large parts of the 11th Army in Trentino were cut off at the beginning of November and were taken prisoner in Italy.

Commander in chief

literature

  • Austrian Federal Ministry for the Army from the War Archives (Ed.): 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