Karl O'Donell of Tyrconell

Karl Claudius Graf O'Donell von Tyrconell (* 1715 - March 26, 1771 in Vienna ) was an Austrian general of Irish descent.

Life

He came from one of the oldest families in Ireland, a branch of which settled in Austria in 1720 under the name O'Donell von Tyrconell .

Karl O'Donnell joined the Bernes Cuirassier Regiment (later Dragoon Regiment No. 7) as a cornet and was promoted to Rittmeister during the Turkish Wars . In the Battle of Grocka on July 23, 1739 he was wounded for the first time and promoted to major after the battle . In the War of the Austrian Succession he took part in the Battle of Hohenfriedberg on June 4, 1745 and was wounded again. After the Battle of Piacenza (1746) he was given the honor of bringing the captured standards to Vienna. In 1748 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the D'Ollone Dragoons (later Dragoons Regiment No. 4).

In 1752 he advanced as a colonel to the Saxon-Gotha Dragoon Regiment (later Uhlan Regiment No. 8) and a short time later took over command of the unit. From 1756 O'Donnell was listed as major general and on September 30, 1756, as such, commanded the army's advance guard, composed of all grenadier and carbine companies on foot and on horseback, and the light troops of Generals Hadik and Draskowics , on the march to Lobositz . In the Battle of Lobositz, which took place on October 1, 1756 , he took command of the Austrian cavalry, after which the commanding General Radicati was wounded. After this battle, O'Donnell also took part in this capacity at the Battle of Prague on May 6, 1757, where he again distinguished himself through particular bravery by covering the Austrian retreat. Later in 1757 he was promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal and appointed owner of the Cordova Cuirassier Regiment (later Dragoon Regiment No. 5).

In the Battle of Kolin on June 18, 1757, O'Donnell again played a not insignificant role in the victory of Field Marshal Count Daun over the Prussians.

Year badge "O'Donell" of the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt

In the Battle of Leuthen on December 5, 1757, he was wounded and taken prisoner. After his release he immediately returned to the Austrian army and successfully fought in the battle of Hochkirch on October 14, 1758, now a general of the cavalry , as commander of the cavalry of the left wing.

In the 1759 campaign, O'Donnell proved himself again in the battles at Düben (October 29) and Maxen (November 20). There he avoided being captured again by the Prussians by skillful tactical maneuvering.

His greatest military achievement was in the last great battle of the Seven Years' War , which Austria ultimately lost , in the Battle of Torgau (1760). Significantly weakened by the surrender of two regiments to General Adolf von Buccow , he attacked the Prussians advancing against Zinna with three cavalry regiments . He could throw it back, although twice as strong. As a result, he took over the command of the wounded Field Marshal Count Daun , which he held when he retreated to Dresden until the winter of 1760. For his achievements in the battle of Torgau he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Maria Theresa Order .

In the campaign of 1761 he received a command at Zittau, but was defeated on August 16, 1762 near Reichenbach by the Duke of Braunschweig-Bevern . In December 1762 O'Donnell went to the Netherlands as a commanding general , was 1764 kk Privy Councilor, 1765 inspector general of the cavalry and 1767-1770 was civil and military governor of Transylvania . In February 1771 he came to Vienna to prepare for a trip to Hungary on which he was to accompany Emperor Joseph II . However, he fell seriously ill and died on March 26, 1771 in Vienna.

As a commemoration, the year 2005 of the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt chose the name "O'Donell".

literature

• Constantin von Wurzbach : O'Donnell, Karl Graf . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 21st part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1870, pp. 6–8 ( digitized version ).
• Adolf Schinzl :  O'Donel, Carl Claudius Graf . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 24, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, pp. 151-153.

Web links

• Harald Skala: O'Donnell, Karl, Graf, G. d. C., Grand Cross of the MTO [1]