Constantine d'Aspre

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Konstantin d'Aspre, lithograph by Josef Kriehuber , 1850

Konstantin Freiherr d'Aspre von Hoobreuck, (born December 18, 1789 in Brussels , † May 24, 1850 in Padua ) was an Austrian general.

Life

Konstantin d'Aspre was a son of of Ghent originating Field Marshal Lieutenant Konstantin Karl d'Aspre (1767-1809). In 1806 he joined the Austrian Imperial and Royal Army of the Austrian Empire , took part in the 1809 campaign as a first lieutenant in the quartermaster staff and fought in Dalmatia and Italy from 1813–15 . As major of the kk Jäger Battalion No. 8 , he carried out a daring night raid on the Neapolitan camp near Magnano in 1815 . With only two companies and two squadrons , he attacked the 6,000-man crew under Marshal Macdonald and thus paved the way for the Austrians to Naples . For this he was awarded the Maria Theresa Order .

In 1820 he made the expedition to Naples and in 1830 that to Romagna ; In 1833 he was transferred to Bohemia , in 1835 to Innsbruck , in 1840 as a field marshal lieutenant to Italy and in August 1846 appointed commander of the II Army Corps with headquarters in Padua . He suppressed a conflict between the military and students with bloody severity and proclaimed martial law .

The revolution in Italy first forced him to retreat to Verona and from there to Brescia in order to establish contact with Radetzky . When he took the offensive against the Piedmontese, d'Aspres' troops triumphed in the battle of Santa Lucia (May 6) and strengthened the defense of Mantua . On May 30, 1848 he was defeated together with the I. Army Corps under FML Wratislaw in a failed encircling attack at the Battle of Goito .

After defeating Durando's troops , he occupied Vicenza on June 10th . After the march back, on June 23, he and his II Army Corps formed the right wing of Radetzky's army, which was concentrated in the Verona area, and in the battles of Sommacampagna (July 23), Custozza (July 25) and Volta (May 26 and 27) July) contributed significantly to the victory over the army of Sardinia-Piedmont . Brescia opened its doors to him on August 13, 1848.

On March 13, 1849, Baron d'Aspre was appointed Feldzeugmeister . Again he distinguished himself in the campaign against the Kingdom of Sardinia . His corps crossed the Ticino at Pavia on March 20, threw back a Sardinian division in the battle of Mortara (March 21) and distinguished itself especially on March 23 in the battle of Novara . Then he was able to put down the uprising in Modena and Parma , advanced with his corps to Tuscany and was able to take Livorno on May 10, 1849 . For his services as a troop leader in Italy in 1848/49, he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Maria Theresa Order .

Field Marshal Radetzky paid tribute to his corps leader with the following words:

"If, however, in this short campaign I heroically endured the frontal attack of the enemy with the minority in the minority, the first of them, in this short campaign, the brave and determined leader of the II. Army Corps, FZM Baron d'Aspre, who conquered Mortara with his corps Must name everyone; in this way I am only renewing his courage and his moral strength, which he has already received in so many skirmishes and battles, due recognition. "

In October 1849 d'Aspre was given command of the VI. Army Corps with headquarters in Padua, where he died the following year. His grave is located in the Heldenberg Memorial .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Oskar Wolf-Schneider von Arno: Der Feldherr Radetzky . Military science communications, Federal Ministry for the Army, Vienna 1933, pp. 226–238