Leopold von Hauer

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Leopold Freiherr von Hauer as general

Leopold Freiherr von Hauer (born January 26, 1854 in Budapest , Hungary , † May 3, 1933 in Budapest) was Colonel General of the Austro-Hungarian Austro-Hungarian Army .

family

His father Stephan was section head in the Ministry of the Interior and married Antonia Countess Welsersheimb. The family, which also had branches in Austria and Bavaria , rose to the Bavarian nobility rank of baron in 1792 , followed by the Austrian one in 1793. His grandfather Joseph became a Hungarian nobility because of his military career. Some of his ancestors distinguished themselves in the Second Turkish Siege of Vienna and in the War of the Spanish Succession .

Life

Education and career before the war

Leopold followed the military tradition of his family and entered the cadet school in Marburg at the age of ten . After he graduated from the Theresian Military Academy with "excellent results", he was transferred on August 30, 1872 as a lieutenant to the 11th Hussar Regiment . In the years 1874/1875 he attended the brigade officers' school, after which he was appointed to the household of Archduchess Elisabeth , where he acted as a teacher to the young Archduke Eugen . On May 1, 1877, Leopold Freiherr von Hauer was promoted to first lieutenant , and in 1879 he was ordered back to Hussar Regiment No. 11. In 1883 he graduated from the Military Riding Instructor Institute and was promoted to Rittmeister 2nd class on May 1, 1885 . He was promoted to first class cavalry master on January 1st, 1889. When he was ordered to the court of Archduchess Stephanie , the widow of Crown Prince Rudolf , in 1892 , he occupied the position of treasurer. During those three years of service at court, he was promoted to major on November 1, 1894 . In 1895 he was assigned to the troops again, this time to Hussar Regiment No. 5. He took over command of the cavalry cadet school in Mährisch-Weißkirchen on August 27, 1896, during which he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on May 1, 1897 .

Coat of arms of Arnold Freiherrn von Conrad-Hauer, awarded in 1914 on the occasion of the transfer of his name and coat of arms from Leopold Freiherrn von Hauer to him.

In March 1900 he took command of Hussar Regiment No. 16, shortly followed by his promotion to colonel on May 1, 1900. During that year he also married Elisabeth Fiano (nee Scheichenberger), a widow who had a daughter named Antonia in this Relationship brought. Since this marriage remained childless, they adopted Antonia's husband in 1914. This now took the name Arnold Freiherr von Conrad-Hauer. Leopold Freiherr von Hauer spent the next six years as the commander of his hussar regiment. In October 1906 he was given command of the 13th Cavalry Brigade, and on November 1, 1906, he was appointed major general . In July 1907 he switched to the 4th Cavalry Brigade as a commander. During the maneuvers in 1910 he excelled and received excellent reviews from his commanding officer, General Graf von Kirchbach . The general then proposed him for a higher rank. On November 1, 1910, he was finally promoted to Lieutenant Field Marshal . In December of the same year he also received the important post of Honvéd cavalry inspector, which he held until August 1914. Over the next few years he tried to raise the level of education of the Hungarian cavalry officers, for which he later received awards.

First World War

When the First World War broke out, he took command of the 9th Cavalry Division, which was subordinate to the 1st Army (General Viktor Dankl ). Hauer's cavalry was mainly responsible for reconnaissance on the right bank of the Vistula and took part in the Battle of Kraśnik . In September 1914 he and his troops again secured the left wing of the 1st Army, which had now receded to the Dunajec . At the beginning of October the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army briefly proceeded to Radom , but after Dankl's attack on Ivangorod had failed, Hauer's cavalry again secured an orderly retreat to the Opatowka . During these battles on the Vistula, Hauer's troops were temporarily subordinated to the German Guard Reserve Corps under the command of General Max von Gallwitz . On November 1, 1914, he was appointed General of the Cavalry by title. Subsequently, the 9th Cavalry Division was subordinated to the Corps of Tersztyánszky within the 2nd Army (General Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli ), which was thrown to the Pilica at this time following the Silesian Landwehr Corps Woyrsch . At the end of November 1914, Hauer's cavalry at Belchatow covered the south wing of the German 9th Army operating against Lodz . Between October 1914 and May 1915 his formations were expanded to form the "Hauer Cavalry Corps", while at times he led the German 7th and 8th cavalry divisions in addition to the Austro-Hungarian 2nd and 9th Cavalry Divisions. On February 1, 1915, Hauer was finally and officially appointed General of the Cavalry. During the May offensive, the Hauer cavalry corps crossed the Vistula and later, under the German army group Frommel, it reached Rosbach north of the Bialowieza forest. In September 1915, the Hauer Cavalry Corps was dissolved and its 9th Cavalry Division was transferred to Kovel , where a new cavalry corps was created under Baron von Hauer in October. Under the command of the German General von Linsingen , it was his job to protect the space between the Styr and Stochod rivers . After the front had stabilized, Hauer's troops spent a relatively quiet winter and spring.

Hauer's troops were not involved in the Brusilov Offensive until July 1916 . After the heavy fighting on the Stochod, followed by the defeat of the Polish Legion , which was now subordinate to Hauer , there was continued heavy fighting near Toboly in August and September 1916. During the autumn the front was again stabilized. After another relatively quiet winter, the Hauer Cavalry Corps was able to capture the Russian bridgehead at Toboly by a surprise attack in late March and early April 1917. For this surprising success, Freiherr von Hauer was also awarded the Leopold Order. On August 1, 1917, he was appointed Colonel General because of his seniority.

After the Russian Revolution , things became quiet on the Eastern Front . In October 1917 the Hauer Cavalry Corps was again disbanded. Some troops were relocated to Tyrol, the rest was divided between various other units. Colonel-General Hauer was subsequently on leave and waited in the meantime for a new command, but there was no longer any use for a cavalry officer of his rank. In June 1918 he retired to Budapest. After the collapse of the monarchy, he decided to become a Hungarian citizen. After his first wife died in 1911, he married Karoline Kubinyi von Felsö-Kubin in November 1921. The couple lived in Budapest until Hauer's death in 1933.

Awards

Web links

Commons : Leopold von Hauer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Hauer, Leopold von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hauer, Leopold Freiherr von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian general
DATE OF BIRTH January 26, 1854
PLACE OF BIRTH Budapest , Hungary
DATE OF DEATH May 3, 1933
Place of death Budapest