Moritz von Auffenberg

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Moritz Friedrich Joseph Eugen Auffenberg , since 1869 Knight of Auffenberg , since 1915 Baron Auffenberg von Komarów (born May 22, 1852 in Opava ; † May 18, 1928 in Vienna ), was a general of the Austro-Hungarian Army and Minister of War.

Moritz von Auffenberg
by Carl Pietzner ( Sport & Salon , 1914)

Life

Moritz Auffenberg came from a civil servant family. In 1869 his father Moritz was raised to the Austrian nobility as "Ritter von Auffenberg".

Early military career

At the age of 19, Moritz joined the army and in 1878 took part in the occupation campaign in Bosnia as a first lieutenant under the command of Feldzeugmeister Joseph Philippovich von Philippsberg . He participated as a sergeant in the 61st Infantry Brigade (Colonel Killic). In the summer of 1879 he visited the Banat to Orșova on a general staff trip, after which he began an inspection trip to Neusatz and Belgrade . For a short time he remained in Budapest as a captain in the general staff of the 31st Infantry Division (FML Georg von Kees) . In May 1882 he was transferred to the general command in Lemberg . In 1884 he came to Arad to work for the General Staff at the regional recording (mapping) there, then in the spring of 1885 he was transferred to the railway office of the General Staff.

On November 1, 1888, he was promoted to major and took the position of chief of staff of the 19th Infantry Division (FML Johann Hannbeck von Hanwehr) in Pilsen . In May 1891 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and in late autumn of that year he was transferred to the Croatian infantry regiment No. 96 in Karlstadt . In May 1894 he was promoted to colonel and came to the corps officers school in Agram to act as a teacher for tactics and deputy of the local commander. In the spring of 1895 he was briefly given command of Infantry Regiment No. 23 in Budapest, which he soon had to swap with Regiment No. 78 in Esseg . At the beginning of April 1900 he was appointed commander of the 65th Brigade in Győr and a few days later in the middle of the regiment appointed major general. His service as a brigadier gave him enough time to write a military monograph on Raab . In 1902 he and his wife went on a long private trip to northern Italy and southern France.

In mid-April 1905 he was appointed commander of the 36th Infantry Troop Division in Agram, and a few days later he was promoted to field marshal lieutenant . As commanding general of the XIII. Corps in Agram acted at that time Field Marshal Lieutenant Count Rosenberg , who was replaced by Field Marshal Lieutenant Baron Malowetz after his early death (July 15, 1905) . In the autumn of 1894, the corps officers' school in Vienna was set up under War Minister Baron Krieghammer. As early as 1907, Auffenberg took over the newly established General Inspectorate, and remained in this position until autumn 1909. In agreement with Foreign Minister Aehrenthal, his new activity was almost exclusively related to the Solution to the South Slav question. In October 1909 he was promoted to commanding general of the XV. Corps in Sarajevo , a period in which on February 20, 1910 the proclamation of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian constitution fell. In mid-April 1910 he was finally promoted to general of the infantry .

Minister of War and World War

On September 19, 1911, Auffenberg became Minister of War at the instigation of the heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este . He created a new defense law to promote the military armament of Austria, but was replaced after a year in December 1912 after differences with Emperor Franz Joseph I.

In the First World War he commanded the 4th Army at the beginning of the war and defeated a superior Russian force in the Battle of Komarów at the end of August / beginning of September 1914 (see: Battle of Galicia ). After the defeat of his army in the subsequent Battle of Rawa Ruska , he was deposed on September 30th and replaced by Archduke Joseph Ferdinand .

By a decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I of April 25, 1915, Auffenberg was raised to the status of baron and was awarded the title of Komarów . A few days later he was arrested on charges of having communicated the internals of an armaments contract to the Škoda works to an acquaintance during his time as Minister of War , but was acquitted by the court martial (although not by a court of honor ).

Moritz von Auffenberg's grave site

Auffenberg was buried in the Hietzinger Friedhof in Vienna in an honorary grave (group 49, number 235).

Museum reception

In the Viennese Army History Museum there is a showcase in room V ("Franz-Joseph-Saal") in which loot from the occupation campaign of 1878 is exhibited. Notable among these are oriental weapons such as swords and pistols , which Auffenberg captured in this campaign.

Fonts

literature

Web links

Commons : Moritz von Auffenberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heribert Sturm (ed.): Biographical lexicon for the history of the Bohemian countries. Published on behalf of the Collegium Carolinum (Institute) . Volume 1, R. Oldenbourg Verlag, Munich / Vienna 1979, ISBN 3-486-49491-0 , p. 31
  2. ↑ Johann Christoph Allmayer-Beck : The Army History Museum Vienna. Hall VI - The k. (U.) K. Army from 1867-1914. Vienna 1989, p. 24.
personal data
SURNAME Auffenberg, Moritz von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Auffenberg von Komarów, Moritz Friedrich Joseph Eugen Freiherr (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austro-Hungarian general
DATE OF BIRTH May 22, 1852
PLACE OF BIRTH Troppau
DATE OF DEATH May 18, 1928
Place of death Vienna