Paul Kray from Krajowa

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Kray from Krajowa

Baron Paul Kray von Krajowa ( Hungarian : krajovai és topolyai báró Kray Pál ; * February 5, 1735 in Kesmark , †  January 19, 1804 in Pest ) was an Austrian military leader with the rank of field witness .

Life

Kray joined the Austrian army in 1754 , rose early to major and in 1784 put down the revolt of the Wallachians in Transylvania . In the war against the Turks he distinguished himself at Porcseny and the Vulkanpass and rose to major general in 1790 .

In the First Coalition War

In the campaign of 1793 he was assigned to the theater of war against the French in the Netherlands . At the request of the newly appointed Commander in Chief Prince von Sachsen-Coburg , at whose headquarters in Brussels he arrived on April 1, he had to take over the leadership of the vanguard of the main army. His troops fought in the battle of Famars (May 23), Courtrai (September 15), the storming of Menin (September 16) and the meeting of Orchies (October 24). At the siege of Valenciennes , Kray stood out in particular. This act of arms and his participation in the battles of Landrecies , Charleroi (June 9) and Fleurus (June 26, 1794) earned him the Commander's Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa .

Promoted to field marshal lieutenant on March 5, 1796 , he was placed under the new main army under Archduke Karl. On June 19, his corps defeated the French general Jean-Baptiste Kléber on his retreat from Düsseldorf in the battle of Kircheib (battle near Uckerath ). Kray's troops contributed a lot to the victories of Archduke Charles near Amberg and in the Battle of Würzburg in the association of Feldzeugmeister Wartensleben between the Lahn and Sieg . In the campaign of 1797 he fought under the command of Field Marshal Lieutenant Baron Werneck with less luck near Giessen , near Wetzlar and near Frankfurt am Main . In the Battle of Neuwied (April 18, 1797), his troops fought a desperate defensive battle against an overwhelming force of the French.

Supreme command in Italy

In September 1798, Kray commanded a division in Friuli at the theater of war in northern Italy , but received the supreme command as the oldest general until the general of the cavalry Baron von Melas arrived . At the end of March 1799, the French Italian army under General Scherer opened their attack in Lombardy . Defeated at the meeting at Pastrengo (March 26th), other units of Kray's troops were able to repel all French attacks at Verona and Legnago at the same time and on April 5th were victorious in the battle of Magnano and encircled the fortress of Mantua .

Because of these quick successes, Kray was promoted to Feldzeugmeister and then took Brescia (April 21) and the fortress of Peschiera (May 6 and 7). On July 27th, after only three weeks of siege, he was able to continue his successes with the capture of Mantua. He united his victorious army with the main army under Melas near Alessandria and, together with the Russians under Marshal Suvorov, had a not inconsiderable share in the battle of Novi (August 25, 1799). After another success in the Battle of Fossano (September 17), the Emperor paid tribute to him in November with the ownership of Infantry Regiment No. 34.

Supreme command in southern Germany

Paul Kray from Krajowa

In Germany, where he took over the supreme command after the resignation of Archduke Karl , he fought unhappily in the 1800 campaign year. Kray left Vienna on March 5th and arrived at Donaueschingen on March 17th . The main army was still 95,000 strong and camped between Liptingen and Stockach. After the defeats at Engen (May 3), Stockach and Messkirch (May 5) against the French army under Moreau , Kray's army initially withdrew to well-secured positions near Ulm . After the French corps Lecourbe occupied Augsburg at the end of May , Kray dared to attack the left French wing between Biberach and Memmingen. However, Kray's troops were defeated on June 5 at Erolzheim and Ochsenhausen and withdrew to Ulm. The defeat in the battle of Höchstädt on June 19, 1800 and the successful Danube crossing Moreau forced Kray to leave his fortified location in Ulm and go back towards Ingolstadt . On June 20, Kray withdrew from Ulm , leaving behind a crew of around 12,000 men under Petrasch , and moved to Nördlingen . On the night of June 24th to 25th, Kray continued his retreat to Neuburg an der Donau . Moreau went back to the right bank of the Danube, the threatened occupation of Munich was supposed to force Kray to retreat behind the Inn . The conclusion of the armistice at Parsdorf on July 15, approved by Kray , ended his military career.

Paul Kray von Krajowa died on January 19, 1804 in Pest (Budapest).

reception

Through the imperial resolution of Franz Joseph I of February 28, 1863, Paul Kray von Krajowa was added to the list of the "most famous warlords and generals of Austria worthy of perpetual emulation" , in whose honor and memory there is also a life-size statue in the general hall of the at that time newly established kk Hofwaffenmuseums (today: Heeresgeschichtliches Museum Wien ) was built. The statue was created in 1868 by the sculptor Nikolaus Vay (1828–1886) from Carrara marble and was dedicated by Emperor Franz Joseph himself.

The Austrian Infantry Regiment No. 67 had had his name since 1888.

In 1913 the Kraygasse in Vienna- Donaustadt (22nd district) was named after him.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Johann Christoph Allmayer-Beck : The Army History Museum Vienna. The museum and its representative rooms . Kiesel Verlag, Salzburg 1981, ISBN 3-7023-0113-5 , p. 30.
personal data
SURNAME Kray von Krajowa, Paul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kray von Krajowa, Paul Freiherr
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian Feldzeugmeister
DATE OF BIRTH February 5, 1735
PLACE OF BIRTH Kesmark
DATE OF DEATH January 19, 1804
Place of death pest