Battle of Złoczów

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Battle of Zloczow
date August 26, 1914
place southwest of Złoczów
output russian victory
Parties to the conflict

Austria-HungaryAustria-Hungary (trade flag) Austria-Hungary

Russian Empire 1914Russian Empire Russia

Commander

Rudolf von Brudermann
Colerus von Geldern

Nikolai Russky
Vladimir Sakharov

Troop strength
115 battalions
376 guns 		198 battalions
685 guns
Skirmishes during the
Battle of Galicia, 1914

The Battle of Złoczów took place on August 26, 1914 on the Eastern Front of the First World War . It was the opening battle of the Battle of Lemberg . The attack by the Austrian 3rd Army was thrown back by the Russian armed forces. The kuk III. Corps tried in vain to advance from the heights at Gologory in the direction of Złoczów . The southern kuk XII. At Pomorzany, the Corps saw itself threatened from three sides by a strong superior force. On August 27, the Austro-Hungarian troops had to retreat behind the Gnila Lipa before the superior strength of the Russian 3rd and 8th armies .

prehistory

Rudolf Nikolaus Ritter von Brudermann
Emil Colerus von Geldern

On August 20, the kuk army group Koevess was deployed south of the Dniester , the III. Corps (6th, 22nd and 28th ITD) was in the Stryj area and the XII. Corps (11th, 16th and 35th Divisions) in the Stanislau area . The further advance of the III. Corps took place under cover by the 5th and 8th Cavalry Division northwards into the area southwest of Lemberg and the way of the XII. Corps to Rohatyn . The 38th Honved Division (General Karg von Bebenberg) stayed behind in the Halicz area to secure the Dniester crossing . The left wing of the Austrian armed forces on the Vistula and in the area south of Radom ( Austro-Hungarian 1st Army ) fought successfully in the Battle of Kraśnik until August 25, the battles of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army on both sides of Tomaszów Lubelski were not yet decided, but in the In the area east of Lemberg , the advance of the Russian 3rd and 8th Army threatened the right wing of the Austrians.

In order to secure Lviv, the plan of the Chief of Staff Conrad provided for his own attack against the Russian 3rd Army (General Nikolai Russki ) advancing from the Brody - Tarnopol area . This plan met with approval from the Army High Command Archduke Friedrich, who was in Przemysl . The Austrian army commander general of cavalry Rudolf von brother man got out of his two Corps (XI. Corps, General of Cavalry dezső kolossváry and III. Corps, General of Infantry Colerus of funds ) nor the Dniester zoom out section XII. Corps made available. The main thrust was from the heights south of the Lviv road towards Zloczów . The III. and XII. Corps (altogether 8 infantry and 3 cavalry divisions) were supposed to try to stop the enemy on the Zlota Lipa , a tributary of the Dniester , with an offensive .

On August 25, the Army High Command 2 under General der Kavallerie von Böhm-Ermolli arrived in Stanislau from the Serbian theater of war to take over command of the right wing of the Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces in Galicia from the army group of General der Infanterie Kövess . Because the associations originally assigned to AOK 2 - the III. and XII. Corps - at the beginning of the deployment of the 3rd Army, the VII. Corps was still being transported and the IV. Corps was still deployed in Syrmia , AOK 2 initially had no troops. The loss-making battles of the 38th Honved Division near Monastyryska and Podhajce strengthened General von Bohm-Ermolli's view not to intervene in the fighting with split units, but to wait for the larger units to assemble.

Kuk march

On the northern flank of the Imperial and Royal 3rd Army, the 11th Honved Cavalry Division (Major General Julius von Nagy) secured the Bug section at Kamionka-Strumilowa opposite the Russian 69th Reserve Division and the advance troops of the Russian XXI. Army Corps. The kuk XI. Corps left strong security in the Lemberg area, the 11th March Brigade and the 93rd Landsturm Brigade had to cover the northern and eastern aprons of Lemberg. On August 24th the III. Corps to the east: covered on the left by the 4th Cavalry Division (Major General Edmund von Zaremba), which had to advance north of Gliniany to the heights of Biały Kamień (Wałbrzych) . On the left wing of the III. Corps, the 28th ITD (FML Rudolf Králicek ) marched forward via Wyzniany-Kurowice, in the middle the 6th ITD (FML yellow ) - ahead with the 11th Infantry Brigade (FML von Fabini ) south of the road from Lemberg to Zloczow, right with the 22nd Rifle Division (FML Heinrich von Krauss-Elislago) via Manaczowka. The Tyrolean 88th Landwehr Brigade (Colonel Karl Georgi) was to follow this attack via Pomorzany and the heights east of the Machnowka. In the south, the Koevess Army Group on the right wing near Brzezany and the 11th ITD (FML Alois Pokorny) encountered troops of the Russian 8th Army . The attack with the 16th ITD (FML Franz Paukert) took place on the left flank on the heights near Dunajow . The VII Corps of the 2nd Army (FML Fail-Griessler with the 17th and 20th Divisions) assembled in the Tumowo- Stryj area and had to prepare to advance north or east. The 8th Cavalry Division (FML Georg von Lehmann ) was thrown back by Russian cavalry at Podwysokie in the afternoon and went back to Rohatyn . The 5th Honved Cavalry Division (Major General Samuel Apór) was already on the retreat towards Halicz .

Russian deployment

General Nikolai Russky
General Vladimir Sakharov

The Russian 3rd Army reached the Kamionka-Strumilova-Golgory-Dunajow line on August 25. The northern edge at the bow secured the 69th Reserve Division, the XXI. Army corps with advanced 11th Cavalry Division reached the area on both sides of Busk , the 3rd Cavalry Division was at Bialy Kamien . The middle of 3rd Army (IX Corps with 5th and 42nd Divisions) was advancing from Brody towards Zloczow. The 10th Cavalry Division under General Baron von Keller stood at Zborow and the 31st Infantry Division (General Protopopow ) reached Pomorzany , followed by the 60th Reserve Division (Major General Pjotr ​​Baranow) to Zborow. The Russian IX. Army Corps (General Shcherbachev) stood around Zloczow. On the left wing, the X. Corps with the 9th Infantry Division (General Klembowski ) in the Koniuchy area kept up with the Russian 8th Army (General Alexei Brussilow). The VII Corps of the 8th Army had already occupied Tarnopol , a division of the VIII Corps had crossed the Strypa near Zbrucz . Both divisions of the Russian XII. Corps (General Leonid Lesch) had advanced in the Brzezany area near Lipki on Kote 401 and over the heights of Czyzew and were supposed to advance from the south on Lemberg and push the right wing of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army to the city.

3rd Army

Commander: General of Inf. Nikolai Vladimirovich Russky

8th Army

Commander: General of the Cavalry Alexei Alexejewitsch Brusilov

The fight

Battle of Zloczow on 25./26. August 1914
General Dmitri Shcherbachev
Hermann Kövess from Kövesshaza

The Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army, with around 115 battalions and 376 guns, faced almost 200 Russian battalions with 685 guns from the Russian 3rd Army. General von Brudermann's cavalry ordered the Austro-Hungarian attack on the Dunajów-Gliniany line in the direction of Zloczow. On the evening of August 25, the advance of the XII. Corps the area east of Janczyn and Przemyślany , the III. Corps the area around Gologóry and Bortków , the XI. Corps remained behind as a reserve between Dziedzilów and north of the Jaryczowski Canal.

The decision about the preservation or loss of the Galician capital Lviv depended on the advance on Zloczow planned on August 26th. On the northern flank of the 3rd Army at Kamionka-Strumilowa, the 11th Honved Cavalry Division tried to prevent the Russian crossing at the Bug. On the right the XII. Corps the area south of Remizowce, in the middle the III. the heights southwest of Zloczów and on the left the XI. Corps reach the bow section between Krasne and Busk. The protection of the southern flank in the area around Narajow to Brzezany was assigned to the 11th ITD and the 8th Cavalry Division, which were soon reinforced by the 4th Cavalry Division, which had been withdrawn from Przemyslany. The Styrian III. "Iron" Corps (45 battalions, 7 squadrons and 140 artillery pieces) began the advance to the village of Zalesie (Zalissya) with three divisions, at the same time the left wing of the XII. Corps on Pomorzany to the east. At the 28th ITD (FML Yellow) the 55th Brigade (Major General Alfred von Hinke) advanced on Kurowice and the 56th Brigade (Major General Johann von Fernengel) prepared the attack on the heights northwest of Gliniany. The regiments of the 28th and 6th ITD advanced over the lowlands of Bortków and Gologóry. The 28th ITD (FML Kralicek) was able to command the advance troops of the Russian XI north of Lemberger Strasse. Corps (General Sakharov) pushed back and reached the Lackie, where it stuck. In the wooded and difficult to walk hill country, the 6th ITD fought its way forward at the same height as the 28th ITD and then took over the lead. The 11th Brigade (Major General von Fabini) attacked Gologory via Novosiolki and the 12th Brigade (Major General Krasel) via Lahodow. On the right wing, the 22nd Rifle Division (FML Krauss-Elislago) could not maintain the same level and remained far behind the Zlota Lipa.

The divisions of the Shcherbachev Corps fell on the open southern flank of the 6th Division, whereupon the right wing of this formation had to be withdrawn on Gologóry. Unaware of the situation, the 22nd Rifle Division was given a relieving blow in favor of the 6th ITD, after which the division south of Gologóry was supposed to assert itself. When more and more Russian forces infiltrated between the 6th and the 28th ITD, they initially fell back behind the Olszanica. Parts of the kuk XI. Corps were meanwhile as reinforcement of the left wing of the III. Corps used. The 44th ITD (FML Tschurschenthaler ) asserted itself at Busk, the vanguard of the Russian XI. and IX. Army corps pushed further west on both sides. The 11th Brigade (Major General von Fabini) failed in the attack on the village of Zalesie. In the early afternoon the troops of the 22nd Rifle Division had caught up, but the attack, which was not conducted uniformly, did not advance without artillery support. The attack of the 43rd Brigade (Colonel Nemeczek with Rifle Regiment 3 and 26) on Zorzkow-Zukow and that of the Southern Column with the 44th Brigade (Colonel Ignaz Schmidt von Fussina with Infantry Regiment 3 and 26) against Wysoka Gora-Kropiwina hit the Kibanow line -Krasne on strong Russian resistance.

The III. Corps stood on the heights southwest of Zloczow and in the lowlands in front of it all day long in heavy fighting with strong Russian forces. The Austrians could the pressure of the Russian IX. Corps no longer withstand. The IR 47 (Colonel Karl Scotti) flooded back from Skwarzawa, Major General Hinke was wounded while attempting to storm the Mogila Höhe.

Desiderius Kolossváry of Kolosvár

After the march, General of the Infantry Kövess received late reports of the unfortunate skirmishes near Monasterzyska and Podhajce. After the arrival of Böhm-Ermolli he had taken over the Corps Command XII again, initially, since only subordinate enemy had been reported, only the 16th ITD to attack Remizowce, while the 11th in association with the 8th Cavalry Division to cover the flank at Narajów and keep the 35th behind it as a reserve for both of them. Concerned about his southern flank, General Kövess put the 35th ITD against Narajów, from where the army commander, indignant about this measure, called them to the battlefield of Dunajów. After noon the vanguard of the division, tired by the approach, stepped out of the forest east of Dunajów and encountered Russian troops. At this meeting, the division general FML Viktor Njegovan was wounded and later replaced by Vincent Fox . The troops had to be withdrawn to the western edge of the forest. The 11th ITD (FML Pokorny) initially fought back Russian cavalry, which had advanced from Brzezany, after an advance by the 22nd Brigade (Major General Alexander von Wasserthal). On the south wing of the corps, the 8th Cavalry Division withdrew from the cavalry corps Baron Keller against Rohatyn and suffered heavy losses. The 16th ITD collided with the foremost of the three divisions of the Russian Xth Corps at Orne. The IR 82 (32nd Goldbach Brigade ) was able to reach and cross Gnila Lipa via Wypyski. Pushed back a little, she at least managed to maintain a firm foothold east of the Zlota Lipa. Meanwhile the Russian VII Army Corps (General of Infantry Eck) of the Russian 8th Army advanced to the northwest, the Austro-Hungarian 11th Division tried in vain to stop the enemy at Pomorzany .

The Corps commander of Colerus gave the 6th ITD the order to retreat to Gologóry at 16:15 in view of the difficult situation, and the 28th ITD also had to withdraw its right wing accordingly. The 12th Brigade (Major General Krasel) covered the retreat via Gologory back to Olszanice, the 11th Brigade with the IR 7 (Colonel Koschatzky) and the FJB (Colonel Lustig) and the FJB 8 held the Gologory-Tredowacz line to Nowosiolki, where the 28th ITD joined the IR 27 (56th Brigade).

The Austrian Chief of Staff Conrad von Hötzendorf learned in the evening of the full extent of the defeat of the 3rd Army and saw the reason in the fact that too many troops were deployed north of Lemberger Strasse and the order of battle in the hill area south of the road had not been clearly defined. The first news of the setbacks in the 3rd Army had prompted the Austro-Hungarian High Command to bring the reserves of the 23rd ITD (Major General Daempf) and the 88th Kaiser-Schützen-Brigade through Lemberg to Winniki and the AOK 3 also the XIV Corps (Archduke Joseph Ferdinand ) with his two divisions (3rd and 8th ).

The troops of the Russian general of the infantry Russki were reinforced by the VII Corps of the 8th Army and on August 27, together with the right wing of the Brusilov army, with now 292 battalions, they pursued the 115 Austrians returning to the Gnila Lipa. The commander of the kuk XI. In the morning, the Corps also received news of the forced withdrawal of the 11th Honved Cavalry Division from the Kamionka-Strumilowa position and the actions of Russian forces there and at Derewlany. The 44th Rifle Division, called for help, could only advance one regiment to Zoltance to absorb the forces displaced by the Bug. General Kolossváry had decided to have the 80th Infantry Regiment of the 30th ITD (FML Julius Kaiser) swing up to the north to cover the threatened left flank of the army. In addition, the 11th March Brigade and the 93rd Landsturm Brigade were combined under the command of Major General von Schönburg-Hartenstein west of Krasne to form a combined division in order to prevent the flooding back III. Corps to give new support.

consequences

The Austrians were thrown back on the Gnila Lipa on August 27th by the superior strength of the Russian 3rd Army. After the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army in the Battle of the Gnila Lipa , the Russian 3rd Army broke through on August 30th with over 100,000 men (XXI, XI., IX. And X. Corps) via Gliniany to the capital of Galicia. The battle changed the war situation permanently in favor of the Russians, Lemberg was lost on September 2nd. Another heavy defeat in the Battle of Rawa Ruska forced the Austrians, who suffered enormous losses, to retreat to the San Line.

literature

  • Ludwig von Fabini : The baptism of fire of the Iron Corps : The first day of the battle of Złoczów on August 26, 1914 in: Military Scientific Communications, Heft 9 and 10, Vienna 1930, pp. 785–843.
  • Hermann Fröhlich, Franz Rech Edler von Felecky and Arnold Philipp: History of the Styrian Austro-Hungarian Infantry Regiment No. 27., 27-comradeship leagues a. Alpine Jägerregiment FM Conrad von Hötzendorf No. 10, Graz 1937, p. 23 f.
  • Hermann Stegemann : History of the World War. Volume I. Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, Stuttgart 1917, pp. 270-320.
  • Austria-Hungary's last war. Volume I. The war year 1914. Editor: Edmund Glaise-Horstenau Verlag der Militärwissenschaftlichen Mitteilungen, Vienna 1930.

Web links

Commons : Battle of Galicia  - Collection of images, videos and audio files