Battle of Komarów
Eastern Front autumn 1914
| date | August 26 to September 3, 1914 |
|---|---|
| place | Tomaszów Lubelski |
| output | Austria-Hungary victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 11 divisions 147 battalions 71 squadrons 438 guns |
16 divisions 180 battalions 174 squadrons 684 guns |
| losses | |
|
about 40,000 men |
26,000 men, 156 guns |
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Battle of Galicia, 1914
Kraśnik - Komarów - Złoczów - Gnila Lipa - Lviv - Grodek - Rawa Ruska
The battle of komarów (in Russian as a battle of Tomaszów was known) a battle of Komarów between Austro-Hungarian and Russian troops from the 26. August 1914 until 2. September 1914 at the beginning of the First World War . It was part of the so-called, large-scale battle in Galicia .
prehistory
The Austro-Hungarian troops had surprisingly victoriously started the battle in Galicia with the Battle of Kraśnik and this success motivated the 4th Army under the command of Moritz von Auffenberg to also take the offensive. Auffenberg's objective was the breakthrough on Chełm , he met the 5th Russian Army under Pawel Adamowitsch Plehwe near Komarów on August 26, 1914 . Plehwe's right wing was already weakened from the previous fighting. This made it easier for the attackers to achieve a tactical victory in the battle that lasted until September 1, 1914 and to take many prisoners. The attempt to encircle the Russian troops failed, however.
Since August 25, the 4th Army with three corps (II Corps under General der Infantry Schemua , VI Corps under General von Boroević and IX Corps under Field Marshal Lieutenant von Friedel, from August 27 General Hortstein) was on the move the Zamość - Tomaszów line , the XVII. Corps (General of the Cavalry Count Huyn ) followed behind the VI. Corps after, on the right wing the corps group (XIV.) Of Archduke Joseph Ferdinand advanced north from the Rawa Ruska area. The right wing to the east was covered by the cavalry corps of FML Wittmann, it maintained contact with the 3rd Army (General Rudolf von Brudermann ), which covered the Lemberg area to the east against the actions of the Russian 3rd Army (Gen. Inf. Russki ).
The battle
Before the start of the Austrian attack, the Russian 5th Army with its right wing, the XXV. Army Corps (Gen. of Inf. Sujew ), the position between Wieprz and Wolica reached before Zamość. The XIX. Army Corps (Gen. Inf. Gorbatowski ) was approaching Tomaszów from the north and northeast. At the beginning of the battle General Plehwe only had 7½ divisions, the left wing was further back - the V and XVII. AK ( Gen. Inf. Jakowlew) with another six divisions, which could only intervene in the battle the next day. On August 26, Auffenberg's attack began with his left wing, II Corps. The Russians (XXV Army Corps) threw back its 13th, 25th and 10th divisions at Zamość. The attack of the Austrian VI. Corps in the center, on the other hand, encountered the toughest resistance of the Russian XIX at Tarnawatka . Army corps, which it was unable to break even on the 27th. Afterwards to the right the XVII. Corps (with the 19th and 41st divisions) and the group of Archduke Joseph Ferdinand (with the 8th and 3rd divisions) across the Belzec-Uhnow line to Posadow.
On August 27, the arrival of new Russian forces was announced - from the east it was XXI. Army Corps, the right wing of the Russian 3rd Army, crossed the bow at Sokal and had begun the attack on the 2nd and 6th Cavalry Divisions of the Cavalry Corps under FML Wittmann protecting against Telatyn , so the right wing (XIV. Corps) was the 4th Army itself threatened. In the afternoon two more Russian corps (V. and XVII. AK) intervened in the battle northeast of Tomaszów between Tarnawatka - along the Huczwa to Tyszowce, in order to break through the Austrian front themselves. Immediately was for the Austrian VI. and XVII. Corps no further advancement possible here.
On August 28, the 25th Division (Archduke Peter Ferdinand) was able to occupy Zamość on the left wing of the battle, pushing the Russian 2nd Grenadier Division back north via the Labunka. Before daybreak the Austrian 15th Division of VI. Corps suffered heavy losses in a Russian attack near Tyszowce, the desperate leader FML Friedrich Freiherr Wodnianski even committed suicide. The new leader of the 15th Division, Major General Schenk, had to go back to Tarnawatka and was only able to repel stubborn enemy attacks with great difficulty, losing the entire artillery; the situation in the center of Austria was already extremely critical. In the afternoon of the day the victorious advance of the XVII. Corps at Posadow against the Russian XVII. AK also provided some relief for the threatened center.
On August 29, the kuk XIV. Corps (Archduke Josef Ferdinand) on the far right wing achieved a preliminary success against the advance guard of the Russian XXI in a counterattack by his cavalry. Army Corps operating across the Bug against the flank of 4th Army. Sticking to the original battle plan, Auffenberg opposed the Russian attempted breakthrough against his center with his own containment intentions on both wings. On the right put the XIV. And XVII. Corps launched their attack on the Russian XVII. Army Corps successfully continued at Posadow in the direction of Grubieszow , in the middle the VI. and IX. Corps meanwhile the counterattacks of the Russian V. and XIX. Army Corps, on the left the II. Corps followed the enemy only with the 4th Division (FML from Rudolf Stöger-Steiner ) via Zamość, while the 25th Division (Archduke Peter Ferdinand ) and the 13th Rifle Division (FML Eduard Edler von Kreysa ) were prepared to swing against Komarów to prevent the attempted breakthrough of the tenacious attacking XIX. Army corps and already began to surround it.
On August 30, Auffenberg's wing attacks threatened the two Russian wings; the enemy stopped the attacks against the center, withdrew the threatened XIX. Army corps out of the Komarów area and increased its resistance on the wings, under whose protection he began the orderly retreat. In the center, Komarów was occupied by the 26th Division (FML Karl Křitek ), and the pressure continued on the east wing, which the Russian fought against with all his might to prevent his retreat via Grubieszow.
On August 31, the kuk XIV Corps, advancing via Paturzyn and Laszczow, attacked on the right wing. The Infantry Regiment No. 14 of the 3rd Division (FML Roth ) got into heavy defensive fire near Liski, the attack got stuck and had to retreat south to Oszerdow. The success of the remaining parts and the 8th Division (FML Kirchbach ) was reduced by the fact that the parts of the Austro-Hungarian II Corps, which had swung in for a comprehensive attack on Komarow, went back on August 31, upon news of further Russian forces marching from the north and thereby releasing the already laid retreat path. The defeat of the Russian 5th Army could no longer be completed.
consequences
The Russians lost 26,000 men at Komarów, 10,000 of them prisoners and 156 guns were lost. The Pyrrhic victory cost the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army 40,000 men. On September 1st the tactical victory of the 4th Army would have been complete on the whole front, the Russians were already retreating to the Bug. But the collapse of the 3rd Army in the Battle of Gnila Lipa on August 30th ruined this success. Almost 100,000 Russian soldiers had already broken through at Zloczow in the direction of Lemberg, the corps group Joseph Ferdinand was withdrawn and had to regroup to the southeast to support the open north flank of the 3rd Army.
The first two battles in Galicia were a great success for the Austro-Hungarian troops and it seemed as if the Russians would not be able to prevent a comprehensive defeat, because almost at the same time they suffered a defeat against the German troops in the battle in East Prussia near Tannenberg . However, the overall situation was to turn completely in favor of the Russians due to the simultaneous defeat of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army in the Battle of the Gnila Lipa (August 29 and 30).
literature
- Konrad Leppa : The Battle of Komarow , commission publisher Adam Kraft , Karlsbad-Drahowitz 1932
- Hermann Stegemann: History of the World War Volume I., Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, Stuttgart 1917
- Edmund Glaise-Horstenau (ed.): Austria-Hungary's last war . tape 1 : The war year 1914. Verlag der Militärwissenschaftlichen Mitteilungen, Vienna 1930, DNB 36646633X .
- Nikolai Golovin: The Great Battle of Galicia - A study in strategy (PDF; 58 kB) first: Slavonic Review, vol. 5, 1926-27.