Rudolf Nikolaus Ritter von Brudermann (from 1919 Rudolf Brudermann; 9 January 1851

Gyöngyös Gyöngyös is a town in Heves County, Hungary, beside of the Gyöngyös creek, under the Mátra mountain ranges. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 27,957 (see Demographics). The town is located 8.4 km from the M3 motorway and 80.8 km ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

– 21 January 1941

Kaltenleutgeben Kaltenleutgeben (Central Bavarian: ''Koidnleitgebn'') is a town with a population of 3302 in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Geography Kaltenleutgeben is located in the southern Vienna Woods near the industrial di ...

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

) was an Austro-Hungarian ''General der Kavallerie'' (

general of the cavalry General of the Cavalry () was a General officer rank in the cavalry in various states of which the modern states of German and Austria are successors or in other armies which used the German model. Artillery officers of equivalent rank were called ...

) during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He led

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

's Third Army during the

Battle of Galicia The Battle of Galicia, also known as the Great Battle of Galicia, was a major battle between Russia and Austria-Hungary during the early stages of World War I in 1914. In the course of the battle, the Austro-Hungarian armies were severely def ...

Personal life

Brudermann was a son of ''Generalmajor'' ( Major General) Rudolf Johann von Brudermann (1810–1889) and his wife Gisela von Barbaczy (1815–1855). He had two brothers, Anton (1847–1881) and

Adolf Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo, and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name with German origins. The name is a compound derived from the Old High German ''Athalwolf'' (or ''Hadulf''), a composition of ''athal'', or ''adal'', mean ...

(1854–1945), and a sister, Gisela Elisabeth (1852–1917). His brothers also pursued a military career. He married Marie Albine, ''née'' Jürgens, on 2 July 1878. They had no children.

Military career

Brudermann began his training at the ''Kadettenanstalt'' (

Cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

Institute) in

Hainburg an der Donau Hainburg an der Donau (also referred to simply as Hainburg) is a town located in the Bruck an der Leitha District, Bruck an der Leitha district in the state of Lower Austria of eastern Austria. In 2021 it had a population of about 7,000. Geography ...

and attended the

Theresian Military Academy The Theresian Military Academy (, TherMilAk) is a military academy in Austria, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their officers. Founded in 1751, the academy is located in the castle of Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria. History The Th ...

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; Lower_Austria.html" ;"title=".e. Lower Austria">.e. Lower Austria , ) is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administr ...

from 1865 to 1869. On 1 September 1869 he was commissioned as a ''

Leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...

'' (

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

) and assigned to

Imperial and Royal The phrase Imperial and Royal (, ) refers to the court/government of the Habsburgs in a broader historical perspective. Some modern authors restrict its use to the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. During that period, it in ...

Uhlan Uhlan (; ; ; ; ) is a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. The uhlans started as Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, Lithuanian irregular cavalry, that were later also adopted by other countries during the 18th century, including Polis ...

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

" Alexander II, Emperor of Russia" No. 11. On 1 May 1874 he was promoted to ''

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

'' (

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

). After attending the

war college A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tac ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, he joined the

general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

in 1874, and while there received a promotion to ''

Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...

1.Klasse im Generalstab'' (

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

first class in the general staff) on 1 November 1877. At his own request, he was transferred on 1 April 1878 to the reserve list as a member of Imperial and Royal Uhlan Regiment " Prince of Schwarzenberg" No. 2 with the rank of ''

Rittmeister Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A is typically in charge of a s ...

'' first class. He married his wife on 2 July 1878 while in a reserve status. On 1 January 1879, Brudermann returned to active service and was assigned to the Imperial and Royal Uhlan Regiment "Knights of Brudermann" No. 1. From 1880 to 1884 he acted as an instructor in the

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

cadet school at Mährisch-Weißkirchen in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

and was then assigned to Imperial and Royal

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

Regiment "Prince to

Windisch-Graetz The House of Windisch-Graetz, also spelled Windischgrätz, is an ancient Austrian aristocratic family, descending from Windischgrätz in Lower Styria (present-day Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia). The noble dynasty serving the House of Habsburg achieve ...

" No. 14. While with this regiment, he received promotions to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 1 November 1885 and to ''

Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...

'' ( lieutenant colonel) on 1 November 1888. He took over command of the regiment on 5 April 1891 and was promoted to ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

'' (

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

) on 1 November 1891. He received the

Order of the Iron Crown The Order of the Iron Crown () was an order of merit that was established on 5 June 1805 in the Kingdom of Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte under his title of Napoleon I, King of Italy. The order took its name from the ancient Iron Crown of Lombard ...

Third Class in March 1895, a standard award for three years of satisfactory service in command of a regiment. In March 1897 Brudermann took command of the 15th Cavalry

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

Tarnopol Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret (river), Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia (Central Europe ...

, and on 18 May 1897 he was promoted to ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

'' ( major general). From March 1900 to the end of March 1904, he commanded the 7th Cavalry Division in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

. On 1 May 1901 he was promoted to ''Feldmarchalleutnant'' (

lieutenant field marshal Lieutenant field marshal, also frequently historically field marshal lieutenant (, formerly , historically also and, in official Imperial and Royal Austrian army documents from 1867 always , abbreviated ''FML''), was a senior army rank in certai ...

), and in April 1904 was honored with the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold. In July 1906, Brudermann took over the position of Imperial and Royal General Inspector of Cavalry, and he was promoted to ''General der Kavallerie'' (

) on 26 April 1907. While in this position, he received the honorary title of ''Oberstinhaber'' (colonel-

proprietor Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as ''title'', which may be separated and held by diffe ...

) of Uhlan Regiment No. 1 in February 1907 and was awarded the Order of the Iron Crown 1st Class in August 1908. Brudermann was an enthusiastic cavalry commander who had never seen combat and whose military experience was limited to maneuvers and what he had read in field manuals. As general inspector of cavalry, he was determined to retain the tactics and ethos of an earlier era even as warfare changed around him in the late 19th and early 20th century. He prevented any modernization of the cavalry force, rejecting all new weapons such as machine guns, and refusing to allow the cavalry to wear the ''

hechtgrau Cadet grey (spelled gray in American English) is a somewhat Blue-gray, blue-greyish shade of the colour grey. The first recorded use of ''cadet grey'' as a colour name in English language, English was in 1912. Before 1912, the word ''cadet grey'' ...

'' ("pike gray")

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

uniforms the rest of the army adopted. He viewed the use of camouflage as incompatible with heroism, and believed that cavalry forces of the early 20th century should fight as those of a century earlier had, charging into battle across open fields in colorful uniforms and wielding

sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

s in the face of enemy gunfire. Some senior officers, including the chief of the general staff,

Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf Franz Xaver Josef Conrad von Hötzendorf (after 1919 Franz Conrad; 11 November 1852 – 25 August 1925), sometimes anglicised as Hoetzendorf, was an Austrian general who played a central role in World War I. He served as '' K.u.k. Feldmarschal ...

, wished to replace Brudermann with someone who would see the need to modernize the cavalry for 20th-century warfare, and in October 1912 Brudermann was promoted to general inspector of the army to allow Karl Georg Reichsgraf von Huyn to take over as general inspector of cavalry. Despite this change, the Austro-Hungarian Army's cavalry force entered combat in

in late July 1914 still heavily influenced by Brudermann's beliefs.

World War I

On the eve of

, Brudermann was still general inspector of the army. In the Austro-Hungarian Army system, the officer in that position normally was the designate to take command of the army in the event of war, but Conrad did not view Brudermann as up to the task. Therefore, after

mobilization Mobilization (alternatively spelled as mobilisation) is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the ...

began and World War I broke out with Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

on 28 July 1914, Conrad in August 1914 made Brudermann the commander of the Third Army in

Eastern Galicia Eastern Galicia (; ; ) is a geographical region in Western Ukraine (present day oblasts of Lviv Oblast, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil Oblast, Ternopil), having also essential historic importance in Poland. Galicia ( ...

along the border with the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. During the

, which opened the war with Russia, Conrad ordered Brudermann's army to take on a defensive role around

Lemberg Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

while the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and Fourth Armies went on the offensive against the Russians to the north of the Third Army. Brudermann had difficulties with his superiors at the Army High Command, and his troops suffered major defeats at the hands of

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

forces during the

Battle of Komarów The Battle of Komarów, or the Battle of Zamość Ring, was one of the most important engagements of the Polish-Soviet War. It took place between 20 August and 2 September 1920, near the village of Komarowo (now Komarów-Osada, Komarów) near Za ...

, particularly around

Złoczów Zolochiv (, ; ; ; ) is a small List of cities in Ukraine, city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine, and the administrative center of Zolochiv Raion. It hosts the administration of Zolochiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The city is lo ...

on 26–27 August 1914, and in the

Battle of Gnila Lipa The Battle of Gnila Lipa took place in early World War I on 29–30 August 1914, when the Imperial Russian Army invaded Galicia and engaged the defending Austro-Hungarian Army. It was part of a larger series of battles known collectively as the ...

on 29–30 August 1914, resulting in enormous losses among Austro-Hungarian troops. After Lemberg fell to the Russians, he was dismissed from his post on 4 September 1914 shortly after the beginning of the Battle of Rawa.Oskar Dohle (Hrsg.), Constantin Schneider: ''Die Kriegserinnerungen 1914–1919'', p. 654 (in German)
restricted preview
via

Google Book Search Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical charac ...

). He left the army at his own request on 23 November 1914 and officially retired on 24 March 1915.

Later life

Brudermann spent his retirement in Vienna. After the conclusion of World War I in 1918, and particularly after about 1930, his military mistakes and failures were largely forgotten in the

First Austrian Republic The First Austrian Republic (), officially the Republic of Austria, was created after the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 10 September 1919—the settlement after the end of World War I which ended the Habsburg rump state of ...

, and he was a popular figure when he appeared in uniform at veterans events. In 1936, he was elected honorary president of the ''Vereinigung Alt Neustadt'' (Old Neustadt Association), the association of veterans from the Theresian Military Academy. Together with his wife, he is buried in the

Vienna Central Cemetery The Vienna Central Cemetery () is one of the largest Cemetery, cemeteries in the world by number of interred, and is the most well-known among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. The cemetery's name is descriptive of its significance as Vienna's big ...

in Vienna.

Awards and honors

Austro-Hungarian

Third Class (March 1895) * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold (April 1904) * Ord

Order of the Iron Crown First Class (August 1908)

Foreign

Grand Cross of the

Albert Order The Albert Order () was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone who had served the state well, for civil virtue, s ...

(

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony () was a German monarchy in Central Europe between 1806 and 1918, the successor of the Electorate of Saxony. It joined the Confederation of the Rhine after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, later joining the German ...

, July 1905) * UK Royal Victorian Order honorary member ribbon

Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, February 1908) * Order of the Crown (

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806. Geogr ...

, October 1908) * Order of the Sword - Ribbon bar

Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, February 1909) * PRU Roter Adlerorden BAR

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

(

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

, October 1909)

Notes

References

External links

Biography at austro-hungarian-army.co.uk
(in German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Brudermann, Rudolf 1851 births 1941 deaths People from Gyöngyös Military personnel from Vienna Austrian generals Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Theresian Military Academy alumni