Moritz Friedrich Joseph Eugen Freiherr Auffenberg von Komarów (born Auffenberg; since 1919 Moritz Auffenberg; 22 May 1852 – 18 May 1928) was an

Austro-Hungarian 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 between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

Military officer in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

and Minister of War. At the outbreak of

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 took command of the Fourth Army.

Biography

Auffenberg was born a commoner, but in 1869 his father was ennobled into

Austrian nobility The Austrian nobility () is a status group that was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of Austria-Hungary. Austria's system of nobility was very similar to that of Germany (see German nobility), as both countries were previously part of ...

, with the title '' Ritter von Auffenberg''. He entered the army at age 19. As a young staff officer, he served in the army which occupied

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

in 1878. He later commanded the XV. Army Corps at

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

. In 1910, he reached the rank of general. His active spirit led him to take a vigorous part in the internal politics of the monarchy, his knowledge of the Hungarian and more especially of the Southern Slav question being intimate. He had attracted the attention of the heir to the throne, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, who had, in spite of much opposition, secured his appointment as Minister of War of the

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

in 1911, where he served until 1912, when he was obligated to resign after only a little over a year. In this position, he tried to modernize the army, obtaining many political enemies in the process. Among his few successes was an increase of military budget. During

, Auffenberg commanded the Fourth Army which won at 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 ...

but was defeated by the

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

during the Battle of Rawa (the "six days battle"). He was blamed for the defeat, dismissed from the command and replaced by the Archduke Josef Ferdinand. Auffenberg never held a command again. On 22 April 1915 Emperor

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

awarded him the title of

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , ) and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in ...

(Baron) with the designation "von Komarow," in recognition of his victory at this battle. In April 1915, he was arrested, being suspected that, as War Minister, he delivered to an unauthorized person a copy of military instructions with a view to speculation on the stock exchange, but the court acquitted him.

Books

Auffenberg wrote two books about the war: * Aus Österreich-Ungarns Teilnahme am Weltkrieg (''About Austro-Hungarian participation in the World War''), Berlin, Ullstein, 1920. * Aus Österreich-Ungarns Höhe und Niedergang - Eine Lebensschilderung (''About rise and fall of Austria-Hungary - a life description''), Munich, 1921.

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Auffenberg, Moritz von 1852 births 1928 deaths Austrian generals People from Austria-Hungary People from Austrian Silesia Silesian nobility Austrian barons People from Opava Theresian Military Academy alumni