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, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

Military officer in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

and Minister of War. At the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he took command of the Fourth Army.

Biography

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

Austrian nobility The Austrian nobility (german: österreichischer Adel) is a status group that was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of Austria-Hungary. The nobles are still part of Austrian society today, but they no longer retain any specific privi ...

, with the title ''

Ritter Ritter (German for "knight") is a designation used as a title of nobility in German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second-lowest rank within the nobility, standing above " Edler" and below "Freiherr" ( Baron). As with most titles ...

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 ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

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

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajev ...

. 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 Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. Fr ...

, 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 and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

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

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Auffenberg commanded the Fourth Army which won at the

Battle of Komarów The Battle of Komarów, or the Zamość Ring, was one of the most important battles of the Polish-Soviet War. It took place between 30 August and 2 September 1920, near the village of Komarowo (now Komarów) near Zamość. It was the last larg ...

but was defeated by the

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

during the

Battle of Rawa Battle of Rawa (also written as ''-Rava'', ''-Rawa-Ruska'', ''-Rava-Ruska'', or ''-Rava-Russka'') was an early stage World War I battle between Austria-Hungary and Russia, between September 3–11, 1914. The Russian armies had defeated their oppo ...

(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 (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

awarded him the title of

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

(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

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Auffenberg, Moritz von 1852 births 1928 deaths Austrian generals Austro-Hungarian people People from Austrian Silesia Silesian nobility Barons of Austria People from Opava Theresian Military Academy alumni