Arz von Straussenburg, Arthur

Arthur Arts von Straussenburg came from a noble family of Transylvanian Saxons . The son of an evangelical priest. After graduating from the evangelical gymnasium in Germanstadt and the law school in 1878, he volunteered for the Austro-Hungarian army. In 1887 he graduated from the Academy of the General Staff, then he was in various command posts in the General Staff. In 1912 he was appointed commander of the infantry division .

His division with the start of hostilities distinguished itself in the battles at Komarov. In September 1914, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Army Corps. In late 1914 - early 1915 he led the front sector in the area of ​​Gorlitsa. In January 1915, he was appointed commander of a special army group, which later became part of the 11th German army under the command of August von Mackensen . Arts von Straussenburg commanded this group during the breakthrough of the Russian front in Galicia and during the storming of Brest-Litovsk . In 1916, during the Brusilovsky breakthrough , the Arz von Straussenburg corps suffered heavy losses.

In 1916, Romania sided with the Entente and declared war on Austria-Hungary, a new front formed - the Romanian . Arts von Straussenburg was appointed commander of the 1st Army, concentrated against Romania. It consisted of only 10,000 people, and Straussenburg himself called himself "commander without an army." The 1st Army of Straussenburg became part of the German troops under the command of von Falkenhayn . In August, Romanian troops, with the support of the Russian units, launched an offensive in Transylvania. The 1st Army of Straussenburg took part in the counterattack in Transylvania; having at its disposal only one corps and several divisions, the army of Straussenburg was able to push Romanian troops from the territory of Austria-Hungary.

At the beginning of 1917, Arts von Straussenburg was appointed chief of the Field Headquarters under Emperor Charles I , in fact becoming commander in chief of the Austro-Hungarian forces. Since 1917, the main front of the war for Austria-Hungary was Italian . The battle of Caporetto took place on it , in which the Austro-Hungarian forces defeated the Italian units. In 1918, Arts von Straussenburg, while in Germany, spoke in favor of starting negotiations with the Allies. By the end of 1918, the process of decomposition took place in the Austro-Hungarian army, the Hungarian units left their positions at the front, and on November 3, hostilities ceased.

After the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the end of the First World War, Arts von Straussenburg resigned and settled in Vienna . In 1926, the Hungarian government granted him a high pension, and he moved to Budapest . In Budapest, Straussenburg wrote memoirs and memoirs. Author of books:

• “On the history of the Great War of 1914-1918” ( German: Zur Geschichte des Großen Krieges 1914-1918. Aufzeichnungen ; Vienna - Leipzig, 1924, 2nd edition 1969).
• “The struggle and defense of the empire” ( German Kampf und Sturz der Kaiserreiche ; Vienna - Leipzig, 1933).

• Zalessky K. A. Who was who in the First World War. - M .: AST ; Astrel, 2003 .-- 896 p. - 5,000 copies. - ISBN 5-17-019670-9 (ACT); ISBN 5-271-06895-1 (Astrel).

• Biography of Arthur Arz von Straussenburg on the Chronos website