The 2nd Army (German: k.u.k. 2. Armee), later designated East Army (German: Ost-Armee), was a field army-level command of Austro-Hungarian Army that was active during World War I. It was initially formed to take part in the Balkans Campaign before being transferred to the Eastern Front. In the final stages of the war, the army was evacuated from Ukraine before demobilizing in November 1918.
The 2nd Army was formed in August 1914 as part of Austria-Hungary's mobilization and the formation of Balkanstreitkräfte (Balkan Armed Forces) following its declaration of war on Serbia and Russia, carrying out the prewar plans for the formation of six field armies.[1] Just as all Austro-Hungarian field armies, it consisted of a headquarters and several corps, along with some unattached units.[2] It was initially composed of the XXI and III Corps, based in Hermannstadt and Graz, respectively, and was reinforced with the VII and IV Corps on 27 August and 2 September 1914. The 2nd Army was commanded by Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli.[3] The 2nd Army was already partially committed to the campaign against the Kingdom of Serbia when it was ordered to Galicia to fight against the Russian Empire. Since it was already engaged in combat, and due to transportation difficulties, only half of its strength could be switched to the new front.[4]
It left Potiorek before it could win him a victory; it returned to Conrad in time to participate in his defeat.
— Winston Churchill, (about the 2nd Army relocation from Serbia to Galicia), [4]
In Galicia, the 2nd Army replaced the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army as part of Army Group Kövess due to the heavy losses it sustained in battle. In October it was transferred to Russian Poland and took part in the operations there.[5][6] In February 1915, the 2nd Army was moved to the Carpathian Mountains after the 3rd Army had been badly mauled there earlier in January during its attempted offensive against Russian positions. In preparation for its attack, it was reinforced by the VII Corps.[7]
The harsh climate and mountainous terrain of the Carpathians caused many logistical problems and caused the 2nd Army to suffer from a supply shortage. The spread of disease and the cold temperatures also took their toll on the Habsburg troops. Due to a change in weather the offensive was delayed until late February. The 2nd Army launched its assault on the same positions that the 3rd Army attacked last month, along the strategic roads leading to Przemyśl fortress, but on a narrower front. Its objective was to liberate the besieged garrison at Przemyśl, which had been stuck there since Russia occupied Galicia in 1914. Although they received additional units the battle, the 2nd Army troops were unable to break through the Russian defenses and were pushed back by counterattacks. It sustained heavy losses in the process. The VII Corps under Archduke Joseph August dwindled to just 2,000 men. The Austro-Hungarians continued to fight throughout March, and chief of general staff Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf ordered the V Corps – the unit closest to Przemyśl – to liberate the fortress. Although the fortress garrison had surrendered after a failed break-out attempt on March 19, the 2nd Army was not informed, and so the offensive was attempted. The V Corps ended up being driven back with enormous losses. By the end of the campaign, the 2nd and 3rd Armies were nearly annihilated.[7]
During the Kerensky Offensive in 1917, the 2nd Army was driven back by the Russian 7th Army and later was defeated by the 11th Army at Zolochiv.[8] Around that time, it was organized under Supreme Command "East", led by Prince Leopold of Bavaria. The 2nd Army occupied parts of Ukraine in the spring of 1918 and was headquartered in the port city of Odessa. It was then reorganized as an occupation army, renamed the Ost-Armee (East Army). Field Marshal Böhm-Ermolli was replaced by General of the InfantryAlfred Krauss as the army's commander in May 1918. The units of the East Army were evacuated from Ukraine in the fall of 1918, though some units mutinied and imprisoned their commanders. The army was then dissolved in November.[5]
Order of battle in 1914edit
The 2nd Army order of battle in mid-1914 was as follows.[3]
Organization of 2nd Army in 1914
Army
Corps
Division
2nd Army
XII Corps
16th Infantry Division
35th Infantry Division
38th Honvéd Infantry Division
III Corps
6th Infantry Division
28th Infantry Division
22nd Landwehr Infantry Division
VII Corps
17th Infantry Division
34th Infantry Division
IV Corps
31st Infantry Division
32nd Infantry Division
(Unattached)
11th Infantry Division
43rd Landwehr Infantry Division
20th Honvéd Infantry Division
1st Cavalry Division
5th Honvéd Cavalry Division
8th Cavalry Division
Commandersedit
The 2nd Army only had two commanders during its existence, with one of them holding the post for most of the war.[6]
Herwig, Holger H. (2009). The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914-1918. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN978-0340573488.
January 01, 1970
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The 2nd Army German k u k 2 Armee later designated East Army German Ost Armee was a field army level command of Austro Hungarian Army that was active during World War I It was initially formed to take part in the Balkans Campaign before being transferred to the Eastern Front In the final stages of the war the army was evacuated from Ukraine before demobilizing in November 1918 2 Armee2nd ArmyActiveAugust 1914 November 1918Country Austria HungaryTypeArmyEngagementsWorld War I Battle of the Vistula River Battle of the Carpathian Mountains Gorlice Tarnow Offensive Great Retreat Brusilov Offensive Kerensky Offensive Operation FaustschlagCommandersNotablecommandersEduard von Bohm Ermolli Contents 1 History 2 Order of battle in 1914 3 Commanders 4 Chiefs of staff 5 References 6 BooksHistory editThe 2nd Army was formed in August 1914 as part of Austria Hungary s mobilization and the formation of Balkanstreitkrafte Balkan Armed Forces following its declaration of war on Serbia and Russia carrying out the prewar plans for the formation of six field armies 1 Just as all Austro Hungarian field armies it consisted of a headquarters and several corps along with some unattached units 2 It was initially composed of the XXI and III Corps based in Hermannstadt and Graz respectively and was reinforced with the VII and IV Corps on 27 August and 2 September 1914 The 2nd Army was commanded by Eduard von Bohm Ermolli 3 The 2nd Army was already partially committed to the campaign against the Kingdom of Serbia when it was ordered to Galicia to fight against the Russian Empire Since it was already engaged in combat and due to transportation difficulties only half of its strength could be switched to the new front 4 It left Potiorek before it could win him a victory it returned to Conrad in time to participate in his defeat Winston Churchill about the 2nd Army relocation from Serbia to Galicia 4 In Galicia the 2nd Army replaced the Austro Hungarian 4th Army as part of Army Group Kovess due to the heavy losses it sustained in battle In October it was transferred to Russian Poland and took part in the operations there 5 6 In February 1915 the 2nd Army was moved to the Carpathian Mountains after the 3rd Army had been badly mauled there earlier in January during its attempted offensive against Russian positions In preparation for its attack it was reinforced by the VII Corps 7 The harsh climate and mountainous terrain of the Carpathians caused many logistical problems and caused the 2nd Army to suffer from a supply shortage The spread of disease and the cold temperatures also took their toll on the Habsburg troops Due to a change in weather the offensive was delayed until late February The 2nd Army launched its assault on the same positions that the 3rd Army attacked last month along the strategic roads leading to Przemysl fortress but on a narrower front Its objective was to liberate the besieged garrison at Przemysl which had been stuck there since Russia occupied Galicia in 1914 Although they received additional units the battle the 2nd Army troops were unable to break through the Russian defenses and were pushed back by counterattacks It sustained heavy losses in the process The VII Corps under Archduke Joseph August dwindled to just 2 000 men The Austro Hungarians continued to fight throughout March and chief of general staff Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf ordered the V Corps the unit closest to Przemysl to liberate the fortress Although the fortress garrison had surrendered after a failed break out attempt on March 19 the 2nd Army was not informed and so the offensive was attempted The V Corps ended up being driven back with enormous losses By the end of the campaign the 2nd and 3rd Armies were nearly annihilated 7 During the Kerensky Offensive in 1917 the 2nd Army was driven back by the Russian 7th Army and later was defeated by the 11th Army at Zolochiv 8 Around that time it was organized under Supreme Command East led by Prince Leopold of Bavaria The 2nd Army occupied parts of Ukraine in the spring of 1918 and was headquartered in the port city of Odessa It was then reorganized as an occupation army renamed the Ost Armee East Army Field Marshal Bohm Ermolli was replaced by General of the Infantry Alfred Krauss as the army s commander in May 1918 The units of the East Army were evacuated from Ukraine in the fall of 1918 though some units mutinied and imprisoned their commanders The army was then dissolved in November 5 Order of battle in 1914 editThe 2nd Army order of battle in mid 1914 was as follows 3 Organization of 2nd Army in 1914 Army Corps Division 2nd Army XII Corps 16th Infantry Division 35th Infantry Division 38th Honved Infantry Division III Corps 6th Infantry Division 28th Infantry Division 22nd Landwehr Infantry Division VII Corps 17th Infantry Division 34th Infantry Division IV Corps 31st Infantry Division 32nd Infantry Division Unattached 11th Infantry Division 43rd Landwehr Infantry Division 20th Honved Infantry Division 1st Cavalry Division 5th Honved Cavalry Division 8th Cavalry DivisionCommanders editThe 2nd Army only had two commanders during its existence with one of them holding the post for most of the war 6 2nd Army commanders From Rank Name August 1914 Field Marshal Eduard von Bohm Ermolli May 1918 General of the Infantry Alfred KraussChiefs of staff editThe 2nd Army had the following chiefs of staff 9 10 2nd Army chiefs of staff From Rank Name August 1914 Major General Artur von Mecenseffy October 1914 Colonel Karl von Bardolf May 1918 Colonel Sandor BelitskaReferences edit John Dixon Nuttal THE AUSTRO HUNGARIAN ARMY 1914 18 Chapter 3 Organization and Command of the Austro Hungarian Army John Dixon Nuttal THE AUSTRO HUNGARIAN ARMY 1914 18 Chapter 4 The Army in the Field a b Glenn Jewison Jorg C Steiner 2016 Order of Battle Galicia August 1914 Austro hungarian army co uk Archived from the original on 9 December 2017 Retrieved 14 January 2017 a b Rothenberg G E 1998 The Army of Francis Joseph Central European Studies Purdue University Press p 179 ISBN 978 1 55753 145 2 a b John Dixon Nuttal THE AUSTRO HUNGARIAN ARMY 1914 18 Chapter 6 App B Armeen a b Glenn Jewison Jorg C Steiner 2016 Higher Commands and Commanders Austro hungarian army co uk Archived from the original on 19 August 2017 Retrieved 14 January 2017 a b Graydon A Tunstall 13 May 2014 The Carpathian Winter War 1915 HistoryNet com Retrieved 14 January 2017 Herwig 2009 p 325 2 armada 1914 1918 in Czech Vychodni armada 1918 in Czech Books editHerwig Holger H 2009 The First World War Germany and Austria Hungary 1914 1918 Bloomsbury Academic ISBN 978 0340573488 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2nd Army Austria Hungary amp oldid 1135598871, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
