2nd Army (Austria-Hungary)

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. Armee 2nd Army
Active	August 1914 – November 1918
Country	Austria-Hungary
Type	Army
Engagements	World War I Battle of the Vistula River Battle of the Carpathian Mountains Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive Great Retreat Brusilov Offensive Kerensky Offensive Operation Faustschlag
Commanders
Notable commanders	Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli

History

The 2nd Army was formed in August 1914 as part of Austria-Hungary's mobilization 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 originally planned to join the campaign against the Kingdom of Serbia but was transferred to Galicia to fight against the Russian Empire. There, it 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.[4][5] 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.[6]

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.[6]

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.[7] 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 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.[4]

Order of battle in 1914

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

Commanders

The 2nd Army only had two commanders during its existence, with one of them holding the post for most of the war.[5]

2nd Army commanders

From	Rank	Name
August 1914	Field Marshal	Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli
May 1918	General of the Infantry	Alfred Krauss

Chiefs of staff

The 2nd Army had the following chiefs of staff.[8][9]

2nd Army chiefs of staff

From	Rank	Name
August 1914	Major General	Artur von Mecenseffy
October 1914	Colonel	Karl von Bardolf
May 1918	Colonel	Sándor Belitska

References

1. John Dixon-Nuttal. THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ARMY 1914-18. Chapter 3: Organization and Command of the Austro-Hungarian Army
2. John Dixon-Nuttal. THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ARMY 1914-18. Chapter 4: The Army in the Field
3. Glenn Jewison; Jörg C. Steiner (2016). "Order of Battle - Galicia August, 1914". Austro-hungarian-army.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
4. John Dixon-Nuttal. THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ARMY 1914-18. Chapter 6 App. B: Armeen
5. Glenn Jewison; Jörg C. Steiner (2016). "Higher Commands and Commanders". Austro-hungarian-army.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
6. Graydon A. Tunstall (13 May 2014). "The Carpathian Winter War, 1915". HistoryNet.com. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
7. Herwig (2009), p. 325
8. 2. armáda (1914-1918). (in Czech)
9. Východní armáda (1918). (in Czech)

Books

• Herwig, Holger H. (2009). The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914-1918. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-0340573488.