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Moritz, Freiherr von Auffenberg - Komarow

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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"AUFFENBERG - KOMAROW, MORITZ, Freiherr Von (1852), Austrian general of infantry, was born in Troppau. As a young staff officer he served in the army which occupied Bosnia in 1878. He later commanded the XV. Army Corps at Serajevo, and in the autumn of 1911 became Minister of War. The ambitious general had many enemies. 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; but powerful influences forced him to retire after only a year and a quarter's tenure of the office. He won his title in the World War, as the commander of the IV. Army against the Russians, by the brilliant victory of Komarow at the end of Aug. 1914. After the victory Auffenberg succeeded in the difficult operation of completely changing the front of his entire army, with which he moved southwards in time to take part in the second battle of Lemberg; but the superior strength of the enemy made it impossible for him to avert defeat. The general was then called on to resign his command. In April 1915 he was arrested on an accusation of having as War Minister delivered to an unauthorized person a copy of military instructions with a view to speculation on the Exchange, but the court acquitted him.

Auffenberg wrote two books: Aus OesterreichUngarns Teilnahme am Weltkrieg and Aus Oesterreichs Hohe and Niedergang.