Home • Search • Translate
Photos • Biography • Facebook • Twitter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Generaloberst
Adolf von Rhemen
Colonel General Adolf von Rhemen
2nd Military Governor of the Austro-Hungarian-occupied zone of Serbia
In office
6 July 1916 – 28 October 1918
Monarch Franz Joseph I
Preceded by Johann Salis-Seewis
Succeeded by Hermann Kövess
Personal details
Born(1855-12-22)22 December 1855
Rastatt, Grand Duchy of Baden, Germany
Died11 January 1932(1932-01-11) (aged 76)
Rekawinkel, Austria
Resting placeWar cemetery, Pressbaum, Austria.
Education Theresian Military Academy
Military service
AllegianceAustria-Hungary
Branch/service  Austro-Hungarian Army
Years of service1872–1918
Rank Colonel General
Commands
  • XIII Army Corps
  • 34th Infantry Division
  • 9th Mountain Brigade
  • 72nd Infantry Brigade
Battles/wars

Colonel General Adolf Freiherr von Rhemen zu Barensfeld (22 December 1855 – 11 January 1932), sometimes referred to as Baron Rhemen, [1] was a German senior officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army, known for his commanding roles during the First World War.

Born into a German noble family settled in Austria, Rhemen became a professional soldier in 1876. During the First World War, he served as commander of XIII Corps, attached to the Fifth Army during the First Serbian Campaign. Later, he was transferred to the Eastern Front in Galicia, where XIII Corps served under the Austro-Hungarian Seventh Army. From 1916 to 1918, he held the position of Governor General of the Military General Governorate of Serbia, ultimately attaining the rank of Colonel general (Generaloberst) in the army in 1917. Following the collapse of the monarchy, he retired from service in December 1918. He died in Austria in 1932 at the age of 76.

Early life and career

Adolf Freiherr von Rhemen zu Barensfeld was born on 22 December 1855, in Rastatt, Germany. [2] The son of Eberhard Freiherr von Rhemen, [3] a captain ( Hauptmann) in the Austro-Hungarian Army, [4] his family hailed from German nobility established in Austria. [5] [2] Rhemen attended school in Budweis, Bohemia, followed by two years at a military college in St. Pölten, Lower Austria from 1870 to 1872. [3] He then he enrolled at the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria in 1872. He graduated from the academy in 1876 with the rank of lieutenant and joined the 14th Infantry Regiment. [2] In 1881, he was promoted to first lieutenant and later completed studies at the War School ( Kriegsschule) in Vienna from 1882 to 1884. [2]

Upon graduating from the War School, Rhemen was promoted to captain in the General staff Corps. [2] He then advanced to major in 1894 and colonel in 1899, when he assumed the role of chief of staff of XIII Corps in Agram, Croatia ( Zagreb). Rhemen attained the rank of major general in 1905, [2] initially served as commander of the 72nd Infantry Brigade in Zagreb. [2]

In the summer of 1878 Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia-Herzegovina and began administering the region according to regulations established by the Berlin Congress. Additionally, under the terms of the treaty, Austria-Hungary was granted the right to maintain garrisons in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar (referred to by the Ottomans as Sanjak Plevlje), which it administered jointly with the Ottoman state. [6] [7] On 23 November 1906, Rhemen assumed command of the 9th Mountain Brigade in Sarajevo, [3] the following year, he became brigade commander of the Austro-Hungarian occupation troops stationed in Plevlje (today Pljevlja, Montenegro), the seat of the Sanjak's administration. [8] On 20 October 1908, the Austro-Hungarian troops left Plevlje. [6] On 14 March 1909 Rhemen was appointed commander of the 34th Infantry Division stationed in Temeschwar (today Timisoara, Romania). [3]

In 1910, Rhemen was promoted to lieutenant field marshal. On 12 October 1912, he assumed command of XIII Corps, and the Agram (Zagreb) Military District. [2] [9] His promotion was part of the Dual Monarchy's policy, which mandated that a German general take command of the corps and commissariat in Zagreb. [5] On 28 June 1914, at the Zagreb railway station, he informed General Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, the Chief of the General Staff, about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Habsburg throne, and his wife, Sophie, in Sarajevo. [5] [10]

First World War service

Command of XIII Corps

Headquarters of XIII Army Corps in Zagreb, Croatia.

At the outbreak of World War I, Rhemen's XIII Corps, was part of the Fifth Army, which, along with the Sixth Army, formed Minimalgruppe Balkan (Balkan Task Force), a formation assigned to the Balkan front, established by the Austro-Hungarian High Command (AOK). The XIII Corps, regarded as one of Austria-Hungary's finest units, was stationed in Zagreb. [11]

XIII Corps, designated as a Croatian corps, comprised several notable units. Among them was the renowned 42nd Home Guard Infantry Division, commonly known as the Devil's Division and commanded by Croat officer Stjepan Sarkotić. [12] The 42nd Infantry Division, was the only unit allowed to use Serbo-Croatian as its official language of command, rather than German or Hungarian. [11] [13] Additionally, within XIII Corps were the 36th Infantry Division, led by Lieutenant field marshal Claudius Czibulka, stationed in Zagreb, and the 13th Infantry Brigade based in Esseg ( Osijek). [12] [14] With its two infantry divisions and a separate infantry brigade, the XIII Corps totalled 33,000 personnel and 114 artillery pieces. [15] [16]

On 25 July 1914, Balkanstreitkräfte, (Balkan Armed Forces) the force assembled to attack Serbia and Montenegro was established by adding Second Army to Minimalgruppe Balkan. The force was placed under the supreme command of Bosnia-Herzegovina's military governor, Feldzeugmeister (Lieutenant General) Oskar Potiorek. [17] Mobilisation orders for the invasion of Serbia were received on 26 July 1914. [18]

First Serbian campaign

Further information: Serbian Campaign (1914)

Potiorek ordered the attack to begin on 12 August. Positioned along the lower Drina river in Bosnia, the Fifth Army was to encircle the Serbian centre at Valjevo, using Rhemen's XIII Corps (33,000 men and 114 cannons [16]) and VIII Corps. [19] Serbian fortifications made crossing difficult, and by evening, half of XIII Corps was still in Bosnia. The 36th Division was the only unit to successfully cross between Loznica and Lesnica, while the 42nd marched south along the Drina towards Zvornik and Ljubovija. [16]

On 14 August, Frank ordered the 36th Division to attack Serbian positions on the heights, resulting in heavy losses for both sides. The 36th captured the village of Gornji Dobrić, in the Mačva region, but suffered 600 casualties, including all the officers of its 16th Regiment. [20] In the south, the 42nd Division crossed the Drina at Zvornik, followed by Bosniak militia members, wearing black-yellow armbands, who began pillaging and burning villages. [21] On 15 August, the 42nd reached Krupanj after defeating two third-levy battalions, but withdrew after clashing with Vojislav Tankosić Chetnik unit. The next day, XIII Corps attacked the Serbian 3rd Army, which withdrew and regrouped, blocking the route between Loznica and Valjevo. [22] On 17 August, after the destruction of VIII Corps' 21st Division, Frank ordered XIII Corps to continue alone. Potiorek decided to use Second Army's IV Corps, southward from Šabac, while XIII Corps continued to push eastward. [23] The following day, at Zavlaka, XIII Corps launched an attack on the Serbian Third Army, with the 36th Division and the 11th Mountain Brigade advancing from the west, and the 42nd Division the 13th Brigade moving from Krupanj in the south. [24] The 36th captured a prominent hill northeast of Zavlaka, while the 42nd shelled Serb positions. [24] Ten kilometres now separated the two corps of the Fifth Army. [25]

On 19 August Potiorek ordered the Fifth Army to hold its positions "at all costs" [26] until assistance arrived from the Second Army in the north and the Sixth Army in the south. [27] XIII Corps withdrew towards Loznica after the Serbs managed to retake the hill near Zavlaka. [28]

Following the collapse and retreat of VIII Corps from Mount Cer, on the evening of 19 August, and faced with a Serbian attack on its territory, the AOK ordered all Austro-Hungarian forces to withdraw across the Drina. [27] XIII Corps whose northern flank was now exposed, retreated to the heights over Loznica, where it engaged in a rearguard action, allowing the 13th Brigade to retreat across the Drina. [29] By 24 August all Habsburg units had left Serbia. [30] During that first invasion the Balkanstreitkräfte lost 600 officers and 23,000 soldiers. [31] XIII Corps' two divisions each reported over three thousand casualties, the 25th Royal Croatian Home Guard Regiment alone reported over eight hundred casualties, [32] while the Croatian 16th Regiment reported 54 officers and 1,004 men as casualties. [32]

Austria-Hungarian troops hanging Serbian civilians in Mačva. [33] During the First Serbian Campaign of 1914, numerous Austro-Hungarian war crimes took place.

During the invasions, the Austro-Hungarian troops committed numerous war crimes against the Serbian population. [34] Civilian deaths took place in the Mačva region, the Jadar valley, at Loznica and Lešnica, and in the contested areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina. [35] Historian Geoffrey Wawro reported that the Austro-Hungarian Army perpetrated atrocities, including the execution of peasant men, women, and children. [36] [37] Professor R. A. Reiss, a Swiss criminologist who conducted an investigation into Austro-Hungarian crimes shortly after they took place, reported that in northwestern Serbia, the Habsburg troops ruthlessly massacred thousands of civilians with unparalleled brutality. [38] On 13 August, the Balkanstreitkräfte's Commander in Chief, General Potiorek ordered all units to seize hostages, carry out reprisal hangings, and engage in arson as part of a punitive strategy, in retaliation for Komitadji partisan raids. [39] Some of those crimes were committed by the 42nd Home Guard Division around Zvornik, [36] but also by other units in towns and villages such as Krupanj and Zavlaka, where groups of peasant men, women, and children were shot after being tied together. [35] Rhemen allegedly justified these atrocities by referring to the Serbs "a culturally backward people", [17] making it difficult to adhere to the laws of war. [40]

On 6 September 1914, bowing to Allied pressure, Petar Bojović's Serbian 1st Army crossed into Habsburg territory, invading the Hungarian territory of Syrmia, capturing the town of Semlin ( Zemun). [41] On 14 September, supported by observation balloon and river monitors from the Danube flotilla, Potiorek launched a second Habsburg invasion into Serbia, near the confluence of the Drina and Sava, with an offensive by the Fifth Army's VIII and XIII Corps. [42] [41] By the third week of September, after sustaining heavy losses, both sides settled into trench warfare. [43] On 20 October Potiorek announced the end of the offensive. [44] Military historian Mark Clodfelter reports 40,000 Austro-Hungarian casualties and 30,000 for the Serbian army during this second invasion attempt. [45] Two Austrian corps sustained nearly 30,000 casualties, while one Serbian division suffered 6,000. [46]

On 6 November, Potiorek decided to launched all of Balkanstreitkräfte's armies into a general offensive, starting a third Habsburg's invasion. [47] Rhemen's XIII Corps, now part of Potiorek's Sixth Army, [48] was tasked alongside XV Corps to launch a frontal attack on the Serbian 3rd Army, while other units executed a pincer movement, encircling the Serbian Second and Third Armies in the Jadar valley and Mačva. [47] The following day, units of the Serbian 3rd Army were forced to withdraw to prevent encirclement. [47] As the Austro-Hungarian forces pushed the Serbs deeper into Serbia, units of the Fifth Army captured Valjevo on 15 November. [49] Potiorek then ordered von Rhemen's XIII Corps to pursue the retreating Serbian forces, alongside the Fifth Army, with the heights east of the Kolubara river as objective. [48] By 2 December, following the withdrawal of the Serbian 1st Army to the southeast, the Fifth Army entered an abandoned Belgrade, achieving the Dual Monarchy's initial objective of capturing Valjevo and the Serbian capital. [50]

On 3 December Serbian General Živojin Mišić launched a massive counteroffensive, [51] recapturing Valjevo by 7 December. [50] Field Marhsall Putnik's Serbian 2nd Army then attacked XIII Corps, which was the hinge between the two Austro-Hungarian armies, along the Kolubara, near Lazarevac; [44] Potiorek ordered XIII Corps to hold the line and prepare for a counteroffensive. [52] With only seventeen thousand men remaining, Rhemen's Corps was stretched along a ten miles front near Arangjelovac, and suffered severe losses at the hands of two Serbian divisions. [53] On 7 December a bridge near Ljig, collapsed under the 42nd division, which was retreating from the heights north of Grabovica, on the right of the 36th Division, triggering panic. [54] On 9 December, Putnik divided the Habsburg Sixth Army at Šabac from the Fifth Army at Belgrade, [55] defeating an Austrian position on 11 December, north of Belgrade. [50] Potiorek ordered a retreat towards Šabac, crossing the Sava with his army. [56] On 15 December the rearguard of Fifth Army evacuated Belgrade before the Serbs reentered their city. [57]

The Balkanstreitkräfte's retreat into Austria-Hungary marked the end of the campaign. [58] The Serbian campaign was a terrible defeat for the dual monarchy, as its 450,000 troops faced off against a small peasant army that unexpectedly defended its homeland successfully. [59] The campaign resulted in 273,804 Austro-Hungarian casualties, including 28,000 dead, 122,000 wounded, and 40,000 missing. [60] The Serbs lost 22,000 dead, 91,000 wounded, and 19,000 missing. [61]

Carpathian Front

XIII. Corps' Baron Rhemen and Hermann von Colar, Governor of Austrian Galicia, on 18 February 1916.

After the unsuccessful Serbian campaign, Rhemen's XIII Corps was redeployed to the Carpathian Front in mid-January 1915. [62] A component of Army Group Pflanzer-Baltin, XIII Corps participated in the First Carpathian Offensive (23 January – 26 February 1915) with its two divisions, the 36th Infantry Division and the 42nd Home Guard Infantry Division. [62] On 8 May 1915, Army Group Pflanzer-Baltin became the Seventh Army. [63]

XIII Corps was headquartered in Kolomyya, Ukraine, as part of the Seventh Army under the command of General Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin. [64] During its deployment in Eastern Galicia, Rhemen's corps participated in the Brusilov offensive, [64] engaging the Russian Dnister Group and later the Russian Ninth Army. [9] [2] During the Battle of Dniestr and Zolota Lypa, one of Rhemen's divisions retreated, resulting in the surrender of around 7,000 troops. Recognising the demoralised state and incapacity for further resistance within XIII Corps, Rhemen conveyed to Pflanzer-Baltin that the battle was lost. [65] The Russian advance pushed the Seventh Army, which lost 57% of its strength, back to the Carpathian's foothills. [66] In July 1916 Rhemen was dismissed from his command. He was replaced by Lieutenant Field Marshal Maximilian Csicserics von Bacsány, as the new commanding general of XIII Corps. [67] Rhemen commanded the Habsburg XIII Corps from 12 October 1912 until July 1916. [9]

Military governor of Serbia

See also: Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia

In early 1915, Rhemen was considered as a replacement for the civilian governor of Croatia to lead a crackdown on nationalist movements. [68] Officer of German origin were deemed the most impartial to deal with the South Slavic question. [8] In addition Rhemen's fluency in Serbo-Croatian, acquired through his service in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar and in Croatia, made him a qualified candidate for leadership positions in the region. [7] Following the defeat of the Serbian army and the occupation of Serbia in July 1916, The high command ( Armeeoberkommando AOK) decided, for similar reasons, to appoint Rhemen as military governor-general of the Military General Governorate of Serbia (MGG/S) on 6 July 1916. [3] [69] This appointment came through a decree issued by Emperor Franz Joseph I on 26 July 1916. [70] [71] Rhemen succeeded Johann von Salis-Seewis, with Colonel Hugo Kerchnawe serving as his Chief of Staff. [72] Salis-Seewis had previously served under Rhemen, during the First Serbian Campaign, as commander of the 36th Division's 71st infantry Brigade. Later, in November 1914, he assumed command of the 42nd Home Guard Division, replacing Sarkotić. [11]

Austro-Hungarian zone of occupied Serbia under General von Rhemen.

The removal of Salis-Seewis, whom the Hungarians considered too lenient toward the Serb population, came about following recommendations by Hungarian Prime Minister István Tisza and pressure from Imperial Foreign Minister Count Stephan Burián. [73] Rhemen's appointment signalled the onset of a stricter regime during the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia, promising to bring order and justice (Gerechtigkeit). [68] Shortly after Rhemen's nomination, Tisza expressed concerns about Rhemen's connections in Croatia in a letter to the emperor: "'I ask His Majesty to note that despite General Rhemen's excellent personal qualities, I also harbour reservations due to his relationships in Croatia. I respectfully submit that, in the interest of preventing further disruptions, it would be highly desirable for Hungarians to be appointed to both positions, individuals of non-Slavic origin with no ties to South Slavic communities." [74]

One of Rhemen's initial actions was to commence the deportation of Serbs who had previously been politically active or associated with the intelligentsia. Following this, he ordered the internment of males capable of bearing arms, starting from the age of seventeen. [75] Many fled into the woods where they were pursued by military expeditions. Those suspected of encouraging others to flee were subjected to summary court martial and executed. [75] Within two months, 16,000 Serbs were sent to internment camps, and by the year's end, the number reached 70,000, leading to a significant labor shortage in the MGG/S. [76] Rhemen's request to the AOK for more prisoners of war as a labour force was denied. [77] In early 1917, during the Toplica uprising, a mass uprising against the occupation, he ordered "ruthless extermination" of Chetnik bands. [78] Under Rhemen's order, villages found to have aided Serbian rebels,to have aided Serbian rebels faced the internment of their entire male population.. [79] Individuals suspected of assisting the rebels, directly or indirectly, or found in possession of weapons, were subject to summary execution. [79] Hostages were to be taken, and if no men could be found, women could also be taken as hostages. [79] On 1 May 1917, he was promoted to colonel general. [80] In 1918, a Serbian woman attempted to shoot him, but his staff adjutant prevented her from doing so. [81]

On 28 October 1918, as the Serbian army and Allied forces closed in on occupied Serbia, Rhemen departed from the region along with his staff and Baron Kuhn, the representative of the Foreign Ministry. [82]

Retirement and death

Rhemen retired from military service on 1 December 1918. [2] [80] he died on 11 January 1932 in Rekawinkel, Austria, [2] and was buried in the war cemetery on 14 January, in Pressbaum, Austria. [3]

Honours

Rhemen is a recipient of the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, [83] and of the Order of Philip the Magnanimous. [4]

References

Citations
  1. ^ McMeekin 2013, p. 23.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950, p. 113.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Tibor Balla.
  4. ^ a b Theresianische 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Mitrović 2007, p. 16.
  6. ^ a b Moumdjian 2019, p. 212.
  7. ^ a b CSWG, p. 210.
  8. ^ a b Kerchnawe et al. 1928, p. 67.
  9. ^ a b c Tunstall 2010, p. 59.
  10. ^ Sondhaus 2021, p. 139.
  11. ^ a b c Lyon 2015, p. 114.
  12. ^ a b Spence 1981, p. 64.
  13. ^ Buttar 2016, p. 304.
  14. ^ Jung & Pavlovic 2003, p. 7.
  15. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 166.
  16. ^ a b c Lyon 2015, p. 125.
  17. ^ a b Tomić 2024, p. 34.
  18. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 160.
  19. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 124.
  20. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 129.
  21. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 127.
  22. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 135.
  23. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 139.
  24. ^ a b Lyon 2015, p. 140.
  25. ^ Buttar 2016, p. 294.
  26. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 160.
  27. ^ a b Lyon 2015, p. 144.
  28. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 143.
  29. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 145.
  30. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 174.
  31. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 150.
  32. ^ a b Schindler 2015, p. 123.
  33. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 149.
  34. ^ Calic 2019, p. 395.
  35. ^ a b Lyon 2015, p. 148.
  36. ^ a b Wawro 2014, p. 195.
  37. ^ Lyon 2015, pp. 147–148.
  38. ^ Sheehan 2014, p. 59.
  39. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 164.
  40. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 138.
  41. ^ a b Lyon 2015, p. 161.
  42. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 178.
  43. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 180.
  44. ^ a b Wawro 2014, p. 267.
  45. ^ Clodfelter 2017, p. 412.
  46. ^ Tucker & Roberts 2006, p. 595.
  47. ^ a b c Lyon 2015, p. 191.
  48. ^ a b Lyon 2015, p. 200.
  49. ^ Buttar 2016, p. 307.
  50. ^ a b c Tucker 2018, p. 101.
  51. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 222.
  52. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 331.
  53. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 265.
  54. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 332.
  55. ^ Herwig 2014, p. 111.
  56. ^ Bassett 2015, p. 473.
  57. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 190.
  58. ^ Bischof, Karlhofer & Williamson 2014, p. 131.
  59. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 191.
  60. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 269.
  61. ^ Hall 2014, p. 272.
  62. ^ a b Tominac 2021, p. 270.
  63. ^ Tominac 2021, p. 278.
  64. ^ a b Dowling 2008, p. 65.
  65. ^ Dowling 2008, p. 73.
  66. ^ Leonhard 2020, p. 426.
  67. ^ University of Vienna 2004.
  68. ^ a b Gumz 2014, p. 96.
  69. ^ Rauchensteiner, Güttel-Bellert & Kay 2014, p. 732.
  70. ^ Ristović 2014.
  71. ^ Dimitrije Djordjević 2018, p. 124.
  72. ^ Mitrović 2007, p. 203.
  73. ^ Fried 2014, p. 174.
  74. ^ Allgemeine schweizerische Militärzeitschrift 1968, p. 441.
  75. ^ a b Gumz 2014, p. 97.
  76. ^ Gumz 2014, p. 98.
  77. ^ Gumz 2014, p. 99.
  78. ^ Gumz 2014, p. 220.
  79. ^ a b c Gumz 2014, p. 203.
  80. ^ a b Antonio Schmidt-Brentano 2007.
  81. ^ Nationalbibliothek 1932.
  82. ^ Dimitrije Djordjević 2018, p. 132.
  83. ^ Pandula Attila 2015.
Sources
Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Adolf_von_Rhemen&oldid=1220772632"
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Generaloberst
Adolf von Rhemen
Colonel General Adolf von Rhemen
2nd Military Governor of the Austro-Hungarian-occupied zone of Serbia
In office
6 July 1916 – 28 October 1918
Monarch Franz Joseph I
Preceded by Johann Salis-Seewis
Succeeded by Hermann Kövess
Personal details
Born(1855-12-22)22 December 1855
Rastatt, Grand Duchy of Baden, Germany
Died11 January 1932(1932-01-11) (aged 76)
Rekawinkel, Austria
Resting placeWar cemetery, Pressbaum, Austria.
Education Theresian Military Academy
Military service
AllegianceAustria-Hungary
Branch/service  Austro-Hungarian Army
Years of service1872–1918
Rank Colonel General
Commands
  • XIII Army Corps
  • 34th Infantry Division
  • 9th Mountain Brigade
  • 72nd Infantry Brigade
Battles/wars

Colonel General Adolf Freiherr von Rhemen zu Barensfeld (22 December 1855 – 11 January 1932), sometimes referred to as Baron Rhemen, [1] was a German senior officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army, known for his commanding roles during the First World War.

Born into a German noble family settled in Austria, Rhemen became a professional soldier in 1876. During the First World War, he served as commander of XIII Corps, attached to the Fifth Army during the First Serbian Campaign. Later, he was transferred to the Eastern Front in Galicia, where XIII Corps served under the Austro-Hungarian Seventh Army. From 1916 to 1918, he held the position of Governor General of the Military General Governorate of Serbia, ultimately attaining the rank of Colonel general (Generaloberst) in the army in 1917. Following the collapse of the monarchy, he retired from service in December 1918. He died in Austria in 1932 at the age of 76.

Early life and career

Adolf Freiherr von Rhemen zu Barensfeld was born on 22 December 1855, in Rastatt, Germany. [2] The son of Eberhard Freiherr von Rhemen, [3] a captain ( Hauptmann) in the Austro-Hungarian Army, [4] his family hailed from German nobility established in Austria. [5] [2] Rhemen attended school in Budweis, Bohemia, followed by two years at a military college in St. Pölten, Lower Austria from 1870 to 1872. [3] He then he enrolled at the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria in 1872. He graduated from the academy in 1876 with the rank of lieutenant and joined the 14th Infantry Regiment. [2] In 1881, he was promoted to first lieutenant and later completed studies at the War School ( Kriegsschule) in Vienna from 1882 to 1884. [2]

Upon graduating from the War School, Rhemen was promoted to captain in the General staff Corps. [2] He then advanced to major in 1894 and colonel in 1899, when he assumed the role of chief of staff of XIII Corps in Agram, Croatia ( Zagreb). Rhemen attained the rank of major general in 1905, [2] initially served as commander of the 72nd Infantry Brigade in Zagreb. [2]

In the summer of 1878 Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia-Herzegovina and began administering the region according to regulations established by the Berlin Congress. Additionally, under the terms of the treaty, Austria-Hungary was granted the right to maintain garrisons in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar (referred to by the Ottomans as Sanjak Plevlje), which it administered jointly with the Ottoman state. [6] [7] On 23 November 1906, Rhemen assumed command of the 9th Mountain Brigade in Sarajevo, [3] the following year, he became brigade commander of the Austro-Hungarian occupation troops stationed in Plevlje (today Pljevlja, Montenegro), the seat of the Sanjak's administration. [8] On 20 October 1908, the Austro-Hungarian troops left Plevlje. [6] On 14 March 1909 Rhemen was appointed commander of the 34th Infantry Division stationed in Temeschwar (today Timisoara, Romania). [3]

In 1910, Rhemen was promoted to lieutenant field marshal. On 12 October 1912, he assumed command of XIII Corps, and the Agram (Zagreb) Military District. [2] [9] His promotion was part of the Dual Monarchy's policy, which mandated that a German general take command of the corps and commissariat in Zagreb. [5] On 28 June 1914, at the Zagreb railway station, he informed General Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, the Chief of the General Staff, about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Habsburg throne, and his wife, Sophie, in Sarajevo. [5] [10]

First World War service

Command of XIII Corps

Headquarters of XIII Army Corps in Zagreb, Croatia.

At the outbreak of World War I, Rhemen's XIII Corps, was part of the Fifth Army, which, along with the Sixth Army, formed Minimalgruppe Balkan (Balkan Task Force), a formation assigned to the Balkan front, established by the Austro-Hungarian High Command (AOK). The XIII Corps, regarded as one of Austria-Hungary's finest units, was stationed in Zagreb. [11]

XIII Corps, designated as a Croatian corps, comprised several notable units. Among them was the renowned 42nd Home Guard Infantry Division, commonly known as the Devil's Division and commanded by Croat officer Stjepan Sarkotić. [12] The 42nd Infantry Division, was the only unit allowed to use Serbo-Croatian as its official language of command, rather than German or Hungarian. [11] [13] Additionally, within XIII Corps were the 36th Infantry Division, led by Lieutenant field marshal Claudius Czibulka, stationed in Zagreb, and the 13th Infantry Brigade based in Esseg ( Osijek). [12] [14] With its two infantry divisions and a separate infantry brigade, the XIII Corps totalled 33,000 personnel and 114 artillery pieces. [15] [16]

On 25 July 1914, Balkanstreitkräfte, (Balkan Armed Forces) the force assembled to attack Serbia and Montenegro was established by adding Second Army to Minimalgruppe Balkan. The force was placed under the supreme command of Bosnia-Herzegovina's military governor, Feldzeugmeister (Lieutenant General) Oskar Potiorek. [17] Mobilisation orders for the invasion of Serbia were received on 26 July 1914. [18]

First Serbian campaign

Further information: Serbian Campaign (1914)

Potiorek ordered the attack to begin on 12 August. Positioned along the lower Drina river in Bosnia, the Fifth Army was to encircle the Serbian centre at Valjevo, using Rhemen's XIII Corps (33,000 men and 114 cannons [16]) and VIII Corps. [19] Serbian fortifications made crossing difficult, and by evening, half of XIII Corps was still in Bosnia. The 36th Division was the only unit to successfully cross between Loznica and Lesnica, while the 42nd marched south along the Drina towards Zvornik and Ljubovija. [16]

On 14 August, Frank ordered the 36th Division to attack Serbian positions on the heights, resulting in heavy losses for both sides. The 36th captured the village of Gornji Dobrić, in the Mačva region, but suffered 600 casualties, including all the officers of its 16th Regiment. [20] In the south, the 42nd Division crossed the Drina at Zvornik, followed by Bosniak militia members, wearing black-yellow armbands, who began pillaging and burning villages. [21] On 15 August, the 42nd reached Krupanj after defeating two third-levy battalions, but withdrew after clashing with Vojislav Tankosić Chetnik unit. The next day, XIII Corps attacked the Serbian 3rd Army, which withdrew and regrouped, blocking the route between Loznica and Valjevo. [22] On 17 August, after the destruction of VIII Corps' 21st Division, Frank ordered XIII Corps to continue alone. Potiorek decided to use Second Army's IV Corps, southward from Šabac, while XIII Corps continued to push eastward. [23] The following day, at Zavlaka, XIII Corps launched an attack on the Serbian Third Army, with the 36th Division and the 11th Mountain Brigade advancing from the west, and the 42nd Division the 13th Brigade moving from Krupanj in the south. [24] The 36th captured a prominent hill northeast of Zavlaka, while the 42nd shelled Serb positions. [24] Ten kilometres now separated the two corps of the Fifth Army. [25]

On 19 August Potiorek ordered the Fifth Army to hold its positions "at all costs" [26] until assistance arrived from the Second Army in the north and the Sixth Army in the south. [27] XIII Corps withdrew towards Loznica after the Serbs managed to retake the hill near Zavlaka. [28]

Following the collapse and retreat of VIII Corps from Mount Cer, on the evening of 19 August, and faced with a Serbian attack on its territory, the AOK ordered all Austro-Hungarian forces to withdraw across the Drina. [27] XIII Corps whose northern flank was now exposed, retreated to the heights over Loznica, where it engaged in a rearguard action, allowing the 13th Brigade to retreat across the Drina. [29] By 24 August all Habsburg units had left Serbia. [30] During that first invasion the Balkanstreitkräfte lost 600 officers and 23,000 soldiers. [31] XIII Corps' two divisions each reported over three thousand casualties, the 25th Royal Croatian Home Guard Regiment alone reported over eight hundred casualties, [32] while the Croatian 16th Regiment reported 54 officers and 1,004 men as casualties. [32]

Austria-Hungarian troops hanging Serbian civilians in Mačva. [33] During the First Serbian Campaign of 1914, numerous Austro-Hungarian war crimes took place.

During the invasions, the Austro-Hungarian troops committed numerous war crimes against the Serbian population. [34] Civilian deaths took place in the Mačva region, the Jadar valley, at Loznica and Lešnica, and in the contested areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina. [35] Historian Geoffrey Wawro reported that the Austro-Hungarian Army perpetrated atrocities, including the execution of peasant men, women, and children. [36] [37] Professor R. A. Reiss, a Swiss criminologist who conducted an investigation into Austro-Hungarian crimes shortly after they took place, reported that in northwestern Serbia, the Habsburg troops ruthlessly massacred thousands of civilians with unparalleled brutality. [38] On 13 August, the Balkanstreitkräfte's Commander in Chief, General Potiorek ordered all units to seize hostages, carry out reprisal hangings, and engage in arson as part of a punitive strategy, in retaliation for Komitadji partisan raids. [39] Some of those crimes were committed by the 42nd Home Guard Division around Zvornik, [36] but also by other units in towns and villages such as Krupanj and Zavlaka, where groups of peasant men, women, and children were shot after being tied together. [35] Rhemen allegedly justified these atrocities by referring to the Serbs "a culturally backward people", [17] making it difficult to adhere to the laws of war. [40]

On 6 September 1914, bowing to Allied pressure, Petar Bojović's Serbian 1st Army crossed into Habsburg territory, invading the Hungarian territory of Syrmia, capturing the town of Semlin ( Zemun). [41] On 14 September, supported by observation balloon and river monitors from the Danube flotilla, Potiorek launched a second Habsburg invasion into Serbia, near the confluence of the Drina and Sava, with an offensive by the Fifth Army's VIII and XIII Corps. [42] [41] By the third week of September, after sustaining heavy losses, both sides settled into trench warfare. [43] On 20 October Potiorek announced the end of the offensive. [44] Military historian Mark Clodfelter reports 40,000 Austro-Hungarian casualties and 30,000 for the Serbian army during this second invasion attempt. [45] Two Austrian corps sustained nearly 30,000 casualties, while one Serbian division suffered 6,000. [46]

On 6 November, Potiorek decided to launched all of Balkanstreitkräfte's armies into a general offensive, starting a third Habsburg's invasion. [47] Rhemen's XIII Corps, now part of Potiorek's Sixth Army, [48] was tasked alongside XV Corps to launch a frontal attack on the Serbian 3rd Army, while other units executed a pincer movement, encircling the Serbian Second and Third Armies in the Jadar valley and Mačva. [47] The following day, units of the Serbian 3rd Army were forced to withdraw to prevent encirclement. [47] As the Austro-Hungarian forces pushed the Serbs deeper into Serbia, units of the Fifth Army captured Valjevo on 15 November. [49] Potiorek then ordered von Rhemen's XIII Corps to pursue the retreating Serbian forces, alongside the Fifth Army, with the heights east of the Kolubara river as objective. [48] By 2 December, following the withdrawal of the Serbian 1st Army to the southeast, the Fifth Army entered an abandoned Belgrade, achieving the Dual Monarchy's initial objective of capturing Valjevo and the Serbian capital. [50]

On 3 December Serbian General Živojin Mišić launched a massive counteroffensive, [51] recapturing Valjevo by 7 December. [50] Field Marhsall Putnik's Serbian 2nd Army then attacked XIII Corps, which was the hinge between the two Austro-Hungarian armies, along the Kolubara, near Lazarevac; [44] Potiorek ordered XIII Corps to hold the line and prepare for a counteroffensive. [52] With only seventeen thousand men remaining, Rhemen's Corps was stretched along a ten miles front near Arangjelovac, and suffered severe losses at the hands of two Serbian divisions. [53] On 7 December a bridge near Ljig, collapsed under the 42nd division, which was retreating from the heights north of Grabovica, on the right of the 36th Division, triggering panic. [54] On 9 December, Putnik divided the Habsburg Sixth Army at Šabac from the Fifth Army at Belgrade, [55] defeating an Austrian position on 11 December, north of Belgrade. [50] Potiorek ordered a retreat towards Šabac, crossing the Sava with his army. [56] On 15 December the rearguard of Fifth Army evacuated Belgrade before the Serbs reentered their city. [57]

The Balkanstreitkräfte's retreat into Austria-Hungary marked the end of the campaign. [58] The Serbian campaign was a terrible defeat for the dual monarchy, as its 450,000 troops faced off against a small peasant army that unexpectedly defended its homeland successfully. [59] The campaign resulted in 273,804 Austro-Hungarian casualties, including 28,000 dead, 122,000 wounded, and 40,000 missing. [60] The Serbs lost 22,000 dead, 91,000 wounded, and 19,000 missing. [61]

Carpathian Front

XIII. Corps' Baron Rhemen and Hermann von Colar, Governor of Austrian Galicia, on 18 February 1916.

After the unsuccessful Serbian campaign, Rhemen's XIII Corps was redeployed to the Carpathian Front in mid-January 1915. [62] A component of Army Group Pflanzer-Baltin, XIII Corps participated in the First Carpathian Offensive (23 January – 26 February 1915) with its two divisions, the 36th Infantry Division and the 42nd Home Guard Infantry Division. [62] On 8 May 1915, Army Group Pflanzer-Baltin became the Seventh Army. [63]

XIII Corps was headquartered in Kolomyya, Ukraine, as part of the Seventh Army under the command of General Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin. [64] During its deployment in Eastern Galicia, Rhemen's corps participated in the Brusilov offensive, [64] engaging the Russian Dnister Group and later the Russian Ninth Army. [9] [2] During the Battle of Dniestr and Zolota Lypa, one of Rhemen's divisions retreated, resulting in the surrender of around 7,000 troops. Recognising the demoralised state and incapacity for further resistance within XIII Corps, Rhemen conveyed to Pflanzer-Baltin that the battle was lost. [65] The Russian advance pushed the Seventh Army, which lost 57% of its strength, back to the Carpathian's foothills. [66] In July 1916 Rhemen was dismissed from his command. He was replaced by Lieutenant Field Marshal Maximilian Csicserics von Bacsány, as the new commanding general of XIII Corps. [67] Rhemen commanded the Habsburg XIII Corps from 12 October 1912 until July 1916. [9]

Military governor of Serbia

See also: Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia

In early 1915, Rhemen was considered as a replacement for the civilian governor of Croatia to lead a crackdown on nationalist movements. [68] Officer of German origin were deemed the most impartial to deal with the South Slavic question. [8] In addition Rhemen's fluency in Serbo-Croatian, acquired through his service in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar and in Croatia, made him a qualified candidate for leadership positions in the region. [7] Following the defeat of the Serbian army and the occupation of Serbia in July 1916, The high command ( Armeeoberkommando AOK) decided, for similar reasons, to appoint Rhemen as military governor-general of the Military General Governorate of Serbia (MGG/S) on 6 July 1916. [3] [69] This appointment came through a decree issued by Emperor Franz Joseph I on 26 July 1916. [70] [71] Rhemen succeeded Johann von Salis-Seewis, with Colonel Hugo Kerchnawe serving as his Chief of Staff. [72] Salis-Seewis had previously served under Rhemen, during the First Serbian Campaign, as commander of the 36th Division's 71st infantry Brigade. Later, in November 1914, he assumed command of the 42nd Home Guard Division, replacing Sarkotić. [11]

Austro-Hungarian zone of occupied Serbia under General von Rhemen.

The removal of Salis-Seewis, whom the Hungarians considered too lenient toward the Serb population, came about following recommendations by Hungarian Prime Minister István Tisza and pressure from Imperial Foreign Minister Count Stephan Burián. [73] Rhemen's appointment signalled the onset of a stricter regime during the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia, promising to bring order and justice (Gerechtigkeit). [68] Shortly after Rhemen's nomination, Tisza expressed concerns about Rhemen's connections in Croatia in a letter to the emperor: "'I ask His Majesty to note that despite General Rhemen's excellent personal qualities, I also harbour reservations due to his relationships in Croatia. I respectfully submit that, in the interest of preventing further disruptions, it would be highly desirable for Hungarians to be appointed to both positions, individuals of non-Slavic origin with no ties to South Slavic communities." [74]

One of Rhemen's initial actions was to commence the deportation of Serbs who had previously been politically active or associated with the intelligentsia. Following this, he ordered the internment of males capable of bearing arms, starting from the age of seventeen. [75] Many fled into the woods where they were pursued by military expeditions. Those suspected of encouraging others to flee were subjected to summary court martial and executed. [75] Within two months, 16,000 Serbs were sent to internment camps, and by the year's end, the number reached 70,000, leading to a significant labor shortage in the MGG/S. [76] Rhemen's request to the AOK for more prisoners of war as a labour force was denied. [77] In early 1917, during the Toplica uprising, a mass uprising against the occupation, he ordered "ruthless extermination" of Chetnik bands. [78] Under Rhemen's order, villages found to have aided Serbian rebels,to have aided Serbian rebels faced the internment of their entire male population.. [79] Individuals suspected of assisting the rebels, directly or indirectly, or found in possession of weapons, were subject to summary execution. [79] Hostages were to be taken, and if no men could be found, women could also be taken as hostages. [79] On 1 May 1917, he was promoted to colonel general. [80] In 1918, a Serbian woman attempted to shoot him, but his staff adjutant prevented her from doing so. [81]

On 28 October 1918, as the Serbian army and Allied forces closed in on occupied Serbia, Rhemen departed from the region along with his staff and Baron Kuhn, the representative of the Foreign Ministry. [82]

Retirement and death

Rhemen retired from military service on 1 December 1918. [2] [80] he died on 11 January 1932 in Rekawinkel, Austria, [2] and was buried in the war cemetery on 14 January, in Pressbaum, Austria. [3]

Honours

Rhemen is a recipient of the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, [83] and of the Order of Philip the Magnanimous. [4]

References

Citations
  1. ^ McMeekin 2013, p. 23.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950, p. 113.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Tibor Balla.
  4. ^ a b Theresianische 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Mitrović 2007, p. 16.
  6. ^ a b Moumdjian 2019, p. 212.
  7. ^ a b CSWG, p. 210.
  8. ^ a b Kerchnawe et al. 1928, p. 67.
  9. ^ a b c Tunstall 2010, p. 59.
  10. ^ Sondhaus 2021, p. 139.
  11. ^ a b c Lyon 2015, p. 114.
  12. ^ a b Spence 1981, p. 64.
  13. ^ Buttar 2016, p. 304.
  14. ^ Jung & Pavlovic 2003, p. 7.
  15. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 166.
  16. ^ a b c Lyon 2015, p. 125.
  17. ^ a b Tomić 2024, p. 34.
  18. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 160.
  19. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 124.
  20. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 129.
  21. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 127.
  22. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 135.
  23. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 139.
  24. ^ a b Lyon 2015, p. 140.
  25. ^ Buttar 2016, p. 294.
  26. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 160.
  27. ^ a b Lyon 2015, p. 144.
  28. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 143.
  29. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 145.
  30. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 174.
  31. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 150.
  32. ^ a b Schindler 2015, p. 123.
  33. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 149.
  34. ^ Calic 2019, p. 395.
  35. ^ a b Lyon 2015, p. 148.
  36. ^ a b Wawro 2014, p. 195.
  37. ^ Lyon 2015, pp. 147–148.
  38. ^ Sheehan 2014, p. 59.
  39. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 164.
  40. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 138.
  41. ^ a b Lyon 2015, p. 161.
  42. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 178.
  43. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 180.
  44. ^ a b Wawro 2014, p. 267.
  45. ^ Clodfelter 2017, p. 412.
  46. ^ Tucker & Roberts 2006, p. 595.
  47. ^ a b c Lyon 2015, p. 191.
  48. ^ a b Lyon 2015, p. 200.
  49. ^ Buttar 2016, p. 307.
  50. ^ a b c Tucker 2018, p. 101.
  51. ^ Lyon 2015, p. 222.
  52. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 331.
  53. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 265.
  54. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 332.
  55. ^ Herwig 2014, p. 111.
  56. ^ Bassett 2015, p. 473.
  57. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 190.
  58. ^ Bischof, Karlhofer & Williamson 2014, p. 131.
  59. ^ Schindler 2002, p. 191.
  60. ^ Wawro 2014, p. 269.
  61. ^ Hall 2014, p. 272.
  62. ^ a b Tominac 2021, p. 270.
  63. ^ Tominac 2021, p. 278.
  64. ^ a b Dowling 2008, p. 65.
  65. ^ Dowling 2008, p. 73.
  66. ^ Leonhard 2020, p. 426.
  67. ^ University of Vienna 2004.
  68. ^ a b Gumz 2014, p. 96.
  69. ^ Rauchensteiner, Güttel-Bellert & Kay 2014, p. 732.
  70. ^ Ristović 2014.
  71. ^ Dimitrije Djordjević 2018, p. 124.
  72. ^ Mitrović 2007, p. 203.
  73. ^ Fried 2014, p. 174.
  74. ^ Allgemeine schweizerische Militärzeitschrift 1968, p. 441.
  75. ^ a b Gumz 2014, p. 97.
  76. ^ Gumz 2014, p. 98.
  77. ^ Gumz 2014, p. 99.
  78. ^ Gumz 2014, p. 220.
  79. ^ a b c Gumz 2014, p. 203.
  80. ^ a b Antonio Schmidt-Brentano 2007.
  81. ^ Nationalbibliothek 1932.
  82. ^ Dimitrije Djordjević 2018, p. 132.
  83. ^ Pandula Attila 2015.
Sources
Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Adolf_von_Rhemen&oldid=1220772632"

Videos

Youtube | Vimeo | Bing

Websites

Google | Yahoo | Bing

Encyclopedia

Google | Yahoo | Bing

Facebook




Top Of Page

Home • Search • Translate

© CSE