Wenzel Freiherr von Wurm (

Karlín Karlín (german: Karolinenthal) is a cadastral area of Prague, part of Prague 8 municipal district, formerly an independent town (which became part of Prague in 1922). It is bordered by the river Vltava and Holešovice to the north, Vítkov ...

(Prague), 27 February 1859 – Vienna, 21 March 1921) was a Colonel General in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

Biography

He was born on 27 February 1859 as son of an Oberleutnant in the Austro-Hungarian Army. He entered the army in 1875 and by 1914 had become Feldmarschalleutnant and commander of the XVI Army Corps in Ragusa (today

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

). Promoted to

Feldzeugmeister ''Feldzeugmeister'' was a historical military rank in some German and the Austro-Hungarian armies, especially in use for the artillery. It was commonly used in the 16th or 17th century, but could even be found at the beginning of the 20th century i ...

, he participated with his XVI Korps, as part of the 6th Army in the disastrous 1914 attack of Serbia. Commanding General

Oskar Potiorek Oskar Potiorek (20 November 1853 – 17 December 1933) was an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army, who served as Governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1911 to 1914. He was a passenger in the car carrying Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria ...

took all the blame for the failure, but Von Wurm had gained a reputation as a ruthless commander without consideration for his troops. As Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915, von Wurm and his XVI Corps were sent to stop the Italian advance. Against orders, he positioned his Corps along the Isonzo river. Their presence there turned out to be crucial in stopping four consecutive Italian attacks. In August 1917, he received the Knights' cross of Military Order of Maria Theresa, and was ennobled to "Freiherr von". Promoted to

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German ''Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank was ...

, he received command of the 1st Isonzo Army, and participated in the successful

Battle of Caporetto The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit) was a battle on the Italian front of World War I. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central ...

. As commander of the 5th Army (or ''Isonzo Army'') since 6 January 1918, he fought in the

Battle of the Piave River The Second Battle of the Piave River, fought between 15 and 23 June 1918, was a decisive victory for the Italian Army against the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. Though the battle proved to be a decisive blow to the Austro-Hungaria ...

and the final

Battle of Vittorio Veneto The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought from 24 October to 3 November 1918 (with an armistice taking effect 24 hours later) near Vittorio Veneto on the Italian Front during World War I. After having thoroughly defeated Austro-Hungarian troop ...

. He was retired on 1 December 1918 and died 3 years later in Vienna on 21 March 1921.

External links

''The Austro-Hungarian Army''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wurm, Wenzel Freiherr Von 1859 births 1921 deaths Austro-Hungarian generals Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I