Viktor Dankl von Krasnik

Viktor Dankl

Viktor Dankl ( or Viktor Graf Dankl von Krasnik) was a highly decorated career Austro-Hungarian officer that reached the pinnacle of his service during World War I, winning his country's hightest military honors, the Commanders' Cross of the Military Maria Theresa Order, specificaly for his actions at the battle of Krasnik in 1914. In addition to his various military honors, he would go on to become part of the nobility. However his successful career met an abrupt end in 1916 due to both his poor perfromance on the Italian front and health issues.

Early life & career

Dankl was born on September 18th, 1854, in Udine, in the then Imperial Austrian province of Venetia (in present day Italy). His father was a Captain in the army from nearby Venice. His secondary education would first take place in Gorizia, where his family relocated after his father's retirement, and then in Trieste. Both schools were German language Gymnasiums. In 1869, at the age of fourteen, he moved on to the Cadet Institute at St. Pölten, Lower Austria. From 1870 until 1874 he attended the Maria Theresa Military Academy at Wiener-Neustadt, also in Lower Austria.

Upon completion of the academy, Dankl was assigned to the Third Dragoon Regiment as a second Lieutenant. After completion of the War School in Vienna, he became a general staff officer in 1880. For the next two decades he rose through the officer ranks, becoming the head of the central office of the Austro-Hungarian general staff in 1899. In 1903 he was promoted to the rank of major general and given command of the Sixty-sixth Infantry Brigade in Trieste. From 1905 until 1907 he would head up the Sixteenth Infantry Brigade, also in Trieste. After being promoted to a lieutenant Field Marshal (Feldmarschalleutnant), Dankl would receive command of the Thirty-sixth Division in Zagreb until 1912, at which point he was moved to Innsbruck to command the Fourteenth Corps. Later that same year, on October 29th, Dankl was elevated to the rank of General of Cavalry.

Service during World War I

At the begining of war in the summer of 1914, Dankl was put in command of the Austro-Hungarian First Army. That August the First Army, along with the Fourth Army, would compose the northwestern flank of Austro-Hungarian Chief of Staff, Franz Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf's, push towards Russian forces in Russian Poland and the Galicia region. On August 22nd, after crossing the San River, Dankl's army would engage the Russian Fourth Army at the Austro-Hungarian town of Krasnik. The ensueing battle of Krasnik ended three days later with Dankl victorious and the Russian Fourth Army retreating back towards the city of Lublin in Russian territory. Dankl pursued his opponents after the battle but was ultimately forced to withdraw after a series of defeats further southeast along the Austro-Hungarian lines in the largescale battle of Galicia. For his victory at Krasnik, the first for Austria-Hungary in the war, Dankl would be decorated with the Commander's Cross of the Military Maria Theresa Order on August 17th, 1917. In addition, he was extolled with the title "Count of Krasnik," becoming a Graf in his country's nobility. Krasnik experienced a good deal of fame and popularity after the battle, becoming something of a national hero until his once rising star would be tarnished by setbacks later on in the war.

After being driven back by Russian forces Dankl and his First Army were part of a renwed offensive in October of 1914 that was undertaken with the German forces to the north and west. Gains made during this drive proved to be only temporary as more or less of a stalemate developed in Dankl's area. The First Army did not see much action during the winter of 1914-15 and were held as reserves for more active Carpathian part of the front further east. During the following spring Dankl would lead his third and final offensive with the First Army. The Garlice-Tarnów Offensive in May of 1915 enjoyed early success and Dankl's First Army had once again achieved an advance. However, his renewed succes would be cut short by a loss at the battle of Opatow which stalled any further push.

On May 23rd, 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary and Dankl was soon reassigned to the resulting new front in Austria-Hungary's southwest. He would be made commander-in-chief of the defense of Tyrol, his headquarters in Bozen. Like much of the Austro-Hungarian Army during the war, the forces under his command were poorly supplied and had inferior equipment. Furthermore, they were outnumbered. Throughout the remainder of 1915 and into early 1916, Dankl was able to hold the line, halting numerous Italian attempts to breakthrough into Austria-Hungary. This bought important time for the front to be reinforced. His forces were able to overcome their disadvantages due to their often superior leadership and experience.

In March 1916 Dankl was given command of the Eleventh Army and on May 1st he was promoted to colonel general. Later that month he would be part of the Asiago offensive, a plan masterminded by Franz Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf, the arhitect of the 1914 Austro-Hungarian advance in Galicia. Dankl and the Eleventh Army were assigned the critical task of making an initial breakthrough that could be exploited by additional reinforcements (the Third Army). The attack commenced on May 15th and initially Dankl was quite successful. He managed to cut through the first and second Italian lines and move south of Rovereto to the Posino Valley. On May 20th this surge stalled due to the inability of artillery to negotiate the treacherous snowy mountain roads. It was not until June that the Austro-Hungarians were able to try a largescale advance. By this time the Italians had regrouped and some Austro-Hungarian forces were siphoned off to the Eastern Front. As a result a stalemate set in. Once again Dankl had produced an impressive advance that would prove to be shortlived. His role in the offensive would prove to be his undoing as a combat commander and he would be sidelined for the remainder of the war.

Resignation, later career, and reirement

Dankl came under fire from both Army Group Command (Archduke Eugen) and the Austro-Hungarian Supreme Command (Conrad). He had ignored an order given by Archduke Eugen to advance at a faster pace, disregarding the lack of artillery. How much Dankl's slow and steady style contributed to the stalling of the Asiago offensive is debateable. These charges and complaints, coupled with his very real health problems, caused the general to send a letter of resignation. On June 17th 1916 he was dismissed from command. His Eleventh Army chief of staff, Major General Pichler, was also relieved of his position.

After undergoing an operation on his