Franz Künstler
Franz Künstler | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance |  Austria-Hungary |
| Years of service | February 1918 – 1942 |
| Unit | Mounted Artillery Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Other work | Museum Guide |
Franz Künstler (born July 24, 1900) is the last known surviving veteran of the First World War who fought with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was born in Soost, Austria-Hungary. A Hungary-German, he joined the Austro-Hungarian army in February 1918 for training in a mounted artillery regiment, and served at the Italian front in November 1918.[1] After the war, he fought against the communists, and was a soldier until 1921. In the Second World War, Künstler served six months in 1942 as a mobile courier in the Ukraine.
Künstler currently lives in Niederstetten, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and still works as a guide in a museum. After the Second World War, he was expelled from Hungary like many other ethnic Germans.[2] [3]
Asked about his nationality, Franz Künstler said that he feels connected to the German nation and sees himself as a German. He was a Hungarian citizen until 1946, at which time he obtained German citizenship.