Battle of Limanowa
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Limanowa took place from December 1 and December 13, 1914, between the Austro-Hungarian Army
and the Russian Army
near the town of Limanowa
(near Kraków
).
The Austro-Hungarian high command had assumed that the German success would weaken Russian forces in the north and that the Galician front would remain quiet. Both these assumptions were incorrect.
Though the Habsburg 2nd army offensive opened on November 16th and met early success, the Russians proved stronger than expected and their 4th army yielded little ground. Meanwhile, further south the Russian 2nd army advanced across the San river and moved into the Tarnow area by November 20th. Further north, the Habsburg 4th Army, supported by the 47th German Reserve Division, moved onto the offensive in the last days of November.
In fierce battles around the towns of lapanow and Limanowa, the Russian 3rd army was beaten and forced to retreat east, ending its opportunity to reach Krakow. To avoid being surrounded, the Russian 8th Army also had to retreat, stopping its advance toward the Hungarian plains.
, Commander-in-chief – Nikolai Ivanov
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
and the Russian Army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
near the town of Limanowa
Limanowa
Limanowa is a small town in southern Poland, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is the capital of Limanowa County....
(near Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
).
The Austro-Hungarian high command had assumed that the German success would weaken Russian forces in the north and that the Galician front would remain quiet. Both these assumptions were incorrect.
Though the Habsburg 2nd army offensive opened on November 16th and met early success, the Russians proved stronger than expected and their 4th army yielded little ground. Meanwhile, further south the Russian 2nd army advanced across the San river and moved into the Tarnow area by November 20th. Further north, the Habsburg 4th Army, supported by the 47th German Reserve Division, moved onto the offensive in the last days of November.
In fierce battles around the towns of lapanow and Limanowa, the Russian 3rd army was beaten and forced to retreat east, ending its opportunity to reach Krakow. To avoid being surrounded, the Russian 8th Army also had to retreat, stopping its advance toward the Hungarian plains.
Russian forces
Russian Southwestern FrontSouthwestern Front (Russian Empire)
The Southwestern Front was a major unit of the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War. It was established on 19 August 1914.- Commanders of the Southwestern Front :* 19.07.1914-17.03.1916 — General of Infantry Nikolai Ivanov...
, Commander-in-chief – Nikolai Ivanov
- 3rd Army. Commander Radko DimitrievRadko DimitrievRadko Dimitriev was a Bulgarian General, Head of the General Staff of the Bulgarian Army from 1 January 1904 to 28 March 1907.-Biography:...
- XI. Corps
- IX. Corps
Austro-Hungarian Forces
- 4th Army. Commander - Archduke Joseph Ferdinand
- XIV. Corps. Conrad von HötzendorfFranz Graf Conrad von HötzendorfCount Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf was an Austrian soldier and Chief of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army at the outbreak of World War I.-Early life and military career:...
, Joseph Roth - German 47. Reserve Division
- XIV. Corps. Conrad von Hötzendorf