Gustav von Myrdacz
Encyclopedia
Gustav von Myrdacz was an Austria
n noble who was instrumental in organising the Royal Albanian Army from the early 1920s to 1945.
on 11 July 1874 to a German
-speaking Roman Catholic Silesia
n noble family. His father, Paul von Myrdacz (4 May 1847 - 7 July 1930), was born in Konská (Třinec)
and pursued a career as a military doctor in the Austria-Hungary
army. Little is known of his mother Emma Zettl. As such Dr Paul von Myrdacz had been involved in the occupation of Bosnia in 1878 and spent some time there in the 1880s.
Gustav von Myrdacz grew up in the multi-lingual, multi-cultural environment of the late Hapsburg empire and trained to become a military engineer. He attended high school in Vienna
and the Theresian Military Academy
(Theresianischen Militärakademie) in Wiener Neustadt
and in 1897 was posted to the Hapsburg Austrian Military Police Battalion Number 32 in Galicia. Over 1901-03 he attended the military school of the General Staff College (Kriegsschule der Generalstabsakademie) and served in various infantry brigades as a staff officer after 1904. From 1909 he was a tactical instructor at the technical military academy (Technischen Militärakademie ) in Mödling
.
began in 1914 von Myrdacz served as an officer in Sarajevo
. In December 1915 he was attached to the General Division of the XIX. Corps under General Ignaz von Trollmann. Here he helped Austria
conquer and occupy Serbia
and enter northern Albania
to engage Italian
soldiers. From 1 May 1917 Gustav von Myrdacz commanded the border guard battalion IV (Grenzjägerbataillon IV), before becoming the chief of staff to the 14th Infantry Division assigned to the Italian front. Here he participated in the Battles of the Isonzo
.
In 1918, partly because of his involvement in the occupation of Albania
, Gustav von Myrdacz was introduced to a young honorary Colonel named Ahmed Zog in Vienna
.
On 5 January 1918 Gustav von Myrdacz was appointed Colonel
in the General Staff Corps (Oberst im Generalstabskorps). From 16 July 1918 he commanded the last offensive of Austria-Hungary
in Venetia
when he led Infantry Regiment No. 117 on the Tonale Pass
in Tyrol
. A day after the armistice he was captured and became a prisoner of war in Italy
. He was discharged after one year. Returning to republican Austria
Gustav von Myrdacz was appointed commander at the State Office of Styria. He was then posted to Graz
(where his father had retired) to become Stellvertretender Stadtkommandant (Deputy Militia Commandant).
at the rank of Brigadier-General and joined the newly formed Albanian army at the invitation of Ahmed Zog. Three years later he accepted a commission to become Chief of Staff. He joined a group of foreign nationals advising the Albanian government under Ahmed Zog including Leon Ghilardi from Dalmatia
, and Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Francis Stirling and Major-General Sir Jocelyn Percy from Britain
. Most of his duties, beyond training officers and small military formations in basic manoeuvres, involved building "military" roads.
"He was a quiet bespectacled man, who resembled more an academic than a soldier. From the first, he recommended that Albania needed only a very small standing army…..As his savings would not go far in Austria, he stayed on the [Albanian] army payroll, while devoting much of his time to music and gardening."
In 1928 the new Fascist regime in Italy
tried to increase influence and power within Albania
, and General Alberto Pariani
was sent as a military "advisor". The Albania
n Prime Minister Ahmed Zog side-stepped the Italian Military Mission and appointed himself as Chief of General Staff. (The following year he made himself King of Albania
). Colonel Gustav von Myrdacz was immediately entrusted with the same post in the "new" Royal Albanian Army. It suited Zog and the Albanians to have their army trained by a man who had fought against the Italians.
As for von Myrdacz : "The efforts of General Pariani to convert the Albanian army into a modern fighting force evoked his wry amusement."
When Fascist Italy
invaded Albania
in April 1939, King Zog fled but many of von Myrdacz's officers and trained soldiers fought back. When the Royal Albanian Army was dissolved Gustav von Myrdacz lost his job but chose to stay on in Tirana
with his wife Ida (Née Heller-Fiedler).
"Chief among his problems was an acerbic wife, unhappy at the prospect of living out her days in Tirana."
After the occupation of Italy
by Nazi Germany
in September 1943 German
troops crossed into Albania
and Gustav von Myrdacz was partially employed by the new regime to restore law and order. Officially the German regime employed him "as liaison officer between the Albanian army and the Twenty-first Army Corps".
He was also involved in recruiting some men and officers for the 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)
in 1944 but his exact role remains nebulous. Abaz Kupi knew him and hoped to obtain ammunition to fight the partisans.
Josef Fitzthum
(a fellow Austrian
) directly appointed a three man "control committee" for Tirana
including two obscure Albanians and General Gustav von Myrdacz. The following month the German evacuated Tirana
. It is believed the Communist partisans of Enver Hoxha
(a failed schoolteacher) captured him and executed the elderly General in 1945, probably in January.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n noble who was instrumental in organising the Royal Albanian Army from the early 1920s to 1945.
Life
Gustav von Myrdacz was born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on 11 July 1874 to a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking Roman Catholic Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
n noble family. His father, Paul von Myrdacz (4 May 1847 - 7 July 1930), was born in Konská (Třinec)
Konská (Trinec)
is a village in Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic, on the Olza River. It was a separate municipality but later became administratively a part of the town of Třinec. It has a population of 1,598...
and pursued a career as a military doctor in the Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
army. Little is known of his mother Emma Zettl. As such Dr Paul von Myrdacz had been involved in the occupation of Bosnia in 1878 and spent some time there in the 1880s.
Gustav von Myrdacz grew up in the multi-lingual, multi-cultural environment of the late Hapsburg empire and trained to become a military engineer. He attended high school in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and the Theresian Military Academy
Theresian Military Academy
The Theresian Military Academy is an academy, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their officers. The Academy is located in the castle of Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria.- History :...
(Theresianischen Militärakademie) in Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
and in 1897 was posted to the Hapsburg Austrian Military Police Battalion Number 32 in Galicia. Over 1901-03 he attended the military school of the General Staff College (Kriegsschule der Generalstabsakademie) and served in various infantry brigades as a staff officer after 1904. From 1909 he was a tactical instructor at the technical military academy (Technischen Militärakademie ) in Mödling
Mödling
Mödling is the capital of the Austrian district of the same name located approximately 14 km south of Vienna.The settlement dates back to the Neolithic. In medieval times, the town was the residence of a branch of the Babenberger family, as a result of which it received the nickname...
.
World War One
When World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began in 1914 von Myrdacz served as an officer in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
. In December 1915 he was attached to the General Division of the XIX. Corps under General Ignaz von Trollmann. Here he helped Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
conquer and occupy Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and enter northern Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
to engage Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
soldiers. From 1 May 1917 Gustav von Myrdacz commanded the border guard battalion IV (Grenzjägerbataillon IV), before becoming the chief of staff to the 14th Infantry Division assigned to the Italian front. Here he participated in the Battles of the Isonzo
Battles of the Isonzo
The Battles of the Isonzo were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I. They were fought along the Soča River on the eastern sector of the Italian Front between June 1915 and November 1917...
.
In 1918, partly because of his involvement in the occupation of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Gustav von Myrdacz was introduced to a young honorary Colonel named Ahmed Zog in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
On 5 January 1918 Gustav von Myrdacz was appointed Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the General Staff Corps (Oberst im Generalstabskorps). From 16 July 1918 he commanded the last offensive of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
in Venetia
Venetia
Venetia is a name used mostly in a historical context for the area of Northeast Italy, corresponding approximately to the present-day Italian administrative regions of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia...
when he led Infantry Regiment No. 117 on the Tonale Pass
Tonale Pass
Tonale Pass is a high mountain pass in northern Italy across the Rhaetian Alps, between Lombardy and Trentino.It connects Valcamonica and Val di Sole...
in Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
. A day after the armistice he was captured and became a prisoner of war in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He was discharged after one year. Returning to republican Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
Gustav von Myrdacz was appointed commander at the State Office of Styria. He was then posted to Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
(where his father had retired) to become Stellvertretender Stadtkommandant (Deputy Militia Commandant).
Albania
In 1920 Gustav von Myrdacz retired from service in AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
at the rank of Brigadier-General and joined the newly formed Albanian army at the invitation of Ahmed Zog. Three years later he accepted a commission to become Chief of Staff. He joined a group of foreign nationals advising the Albanian government under Ahmed Zog including Leon Ghilardi from Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, and Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Francis Stirling and Major-General Sir Jocelyn Percy from Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Most of his duties, beyond training officers and small military formations in basic manoeuvres, involved building "military" roads.
"He was a quiet bespectacled man, who resembled more an academic than a soldier. From the first, he recommended that Albania needed only a very small standing army…..As his savings would not go far in Austria, he stayed on the [Albanian] army payroll, while devoting much of his time to music and gardening."
In 1928 the new Fascist regime in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
tried to increase influence and power within Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, and General Alberto Pariani
Alberto Pariani
Alberto Pariani was an Italian general.He fought during World War I, and ended the war as a commander of the 6th Alpini Regiment. From 1925 to 1926 he was Operations Chief of the Army General Staff...
was sent as a military "advisor". The Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n Prime Minister Ahmed Zog side-stepped the Italian Military Mission and appointed himself as Chief of General Staff. (The following year he made himself King of Albania
King of Albania
While the medieval Angevin Kingdom of Albania was a monarchy, it did not encompass the entirety of the modern state of Albania. The latter has been a kingdom on two occasions. The first time was after it was declared independent in 1912...
). Colonel Gustav von Myrdacz was immediately entrusted with the same post in the "new" Royal Albanian Army. It suited Zog and the Albanians to have their army trained by a man who had fought against the Italians.
As for von Myrdacz : "The efforts of General Pariani to convert the Albanian army into a modern fighting force evoked his wry amusement."
When Fascist Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
invaded Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
in April 1939, King Zog fled but many of von Myrdacz's officers and trained soldiers fought back. When the Royal Albanian Army was dissolved Gustav von Myrdacz lost his job but chose to stay on in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
with his wife Ida (Née Heller-Fiedler).
"Chief among his problems was an acerbic wife, unhappy at the prospect of living out her days in Tirana."
After the occupation of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in September 1943 German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
troops crossed into Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and Gustav von Myrdacz was partially employed by the new regime to restore law and order. Officially the German regime employed him "as liaison officer between the Albanian army and the Twenty-first Army Corps".
He was also involved in recruiting some men and officers for the 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)
21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)
The 21st Division of the SS Skanderbeg was a Mountain division of the SS set up by Heinrich Himmler in March 1944, officially under the title of the 21. Waffen-Gebirgs Division der SS Skanderbeg...
in 1944 but his exact role remains nebulous. Abaz Kupi knew him and hoped to obtain ammunition to fight the partisans.
Murder
In September 1944 SS StandartenführerStandartenführer
Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
Josef Fitzthum
Josef Fitzthum
Josef Fitzthum Josef Fitzthum Josef Fitzthum (September 14, 1896, Loimersdorf, Lower Austria — January 10, 1945, Wiener Neudorf, was a senior SS Gruppenführer, Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS und Polizei, politician, and Beauftragter des Reichsführer-SS Albanien (special representative of the...
(a fellow Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
) directly appointed a three man "control committee" for Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
including two obscure Albanians and General Gustav von Myrdacz. The following month the German evacuated Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
. It is believed the Communist partisans of Enver Hoxha
Enver Hoxha
Enver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
(a failed schoolteacher) captured him and executed the elderly General in 1945, probably in January.
Decorations
- Austrian orders
- Turkish war decoration
- Grand Cordon of Skanderbeg Order (Order of SkanderbegOrder of SkanderbegThe Order of Skanderbeg was instituted in 1925 as an Order of Merit of the Republic of Albania. It was abolished the Communist government in 1945 and replaced by a newaward of the same name. Skanderbeg is the national hero of the Albanian people....
)
Literature
- Bernd Jürgen Fischer: Albania at War, 1939-1945. Purdue University Press, West Lafayette 1999, ISBN 1-55753-141-2.
- Jason Tomes King Zog of Albania; Europe's Self-Made Muslim Monarch (2003) ISBN 0-7509-3077-2
- Anton Wagner, Der Erste Weltering (Herold Verlag, 1993), ISBN 3-901 183-04-3
- H. Schwanke, Zur Gesch. d. österr.-ungar. Militärverw. in Albanien 1916–18 (Vienna, 1982)
- Janusz Piekalkiewicz, Krieg auf d. Balkan 1940-45 (Munich: Sudwest Verlag, 1984),
- Nikolaus von Preradovich, Österreichs höhere SS-Fuehrer (1987)
- M. Schmidt-Neke, Albanien, Geschichtl. Grundlagen, in: Südosteuropa-Hdb. VII, 1993, page .26-56.
Links
- http://www.biographien.ac.at/oebl/oebl_M/Myrdacz_Gustav_1874_1945.xml