1875 Promoted to Leutnant
1880 Promoted to Oberleutnant
1887 Promoted to Hauptmann
1893 Promoted to Major
1896 Promoted to Oberstleutnant
1899 Promoted to Oberst
1905 Promoted to Generalmajor
1909 Appointed to command the 1. Cavalry Division
1910 Promoted to Feldmarschalleutnant
1912 Promoted to General d. Kavallerie
1914 Appointed to command the I. Armeekorps
1916 Appointed to command the VII. Armee
1916 Promoted to Generaloberst
1917 Appointed to command the IV. Armee
1917 Appointed to command the III. Armee
1918 Commands Austrian troops in southern Ukraine, Kherson region
1918 Inspector of Austrian troops on the Western Front
Oberleutnant Karl von Kirchbach was assigned to be chief of staff for the III. Corps in April 1899, replacing Obst Karl Ritter von Pfiffer. He retained this appointment until December 1900, when he was replaced by Obst Friedrich Eckardt-Francesconi von Tiefenfeld. GdK Karl Kirchbach assumed command of the I. Corps once Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli was assigned to the II. Army in July 1914.
Karl Graf von Kirchbach auf Lauterbach began the war with a rank of GdI. He remained with the I. Corps until 23 May 1915, when the I. Corps was disbanded, soon after the opening of the campaign against Russia. Kirchbach was then given a temporary command over the I. Army when GdK Viktor Dankl had left for the Tirol; FZM Paul Puhallo von Brlog was coming in from the III. Army. Simultaneously, he was in charge of Army Group Kirchbach, which lasted only as long as his command over the I. Army: about three weeks.
General Puhallo was given command of the I. Army on 10 June 1915, and Kirchbach returned to the I. Corps. Following the virtual destruction of the I. Army by the Lutsk Offensive in June 1916, the I. Corps was reorganised as part of the III. Army of General Hermann Kövess von Kövessháza, and Kirchbach passed under his authority.
After this, Kirchbach saw to the reorganisation of the I. Corps in time for the best part of the offensive in June. He continued to serve in this capacity until September 1916, when he was replaced by FZM Viktor von Scheuchenstüel. On 8 September 1916, Kirchbach was given command of the VII. Army to replace GdK Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin. He remained there until 20 October 1916, when he swapped control of the VII. Army with GO Hermann Kövess in exchange for the III. Army.
Kirchbach was promoted to Generaloberst on 1 November 1916. The III. Army was shifted north from the Moldavian Front to the Bukovina, and was subject to Army Front Böhm-Ermolli. He maintained this responsibility until 5 March 1917, when Kirchbach was replaced by GO Karl Tersztyánszky, who was given a second chance with the III. Army. Kirchbach meantime was transferred to IV. Army, whose command he effectively swapped with Tersztyánszky. Kirchbach was to lead this army until 15 March 1918, after which time the force was disbanded following the implementation of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Russia.
Karl's younger brother was Johann Fhr. von Kirchbach auf Lauterbach, who rose to command the II. Corps and later the garrison at Vienna until the end of the war.
Karl von Kirchbach auf Lauterbach died in 1939 at Scharnstein, Austria.
GWS, 3/02 [rev. 12/02]
Immediately preceding the invasion of Poland
I. Armee, General der Kavallerie Viktor Dankl
I. Korps, Gen. d. Kav. Karl von Kirchbach auf Lauterbach
V. inf. div., Feldmarschalleutnant Scotti
XLVI. inf. div., Feldmlt. Nastopil
Immediately preceding the Battles for the Carpathians
I. Armee, Gen. d. Kav. Dankl
I. Korps, Gen. d. Kav. von Kirchbach
V. inf. div., Feldmlt. Habermann
XLVI. inf. div., Feldmlt. Brandner
Immediately preceding the Dunajec offensive
I. Armee, Gen. d. Kav. Viktor Dankl
I. Korps, Gen. d. Kav. Karl Frh. v. Kirchbach
Chief of Staff, Oberst Demus
92. Schützen brig., Genmj. Haas
16. kav. brig., Oberst v. Kirsch
46. Schützen div., Genmj. v. Czapp
91. Schützen brig., Genmj. v. Urbanski
46. field art. brig., Oberst Exner
2. KD., Genmj. Ritt. v. Ursyn-Pruszynski
3. kav. brig., Genmj. Frh. v. Abele
Immediately following the Summer offensive against Russia
I. Armee, Feldzeugmeister Puhallo von Brlog
I. Korps, Gen. d. Kav. von Kirchbach
IX. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Schenk
XLVI. Schützen div., Generalmajor von Czapp
Immediately preceding the Tirol offensive against Italy
Army Group Archduke Eugen, GO Archduke Eugen
Chief of Staff, Feldmlt. Alfred Krauss
III. Army, GO Hermann v. Kövess
I. Korps, Gen. d. Kav. Karl Frh. v. Kirchbach
10. Inf. Div., Feldmlt. Edler v. Mecenseffy
34. Inf. Div., Feldmlt. Rudolf Krauss
43. Schützen Div., Genmj. Tunk
Immediately following Roumania's declaration of war against Austria-Hungary
III. Armee, Generaloberst Kövess von Kövesshaza
I. Korps, Gen. d. Kav. von Kirchbach
XXX. inf. div., Genmj. Jesser
XLII. Honved inf. div., Feldmlt. Snjaric
LI. Honved inf. div., Genmj. Foglar
Immediately following Roumania's defeat by the Quadruple Alliance
Southern Front, Prinz Leopold von Bayern
Böhm-Ermolli Army Group, Generaloberst von Böhm-Ermolli
III. Armee, Generaloberst von Kirchbach
VIII. Korps, Feldz. von Benigni
V. inf. div., Genmj. von Felix
II. kav. div., Genmj. von Abele
XIII. Korps, Feldmlt. von Csicserics
XLII. Honved inf. div., Feldmlt. Snjaric
XXXVI. inf. div., Genmj. Nöhring
Hadfy Group, Feldmlt. von Hadfy
XXI. Schützen div., Genmj. von Podhajsky
XLVII. Deutsch res. div., Generalleutnant von Oppeln-Bronikowski
Immediately preceding Brussilov's second offensive (Kerensky Offensive)
Linsingen Army Group, Gen. d. Kav. von Linsingen
IV. Armee, Generaloberst von Kirchbach
Luga Group, Gen. d. Inf. Riemann
CVIII. Deutsch inf. div., ?
CXXIV. Deutsch inf. div., Genmj. von Rüstow
XI. K.u.K. inf. div., Genmj. von Metz
Mittel Group, Generaloberst Kritek
X. Deutsch Landwehr div., Genlt. von Stocken
XIII. k.k. Schützen div., Feldmlt. von Kasler
II. K.u.K. inf. div., Genmj. ?
reinf. VIII. Deutsch Korps, Genlt.von Schöler
LXXXVI. Deutsch inf. div., Genlt. von Wernitz
VII. Württembergisch Landwehr inf. div., Genlt. von Wencher
XXIX. K.u.K. inf. div., Genmj. Steiger
Kowel Det., Gen. d. Kav. von Bernhardi
XLV. Deutsch Landwehr div., Genmj. von Reyher
II. K.u.K. Korps, Feldmlt. Kaiser
CVII. Deutsch inf. div., Genmj. Havenstein
IV. K.u.K. inf. div., Feldmlt. Pfeffer
XXII. K.u.K. Korps, Feldmlt. Krauss
XXVI. Schützen div., Genmj. Klein
XLV. Schützen div., Genmj. von Stöhr
Clausius Group, Genlt. von Clausius
LIII. K.u.K. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Pongracz
XCI. Deutsch inf. div., Genlt. Clausius
Hauer kav. Korps, Gen. d. Kav. von Hauer
IX. kav. div., Genmj. von le Gay
I. Deutsch Landwehr div., Gen. d. Inf. von Jacobi
Reserves: XCII. Deutsch inf. div., Genlt. Melior
