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Stefan Ljubicic

In April 1900, Oberleutnant Stefan Ljubicic was made chief of staff to the X. Corps, and he replaced Obst Heinrich Kummer. Ljubicic held this appointment for nearly six years.  Then in March 1906, he was succeeded by Oberleutnant Franz Kanik.  FML Stefan Ljubicic started the war in command of the 45. Landwehr Infantry Division  and surrendered it to GM Gustav Smekal a month later.  Ljubicic assumed control of the XI. Corps in September 1914, after GdK Desiderius Koloszvary de Kolosvar was dismissed.  Ljubicic led the Corps until March 1915, when he was succeeded by FML Ignaz Edler von Korda. GWS, 3/02

Orders of Battle:  Polish Front, August 1914 Immediately following the declaration of war on Russia 1. Armee, GdK Viktor Dankl       X. Korps, GdI Hugo Meixner von Zweienstamm          45. Landstürm inf. div., FML. Ljubicic                89. Landstürm inf. brig., GM Ernst v. Hörmann                90. Landstürm inf. brig., GM Johann Edler v. Sauerwein                45. Feld art. brig., Obst Adolf Eschelmüller Orders of Battle:  Galician Front, Mid-October 1914 Immediately following the relief of the first siege of Przemysl 3. Armee, GdI Svetozar Boroevic      XI. Corps, FML Stefan Ljubicic         Chief of staff, Oberst Franz Riml            11. inf. div., FML Alois Pokorny            30. inf. div., FML Julius Kaiser            4. kav. div., GM Otto Berndt Relief for Przemysl, But Only Temporarily In conjunction with the IX. Corps, Ljubicic’s XI. Corps advanced with the general counteroffensive of 6 October 1914, and within a week, succeeded in driving off the Russian X. Corps and parts of the IX. that were besieging Przemysl on its northern flank.  However, the relief appeared only temporary.  As Fortress Przemysl was being restocked, Conrad ordered the garrison to aid Ljubicic and the III. Corps in driving away the Russian XXIX. Corps, but this force refused to budge from its entrenchments east of Przemysl.  In the third week of October, the entire front was shifted south, so that the XI. was fighting south of the fortress, facing off the Russian XXVIII. and XII. Corps, both of which were receiving strong cavalry divisions for their own counteroffensive.  By 24 October, the Russian VIII. Corps had joined the fray against Ljubicic and Gruppe Tschurtschenthaler to the south, and this caused the front around Przemysl to buckle.  By the beginning of November, Przemysl was surrounded on three sides, and Ljubicic was the last Corps to have contact with the great fortress before the Russian 3. Army closed around the fort and the second siege began.  By the second week of November, the entire front had been in retreat for 40 miles, and Krakau was set to be the next city under siege.  Ljubicic made a stand on the Dunajec from 11 November 1914.  But it was his single Corps versus three Russian Corps, and the addition of two divisions, Resch Group and the 6. Cavalry division, did little to help hold the line. By 22 November, Ljubicic had retreated to the river Raba, which was the last river east of Krakau.  At the end of November, the Raba line was lost except on the extreme south, and Ljubicic ordered several lines of trenches only 10 miles from the perimeter of Fortress Krakau.  The Russian XI. and IX. Corps combined against Ljubicic’s XI., which was given few reserves even to dig the defense lines.  In this land, there were precious few natural barriers.  Thus was the situation right before the battle of Limanowa, which saved Krakau and perhaps the entire Austrian war effort. GWS, 9/04 Orders of Battle:  Polish Front, January 1915 IV. Armee, Gen. d. Inf. Erzherzog Josef Ferdinand XI. Korps, Feldz. Ljubicic   XI. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Bellemont   XV. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Schenk   XXX. inf. div., Feldmlt. Kaiser   VI. kav. div., Feldmlt. Wittmann Orders of Battle:  Eastern Front, May 1915 Immediately preceding the Dunajec offensive VII. Armee, Gen. d. Kav. Frh. v. Pflanzer-Baltin    XIII. Korps, Gen. d. Inf. Frh. v. Rhemen       Gruppe Ljubicic                9. inf. brig., Genmj. Ritt. Weiss v. Mainprugg               16. inf. brig., Oberst Köckh