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Franz Rohr
Freiherr von Dénta
Facing the Enemy in the South

Ranked as Obst, Franz Rohr became the chief of staff to the II. Corps in September 1897, filling in for Obst Anton Resch.  He served in this capacity until April 1901, when he was replaced by Oberleutnant Vincenz Fox. Franz Rohr von Dénta stormed onto the scene of the higher commands when the Italian declaration of war caused a rush of K.u.K. forces to defend the southwestern frontier from invasion.  He was appointed commander of Army Group Rohr on 27 May 1915.  He held this post until the group was dissolved in February 1916, in anticipation of the Tirol Offensive.  Meanwhile, he was elevated to the rank of Generaloberst on 1 January 1916.  Rohr was in turn appointed to command the new X. Army in the Tirol, and it took a prominent role in the Tirol Offensive.  However, the Lutsk Offensive by the Russians caused the Italian theatre to cease all attacks (which were getting nowhere after only two weeks). 

In early June 1916, he left the X. Army and was replaced by General
Scotti. A few days later, on 18 June, he was ordered to replace the ailing General Dankl as commander of the XI. Army in the Trentino.   Rohr controlled this force until 28 February 1917, when he was called to the Moldavian Sector of the Eastern Front—he was replaced by General Scheuchenstüel as commander of the XI. Army.  Rohr succeeded General Arz von Straussenberg in the command of the I. Army on the last day of February 1917, after the latter was appointed to be the new Chief-of-Staff to the Supreme Commander of the K.u.K. Armee.   He was promoted to the rank of Feldmarschall on 30 January 1918.  Rohr retained this command until 15 April 1918, when a peace treaty with Roumania caused the I. Army to be disbanded.

GWS, 1/01
Orders of Battle:  Italian Front, May 1915
Immediately following Italy’s declaration of war against the Empire
Southwestern Front, Generaloberst
Erzherzog Eugen
   Army Group Rohr, Gen. d. Kav. Rohr
    Chief of Staff, Feldmlt.
Scotti
            92. inf. div., Feldmlt. Karl Edl. v. Langer
                   183. inf. brig., Genmj. Gössmann
                   184. inf. brig., Genmj. Jaschke
            Sperren Malborgeth, Raibl - Predil, Flitsch
           57. hus. brig., Genmj. Lanzinger
           59. mtn. brig., Genmj.
Fernengel

Orders of Battle:  Carinthian Front, October 1915
Immediately preceding the Quadruple Alliance's final offensive against Serbia

Army Group Rohr,
Gen. d. Kav. Rohr
I. wing, XLVIII. div., Feldmarschal Gabriel
II. wing, XCIV. inf. div., Feldmlt. Kuczera
III. wing, XCII. inf. div., Feldmlt.
Fernengel
IV. wing, XLIV. Schützen div., Genmj. Nemeczek

Rohr was in command of his own Group, which was assigned to defending the northern sectors of the Italian theatre.  This Group was situated along the southern slopes of the Carnic Alps, which divided Carinthia from Venezia.  On his right flank was Rayon V (centred on the Pustertal), commanded by FML Ludwig Goiginger. On Rohr's left flank was the northern wing of GdI Svetozar von Boroevic's V. Army, specifically the XV. Corps of FML Stöger-Steiner.   North of the Carnic Alps was the central command of the entire Southwestern Theatre, situated at Klagenfurt, and headed by the Archduke Eugen. With the declaration of war by Italy against the Empire in May 1915, the chief advance by the enemy was made against the perceived easy target of the Isonzo.  Even after the failure of this advance, no majour effort was made to improve Italy's position vis-a-vis the Austrians in the northern wall of the Carnic Alps.  Of course, the Carnic Alps are referred as a wall for good reason.  There are four passes between the entrance of the Pustertal at Sexten-Moos and Mount Triglav over a distance of 120 kilometres.  Having complete control of the summits and southern slopes of these mountains guaranteed the focus would be defensive on the part of both parties.  Rohr presented his strongest defense in the Tarvisio sector, for although the sector was at a right-angle to both fronts, the nearby Maglern Pass was the lowest elevation in his command.

GWS, 2/02
Orders of Battle:  Tirol Front, March 1916
Immediately preceding the Tirol Offensive

Tirol Front Commander,
Erzherzog Eugen
X. Armee, Gen. d. Kav. Rohr
          I. det., XCIV. inf. div., Feldmlt. Kuczera
          II. det., Globocnik Group, Genmj. Globocnik
          III. det., XCII. inf. div., Genmj.
Fernengel
          IV. det., XLIV. Schützen div., Feldmlt. Nemeczek
          V. det., XV. Korps, Gen. d. Inf.
Stöger-Steiner von Steinstätten
          L. inf. div., Feldmlt. Kalser von Maasfeld
          I. inf. div., Feldmlt. Schmidt von Fussina
          XLVIII. inf. div., Feldmlt. Gabriel

In the middle of June 1916, GdK Franz Rohr commanded a stable front that stretched from the 2524 metre high summit of the Steinhkarspitz to the 2245 metre high summit of Krn in the east.  On the western flank, Rayon V, the combined division of the Pustertal, commanded by Ludwig Goiginger. On the eastern flank, the XV. Corps of GdI Stöger-Steiner still guared the upper Isonzo.  Most of Rohr's opposition came from the Italian XII. Corps, an independent force situated between the 3. and 4. armies.

GWS, 9/03
Orders of Battle:  Tirol Front, August 1916
Immediately following Roumania's declaration of war against Austria

Army Group Erzherzog Eugen,
Generaloberst Erzherzog Eugen
XI. Army, Generaloberst Rohr
          Rayon III, Feldmlt.
von Koennen-Korak
     XXI. Korps, Feldmarschal von Lütgendorf
          Guseck Group, Feldmlt. von Guseck
          Kaiser Schützen div., Genmj. Englert
     XX. Korps, Feldmlt.
Schönburg-Hartenstein
          III. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Horzetzky
          VIII. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Fabiani
     III. Korps, Feldmlt.
von Krautwald
          VI. inf. div., Genmj. Müller
          XXII. Schützen div., Genmj. von Kochanowski
          XXVIII. inf. div., Feldmlt.
Schneider von Manns-Au
          X. inf. div., Feldmlt.
von Mecenseffy
     XVII. Korps, Gen. d. Inf.
Kritek
          XVIII. inf. div., Genmj. von Hrozny
     Roth Korps, Gen. d. Inf.
von Roth
          Rayon IV, Feldmlt. von Scholz
          XC. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Scholz
          Rayon V, Feldmlt.
Goiginger
          LVII. inf. div., Feldmlt. Goiginger
Oskar Bruch's lithograph of General Rohr, 1915
Orders of Battle:  Russian Front, July 1917
Immediately preceding Brussilov's second offensive (Kerensky Offensive)

Army Front Erzherzog Josef,
Generaloberst Erzherzog Josef
I. K.u.K. Armee, Generaloberst von Rohr
     XXIV. Deutsch res. Korps, Gen. d. Inf.
von Gerok
     Ruiz Group, Feldmlt. de Ruiz
          CCXVIII. Deutsch inf. div., Genmj. von Nostitz
          I. K.u.K. kav. div., Feldmlt. de Ruiz
     VIII. Korps, Feldz.
von Begnini
          LXXI. inf. div., Genmj.
von Goldbach
          LXX. Honved inf. div., Feldmlt.
von Sorsic
     Gerok Group, Gen. d. Inf.
von Gerok
          VII. kav. div., Genmj. von Marenzi
     VI. Korps, Feldmlt.
von Hadfy
          CCXXV. Deutsch inf. div., Genmj. von Woyna
          XXXIX. Honved inf. div., Genmj. von Breit
     Lipocsak Group, Feldmlt. von Lipocsak
          VII. inf. div., Genmj. von Schmid
          XXI. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Lütgendorf
          LXXII. inf. div., Feldmlt. Bandian
          XXXI. inf. div., Genmj. Leib
          XXXVII. Honved inf. div., Genmj. Haber
          III. kav. div., Genmj. Kopecek