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Ignaz Trollmann Freiherr von Lovcenberg

Ignaz Trollman was born at Steyr in Österreich ob der Enns on 25 November 1860.  The following timeline summarizes Trollmann's pre-war career: August 1882   Promoted Leutnant in IR No. 14 November 1887  Joined the General Staff corps May 1888 Promoted Oberleutnant November 1890  Promoted Hauptmann  November 1896 Promoted Major October 1897 Chief of staff for 34. Inf. Div. at Temesvár May 1900  Promoed Oberstleutnant September 1901  Cmd Landwehr IR No. 21 November 1903 Promoted Oberst April 1904  Cmd Landwehr IR No. 1, Vienna January 1910 Cmd  43. Landwehr Inf. Brigade May 1910 Promoted Generalmajor October 1912 Cmd  46. Landwehr Inf. Div.  May 1913 Promoted Feldmarschalleutnant, June 1913  Cmd 1. Inf. Div. March 1914 Cmd 18. Inf. Div. FML Ignaz Freiherr von Trollmann started the war in control of the 18. Infantry Division.  He managed this force until December 1914, when GM Eduard Böltz took over.  Trollmann then assumed command of the Combined Corps from FML Alfred Krauss. He led it for a month before it was redesignated the new XIX. Corps in January 1915.  He led this force for nearly three years, only surrendering it in October 1917 to GdI Ludwig Können-Horak. During this time, he was promoted to General der Infanterie.  On 1 December 1918, Trollmann retired, and he settled down in Graz.  Ignaz Freiherr Trollmann von Lovcenberg died on 23 February 1919. GWS, 2/02 [rev. 3/05]

Orders of Battle:  Serbian Front, August 1914 Immediately preceding the first invasion of Serbia VI. Armee, General Potiorek      XVI. Korps, Feldzeugmeister Wenzel von Wurm           XVIII. inf .div., Feldmlt. Trollmann Trollmann's division was supported on the right by the 67. infantry division of Feldmlt. R. Eisler and supported on the left by the 42. Honved infantry division of Feldmlt. von Sarkotic.

Orders of Battle:  Galician Front, January 1915 Immediately preceding the Battles for the Carpathians III. Armee, Gen. d. Inf. Boroevic von Bojna Puhallo Group:      XIX. Korps, Feldmlt. Trollmann           XXIX. inf. div., Feldmlt. Zanantoni Trollmann's Corps was supported on the right by the V. Corps of Feldzeugmeister Paul Puhallo von Brlog and supported on the left by the  Szurmay Group of Feldmlt. von Szurmay.

Orders of Battle:  Eastern Front, May 1915 Immediately preceding the Dunajec offensive II. Armee, Gen. d. Kav. Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli    XIX. Korps, Feldmlt. Trollmann    Chief of Staff, Oberst Günste        29. inf. div., Feldmlt. Zanantoni                  57. inf. brig., Oberst Wöllner                  58. inf. brig., Genmj. Poleschensky                  7. field art. brig., Genmj. Soppe         34. inf. div., Genmj. Ritt. v. Birkenhain                   67. inf. brig., Oberst Trojan                   34. field art. brig., Obstlt. Köchert

Orders of Battle:  Volhynian Front, September 1915 Immediately following the summer campaign against Russia II. Armee, Gen. d. Kav. von Böhm-Ermolli      XIX. Korps, Feldmlt. Trollmann           XXIX. inf. div., Genmj. Kroupa Trollmann's division was supported on the right flank by the IV. Korps of Feldmlt. Schmidt von Georgenegg and supported on the left by the V. Korps of Feldmlt. Ferdinand Goglia.

Orders of Battle:  Serbian Front, October 1915 Immediately preceding the autumn campaign against Serbia III. Armee, Gen. d. Inf. Kövess von Kövesshaza      XIX. Korps, Feldmlt. Trollmann           LIII. inf. div., Genmj. von Pongracz Trollmann's division was supported on the right flank by the Sorsic Group of Feldmlt. Sorsic and supported on the left by the XXII. German reserve Corps of Genmj. Falkenhayn.

Photos of Feldmarschalleutnant Trollmann in the spring of 1916, after defeating the Montenegrins.

Orders of Battle:  Albanian Front, January 1916 Immediately following the defeat of Serbia and Montenegro III. Army, Gen. d. Inf. Kövess von Kövesshaza XIX. Korps, Feldmlt. Trollmann   Schieß brigade   Streith brigade   XLVII. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Weber Support:  LXII. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Kasler

Trollmann was given authority over the Albanian front following the withdrawal of elements of the III. Army in spring 1916.  His XIX. Corps mainly guarded the westernmost sector of the "Salonika Front," which stretched through Albania from the Strait of Otranto just above the port of Valona due east to Koritsa.  Opposing Trollmann was the Italian XVI. Corps, which had spent much energy from the time of its occupation in November 1914 to the spring of 1916 by fortifying the ring of hills to the north of the Bay of Valona with many lines of trenches, strongpoints, and machinegun emplacements.  Once the Austrians had reached the outer limits of these works, no attempt was made to breach them, and the Italian forces that had retreated from central Albania halted at Valona and fanned out laterally from this point and formed a battle front that did not change very much for the next two years.  At Koritsa, the Austrian and Bulgarian sectors met, and this juncture was incidentially also the point where the Italian lines met the French "Third Group" in the Salonika campaign.  Trollmann's responsibility also covered the whole of Albania, which was as wild and lawless a land to police as any in the entire European theatre.  Trollmann mainly policed the coastal towns in an effort to reduce Entente infiltration in this land, to watch over enemy ship movements, and to provide safety for vessels of the Quadruple Alliance.  To police the wild interior, Trollmann organised local militias from the ever feuding and heavily armed tribes.  More Albanian militias march to and fro over the barren roads and paths of Albania than Austrian soldiers.  Trollmann's biggest fortified point and centre of operations was the fortress of Scutari, in the northern part of the country.  Here, troops from the Ottoman Empire held out against a Montenegrin and Serbian siege for many months during the First Balkan War, and Austria had threatened war against both countries after this to prevent its annexation by one or the other.   Then, Scutari was the goal of a bizarre invasion of Albania by Serbia in the spring of 1915, after the latter had withstood three massive invasions by Austria.  The exhausted Serbia was further weakened by the stiff resistance afforded by the enraged Albanian people, and Scutari was left partly destroyed when Serbia finally evacuated in late August 1915.  Barely a month later, Serbia would be attacked for the final time by a determined enemy coalition, and the embarrassing scheme to seize Scutari and a permanent access to the sea under the cover of war was quickly forgotten.   Scutari was also close to Montenegro, where Trollmann had literally made his name during the operation to capture famous Mount Lovcen and bring the Montenegrins to total defeat.   To help defend Scutari, Trollmann secured the allegiance of the Malissori, a Catholic tribe of Albanians who had first been supplied by King Nikola of Montenegro during their rebellion against the Ottomans in 1910 and 1911; they were later the focus of Serb brutality during the Balkan Wars and especially during the invasion of 1915.  For this, Trollmann had no difficulty in securing them as police throughout Northern Albania. GWS, 4/02

Orders of Battle:  Albanian Front, July 1916 Immediately preceding the Bitolj offensive by the Serb army in exile XIX. Korps, Feldmlt. Trollmann   XLVII. inf. div., Feldmlt. Braun   Scutari fort, Genmj. Dichtl