Arthur Arz von Straußenburg
The final chief of staff for the Austro-Hungarian army, tasked with holding a crumbling empire together in the last brutal years of World War I.
1857–1935 (age 78)·Austro-Hungarian general·Birthday: June 16
Biography
Arthur Arz von Straußenburg's career arc mirrored the fate of the Habsburg monarchy itself: a long, steady rise followed by a precipitous, unstoppable fall. A capable and dedicated officer of Transylvanian Saxon origin, he proved his merit in command of divisions and corps on the brutal Eastern Front, notably during the 1915 Gorlice–Tarnów breakthrough and the 1916 conquest of Romania. In March 1917, Emperor Charles I appointed him Chief of the General Staff. Arz inherited an army exhausted by three years of war, plagued by supply shortages and rising nationalist dissent within its ranks. His tenure was defined not by grand offensives, but by a desperate, grim defense, trying to prop up the Central Powers' alliance with Germany and manage a collapsing home front. He resigned his post on November 3, 1918, just days before the Armistice, becoming the last man to hold the title for the extinct empire he served.
#1 When Arthur Was Born
The biggest hits of 1857
Arthur's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1857Born
1862Started school
President: Abraham Lincoln
1870Became a teenager
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1873Could drive
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1875Could vote
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Turned 21
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1887Turned 30
President: Grover Cleveland
1897Turned 40
President: William McKinley
1907Turned 50
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1917Turned 60
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 70
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1935Died at 78
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
Key Achievements
- Appointed the last Chief of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army in March 1917, serving until the empire's collapse in November 1918.
- Commanded the successful campaign against Romania in 1916, which resulted in the capture of Bucharest.
- Played a key command role in the Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive of 1915, a major Central Powers breakthrough on the Eastern Front.
Did You Know?
He was born in Hermannstadt, Transylvania (now Sibiu, Romania), and was part of the region's ethnic German minority.
Despite his high rank, he was known for his modest and unpretentious personal demeanor.
After the war, he retired to private life and wrote several historical works analyzing the conflict.
“We held the line at the Piave, but the home front had already collapsed.”
