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Remus von Woyrsch
Remus von Woyrsch was born in 1847.  According to Stephen Pope and Elizabeth-Anne Wheal's The Dictionary of the First World War, veteran German infantry officer Remus von Woyrsch was recalled from retirement in August 1914 to command a corps on the Eastern Front. 

Woyrsch had fought against the Austrians in the Seven Weeks' War of 1866.  Of the Austrians' fighting capability and army command he said "They haven't learned a thing since 1866."  His forces were attached to the Austro-Hungarian First Army for a short time before becoming part of Army Section Woyrsch on the Silesian sector of the front in October. Woyrsch remained in Poland until the end of the war on the Eastern Front, commanding Army Group Woyrsch, which covered the south of the country from August 1916 until its disbandment at the end of 1917.

After the disbandment of his command, Woyrsch was promoted field marshal and returned to retirement.  General von Woyrsch died in 1920.

GWS, 1/01
Orders of Battle:  Polish Front, January 1915
Immediately preceding the battles for the Carpathians
Army Group Woyrsch, Generaloberst von Woyrsch
Öst. II. Armee, General der Kavallerie
Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli
     Gallwitz Korps, Preußisch General der Artillery
von Gallwitz
          XXXV. inf. div. Feldmarschalleutnant
Fox
          XXVII. inf. div. Feldmlt.
Kosak
     Öst. IV. Korps, Gen. d. Kav.
Karl von Tersztyanszky
          XXXI. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Lütgendof
          XXXII. inf. div., Feldmlt.
Goiginger
     Öst. XII. Korps, Gen. d. Inf.
Kövess von Kövesshaza
          XVI. inf. div., Feldmlt.
Schariczer
          Deutsch XXXV. res. div., Generalleutnant von Schmettau
          III. kav. div., Feldmlt.
von Brudermann
          VII. kav. div., Feldmlt.
von Korda
          IX. kav. div., Feldmlt.
von Hauer
Armee Woyrsch, Generaloberst von Woyrsch
     Landwehr Korps, Genlt. von König
          III. Landwehr div., Genlt. von Rieß
          IV. Landwehr div., Genlt. von Wegerer
          Bredow Landwehr div., Genlt. von Bredow
I. Armee, Gen. d. Kav.
Dankl
     II. Korps, Feldmlt.
Johann von Kirchbach
          XXV. inf. div., Feldmlt.
Erzherzog Peter Ferdinand
          IV. inf. div., Feldmlt.
Stöger-Steiner von Steinstätten
     I. Korps, Gen. d. Kav.
Karl von Kirchbach auf Lauterbach
          V. inf. div., Feldmlt. Habermann
          LXVI. inf. div., Feldmlt. Brandner
     Martiny Group, Feldmlt.
Martiny
          XIV. inf. div., Genmj. von Willerding
          CVI. k. Öst. Landsturm inf. div., Feldmlt. Kletter
          XCI. Schützen brigade, Genmj. Urbanski von Ostrymiecz
          II. kav. div., Feldmlt.
von Ziegler
Winter Wonderland War
GO von Woyrsch saw much action during the many manoeuvers in Poland by both the Russian and German armies.  His Army group contained all Austrian forces managing the Carpathians from the Jablunka pass northward into Poland.  By January, he gave independence to Böhm-Ermolli's II. Army, which was transferred to the Central Carpathians.  Meanwhile, things were not at all slow on the plains of Poland.  The Grand Duke threw three armies toward Breslau, with the intention of wheeling around Lodz and capturing the German armies defending that place and Warsaw.  Woyrsch was forced to the southwest to defend the road to Sosnowitz and Upper Silesia.

The planned Russian invasion of Silesia was foiled in part by the flank attacks of Woyrsch's group in support of a double envelope attack attempted by the German IX. Army.  This failed and the Russians were able to extricate themselves, but not before inflicting severe casualties on the Germans and especially on the snow-draped countryside.  The Austrian I. Army and Woyrsch pressured the Russians during their push through the Carpathian passes, but the Russians were adamant in succeeding in this treacherous theatre, and the Grand Duke Nicholas sent sufficient reinforcements to the Russian IX. Army to fend off the few assaults against the flanks of the V. and III. Armies by Woyrsch.

Summer Cometh
Woyrsch's army group moved upon
Mackensen's breakthrough on the Dunajec in early May 1915.  Through the rest of the month, Woyrsch marched to the fortress city of Ivangorod and crossed the Vistula, efffectively surrounding the city, which surrendered on 4 August 1915.  Woyrsch's army moved parallel to the newly formed Army of the Bug under General von Linsingen and the I. Army of FZM Puhallo. This involved a move due east and then immediately north, although the wheeling was confined to the Army of the Bug on Woyrsch's right.  Brest-Litovsk was captured on 26 August, and further advances to the river Jasijolda in the Pinsk marshes slowed what was already a deadly slow advance.  Fighting ensued on the swampy, still banks of the river Szczara throughout September and finally conflict in the wooded region of Baranowice in late October. It was here that a majour offensive was being planned for by the Russian High Command in the next summer.

The Russians Prepare
The winter and spring were spent in positions about Baranowice due south to Brest-Litovsk.  The Russian guns were heard from the northernmost lines during the Lake Narocz offensive of March 1916.  The largest concentration of artillery in history up to that time should have heralded to the Ober Ost that Russia was no longer the insufficiently equipped backward steamroller that had lumbered out of Poland the summer before.  The guns of Narocz did not effect the lines of Woyrsch's front, but an offensive at Molodeczno slated for July would have been only a little north of the juncture of the Austrian and German command theatres. 

The Unexpected Success
Brussilow launched his early offensive to test the lines around the IV. Army of
Archduke Josef Ferdinand, and these collapsed, a big surprise to the Russian high command which had insisted the transfer of Brussilow's guns to the Molodeczno-Baranowice front in time for the planned offensive.   Army Group Woyrsch held its positions as fighting flared up in the south as the Austrian I. Army collapsed and the Army of the Bug called in reinforcement to fill the gaps.  The Austrian XII. Korps held positions north of the I. Army and so maintained the flank in spite of a desperate move by the Russians to seize Kowel before July was spent.  However, the Russians could not exploit their success and the million men they had lost made little difference.  In Woyrsch's sector, the war had been reduced to neverending sniperfire by sharpshooters hiding behind tall grasses of the swamps.  It was hardly ever safe to leave one's shelter at night, for so many "hunters" roamed the woods and wetlands, searching for the enemy without regard for taking prisoners.

GWS, 10/02
Orders of Battle:  Eastern Front, May 1915
Immediately preceding the Dunajec offensive
Armee Woyrsch, preuß. Generaloberst v. Woyrsch
    Chief of Staff, preuß. Obstlt. Heye
   Army Group Kövess (XII. Korps), Gen. d. Inf.
v. Kövess
    Chief of Staff, Oberst
Frh. Zeidler-Daublebsky v. Sterneck
       35. inf. div., Genmj. v. Podhoranszky
               69. inf. brig., Genmj. v. Baitz
                70. inf. brig., Genmj. Edl. v. Salmon
                35. field art. brig., Genmj. Gröschl
        16. inf. div., Feldmlt.
v. Schariczer
                inf. reg. 2, inf. reg. 31
                16. field art. brig., Feldmlt. v. Dobler
        9. kav. div., Gen. d. Kav.
Frh. v. Hauer
                1. kav. brig., Genmj. Ostermuth
                9. kav. brig., Oberst Frh. v. Sessler
                32. IBrig. (Gruppe) Genmj.
Goldbach
         7. kav. div., Genmj. Ritt. v. Micewski
                11. kav. brig., Genmj. v. Mold
                20. kav. brig., Genmj. v. le Gay
Deutsche XI. Armee, preuß. Generaloberst
v. Mackensen
    Chief of Staff, preuß. Oberst
Seeckt
   Öst. VI. Korps, Kmdt. Feldmlt.
v. Arz
    Chief of Staff, Oberst Josef Huber
       39. Honvéd inf. div., Feldmlt.
v. Hadfy
              77. Honvéd inf. brig., Genmj. v. Molnar
              78. Honvéd inf. brig., Oberst Daubner
              39. field art. brig., Oberst Nowotny
        12. inf. div., Feldmlt. Kestranek
              23. inf. brig., Genmj. Ritt. v. Metz
              24. inf. brig., Genmj.
v. Puchalski
              12. field art. brig., Oberst v. Dobner
Deutsche Südarmee, Kmdt. preuß. Gen. d. Inf.
v. Linsingen
    Chief of Staff, preuß. Genmj. v. Stolzmann
   Gruppe Szurmay, Feldmlt.
Szurmay
    Chief of Staff, Mjr. Röder
       7. inf. div., Genmj. Blasius v. Dani
            128. Honvéd inf. brig., Oberst v. Sarkany
            14. inf. brig., Genmj. Baumgartner
            71. inf. brig., Oberst Plivelic
            field art. brig., Oberst Scheucher
       40. Honvéd inf. div., Feldmlt. Plank
                76. Honvéd inf. brig., Oberst Josef Huber
                79. Honvéd inf. brig., Oberst Lengerer
                80. Honvéd inf. brig., Genmj. Haber
                40. field art. brig., Genmj. v. Hellebronth
   Deutsche Bothmer Korps, Gen. d. Kav.
Graf v. Bothmer
    Chief of Staff, bayr. Obstlt. Hemmer
       38. Honvéd inf. div., Feldmlt. Bartheldy
                75. Honvéd inf. brig., Oberst Gombos
                38. field art. brig., Oberst Werz
   Hofmann Korps, Feldmlt.
Hofmann
    Chief of Staff, Oberst Gf. Lamezan
       55. inf. div., Genmj. Fleischmann
              129. inf. brig., Oberst Matasic
              130. inf. brig., Oberst Witoszynski
       12. Landsturm terr. brig.,Oberst Burggasser
       131. inf. brig., Genmj. Blum
Deutsches XXIV. Res. Korps, Kmdt.. Gen. d. Inf.
v. Gerok
    Chief of Staff, preuß. Genmj. v. Mutius
        19. inf. div., Feldmlt. Richard Mayer
                37. inf. brig., Genmj. v. Richard
                38. inf. brig., Genmj. v. Steiger
                19. field art. brig., Oberst Regnier
Fortress Krakau, Feldmlt.
Kuk
    Chief of Staff, Obstlt. Edl. v. Haller

Orders of Battle:  Eastern Front, early June 1916
Immediately preceding the Brussilow offensive
Armee Woyrsch, preuß. Generaloberst v. Woyrsch
   Chief of Staff, preuß. Obstlt. Heye
   Öst. XII. Korps, Gen. d. Inf.
Ritt. v. Henriquez
    Chief of Staff, Oberst
Frh. Zeidler-Daublebsky v. Sterneck
       16. inf. div., Feldmlt.
v. Schariczer
       31. inf. brig., Genmj. v. Szende
       32. inf. brig., Genmj. v. Koschatzky
       16. field art. brig., Feldmlt. v. Dobler