Nagy-L István szerk.: Pápai Múzeumi Értesítő 11. (Pápa, 2006)

Haderő és hadviselés 1809-ben - DAVID HOLLINS: Ausztria vezérleti rendszere - a modern szervezet eredete

dealing with civilian issues etc.). A quick comparison with Berthier'

s manual shows that the old French system hardly addressed these areas. Calamity for Austria had however produced something rather different. In the aftermath of the defeat in the Succession War of 1740-48, the army had been radically reformed and reequipped. It was clear that there would be no "great brain" to challenge the master of war at that time, Prussian King Frederick the Great. Ironically, it was partly at the suggestion of the French ambassador that the command system was altered to share the workload around the command and allow the Commander-in-chief to consider the bigger strategic picture. The last Austrian warrior prince, Eugene of Savoy, had used the system last set out in the 1725 regulations, but in 1757, new regulations shifted much of the routine work on to the chief of staff, until then, an administrative assistant much in the role, which would be assumed by the Adjutant-General. The Chief of Staff had always been responsible for intelligence gathering and spies (G2), cartography, camps, specialist units, (especially pioneers and jaegers), supplies and hospitals, military justice and distributing orders. In 1757, he was given the additional responsibilities of selecting battlefields, concentrating the troops, preparing the plans and formations, together with selecting the troops' line of march. In effect, the Chief of Staff now became the General's chief adviser in planning and operations (G3) The system was part of the radical improvement in Austrian performance in the Seven Years War (1756-63). However, it was essential to keep it going and after the war, a permanent staff was established under Lacy as Director with about 30 staff officers. As can be seen from the structure, it was divided almost half and half between senior and junior officers, led by a Director and the Chief of Staff with his own deputy as an assistant. Director FM Lacy (from 1758) Generalquartiermeister (Chief of Staff) Generalquartiermeisterleutnant (Deputy CoS) 3 Oberst (Colonel) 3 Oberstleutnant (Lt-Colonel) 8 Major 14 junior officers (later, all Hauptmann rank) In peacetime, the small staff would conduct surveying of future likely theatres of war and should hostilities look likely, start the campaign operational planning. This enabled capable junior officers to view the staff as a career option and established greater continuity of personnel. They were usually initially selected during campaigns to expand the Kleine Generalstab in Vienna into the Grosse Generalstab as field staff when war broke out. At that stage, several senior officers would be promoted to Oberst and Major rank, so the staff could be divided among the various armies. Under the regulations, the Chief of Staff was meant to be a Feldmarschalleutnant (Lt-General), but from the start of the French wars in 1792, it increasingly became a post filled by able Colonels and Generalmajors, assisted by Majors, as they were trained staff.