The 1st Army () was a field army-level command in the ground forces of Austria-Hungary during World War I. The army fought in Galicia and Russian Poland in 1914–15 before being briefly dissolved in the summer of 1916. Shortly afterwards, it was reformed and sent to fight in the Romanian Campaign for the next two years. The 1st Army was demobilized in April 1918 due to its heavy losses, following Romania's surrender.
History
thumb|left|Painting depicting machine gunners of the 1st Army firing at advancing enemy forces, 1915
The 1st Army was formed in 1914 as part of Austria-Hungary's mobilization following its declaration of war on Serbia and Russia, carrying out the prewar plans for the formation of six field armies. Just as all Austro-Hungarian field armies, it consisted of a headquarters and several corps, along with some unattached units. The 1st Army was put under the command of General of the Cavalry Viktor Dankl von Krasnik and was composed of the I, V, and X Corps, originating from Kraków, Presburg and Przemyśl, respectively. He was replaced by General of the Cavalry Karl Kirchbach auf Lauterbach for a couple of months before command of the 1st Army was given to General of the Artillery Paul Puhallo von Brlog. The 1st Army did not take part in the Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive, remaining in Volodymyr-Volynskyi during that time.
thumb|The 1st Army's position in Transylvania during the Romanian invasion, August 1916
In the aftermath of that operation the 1st Army under Puhallo seized the bridgeheads at Sandomierz and Tarlo-Jozefow, assigned to be part of Army Group Böhm-Ermolli for the first half of 1916. It was the transferred to the Bug river region and was part of Army Group Linsingen, under the overall command of August von Mackensen, but saw little action until the end of the Russian Great Retreat, at which point the front lines became static.
As a result, Colonel General Franz Rohr von Denta became the new 1st Army commander in February 1917. The army stayed in Romania for much of the year and took part in the continued fight against the Romanian forces, subordinated to Army Front Archduke Joseph, including the Third Battle of Oituz. The actions during the summer of 1917 near Oituz, spearheaded by the VIII Corps, resulted in the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army taking significant casualties and only advancing 2-6 kilometers. In February 1918 it was subordinated to Army Front Kövess.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Organization of 1st Army in August 1914
|-
! Army
! Corps
! Division
|-
| ROWSPAN=11 | 1st Army
| ROWSPAN=2 | I Corps
| 5th Infantry Division
|-
| 46th Landwehr Infantry Division
|-
| ROWSPAN=3 | V Corps
| 14th Infantry Division
|-
| 33rd Infantry Division
|-
| 37th Honvéd Infantry Division
|-
| ROWSPAN=3 | X Corps
| 2nd Infantry Division
|-
| 24th Infantry Division
|-
| 45th Landwehr Infantry Division
|-
| ROWSPAN=3 | (Unattached)
|12th Infantry Division
|-
|3rd Cavalry Division
|-
|9th Cavalry Division
|}
Order of battle in October 1916
The 1st Army consisted of the following formations while in Romania, by late October 1916.
{| class="wikitable"
|+1st Army commanders
! From !! Rank !! Name
|-
| August 1914 || General of the Cavalry || Viktor Dankl von Krasnik
|-
| 23 May 1915 || General of the Cavalry || Karl Kirchbach auf Lauterbach
|-
| 10 June 1915 || General of the Artillery || Paul Puhallo von Brlog
|-
| 16 August 1916 || General of the Infantry || Arthur Arz von Straussenburg
|-
| February 1917 || Colonel General || Franz Rohr von Denta
|}
Chiefs of staff
The 1st Army had the following chiefs of staff until it was demobilized in 1918.
{| class="wikitable"
|+1st Army chiefs of staff
! From !! Rank !! Name
|-
| August 1914 || Major General || Alfred Kochanovsky von Korwinau
|-
| April 1916 || Major General || Hermann Sallagar
|-
| 16 August 1916 || Colonel || Josef Huber von Szekelyföld
|}