Franz Künstler
| Franz Künstler | |
|---|---|
| Born |
24 July 1900 Sósd, Transleithania, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 27 May 2008 (aged 107) Bad Mergentheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |
| Allegiance |
 Austria-Hungary Hungary
|
| Years of service | February 1918–1921, 1942 |
| Unit | Mounted Artillery Regiment |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Other work | Museum guide |
Franz Künstler (Hungarian: Künstler Ferenc, 24 July 1900 – 27 May 2008) was, at age 107, the last known surviving veteran of the First World War who fought for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following the death of 110-year-old Ottoman veteran Yakup Satar on 2 April 2008, he was also the last Central Powers veteran of any nationality. He was born in Sósd, in the Kingdom of Hungary, now Măureni, Romania.
A Banat Swabian, Künstler enlisted the Austro-Hungarian Army at Szeged in February 1918 in a field artillery regiment (HFKR 5. k.u. Feldkanonen-Regiment/ - 5. honvéd tábori ágyúsezred). He saw combat on the Italian Front on the Piave River. Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he fought against the communists in Hungary, and was a soldier until 1921. During the Second World War, he served six months in 1942 as a mobile courier in Ukraine.
Following World War II, Künstler lived in Niederstetten, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and worked as a guide in a museum. He had been expelled from Hungary by the communist government, as had many other ethnic Germans.
...
Wikipedia