The Austro-Hungarian forces were of central importance in World War I; it was Austria's crisis in the Balkans that began the war. Austria put huge armies into the field against the Russians, and against Italy on the Alpine front, leading to some of the greatest battles of the war (Caporetto, the Isonzo, etc) - Italian reverses on this front led to British troops being diverted from France. This first book is a detailed study of Germany's most important ally in World War I during the period of the Emperor Franz Joseph I. It is illustrated with rare photographs and uniform details not previously published outside Austria.