General in the Austrian Army
Emil von Sommer was born in Bukovina. He graduated the cadets’ school and subsequently advanced to higher ranks in the Austro-Hungarian Army serving with the General Staff. During WWI, he fought on the eastern front ( Galicia), where, in the battle of the Carpathians, he was seriously injured and taken prisoner by the Russians. He was later released and returned immediately to the front, this time in Italy. He was raised to the rank of major general, was awarded numerous decorations and promoted to nobility.
After WWI, von Sommer was the commander of the Austrian army that conquered Burgenland from Hungary. After the conquest, he retired from active service at the age of 50. He headed the Jewish War Veterans, until the split in the organization. After the Anschluss (1938), he was arrested and forced to sweep the streets. He went home, put on his uniform with all the dcorations, and started to sweep the street. But after the protest of the Austrians who saw the scene he was released and sent to house arrest. In 1942, he was sent to Theresienstadt cvoncentration camp. He survived the camp and returned to Vienna, where he was very warmly welcomed. The next year he moved to the USA, where he died.