Gunther Burstyn, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Gunther Burstyn

Austro-Hungarian Army officer

Date of Birth: 01-Jan-1879

Place of Birth: Bad Aussee, Styria, Austria

Date of Death: 01-Jan-1945

Profession: military personnel, engineer, inventor

Nationality: Austria

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Gunther Adolf Burstyn (6 July 1879 in Bad Aussee, Steiermark - 15 April 1945 in Korneuburg, Lower Austria) was an inventor, technician, and officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army. In 1911, he produced and patented the first design of a cross-country fighting vehicle with swiveling gun turret (a tank), based on American agricultural tractor.
He called his tank the Motorgeschütz (literally "motor-gun").
His draft design, more advanced than some of the tank designs of World War I, was rejected both by Austria-Hungary and by the German Empire and no prototype was ever produced.
He later sought to patent his design, but was told that it might infringe existing patents, so he dropped all plans.
In 1941 Burstyn was awarded the War Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd class, with Swords.
At the end of World War II (April, 1945) he committed suicide because he feared Soviet captivity.