It was only in the autumn of that year, when Romania appeared to be turning against the Central Powers, that he was charged with the defense of Transylvania.

Pflanzer-Baltin was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa as a consequence.

After fighting with varying success in the southern part of Eastern Galicia and in the Bukovina the 7th Army under his command was driven back by Aleksei Brusilov's offensive in June 1916, whereupon he was relieved of his command.

In the summer of 1918, the Austro-Hungarian front in Albania yielded before the attack of the Entente army.

Pflanzer-Baltin, entrusted with the command in this theatre of operations, won back, after a brief attack, the old positions south of Fjeri and Berat — the last notable success of the Austro-Hungarian Army in the field.