Day by Day with the Russian Army, 1914-15Pares, Bernard
History
Day by Day with the Russian Army, 1914-15
Pares, Bernard
World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Poland; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, English
The eastern front was more interesting. Here there were many lines of
rifle pits, Austrian, Russian, or Austrian converted into Russian. The
Austrian rifle pits were much shallower and less finished than the
Russian, which were generally squarer, deeper and with higher cover.
An officer's rifle pit just behind those of his men showed their care
and work for him, as was also indicated in letters written after
the battle. Casques of cuirassiers, many Hungarian knapsacks, broken
rifles, fragments of shrapnel, potatoes pulled up, and such oddments
as an Austrian picture postcard, were to be found in or near the rifle
pits. These wide plains, practically without cover, were reminiscent of
Wagram. A high landmark was a crucifix on which one of the arms of the
figure was shot away; underneath it was a "brother's grave" containing
the bodies of 120 Austrians and 21 Russians. Another cross of fresh-cut
wood marked the Russian soldiers tribute to an officer: "God's servant,
Gregory." Close to one line of trenches stood a village absolutely
untouched, and in the fields between stood a picturesque group of
villagers at their field work, one in an Austrian uniform and two boys
in Austrian shakos.
The hottest fight had been on the north-eastern front. Here, after a
wood and a fall of the ground, there came a gradual bare slope of a
mile and a half crowned by two Austrian batteries which lay just behind
the crest. This ground had been disputed inch by inch and was seamed
with some five or six lines of rifle pits. At one point three Russian
shells fired from about due east had fallen plump on three neighbouring
rifle pits, and fragments of uniform all round gave evidence of the
wholesale devastation which they had worked. All the ground was cut
up with deep shell pits, and this place, which was a kind of angle of
the defending line, must have become literally untenable. The pits for
the Austrian guns still contained a broken wheel and other relics, and
close by was a cross made of shrapnel.
The impressions which most defined themselves from this battlefield
were the almost entire absence of cover, the exposed position of the
rifle pits, the deadliness of the Russian artillery, the toughness of
the resistance offered, and lastly the thunder of cannon from some
thirty miles away, which was sounding in our ears all the time of our
visit to the field of Rava Ruska.
We did not pursue our journey further along the northern positions. In
the market place we saw an angry scramble of a large number of Jews
over some sacks of flour; and in a wood outside we passed a strong,
masterful old Jew with dignified bearing striding silently with his two
sons over his land, a sight which is hardly to be seen in Russia. The
Jewish land-leasers here sometimes take ten-elevenths of the profits,
as contrasted with the two-thirds which the leaseholder takes in
Russia. Distant hills to the north marked the old frontier of Russia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account