The Story of the Great War, Volume V (of 12): Neuve Chapelle, Battle of Ypres, Przemysl, Mazurian Lakes
History
The Story of the Great War, Volume V (of 12): Neuve Chapelle, Battle of Ypres, Przemysl, Mazurian Lakes
World War, 1914-1918
Since the 20th of May, 1915, the clearing of the road had been
going on; Von Mackensen battering the western forts and the river
line as far as Jaroslav, and Boehm-Ermolli struggling to force
the southern corner to get within range of the Lemberg railway.
On his right, Von Marwitz had become stuck in the marshes of the
Dniester between Droholycz and Komarno. The Bavarians on the north
again let fly their big guns against the forts round Dunkoviczki on
May 31, 1915. At four in the afternoon they ceased fire; the forts
and defenses were crumpled up into a shapeless mass of wreckage. Now
Prussian, Bavarian and Austrian regiments rushed forward to storm
what was left. They still found some Russians there, severely mauled
by the bombardment; but they could no longer present a front. They
retreated behind the ring. The Tenth Austro-Hungarian Army Corps
now made another attempt on Pralkovice and Lipnik. Von Mackensen's
men captured two trenches near Fort No. 11--"they had to pay a heavy
price in blood for every yard of their advance." Heavy batteries are
also spitting fire against Forts Nos. 10 and 12. When the curtain
of night fell over the scene of carnage and destruction, two breaches
had been made in the outer ring of the forts.
June 2, 1915, dawned--a bright, warm summer's day; the sun rose
and smiled as impassively over the Galician mountains, and valleys,
and plains as it had smiled through countless ages before the genius
of man had invented even the division of time. From all sides of the
doomed fortress eager, determined men were advancing; Fort No. 10
was captured at noon by the Twenty-second Bavarian Infantry Regiment;
later in the day the Prussian Grenadier Guards took possession of
Fort No. 12; during the night the besieger's troops marched into
the village of Zuravica, within the outer ring. Austrian troops
had broken through from the southwest and also penetrated the inner
circle.
June 3, 1915, dawned and again the sun smiles over Galicia and sees
the same iron belt of machinelike men still nearer the fortress;
but the haggard defenders, where are they? Gone! Flown! They have
vanished during the night. Austrians and Bavarians march into the
town early in the morning. The only enemies they meet are the dead.
Przemysl has fallen again--fallen before twenty times as powerful
a blow as that which struck it down seventy-two days earlier.
Before proceeding with the progress of Von Mackensen and his mighty
"phalanx," let us briefly trace the progress of Von Linsingen,
whom we left on the road to Stryj and the Dniester, or rather,
attempting to force that road. While the forts of Przemysl were
being smashed in the north, Von Linsingen was pounding and demolishing
the Russian positions between Uliczna and Bolechov. Heavy mortars
and howitzers were at the same time being placed into position
in front of the Russian trenches between Holobutow and Stryj.
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account