Eleven Times Italy and Austria Clash, Seeking Victory That is Impossible on the Western Front, Leaving Only Blood and the Dead. Special to The Great War Project. (17 September) The battle in the Alps between Italy and Austria-Hungary is often an overlooked front of the Great War, despite leaving hundreds of thousands of dead and…
Tag Archive for Austria-Hungary
RUSSIA’S BRUSILOV OFFENSIVE BRINGS VICTORIES ON THE EASTERN FRONT
by Mike Shuster
Russian Losses Heavy; Austrian Losses Heavier Austrians Can’t Hold the Line, Call In the Germans. Special to The Great War Project (27-30 July) The fight goes on for Verdun and the Somme on the Western Front. But now fighting is intensifying on the Eastern Front, as well. On these days a century ago, the Austrians…
WAR SPREADS IN THE BALKANS
by Mike Shuster
Austria Strikes Serbia, Its Troops in Belgrade. Bulgaria Joins Attack Against Serbia Special to The Great War Project (6-9 October) The forces of Austria-Hungary and Germany are preparing to invade Serbia, where this whole tragic slaughter began with the assassination in Sarajevo of Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Until now, Serbia is…
AUSTRIAN ARMY SHATTERED, DESPITE RUSSIAN RETREAT
by Mike Shuster
Austrian Troops Throw Down Their Weapons, Then Surrender. Germany in Control of Eastern Front Special to The Great War Project. (Editor’s note: Catastrophe, A Blog of World War One, will take a short break. It will return next week.) (16-20 June) By now, in the spring of 1915, Austria-Hungary’s army is coming apart. On the…
WRETCHED CONDITIONS IN THE CARPATHIANS
by Mike Shuster
In the Frozen Heights Austrian Soldiers Die in Their Sleep Russians Prevail; Austrian Army Shattered Special to The Great War Project (28 February-2 March) A century ago, the Eastern Front war in the Carpathian Mountains is brutal – and largely unknown in the West. Yet the Carpathian campaign may prove to be decisive for both…
AUSTRIA FACES COLLAPSE UNDER RELENTLESS RUSSIAN PRESSURE
by Mike Shuster
On Eastern Front, A String of Austrian Defeats; Germany on Its Own. Special to The Great War Project (22-24 February) Stalemate remains the order of the day on the Western Front, but on the Eastern Front, the war is more fluid. “The scale of battle remained a formidable one,” reports historian Martin Gilbert. Consequently, there…
THE MURDEROUS BATTLE FOR SERBIA
by Mike Shuster
The Suffering of Victors and Vanquished. Belgrade Now a City of Beggars, Cripples, and Orphans. Special to The Great War Project (6-7 December) Fighting in Serbia on these days a century ago seems first to favor Austria-Hungary. The Serbian government abandons Belgrade, and despite the incompetence and chaos within the Austrian forces, they appear to…
GERMAN GENERAL: “WE CANNOT DEFEAT THEM.”
by Mike Shuster
Failure of German War Plans; Central Powers Face Long War Special to The Great War Project (2-3 December) On this December 3rd a century ago, Belgrade, the Serbian capital, falls for the second time to the troops of Austria-Hungary. “Austrian troops staged a triumphal parade through the city,” reports historian Max Hastings, “and were soon…