Victory at Przemysl

The Norman Transcript

October 22, 2005 12:15 am

— For The Transcript

P roper pronunciation of the town of "Przemysl" comes readily only to those nurtured in the Slavic languages.
This is a small community, an ancient foundation dating from the middle ages. Przemysl rests on the banks of
the San River, a tributary of the Vistula that has played such an important role in European history. The
countryside is dominated by the gently rolling forelands of the Carpathian Mountains. Immediately to the east
is the Ukraine. Historically Przemysl belonged to Poland, but what country dominated the town often
depended on who won the last war. On three occasions Prussia, Austria, and Russia ? motivated by fear and
ambition divided Poland among themselves.
The casualties of World War I in and around Przemysl were monstrous. How the skein of life and the course
of battles will unravel is rarely certain. Battles especially have a near zero predictability. What the
consequences will be are as unsure as who will win. Often the results are not what we think they will be;
casualties often turn out to be greater than those predicted by the General Staff; weather often does not
cooperate; and morale sometimes modifies history in ways we never conceived. The irony is those who dream
up wars rarely fight them; they simply retire with a generous pension or to comfortable administrative posts
like the World Bank.
Fully to appreciate the tragedy of Przemysl requires putting it in the larger perspective of the war. As
impossible as the fact may seem more than five thousand soldiers were killed every day during the entire four
years of World War I. The real cause of this mayhem was aristocratic arrogance, economic greed, exaggerated
nationalism, blind ambition, humane insensitivity, passion for revenge, and petty ethnic hostilities. The
immediate cause was the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. The whole
conflict was a terrible tragedy, but in macabre shrouded retrospect ? if we study the leaders ? it sounds a bit
like a group of little boys acting out their fantasies with loaded guns. Still it provided an excuse for Austria-
Hungary to pursue her ambitions. Germany backs Austria; France backs Russia; Germany declares war on
France. And German invasion of Belgium invokes a British declaration of war on Germany. Italy joins the
Allies in the spring of 1915, even though treaty bound with the Central Powers. Italy's motivation was
transparent ? expansion at the expense of Austria-Hungary and the lure of possessing Tunisia. Nationalistic
greed has rarely played a more ignoble role in international politics. And Wilson with the pious inconsistency
of politicians, after affirming the virtues of neutrality, led the U.S. into that bloody chaos. Diplomatic efforts
to contain the conflagration, assuming the countries involved really want to do so, were about as effective as
dousing a fire with gasoline.
Initially Russia proved more of a military problem than the Germans anticipated; they mobilized quickly and
made serious advances into East Prussia. Farther south on the Austrian-Hungarian front progress was slower,
still the Russians attacked all along the Carpathians. An interesting minor episode of this campaign that could
have modified the course of political history was the wounding of Sergeant Josip Brozovich. A Russian
cavalry lance just missed its critical mark sparing the future communist leader of Yugoslavia, Marshall Tito.
On the same day in the midst of bitter fighting in the snow and ice the fortress of Przemysl fell to the
Russians. Exhibiting something less than the spirit of comradeship the Austrian commander escaped by
airplane.
Foreshadowing the terrible struggle at Stalingrad, hundreds of wounded soldiers ? no one knows for sure how
many ? froze to death. More than a hundred thousand Austrian prisoners were captured. Huge stores of
supplies were taken by the Russians along with hundreds of pieces of artillery. On hearing of the loss of
Przemysl both the Austrian High Command and the German Kaiser were understandably shaken.
Reflecting on the struggle along the Carpathians and the Battle of Przemysl, especially its causes and
consequences, calls to mind a poem by Robert Southy, "The Battle of Blenheim." John Dryden had earlier
written a poem honoring the British commander, the Duke of Marlborough, treating him as an angel "who
rides the whirlwind." Southy viewed the battle differently. Writing in a satirical vein he analyzed the war
through the eyes of children. They wanted to know why men fought and why so many died. Their old
grandfather, suffering the vague recollections typical of the aged, when asked "What good was it" responded,
"Why that I cannot tell ... but twas a famous victory."
And so it must have been when the Russians won Przemysl ? "a famous victory." But was it? The numbers of
dead were enormous, the countryside was strewn with shattered bodies, families were ripped apart, farms and
homes were reduced to rubble and suffering was widespread, terrible beyond imagination.
Sixty days later the Austrians recaptured Przemysl, holding it for the remainder of the war.
Lloyd Williams is a retired educator. His column runs in The Transcript every other Saturday.

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