Page - 396 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918

396 The Third Front Already during the first considerations regarding the command structure on the Ital- ian front, it became evident that German troops could not be reckoned with. Conrad had suggested to Falkenhayn that the forces that were to be withdrawn from the east, including ten German divisions, should be deployed to the south-western front. He initially wanted to act in a defensive manner, particularly since it could be assumed that the Italians were present with a massive superiority. Equally, however, Conrad believed that there would only be a real chance of taking the war to the new front if he also had forces available for a counter-offensive. Falkenhayn rejected the proposal. He by no means wanted Mackensen’s 11th Army to be weakened, and certainly not to relocate towards the south-west. However, he was insistent that the command in Tyrol be transferred to a German general due to the proximity to Bavaria. This, how- ever, was a direct impertinence and, as was to be expected, ruffled the sensitivities of Austria-Hungary, as well as its prestige. No agreement was reached. Conrad had to take his measures without delay, and therefore again reduced the number of troops in the Balkans. He also withdrew troops from Galicia and inserted them into the two national defence areas of Carinthia and Tyrol. The supreme command was to be given to General Archduke Eugen, regardless of the fact that he was to continue to command the Balkan forces. However, Eugen was not given General Stefan Sarkotić as his Chief of Staff, as he had wished, but instead Major General Alfred Krauß, who was somewhat difficult, but undoubtedly more important as a military strategist. In Conrad’s view, there was a connection between the Balkans and Italy. If Italy were to be successful in its thrust into Austrian territory, and in particular with a possible advance into Carniola, there would certainly be repercussions for the Balkan theatre of war. The command leadership was therefore to be structured in such a way that General of Cavalry Archduke Eugen held the supreme command, and the two na- tional defence commands, namely Tyrol under General of Cavalry Baron Viktor von Dankl and Carinthia under General of Cavalry Rohr, as well as the 5th Army under General of Infantry von Boroević, which was to be deployed on the Isonzo, were to provide the necessary formations. Eugen moved his headquarters from Petrovaradin (Peterwaradein) to Maribor. It cannot be claimed that the mood in Austria-Hungary was particularly optimistic. Rather, it was envisaged that the war on the new front would in a short space of time turn into a catastrophe. As late as 28 May 1915, Conrad wrote to the Chief of the Mil- itary Chancellery of the Emperor that ‘with the numerical superiority of the Italians and the high level of effectiveness of their very modern artillery, we must anticipate that very soon they will demolish our fortresses and advance into our territory’.937 In April, Conrad had already sketched out how events might unfold : within five weeks, the Italians would reach Vienna. As a result, attempts could only be made to make the task as difficult as possible for them.