Page - 527 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918

The Brusilov Offensive 527 tion to resist. In fact, it was far more promising to start there, where inexperienced units tended to give up easily and raise their hands in surrender. The Imperial and Royal 4th Army sent the 10th Cavalry Division, which had been held in reserve, to the critical section. Artillery ammunition was replenished, while sparing use of the ammunition was called for. As early as 5 June, Conrad advised the German Plenipotentiary Gen- eral attached to the Army High Command, Cramon, that German troops would once more be required. Before a formal request reached Falkenhayn in Mézières, however, Falkenhayn let Cramon know that in order to fulfil this request the Army Command would have to draw on the reserves on the Italian front, including Trentino. ‘That is bitter, but I see no other way.’1235 The deterioration of the situation induced Falkenhayn to then undertake minor transfers of German troops on the eastern front, but this had no impact. On 6 June, the front of the Imperial and Royal 4th Army collapsed. A dent in the front, 75 kilometres deep and 20 kilometres wide, had emerged. The commander of the army group, General Linsingen, demanded the dismissal of Archduke Joseph Ferdi- nand. The Army High Command joined in the call for an immediate dismissal, and on 7 June an archduke was relieved in the middle of a battle, which constituted a novelty. Instead of Joseph Ferdinand, General of Cavalry Nadas von Tersztyánszky assumed command of the 4th Army, the same general who had not been allowed to lead the campaign against Serbia due to his conflict with Tisza and had since been at the ‘dis- posal of the Supreme Commander’, i.e. doomed to inaction. Whether it was very clever to appoint a general who was rumoured to be ruthless and who had been removed from his post due to a dispute with Tisza to command an army of which about about half were Honvéd troops, can be left open.1236 The blame for the failure of the Imperial and Royal 4th Army was again apportioned not only to a single commander or staff. It was later discovered that large parts of the Moravian Infantry Regiment No. 8 had deserted to the Russians. Thus, it was once more Czechs who were identified as the ones who had apparently failed and provoked a crisis. This was a circumstance that was noted above all by the Germans.1237 ‘Unfortunately, our military situation has shifted over these days as a result of the truly woeful route of the brave fraternal allies on the Stryi [River], which led to the loss of Lutsk’, noted the Prussian War Minister. ‘Falkenhayn was furious, and rightly so ! During this grave struggle, however, we cannot allow entire divisions to abandon their artillery and desert to the enemy. […] Falkenhayn wanted immediately to telegraph Conrad with the greatest coarseness.’1238 Instead, he decided on an immediate meeting. Hectic consultations began. At the time of the change in command of the 4th Army, the Russians attacked once more near Lutsk. The bridgehead collapsed. To the south, the Russians succeeded in an ancillary attack that culminated in the battle of Okna 30 kilometres north of Czernivtsi (Czernowitz), in making a deeper incision against the Imperial and Royal 7th Army of