Page - 759 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918

The Czech Legion 759 idation of the front, therefore, despondency and insubordination spread once more among the Russians. The cases of desertion, which had temporarily become fewer in number, quickly increased again, especially since the Russians had to cope not only with the failure of their own offensive but also the counteroffensive of the Central Powers. German troops pierced the front of the Russian 11th Army. After a few days, the entire 11th Army had been forced to retreat. To the south, the fronts of the Rus- sian 7th and 8th Army were also wavering. The German and the Imperial and Royal troops did not have sufficient forces, however, to immediately follow up and begin a general offensive. To blame for this was above all the desperately poor state of supplies. By 1 June 1917, 45,000 horses had died of starvation and exhaustion in the area of the Austro-Hungarian armies alone.1779 Since oats and corn had been reserved almost ex- clusively for human consumption, the horses could only be given grass and a very little grain. The hot summer had also scorched the grass. The horses found next to nothing in the fields. The use of the motorised troops was rapidly increasing, but a further ex- pansion reached its limits because the necessary petrol was not available either. It was furthermore in dispute where an offensive should be directed. The Russians sought to delay the collapse of their front a little longer. The conducted relief offensives on both flanks in the north and in the south, but these brought little success. The Russians were forced back once more. The Imperial and Royal 7th Army linked up with the 2nd Army. The Army High Command summarised developments on 17 August as follows : ‘The enemy frequently resisted tenaciously against the 3rd Army, but particularly in the mountains against the 7th Army. By means of the pursu- ing troops quickly taking hold and the insertion and mutual support of the columns in the mountains, the enemy resistance could repeatedly be quickly broken. Imperial and Royal troops took Stanislau on 24 July, Kolomyia on the 26th, Zalischyky on the 29th and finally Chernivtsi early on 2 August after bitter fighting. Desolation and plunder mark the route of the retreating Russians. Of great significance is also the destruction of numerous railways, which subsequently impacted heavily on the delivery of our sup- plies. Particularly the supply of ammunition suffered from the long distances between the final rail stops, which also expressed itself in hostilities and in the slowing down of the tempo of the pursuit.’1780 The German Eastern Front High Command carried out limited offensive thrusts both in the far north and in Romania with the Army Group Mackensen. They achieved only limited success. The possibility of encircling 100,000 Russians in the area of Ternopil (Tarnopol) also failed, since too few troops were avail- able. Controversy arose between the commanders at the front over the continuation of the war in the east. There were scenes whose emotional power was only comprehensible to those who were aware of the simmering and, in part, open conflict between Germans and ‘Oyster Hungarians’, as the Prussian War Minister had once called them. Ternopil had been taken by Prussian guards. Kaiser Wilhelm hastened to the scene in order to