Page - 945 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918

The Army Disintegrates 945 problematic now also gave no cause for complaint. This was perhaps related to the fact that the Army High Command had discontinued the systematic collection of reports above all on the conduct of the Czechs, which had taken place not least with the aim of installing a military governor in Bohemia, once this project failed. At the same time, Russian enthusiasm for the Czech deserters, who did not automatically consent to fight against their own compatriots in the framework of the Czech Legion, evidently also waned. Apparently, they were also named ‘podlici’ (villains), who had raised false hopes and spoken of an imminent revolution in Bohemia.2269 On 24 September 1915, Archduke Friedrich summarised what had happened by stating that the treasonous propaganda conducted for decades in Bohemia had also led to the failure of tried and tested troops. Alongside Infantry Regiments 28 and 36, it had been Landwehr (Austrian standing army) Infantry Regiments No. 7 in Pilsen, No. 8 in Prague and No. 29 in České Budějovice that had showed themselves to be unruly and willing to desert. The tendency to desert, claimed the Archduke, was to be countered not least by granting the Czechs generous economic assistance, in order to increase their ‘staffing and material performance’ and to stem the readiness to emigrate. Further- more, everything was to be done to turn the civil service, which was fragmented into national groups, into a reliable pillar of the state. Changes in education, administration and the military were to round off the measures.2270 Desertions occurred in autumn 1915 and later, however. In East Galicia, almost 5,000 men were missing after 48 hours of fighting, and in October, a Czech rifle reg- iment suffered a painful defeat.2271 The Commander of the IX Corps, Major General Kraliček, reported on 30 October 1915 that the mood of the mass of the soldiers was ‘neither warm nor cold’. ‘German and Hungarian regiments were also breached and lost prisoners, but the number of the missing compared with the number of dead and wounded is  – as far as I know  – never in a similar proportion to that of the infantry regiments with Czech personnel.’2272 Conrad added that he inferred from the reports of the exchange of prisoners that the bulk of the prisoners of war were Czechs, of which a part had remained loyal to Austria or had now become so. All Czech and Serb Sokols, however, were without exception Russophile.2273 A little more fuel could be added to the flames. The quintessence of the Army High Command after a year of war, however, was that blanket judgements were passed : the Serbs were completely and the Ruthenians heavily Russophile. The Croats, Slovenes and Slovaks were particularly loyal to the Monarchy. The Poles were Austrophile, not on account of Austria but Russophobe on account of Russia. The Magyars were more radically Russophobe than Austrian patriots. The Italians were Russophobe, but not Austrophile. The Romanians were, contrary to expectations, Austrophile and the ‘Mo- hammedans’ absolutely Austrophile. The Jews  – as usual  – did not want to fall out of favour with anyone.2274