Page - 970 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918

970 The Twilight Empire the division, which consisted mainly of Transylvanian Germans, Romanians and Hun- garians, 99 officers and 3,268 men were killed, wounded or taken prisoner.2359 (Their commander, Major General von Podhoránsky, was unharmed however, since at that particular time, he was enjoying a six-week period of leave.) The western Allies had been reinforced month after month by 250,000 American soldiers since July. They had material superiority that in terms of armoured vehicles and aeroplanes was already utterly overwhelming, whilst they were far better fed and had almost no cause for con- cern as to the morale of their soldiers. To this was added the tactical experience that the war had brought in its wake, such as the fact that now, only brief but accordingly more massive, artillery preparation was made, the troops began to storm so early that they were able to run underneath the German curtain fire and systematically roll out position after position.2360 Now, the Imperial and Royal troops, too, who were fighting in the west, had become all too familiar with this procedure. And in contrast to so many other occasions, this time, even the German troops were unable to help. This experience was also shared by the Imperial and Royal 1st Infantry Division (under Metzger), which at the beginning of October 1918 was hurled into battle, fought with great dedication against three Allied divisions, but then after several days and an aerial attack from 125 aeroplanes on its positions was forced to be removed from the front. It had lost over half of its men.2361 In this way, Austria-Hungary’s last bastion of hope began to shake. A joint war command, an alliance of arms, the German course and, finally, the experience of holding out in war overall had ultimately been justified by the fact that the German Empire was able to guarantee the victory of the Central Powers, that it would be necessary to hold out until the final victory and, that the peace would then be dictated. Now, events proved otherwise, and the only possible conclusion that could be reached was that the Germans in France and Flanders  – like the Austrians and Hungarians in Italy  – had reached the end. For the Austro-Hungarian troops in Italy, a transfer had been made back to the defensive in a type of ‘Isonzo mentality’. For some time, the men were haunted by rumours that the offensive might begin again. Brigadier Waldstätten made the area between the Brenta and Piave Rivers, including the Monte Grappa, the focus of a new operational study. As Conrad had done previously, he wanted to lead an offensive with around thirty divisions from the north,2362 but a similar plan was designed rather to lift the depressed mood and to keep the staffs busy than it having any basis in reality. Discipline was still by and large maintained among the troops at the front, and where greater problems did occur, a remedy was sought in the form of so-called ‘discipline trains’. The soldiers who were subjected to this punishment were usually sent to more dangerous outposts and to the lines furthest at the front. There, however, they were exposed to other tribulations. The worsening situation among the Austro-Hungarian troops naturally did not remain hidden from the Italians. They took prisoners, made