Seite - 843 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918

Italy 843 the Czecho-Slovakian Legion. It would eventually grow to over 19,000 members, most of them prisoners of war who wanted to evade long-term captivity by volunteering. The changing of sides did not go unnoticed, even in Italy.2014 The mass of the Imperial and Royal soldiers who filled Italian camps, more than 300,000 after all, did not fall into Italian prisoner of war captivity until the end of October and the beginning of November. It was no longer of particular importance when and under which circum- stances they had fallen into the hands of the enemy, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, wounded or unhurt, as deserters or fighting to the last for God, the Austrian Emperor and King and a disintegrating fatherland.