Page:Albert Beaumont - Heroic Story of the Czecho-Slovak Legions - 1919.djvu/10

 It was on Dec. 8 that our regiment was deployed in the very front line, and had assigned to it the task of holding a hill, cost what it. might. As usual, of course, we were well hemmed in by Austrian contingents. Our position was in the centre of three hills. On the hill to our right was the 27th Austrian Regiment. On the hill to the left was the 59th Austrian Regiment. The hill we occupied was slightly forward. Our regiment was commanded by an Austrian, Colonel Marten, who, with his staff, was about 800 yards behind our trenches. As I stood on the summit of the hill I could easily take in the whole battle. I could count one by one the Russian machine guns on the hill opposite us, and distinctly saw the distribution of companies and sections. Furious fighting was going on to our right and left between the Austrians and the Russians.

In front of us something mysterious was happening. The Russians were perfectly quiet, not a shell dropped on our hill, not a rifle shot came in our direction. I saw, however, a furious hand-to-hand bayonet attack by the Russians against the 27th Austrian Regiment to my right. A similar attack was being made on the 59th Austrian Regiment to my left. The Austrians, it must be said, fought well at first. But the Russians gained ground steadily: they gradually occupied trench after trench, and as I was watching the battle I saw that the Russians had already passed our own line, both to our right and to our left.

We had not fired a shot. In the midst of this furious combat our position was a perfect oasis of calm. I doubt if our colonel at the back of us knew it. Perhaps he thought that we were fighting like lions. If so he must have given us credit for great heroism when he saw that the Russians were overpowering both the 27th Regiment to the right and the 59th to the left, and still we held our position. The colonel and his staff were already in danger. The two regiments on their side were broken up and beginning to retreat. It was time to take action, and the colonel sent orders for us to fall back.

There was no response. The order was not even passed on through the trenches. A hint sufficed to our men to make them lie quie they were. The Russians had already deliberately left their trenches opposite, and were coming towards us. The moment was a critical one. Had the Russians understood us? I felt sure they did, but at the last moment some of our men lost control of their nerves. I saw about ten of them run away and take flight. All the rest remained where they were, including four Czech lieutenants.

As soon as the Russians were on the edge of our trenches our men climbed out. Those who still kept a rifle in their hands threw them