Page:EB1922 - Volume 32.djvu/215

Rh

the beginning of Feb. the systematic bombardment of the fortress set in. In the middle of the month the besiegers brought up the line of investment nearer to the N.W., W. and S.W. fronts. On the night of the i8th three regiments attacked the foreground position at Pod Mazurami, but were beaten back with heavy losses. It seemed to the Russians that the garrison's striking power was still too strong; and they let three weeks pass before equipping themselves for an important attack. On March 13 a powerful Russian force advanced against the N. foreground posi- tion Na Gorach-Batycze. Against so strong an attack, delivered by at least two regiments, the 3$th Light Inf. Regt. could make no stand. As other powerful Russian forces were advancing against the N. front from Radymno, and as Kusmanek considered his own garrison too weak for a counter-blow and also wished to save his forces for the great final break-through, he gave up the foreground position and refrained from counter-attacking. At the same moment the Austro-Hungarian Higher Command had reached the conclusion that the II. Army's offensive would not be able to bring about the desired relief of the fortress, which was therefore inevitably doomed, since the food supplies would be exhausted by March 24.

A break-through from the fortress might conceivably save a portion of the garrison for the Austro-Hungarian army forces, and it had therefore to be attempted. In consideration of the state of supplies, March 19 was fixed as the latest time limit for its execution. Kusmanek had already made all the necessary preparations. He was free to choose the direction in which the sortie was to be made. His decision fell on the E., as it appeared to him impossible for his exhausted men to effect a junction with the II. Army through the mountainous area. On the E. the ground was practicable, and he might hope to have an oppor- tunity there of destroying Russian railway lines and communi- cations, and also possibly to have the good fortune to capture a Russian supply store. In case the break-through failed, he would then be abb t take back provisions into the fortress and so prolong its life oy a few days.

With two infantry divisions and three independent infantry brigades (50 battalions, 6 squadrons and 18 battalions) the break-through was begun on the morning of the ipth. After some opening success the troops, in a heroic seven-hour battle, fought thdr way up to the Medyka heights, coming to a stand here at 10 A.M. A flanking counter-attack by the Russian s8th Reserve Div., which had been brought up from the Carpathians, then forced them to return to the fortress, their losses being heavy on account of their exhaustion. The fate of the fortress and the garrison was now finally sealed. The Russians realized the aim of this last sortie, and they had captured on prisoners the order regarding it; they therefore knew that the fortress was almost at the end of its power of resistance. Kusmanek now awaited their attacks. All the sortie troops had returned to their old positions on the igth. The same night the Russian masses made a violent assault on the E. front.- Until the morning of the 22nd Selivanov exerted himself to the utmost to take the fortress by storm. An endbss bombardment by the heaviest-calibre guns set in, and was followed by assaults on the N.W., N. and N.E. fronts, as well as on the E. front and the foreground position, Pod Mazurami. But the brave defenders held their ground and repulsed one attack after another. At last Kusmanek, armed with authority from the Army Higher Command, decided to destroy the fortress, since it was now quite impossible to save it. On March 22 between 5 and 6:30 A.M., just as renewed Russian attacks had begun, the works were blown up as far as possible; all guns, the small remaining store of ammunition and the techni- cal arrangements were demolished, all arms broken, motors and other vehicles burnt, and the remaining horses shot. Kusmanek then sent a parlcmentaire to the Russian siege army. When the conditions for the surrender had been fixed the Russians entered the town to take over the administration.

Kusmanek betook himself at once with his staff to Selivanov's headquarters. The garrison, 1 which was allowed all military

1 In round figures 107,000 men, among whom were 28,000 invalids both fit and unfit for transport.

197

honours and looked upon even by the enemy as a model of mili- tary bravery, remained about another week in Przemysl, and was then removed in large detachments by way of Lemberg. On the 24th the Russian General Artamanov took command.

After four and a half months of heroic defence the fortress of Przemysl had fallen, through hunger and sickness. To the brave garrison, and in the first place to the determined commandant, Gen. von Kusmanek, and to Gen. von Tamassy, leader of most of the sorties, the highest admiration was due, and the victorious enemy, whose own courage was proved by the enormous tribute of lives sacrificed before the forts and ramparts of the fortress, recognized this in full measure.

Recapture of the Fortress, May jo-June 3 1915. Soon after the fall of the fortress of Przemysl the Russians had taken in hand the reorganization of its works. Particularly after the visit of the Tsar, who inspected the destroyed works in the second half of April, the reconstruction was taken in hand with feverish haste. Numerous heavy guns, including French ones, were brought into the fortress, and a strong garrison was maintained. By the middle of May Bb'hm's and Puhallo's armies had advanced in a concen- tric attack on the positions S. of the fortress, as well as on the S., S.W. and W. fronts, while Mackensen's army pushed forward in the area N. of the fortress and over the San. While the Allied armies were thus advancing on Przemysl the Russians were undecided whether to hold the fortress or not. By the middle of May they had begun the work of evacuation and the withdrawal of troops. But in the second half of the month the idea of holding the fortress gained ground, and the Grand Duke finally ordered it to be held " to the last extremity." When Mackensen's army began its offensive on May 24 on both sides of the Szklo in a south-easterly direction, the fortress became more and more closely surrounded to the N. also by the ring of investment. By the 3oth the necessary heavy artillery had also been brought up, in spite of the delay caused by the ruined roads and bridges, and the bombardment of the S.W. and northern fronts immediately began. These were the two fronts against which the attack was to be directed. While the X. Corps of Puhallo's army stormed the S.W. front, the Bavarians of the XI. Army, in conjunction with one Prussian infantry regiment, one Guard battalion, and the dismounted troops of the nth Honved Cav. Div., executed the main attack on the N. front.

Misled by the violence of the attack of the Austro-Hungarian infantry regiments (the gth and 45th of the X. Corps), who, on theaoth, stormed the Pralkowce fort, on the S.W. front, Work VII., the Russians awaited the main attack there and brought their whole strength into play against the X. Corps. But although they were abb to force the Austrians to evacuate the fort, they could not themselves reoccupy it. Meanwhile the Germans had done good work on the N. front. Their bombardment was mainly directed against the forts, X., Xa., XIa. and XI., lying between Ujkowice and Dunkowiczki, and for this guns of all calibres, including the 42-cm. mortars, were used. On the 3 ist, after heavy fighting, ending in a mftee, Forts Xa. and XIa. were taken, as well as the adjacent infantry positions, and Fort XI. capitulated. On June i the Russians brought up strong reserves, but not in time to avert the fate of the fortress. On the morning of the 2nd Fort X. fell into the hands of the attacking forces after its obstinate resistance had been overcome by a liberal bombardment. By the evening Fort XII. had also been captured, and Forts IXa. and IXb. surrendered to Maj.-Gen. Bcrndt's cavalry. The break- through of the ring of forts had succeeded. North of Zurawica the Russians made one more stand; but this line had also been forced by the evening of the 2nd, and the Russians betook them- selves to their last line of resistance immediately in front of the nucleus. But the attack did not get as far as this, for the Russians abandoned the fortress on the night of the 2nd, influenced prob- ably by the successes attained by the XI. and II. Armies. Their rearguards took up new positions on the E. front of the fortress on the line Medyka-Siedliska.

At 3 A.M. the Bavarians of Lt.-Gen. Kneusel's division entered the fortress from the north. Maj.-Gen. Berndt followed from the N.W. with the Austro-Hungarian 4th Cav. Division. By 6