Page:The Bohemian Review, vol2, 1918.djvu/112

 one of the subject peoples of the Dual Monarchy through its authoritative committee abroad. The precedent—making declaration of the French Government is as follows:

“At the moment when the first unit of the Czechoslovak Army in France prepares itself, after receiving its flag, to go to a sector on the front with its French brothers in arms, the French Government considers it just and necessary to proclaim the rights of your nation to independence, and to recognize officially the National Council as the supreme representative of the future Czechoslovak Government.”

The world little realizes even at this late day that when war broke out and Austria invaded Serbia, the attack was aimed at the Austrian subjects of Slav and Latin race just as much as at Serbia.

There had always been a strong realization of kinship between the Czechoslovaks, Serbs and Russians. During the Balkan wars the Czechoslovaks aided in all possible ways the anti-Turkish coalition, even by mutinying at the Austrian mobilization in 1912. And when it is recalled that bitter memories of oppression and loss of independence through German violence rankled in the hearts of the subject Slavs, it was to be expected that Czechoslovaks would desert from the Austro-Hungarian armies. Not from cowardice, but because fighting against Serbia and Russia was in their eyes high treason to their national ideals. The whole world knows now that these unwilling conscripts went over to the Serbians and Russians, and later to the Roumanians and Italians, in large numbers. How large, it is difficult to ascertain. Russian figures gave only the number of Austrian prisoners regardless of their racial relationship, but it is safe to say that the number of Czechoslovak prisoners of war in Russia alone exceeded 300,000.

The Czechoslovaks were not content to abandon the German side. They desired an opportunity to fight against their ancient enemy and to strike a blow for the freedom and independence of Bohemia. But to do so was far from easy. In Russia there had been formed at the very opening of the war volunteer detachments, composed of Czechoslovaks settled in Russia, but legally Austrian subjects. The first larger unit, numbering between 800 and 1000 men, called itself the Hussite Sharpshooters’ Brotherhood and rendered valuable services to the Russians by reconnaissance work for the armies campaigning in Galicia. This first Czechoslovak force got as far as Cracow in 1915. Very grudgingly the Russian Government gave permission to some of the captured or surrendered men to join the legion. During the year 1915 the Hussite Brotherhood grew into the First Czechoslovak regiment of John Hus, and later on there was organized the second regiment called John ŽiškaŽižka [sic] after the great Hussite general, and then the third, known as the regiment of George Poděbrad, the last king of Bohemia of Czech blood. During the winter of 1916–17 the Czechoslovak prisoners of war, scattered through internment camps in Siberia, through munition factories and farms, tried to get permission to join the fighting units, but the old government looked upon them as revolutionaries and the local authorities placed many obstacles in the way of these volunteers.

Kerensky himself was originally opposed to the creation of an army with a nationalistic, as against an internationalistic, program, but after the June offensive he changed his mind. At Zborov in Galicia the firstCzechoslovakfirst Czechoslovak [sic] brigade accomplished deeds of bravery and won successes that did away finally with the hesitation on the part of the provisional government. At that time there was in Kiev depot enough volunteers to organize a second brigade. The army grew rapidly into a division and then into an army corps. This is the army that has recently entered upon its heroic march of six thousand miles through a hostile country to reach the sea and be transported to France. Since they no longer could fight the Germans in Russia, they determined to reach the front where they could be used, and not merely thrown away in a last desperate stand, against their enemies. The last reports, now two months old, gave the number of these fighters at 60,000. But there was even then 50,000 more men enlisted who had not been able