Emigrants and Exiles: Book Three, Volume Two

By Henry A. Fischer

The isolation the Children of the Danube experienced from the upheavals of history in the rest of Europe would no longer hold true in the second half of the 19th Century and beyond. At the outset, Emperor Francis Josephs attempts to preserve the position of the House of Habsburg in the face of the rising power of Prussia among the German states would inevitably lead to a disastrous war. Austrias defeat set the stage for the rise of the German Empire and the struggle for supremacy in Europe among the major powers resulting in the catastrophic wars of the next century which would destroy the only life the Children of the Danube had ever known.

The agricultural sector was in a shambles in Hungary during the last decades of the century which had repercussions for the Children of the Danube among whom the landless were the fastest growing part of the population and among whom poverty had become a way of life. Land was expensive and simply unavailable. As in the past, the only remedy was emigration. The first wave of emigrants from Swabian Turkey sought their future in Slavonia recently opened for colonization. It was just the prelude for the massive emigration movement soon to take place to the New World.

Some of the surviving emigrants and exiles will meet in a railway station in a small town in Canada as the final phase of the Schwabenzug takes place and the Children of the Danube transplant their roots in their new Heimat.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456743697

Henry A. Fischer

Henry A. Fischer is the author of several genealogical and historical studies of the descendants of German families that migrated into the Kingdom of Hungary during the early 18th Century. Born in Kitchener, Ontario in Canada, he is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. Following over forty years in the pastorate he began research on his own family history that led to his career as an author. He is married to his wife Jean, the father of Stephen and David and the grandfather of Julianna, John, Evan and Luke the next generation of the Children of the Danube now transplanted to Canada.

Book preview

Contents

CHAPTER XLIV

CHAPTER XLV

CHAPTER XLVI

CHAPTER XLVII

CHAPTER XLVIII

CHAPTER XLIX

CHAPTER L

CHAPTER LI

CHAPTER LII

CHAPTER LIII

CHAPTER LIV

CHAPTER LV

CHAPTER LVI

CHAPTER LVII

CHAPTER LVIII

CHAPTER LIX

CHAPTER LXI

CHAPTER LXI

CHAPTER LXII

CHAPTER LXIII

CHAPTER LXIV

CHAPTER LXV

CHAPTER LXVI

CHAPTER LXVII

CHAPTER LXVIII

CHAPTER LXIX

CHAPTER LXX

CHAPTER LXXI

CHAPTER LXXII

CHAPTER LXXIII

CHAPTER LXXIV

Chapter LXXV

CHAPTER LXXVI

CHAPTER LXXVII

CHAPTER LXXVIII

CHAPTER LXXIX

CHAPTER LXXX

CHAPTER XLIV

As soon as the staccato rattling drumbeats could be heard this far up the Arma Gass’ both Catharine and Elisabeth Frischkorn joined the other excited children running in the direction of the crowd assembling around the Klein Richter, Georg Steger. He paused and positioned himself out on the street in front of the Reihl’s house and waited for some stragglers to join the others before he was prepared to make his announcement. He straightened his black three cornered hat and brushed aside some dust from the jacket of his blue uniform with its gold epaulets on the shoulders that were symbolic of his official position from a bygone age. By the time the two little sisters reached the large gathering of murmuring villagers they could sense this was not exactly what they had expected.

The grave looks on the faces of the adults throughout the crowd indicated this was not a celebration of some kind after all and although the children failed to understand most of the words that the man spoke they realized that what he said was not good news. They noticed many of the women were crying, others clutched the arms of their husbands and covered their mouth with their handkerchiefs while older women dabbed at their tear- filled eyes with their aprons. The men, both young and old, at first looked determined, then serious and eventually stern as they listened to the Klein Richter reading the County’s authorized version of the Emperor’s mobilization decree. Several of the older men placed a hand on the shoulder of the young men next to them. None of this meant very much to the girls and like some of the other children they drifted away from the solemn crowd and retraced their steps back home.

Approaching the gate to their house they saw their father waiting for them holding their youngest sister in one arm enjoying a Saturday afternoon at leisure now that all of his work for the day and week were done. He had abandoned his jacket and was wearing only his black vest over his open collared white hemp shirt because of the sweltering heat typical of these first days of August. He did not bother to wear his felt hat either and yet beads of perspiration appeared on his brow that he wiped away with the back of his free hand. Heat of this kind was not something Elias enjoyed especially after two years of working with blast furnaces in Steelton. He exchanged little Caroline from one arm to the other while at the same time offering a warm wet kiss on her chubby cheeks as she giggled happily. He then waved to their neighbour, Konrad Ehl, who lived across the street and stood at his gate and called out to Elias in response.

"What do you think is going on down there Eli?"

"Most likely something about the fuss down in Serbia,’ Elias replied without giving it much thought as he glanced at the crowd that was beginning to disperse.

"What was the Klone Richter telling them, girls?" Konrad Ehl asked smiling broadly at Catharine and Elisabeth who had just reached home.

The two girls looked at each other uncertain how to reply. As the oldest, Catharine felt she needed to speak for both of them.

We don’t know what he said but the people didn’t like to hear it, she answered.

"Some mothers and Fraaches even cried," Elisabeth added for good measure.

Elias felt a cold chill run down his spine. Just yesterday he and the Becht Lehrer had been discussing what they had read in the Kaposvár newspapers about the ultimatum and declaration of war against Serbia. The expectation was an imminent surrender on the part of the Serbs in the next few days. From the look on Konrad Ehl’s face it was evident he too was unsettled about what the girls had said.

The Klein Richter began to beat his drum again and proceeded up the street towards the Reformed Church with some children running ahead and behind him while the sombre crowd he left behind huddled together talking in small groups and then hurried home to their families with the news. Elias opened the gate to allow his daughters to come inside the yard and then hurried towards the kitchen door calling out to Elisabeth.

In answer to his shouts she appeared at the door wiping her hands in her blue apron that bore evidence of the flour she had been using making dough for some Mehlspeiss.

"What is it Eli?" She asked thinking something had happened to one of the girls.

"I’m afraid it sounds like bad news. The Klone Richter is coming this way," Elias replied as he raced up the stairs and handed Caroline to her. On impulse he paused and caressed Elisabeth’s cheek with one hand. He gazed longingly into her amber eyes before he kissed her tenderly and then ran towards the gate. Elisabeth and Catharine climbed the stairs to join their mother. Both sensed something had upset their father and seeing the apprehension on their mother’s face they instinctively clung to her skirts acknowledging a fear they did not understand but felt deep within.

Hugging her youngest daughter, Elisabeth listened intently and could hear the drumbeats becoming louder as Georg Steger approached their house. She eventually saw him pass by with groups of people hurrying after him while others were streaming out of their yards from up and down the street in the vicinity of the Reformed Church from where he would be making his announcement again. Her feet felt like they were rooted to the spot and she could not move. She closed her eyes and prayed fervently this was not the news she had been dreading ever since Elias had told her about the events in Bosnia and what some of the newspapers were saying about a coming war.

As the villagers formed a noisy circle around the Klein Richter, Elias joined a group of taller men on the fringe of the crowd standing next to Konrad Ehl and young Heinrich Welter who was his neighbour’s Knecht. He looked across the crowd and nodded in the direction of young Johann Kaiser. Only two weeks before the young man had received permission from the Tefners to marry their youngest daughter Caroline and Elias could easily imagine what was going through his mind. Other men and women acknowledged Elias in the same way with a nod, a hesitant smile or a slight wave of the hand. The crowd became hushed once Georg Steger stopped beating his well worn drum. He did not begin to speak until there was total silence.

Hear now one and all! By order of His Gracious Majesty, Francis Joseph, by the Grace of God Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary; be it known that all men residing here in Bonnya in Somogy County who were born in the years 1878 through to 1893 and without regard or exception are hereby ordered to report for active duty at the military headquarters of the Archduke Albrecht 44th Infantry Regiment in Kaposvár no later than noon tomorrow, the Klein Richter intoned now for the third time that afternoon. He paused for a moment and could sense the feelings of apprehension among those gathered around him before he continued knowing full well how they were feeling since his own two sons were affected by the mobilization order.

We are now in a state of War with the Kingdom of Serbia and also with any who would come to their aid, who We will also regard as enemies of the Empire. Anyone not reporting for duty as ordered will be considered guilty of the crime of desertion and pay the price for their disobedience. Your Divinely Appointed Emperor is calling upon you to take up arms and undertake the Holy task of upholding the honour of the Empire in the face of this grave peril. The Fatherland is calling on all of its sons to come to its defence placing Our confidence in the Almighty and trusting that because of the justice of Our cause We will prevail over Our enemies who seek to destroy Us. This decree was given on the 31st day of July in the Year of Our Lord 1914 AD at Bad Ischl and authorized by the Administration of Somogy County for its immediate publication and dissemination.

Following the announcement Georg Steger made his way through the crowd and when he had, he proceeded up to the Reiche Gass’ and began beating his drum once more and was met by another group of boisterous and curious children who followed after him.

Men paused to speak to one another in small groups and in hushed tones while women commiserated with one another as they made their way home unable to imagine what lay ahead for all of them with most of them thinking the worst. Konrad Ehl was relieved because he was a year older than those included in the call-up but he knew his young twenty-four year old Knecht, Heinrich Welter, would be leaving him and he now had to make other arrangements to bring in his harvest that would have to begin within the next two weeks. Elias was far more concerned about how Elisabeth would deal with his absence; how his older daughters would react to his leaving again and what arrangements he needed to make to secure the welfare of his family while he was gone. Neither man was alone in his thinking. Their concerns were shared by many other men in light of their own circumstances and family responsibilities.

"Well you know Eli it could be worse, Konrad Nethling mused trying to console both himself and Elias. How long can little Serbia really hold out?"

That may be true, Elias agreed with his tall young neighbour who had returned from Steelton two years earlier. Then he added, But the Emperor warned us that others might join in on the side of the Serbs and fight against us.

Like who? Konrad Ehl wondered out loud. He was a man who knew everything there was to know about agriculture and life in Somogy County but nothing of the world beyond.

Everyone around them looked to Elias to answer.

Russia, he said swallowing hard. I’m afraid Russia could easily come into this.

But why would they? Heinrich Welter asked totally confused by everything that was going on.

Because Russia claims to be the protector of all of the Slavic people, Elias replied.

Well it’s one thing to make a claim like that, it’s another to actually do it, Johann Bitz commented joining in on the conversation.

I hope and pray you’re right, Elias replied as he stepped out of the circle and went home to bring the news to Elisabeth and the children and start to plan for what lay ahead for all of them.

Because the Tefner house was located at the entrance into Bonnya and the beginning of the Arma Gass’, it was also the last homestead on the way out to the new railway station and depot. For that reason, Heinrich Tefner and his wife Elisabeth witnessed the steady parade of young men, some with friends and families, who were on their way to catch the early Sunday morning train for Kaposvár. They stood at their gate along with their daughter Caroline while their son Johann took farewell of his wife Anna Maria and their young eighteen month old son, Johann, in the privacy of their home. Both of the Tefner’s sons-in-law, Elias Frischkorn and Stephen Oppermann, future son-in-law Johann Kaiser and their only son Johann were all part of the mobilization that was now underway all across the Empire. This war seemed to be touching the Tefners on all sides, right from the very beginning and who knew where it would all end? Those were the kinds of thoughts and concerns that passed through Heinrich Tefner’s mind as he watched young men whom he had known for most of their lives steadily pass by on their way to war. He disciplined himself to pray a silent prayer for each of them entrusting them to God’s care in the face of the perils each of them would be facing.

He was struck by the different impressions various men made as they paused and took leave of him and their native village. Fun-loving young Johann Holzapfel gave the impression going off to war was just a lark and a welcome break from his tedious life working on his father’s farm. Heinrich Lehr and Johann Stoss were both wearing their reservist uniforms and had red, white and green ribbons, the national colours of Hungary, pinned to their regulation infantrymen’s caps to demonstrate their patriotism. From the expression on Heinrich Tippel’s face his apprehension about what lay before him was palatable and his young pregnant wife clinging to his arm was the obvious reason for it. The Felder and Reinhardt brothers were rather rowdy and simply offered a hasty wave obviously looking forward to leaving and participating in something beyond the limited confines of life in Bonnya. Michael Ehl was much more sombre in mood while Andreas Koller tried to cheer him up as they walked along and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder consolingly after waving to the Tefners.

When Johann Kaiser, their future son-in-law, approached the gate Caroline ran to him and threw herself into his arms. The startled shy young man simply surrendered to the moment and found himself kissing her with half the village looking on not to mention her parents. Tears came to Heinrich Tefner’s eyes and he felt his wife Elisabeth’s hand in his own as she fought back her own tears. The two young people clung to one another and then finally Johann took her hand and led her to her parents and took off his cap to bid them farewell. Heinrich Tefner embraced him and held him tightly until the young man relaxed in his arms and felt his own tears mix with those of his future father-in-law as their cheeks rubbed against each other. He was then welcomed into his future mother-in-law’s arms and surrendered to her parting kiss.

Looking up after, he noticed their son Johann had joined them also wearing his reservist uniform and holding his giggling young son. His wife, Anna Maria, stood next to him unable to hide how upset she was and little Johann beamed when he saw Johann Kaiser and reached out to him extending both arms. He had spent a lot of time with him and his Aunt Caroline and often accompanied the young couple as their chaperone when it was thought by the family that they needed one to avoid talk. The youngster kissed Johann on the cheek while he caressed the toddler’s cheek before handing him back to his father.

"Eli and Elisabeth are coming," Caroline remarked as she held on to her fiancé’s arm.

They were bringing the three girls with them as they had arranged earlier.

After a brief but tearful farewell, Elias indicated they needed to leave in order to catch the train because they were among the last to be leaving the village.

The three young men removed their reservist’s caps and stood before Heinrich Tefner as he bowed his head and prayed that God would watch over them and protect them and return them home safely to their families. As he prayed the bells in the tower of the Reformed Church began to toll. There was no dry eye among them and a few of the men still coming down the Arma Gass’ had also paused to pray with them.

Promise me that you will look after each other, Heinrich Tefner said and then took the hand of each young man and pressed it firmly. His wife kissed each in turn and surrounded by their four grandchildren they waved to the departing men as Johann went first with Anna Maria clutching his arm; Elias and Elisabeth left next followed by Johann and Caroline. Catharine and Elisabeth began to cry after their father and that seemed to affect little Johann who began to sob just as much as the girls really unaware of what was happening. Only slumbering little Caroline was oblivious to it all because she was safely in her Herrche’s arms, where she always loved to be.

"Don’t cry my children. Your Votr will come home to you as soon as he can," their Tefner Fraache said trying to console the older girls.

But he promised we were a family now and he would never leave us again, Catharine almost wailed.

"Yes he promised Fraache. He promised," Elisabeth joined in sobbing loudly.

The two grandparents did not know what to say or how to explain what was happening in a way they would understand. They simply felt the pain and despair of the children that very much matched their own. They looked down the road for as long as any of them were still in sight before they took the children into the house and began to prepare for when the others would return and they would all leave for church together.

On that Sunday over one hundred young men from Bonnya set off for war, many of whom would never return. That still lay in the future as each man prepared to face his fate as a loyal soldier of the Kingdom of Hungary in the service of his Emperor and in the defence of their Fatherland.

I just wish we hadn’t waited and had been married right away… Caroline Tefner sighed as she fought back her tears.

"It gives me something to look forward to Linni and a reason to come back to you," Johann Kaiser answered as he kissed her once more and held her as if he would never let her go. He released her and stepped up the stairs leading into the railway car.

"If only I had just listened to you Eli, we could have stayed in Amerika and all of this wouldn’t be happening to us now," Elisabeth managed to say between sobs.

We did what we thought was best for our family, Elias consoled her and held her face in both of his hands and gently and tenderly kissed her once more wondering when he would kiss her again. He stepped up on the stairs of the railway car, paused and turned so he could look at her as long as he could until the train would get underway.

If something should happen to you I don’t know what I would ever do without you, Anna Maria sobbed as her husband Johann Tefner crushed her in his strong arms.

Just take care of yourself and our son and promise you’ll be waiting for me when I get home, he whispered in her ear attempting to sound as calm as he could.

He tore himself from her arms and joined the two others on the steps of the railway car.

The three young men still stood on the stairs of the railway car as the train began to move out of the Bonnya railway station. Johann Tefner stood on the bottom step holding onto a railing and waving with his free hand; standing one step higher Elias placed both of his hands on Johann’s shoulders to keep his balance; while Johann Kaiser did the same behind him with only one hand and waved with the other.

Once the station and the crowd that still remained were lost from sight, the young reservists settled themselves in for a long trip. They stood in the aisle and later added Stephen Oppermann to their group when he boarded the train at the next stop in Felsö Mocsolád. More than one hundred other men from Ecsény joined them in the packed railway cars taking them to Kaposvár before being sent off to wage war in Serbia. These Children of the Danube were en route to meet their personal rendezvous with history.

They reported for duty to the officials of the Archduke Albrecht 44th Infantry Regiment, at its recruitment headquarters in Kaposvár while another segment of their regiment made up of recruits and reservists from Pest County were concurrently assembling in Budapest. On the basis of the nationality of its officers and enlisted men the 44th Infantry Regiment was overwhelmingly Hungarian. The Company to which Elias Frischkorn, Johann Tefner and Johann Kaiser were assigned also included the majority of the other men from Bonnya and large numbers of men from the surrounding Swabian villages both Lutheran and Roman Catholic. Whether that had been by design or intent on the part of their officers or not, it had a decidedly positive effect on the morale of the men and created a sense of solidarity they had not experienced as reservists in the Army when they had purposely been separated from one another.

For the next few days they were engaged in routine marching, weapons firing and bayonet practice. Elias was designated as one of the unit leaders by their officer who saw the kind of rapport he had with the other men and his obvious leadership qualities. He regretted his brother-in-law, Stephen Oppermann, had been separated from them and had been assigned to a cavalry unit because he was a blacksmith. While, on the other hand, he had to admit he was pleased to be with his best friend Johann Tefner with whom he had shared so much of his youth. He would now also have the opportunity to bond with his future brother-in-law, Johann Kaiser, even though the situation they faced was hardly one either would have wished.

The Battle Orders for the invasion of Serbia, personally prepared by Count Conrad von Hötzendorf, were implemented on August 7th. He appointed his chief rival, General Oskar Potiorek, as the Commander of the Serbian Front. He was currently the Military Commander of Bosnia-Herzegovina and had been badgering Vienna to take military measures against Serbia under his direction as quickly as possible. General Potiorek was soon to prove to be a military genius of the order of von Hötzendorf himself, reeling from one catastrophe to another. He was given command of the war effort in Serbia in the south and placed in charge of the Second, Fifth and Sixth Armies because von Hötzendorf sensed there would be little military glory in carrying out a simple punitive operation against an outnumbered, ill-equipped, insignificant foe. By taking personal command on the Galician Front in the north and facing massive, numerically superior Russian forces von Hötzendorf would demonstrate his own kind of military genius worthy of the glory he believed would come to him.

For that reason he was strengthening his forces on the Galician Front with the entire First, Third and Fourth Armies already in transit to fight alongside the frontier defence forces. The huge local garrisons were already in place at the gigantic impregnable fortresses in Lemberg and Przemysl guarding the Carpathian Passes. Once Serbia capitulated he planned to transfer the Second Army to the Galician Front to thwart any further Russian offensives in the region. That was the plan. It would not quite work out that way. The Archduke Albrecht 44th Infantry Regiment was part of the IV Corps of the Second Army and was about to find itself caught in the thick of the battles ahead as Austria-Hungary was about to suffer its first major setback in the First World War.

Units of the Archduke Albrecht 44th Infantry Regiment began to entrain in Kaposvár two days later and travelled south in the direction of the railway terminus at Klenak, the marshalling yards and assembly point of the Second Army just north of the Sava River in preparation for the invasion of Serbia. The troop trains travelled at a speed of ten miles per hour and made a six hour pause each day when field kitchens were set up to feed the men. The rail lines were often clogged with far too much traffic and the railway cars were overcrowded as the various Corps of the Second Army made their way toward the same destination coming from almost every direction causing constant headaches for railway officials. The constant boredom of being cooped up onboard the trains with limited space and lack of proper hygiene and ventilation in the heat of August caused not only discomfort for the men but became a breeding ground for the outbreak of typhus on some of the transports on their arrival in Serbia. The vastness of the scope of this operation was beyond the capability of the planners and those who were called upon to carry it out on a single track system.

The Archduke Albrecht 44th Infantry Regiment was one of the two regiments that made up the 31st Infantry Division of the IV Corps that included artillery and cavalry units. The other regiment was stationed in Budapest and consisted entirely of Hungarians and although it had started out two days earlier by rail it now lagged behind. The 32nd Infantry Division consisted of regiments stationed in Novi Sad and Sombor both located in the Batschka in close proximity to Klenak and were also in transit. Among these troops, in addition to Hungarians, there were Slovaks, Croats, Swabians and surprisingly even large numbers of Serbs. All of these forces were converging on Klenak and when the advance guard of the IV Corps was in place, the first phase of the invasion of Serbia began on August 12th following a two day artillery bombardment of the walled Serbian river town of Shabatz, on the south bank of the Sava River, as the war that was to end all wars first began.

They said the Serbs hardly put up a fight yesterday and the war should soon be over, Johann Holzapfel remarked heartily. He and Johann Tefner marched alongside one another as they crossed over one of the two pontoon bridges that had been laid across the Sava River from Klenak by the advance units of the IV Corps after they had stormed and taken the town.

Johann looked up at the smouldering wreckage, gutted buildings and still burning town that now lay ahead of them.

Well you could hardly tell, he felt compelled to say. "And just who were they who said it?"

Those Hungarians we met before we were ordered across, Johann Holzapfel replied.

They looked like a bunch of thieves, Johann Tefner said just below his breath. They had obviously been looters openly carrying all kinds of plunder or had items hanging out of their backpacks or stuffed inside their bedrolls.

I wouldn’t say that too loudly, Elias Frischkorn said under his breath but loud enough for the two others marching behind him to hear him.

They understood. They had heard Hungarian officers had been quite open about telling their troops they were free to act as they pleased against Serbian civilians although their own officer had not incited them to do anything of the kind. The raging fires ahead of them were mute testimony that some of the troops had taken their officers at their word.

"Eli, are they really allowed to do that?" Heinrich Welter asked marching next to Elias as gun shots rang out along the riverbank ahead of them. There they saw civilians drop to their knees and fall headlong into the river. Armed Hungarian troopers lowered their rifles at other civilians who were dragged, pushed and shoved to take the places of the fallen and another salvo of gunshots followed.

They must have their reasons, Elias replied unable to deal with the tightening knot he felt in the pit of his stomach.

I’m afraid I can’t believe that. Is this, what war is all about? Johann Tefner asked as he shook his head in disbelief.

They reached the end of the pontoon bridge and their Company was ordered to reform into their units and await orders. The men looked about them and saw the destruction the artillery bombardment had wreaked upon the town. They saw some intact houses but their front doors were flung wide open or off their hinges with furnishings and clothes strewn about and charred bodies in the streets and could hear screaming in the distance followed by more gun shots. Heinrich Welter felt uneasy at the sound of them again imagining what was happening and nudged Johann Kaiser who now stood beside him. Johann simply sighed as some pitifully dressed Serbian civilians (mostly women and children) were being driven down the street by armed troopers who used their rifle butts on those who lagged behind. Michael Ehl turned pale when he saw what he had thought were piles of rubbish being set on fire were actually human bodies. Andreas Koller simply closed his eyes and shook his head in denial of everything he saw.

A swarthy Hungarian major with his aide de camp and special guards hovering around him approached Captain Nagy who was in charge of their Company. After conveying his orders to him, the young officer saluted smartly as the major and his entourage withdrew. The captain then called for the various men he had placed in charge of the units in his Company to report directly to him for their orders.

On receiving his orders, Elias addressed the fifteen men for whom he was responsible.

Twelve of you need to form a work detail to dig trenches; string barbed wire and set up earthworks outside the town walls in case of any Serbian counter attacks. And I need two volunteers to come with me to round up some civilians and take them to a camp that’s been set up in that big church over there in the centre of town, Elias said and pointed to the discoloured round domes of an Orthodox Church that had suffered several direct hits during the artillery bombardment.

Before anyone could speak up, Johann Tefner and Johann Kaiser stepped forward.

The others looked relieved and quickly assembled in marching order actually looking forward to digging trenches rather than having to witness what was going on all around them.

Elias and the two others waited for further instructions.

I think this is him, Elias said under his breath as he saluted an approaching officer.

There was something bristly and pompous about the man which was not uncommon among Hungarian military officers. He was short, dark and rather squat with a handlebar moustache the ends of which he tweaked with two fingers as he spoke to Elias.

Down that street, he pointed in the direction of the thoroughfare that wound its way between two smouldering buildings. Check every house. Take anyone you find to the church. Shoot anyone who resists. Take whatever you want. When it comes to women do what you like with them but be quick about it because you don’t have all day. We have to show these murderers of Archdukes what’s in store for all of them. As real good Hungarians we must let them know we still haven’t forgotten how these dirty Serbs stabbed us in the back during our War of Independence in 1848.

Long memories like these were a plague that ran amok among the people of the Balkans and obviously would continue to do so in the future.

Elias simply saluted and then proceeded towards the designated street with the two others following close behind him.

What they saw made them grimace in horror and Johann Kaiser felt his stomach turn. The bloodied dead bodies of young women obviously raped lay on the floors of their often still burning homes. Houses, cupboards, dressers and drawers had been ransacked for valuables. Things were simply smashed, battered and broken with rifle butts for no apparent reason. Portraits were slashed and torn apart along with books and clothing. Window panes were shattered and white lace curtains blew in the breeze while choking smoke from raging nearby fires hovered over the burned out homes.

On entering the fifth house, with Elias leading the way, they met their first terrified civilians.

An old grey haired woman stood before them with her hands resting on the shoulders of a young boy of six or seven who stood in front of her as if to shield her from them.

Don’t be afraid, Mother, we will not hurt you, Elias said in perfect Serbo-Croatian.

She was startled at first and then gaining a measure of confidence she spoke.

"Nem Magyaru?" She asked hopefully.

Elias pointed to himself and the two others before he replied.

"Swaba," he told her.

She nodded her head with understanding.

My children, can you help us? She begged.

We must take you to the church where they are keeping many of your people. But if there is a good hiding place you know of somewhere…

I’m not asking for us. It’s his mother, she answered nodding at the boy.

Elias understood. He turned to the others.

Her daughter is hiding in here somewhere and we know why. I’m going to tell the old woman that if all three of them come with us we will protect them and get them to the church where it will be safer than it is here if you two are prepared to do that in case any of the Hungarians try to…

"We understand Eli. We have to do whatever we can for them," Johann Tefner said for himself and then looked to Johann Kaiser.

We’re Christians, what else can we do? He replied.

Mother, tell your daughter to come out of hiding and we will take you to the church and protect all of you as best as we can and we must trust that God will be with us.

The old woman nodded that she understood and paused for a moment wondering if she could trust these three men after all of the bestiality she had witnessed in the streets of the town. She crossed herself in the Orthodox manner and called her daughter to come out of hiding which she did reluctantly. Fear was written all over her face.

Tell them not to be afraid, we must all trust God to help us, Johann Tefner said unable to hide the tears in his amber eyes because he could see that she had already been brutally abused and most likely raped.

They then left the house with Elias walking in front of the two women carrying his rifle at the ready while Johann Kaiser carried the boy with his rifle slung over his shoulder and Johann Tefner brought up the rear carrying his rifle in the same manner as Elias.

The streets they passed through were deserted. Fires raged in many houses. It was only when they came to a main intersection that they were met by two looting Hungarian soldiers who looked menacingly at them. One leered at the young woman and swaggered up towards her when Johann Tefner stepped out in front of her pointing his rifle at him.

The angry Hungarian began to swear and threaten him and Elias took his place next to the women while Johann Kaiser set the boy down on his feet and retrieved his rifle from his shoulder and held it at the ready. They had reached an impasse and they knew it.

"What should we do Eli?" Johann Kaiser asked in German.

Before he could reply a scowl came across the Hungarian’s face.

"Bita Svábok! He cursed. Trying to keep her as a plaything for yourselves are you? Let me show her what a real man can do first," he said grinning broadly, parting his legs and loosening the belt of his trousers and starting to unbutton his fly.

Elias stepped forward threateningly and jabbed the barrel of his rifle directly up against the crotch of the soldier’s trousers. He backed away quickly and his friend encouraged him to forget it and get back to looting. He sneered at Elias as he buckled up his belt and then left with his cohort in crime.

Their next incident with a Hungarian trooper was easier to handle because he was drunk and they simply brushed him aside while a bribe worked with the next one until they finally reached the church and were appalled by the squalor they found there. Over three thousand women, children and the elderly were assembled inside. They were uncertain what to do. Their dilemma was obvious to their three captives.

You have done as much as you can for us my son, the old woman said. We are now among our own people and their fate shall be ours but you have been a sign to us that God has not abandoned us.

We wish we could do more, Elias assured her.

Then go and do what you can for any others you may find.

They would succeed in bringing eight more civilians of various ages safely to the church and helped two terrified young women over the town wall so they could flee to the safety of the Serbian front lines in the distance. On their way back to rejoin their Company digging trenches on the other side of town a bullet crazed Elias’ shoulder as a Serbian sniper in an attic window shot at the three of them. Johann Tefner returned fire almost instantly with barely a moment to aim and the sniper fell forward out of the window and plunged down into the street. A shudder passed up and down Johann Tefner’s spine realizing he had just killed another human being. To his horror on approaching the body he saw that it was a woman. He covered his mouth with one hand and could not suppress the rising bile in his throat. Elias and Johann Kaiser stood by while he retched; all the while keeping their eyes peeled for signs of any other snipers along the street. Once Johann recovered they continued on their way maintaining a sense of vigilance until they reached their Company and spent the coming night behind the earthworks in the trenches with the others.

Although the three of them had not discussed it among themselves none of them felt the freedom to share what they had witnessed and been forced to do. Neither Elias nor Johann Kaiser tried to explain to anyone why Johann Tefner seemed distant and strangely unlike himself and hoped that he was learning to deal with what had happened. During the night Elias awoke and looking down the length of the trench he saw Johann on his knees looking up into the night sky with a ray of moonlight shining on his face. Elias could see the tears streaming down his cheeks and heard him quietly pleading, Lord Jesus please forgive me for what I have done…

From that moment on the war had a different meaning for Elias.

Early next morning as more and more recently arrived units of the IV Corps began pouring into Shabatz the attack signal was given all along the trench lines outside the walls of the town. Wave after wave of Austro-Hungarian infantry advanced with one bayonet charge after another while artillery shells screamed overhead on their way to create havoc among the Serbian defenders on the heights ahead and above them. The carnage was beyond belief as the men moved forward. Elias saw young Heinrich Welter drop to his knees beside him and glancing in his direction for only a brief moment saw the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead and then felt a slight stinging pain on his cheek as a bullet whizzed by. He kept on moving forward and fired his rifle at a moving target and watched the man fall and then saw three bodies or parts of bodies take flight far up ahead as an artillery shell burst amid the ranks of the Serbs. Elias gritted his teeth and continued to push forward urging on the others around him.

These were but brief snatches of scenes of that day he would remember because it was as if he had not even been there and had only been observing the battle. When he stumbled over the crumpled dead body of young Johannes Holzapfel reality set in once more and with new determination he led the charge to the next objective as the Serbs abandoned their position and fled to the other side of the ridge and the IV Corps took up their former defensive positions. By then it was nightfall. The charge of the IV Corps had been the first successful major advance of the Austro-Hungarian Army since the invasion had begun from three different directions across the Danube, the Sava and the Drina Rivers two days before by General Potiorek’s three separate armies.

Michael Ehl is badly wounded and no one knows what happened to Andreas Koller who brought him to the field hospital, Johann Kaiser reported to Elias who was trying to determine what had become of the men in his unit.

That means two dead, one wounded and one missing, and it’s just the first day, Elias lamented to his fellow survivors relieved that Johann Tefner was not one of the casualties because he had lost sight of him during the battle and had feared the worst until he had simply appeared out of nowhere along with Johann Kaiser. Who knows how many others were lost in the other units? Elias remarked to the men gathered around him.

I heard that Peter Hartenstern and Konrad Berg from Ecsény are missing, Johann Bitz indicated having been in touch with their unit earlier before finding his own.

Valentin Stark and Philip Muth from Döröschke were brought to the field hospital but both of them died while I was there having my head wound bandaged, Johann Felder added as he adjusted it once more and the others noticed new signs of blood soaking through the bandage.

What have you heard Johann? Elias asked his brother-in-law and best friend unable to give expression to how thankful he was to see that both of them had survived.

I heard God weeping today, Johann Tefner replied unable to say more than that because that was all there was to say about the slaughter in which they had participated. Everyone understood what he meant and many of them offered up a prayer of thanks that they had managed to stay alive.

The next day dawned with renewed calls for elements of the IV Corps to launch a series of bayonet charges all along the line to thwart any attempt on the part of the Serbs to retake Shabatz. They were met with stiff resistance at every turn and were unable to advance. The 44th Infantry Regiment secured the Serbian defensive positions they had taken the previous day with the benefit of artillery support. Although casualties had been lighter on their second day in the front lines, only Heinrich Tippel suffered serious wounds among the men in their unit. Battle fatigue was becoming a decisive factor in the performance of the men and the constant artillery bombardment overhead was beginning to have its effect on their taunt nerves.

An attack has been ordered for tomorrow morning, Captain Imre Nagy informed the seven unit leaders of his Company gathered around him as night began to fall.

From the looks on their grimy faces and their obvious exhaustion he could sense they fairly well represented the state of all the men under his command. Before he was able to issue orders to each unit leader a dispatch runner arrived out of breath. The young corporal saluted the officer and without a word handed him the pouch he was carrying and quickly disappeared. The unit leaders waited while the captain quickly read the communiqué. They could hardly believe it when they saw a relieved look come over his face and he offered a smile before he addressed his waiting men.

The attack will take place tomorrow morning as planned but your units will withdraw during the night and take up positions at the earthworks and trenches outside of the town. It seems that troops from our Regiment stationed in Budapest have finally arrived and are being sent up here to the front to relieve us, Captain Nagy informed them more at ease in having become a bearer of good news after all. From the look he saw on Elias Frischkorn’s face he knew there was no doubt about that at all.

Am I the only one or do any of the rest of you think that the artillery shells we hear are heading this way? Konrad Nethling asked no one in particular as they hunkered down behind the fortified earthen works and barbed wire protecting their new position shortly after the assault by the Austro-Hungarian forces had begun earlier that morning.

Actually, I was thinking the same thing, Johann Bitz replied cautiously.

It’s probably because we’re on the attack and our troops would get in the way of our own gunfire, Elias assured them as he passed by inspecting the positioning of his men along the perimeter of their trenches.

I’m just glad we’re out of whatever’s going on up there, Johann Felder admitted as he adjusted his regimental cap revealing the scab forming on the wound across his forehead.

Let’s just hope they make it this time so we can all go home soon, Johann Tefner replied as he felt Elias’ hand resting on his shoulder for a brief moment as he passed by.

The only offensive tactic known to the Austro-Hungarian High Command was mass attack by onrushing infantry regiments without the support of artillery or cavalry. It was once again being put to the test as bayonet wielding infantrymen rushed in the direction of the Serbian positions all along the frontlines. Sporadic artillery fire on the part of the Serbs was the result of one artillery piece they managed to put into position that created total panic and confusion among the untried Austro-Hungarian troops who fled the field in total disarray. They were reformed into their units by their pistol-waving whistle-blowing Hungarian officers who threatened them with death in order to restore order and then forced them to launch another assault only to be driven back again and again by the determined Serbs. Losses among the Austro-Hungarian troops were appalling while the Serbs suffered minimal casualties and took hundreds of prisoners. By nightfall the two opposing forces were dug in, occupying the same positions they had held before the slaughter had begun that morning when the sound of blaring trumpet blasts announced the beginning of the attack that had just taken place in these bloodstained, corpse-laden vineyards and fields of Serbia.

Units of the Archduke Albrecht 44th Infantry Regiment were redeployed to the front lines under the cover of darkness to back up the demoralized troops who had suffered so much in their baptism under fire. The next day the reinforced Serb forces launched a fierce offensive to retake Shabatz from several different directions in an attempt to drive the Austro-Hungarians out of Serbia. They were unsuccessful in their efforts although they made substantial gains everywhere except for the central front which was held by the IV Corps of the Second Army with the Archduke Albrecht 44th Infantry Regiment in the forefront of the day-long fighting.

As August 18th dawned, General Potiorek believed he finally had the upper hand and launched an unprecedented attack in modern warfare by driving two thousand of the Serbian women who had been rounded up in the town of Shabatz ahead of two Hungarian regiments directly towards the Serbian lines using them as cover against their return fire. The Serbs were forced back, step by step, but were eventually able to stabilize their defensive line and halted the Austro-Hungarians in their tracks. While this fighting took place on the right flank, the central front protecting the town was relatively quiet and provided a breathing spell for the exhausted troops of the IV Corps who had been designated to carry out the planned final offensive ordered by General Potiorek for the next morning that was designed to bring an end to all Serbian resistance.

Count Conrad von Hötzendorf, in his capacity as Chief of Staff of the Army, issued a countermanding order to him on the very same day from his headquarters in Pzremsyl. He had based all of his strategy for the opening phase of the war on what he presumed would be the slow mobilization of the Russian Army. In total panic, he was forced to order his commander on the Serbian front to immediately redirect all of the Second Army to Galicia where the Russians were already pouring across the frontier. Potiorek was not prepared to comply and in a bitter exchange of telegrams the two men fought a bitter war of words of their own with Potiorek taking the initiative in bringing the aged Emperor into the fray. Through Francis Joseph’s intervention, Potiorek managed a minor victory in being given ongoing command of the IV Corps of the Second Army that would be excluded from the mass rerouting of the Second Army to the Galician front most of which was unfortunately still in transit on its way to Serbia. As troop trains bearing units of the various Corps of the Second Army arrived in Klenak, the men detrained and simply crossed the tracks and boarded waiting empty railway cars and proceeded north to Galicia where the Russians were moving swiftly from the east towards the fortress at Lemberg. There was logistical chaos on all sides and the troops involved were totally confused and spent the opening weeks of the war cooped up on a train unaware of their destination and the purpose of it all.

Sharp bugle blasts early on the morning of August 19th signalled the first infantry charge of the IV Corps against the Serbian positions on the Shabatz front seeking to make a breakthrough to the south into the interior of Serbia because the Austro-Hungarian Fifth and Sixth Armies had been fought to a standstill on the other fronts. The Serbs offered a savage defence but were forced to retreat and by nightfall of the day-long battle they had been driven over on to the right bank of the Dobrava River. It had been the decisive day of the struggle that had been taking place on the Serbian front and Potiorek gloried in the considerable headway the IV Corps had made and was not averse to taking credit for it.

Has anyone seen Johann Kaiser? Johann Tefner asked anxiously as he slipped down into the long winding shallow trench facing the Dobrava River as two men quickly made room for him in their rather cramped quarters.

We were together before that last bayonet charge late this afternoon, Konrad Nethling answered while keeping close watch for any activity across the river.

He just seemed to disappear after that, Heinrich Reinhardt indicated sensing that in all likelihood he had been killed but did not want to say it.

Someone said they saw him trying to help Johann Bitz get back on his feet after he was hit and maybe he helped him to one of the field hospitals behind the lines, young Heinrich Lehr commented farther down the line.

That was the first hint that there might be some hope he had survived after all.

I haven’t seen our Johann Stoss either, Johann Tefner replied knowing that he and Heinrich Lehr were the best of friends.

I’m afraid he didn’t make it, Heinrich Lehr replied fighting back tears.

"Here comes your Schwor, maybe he knows something about the Kaiser boy," Andreas Gerth the oldest man in their unit suggested.

Elias was making his way down the line pausing to speak to individual men and passing on orders and information. When he reached the group of men around Johann Tefner he could sense their apprehension. He squatted down among them and first glanced across the river for any indication of possible danger in the growing darkness.

I thought you men should know we lost Johann Bitz and Johann Stoss today. Johann Kaiser managed to get Johann Bitz to the field hospital but it was too late and when he tried to return to our unit he was ordered to join another and I just spoke to his new unit leader who said he wanted us to know he was all right.

"Gott sei dank," Johann Tefner said gratefully and uttered a silent prayer and felt Elias’ hand resting on his shoulder.

We’re simply ordered to hold our position tomorrow. Most of our units took a real beating today but we made important advances. The Serbs will be attacking and I don’t want any of you to take any unnecessary chances. We’ve lost far too many already, Elias sighed and the other men could see the tears well up in his eyes as he spoke.

With that he hunkered down beside Johann Tefner as the group of men huddled together against the wall of the trench. It was going to be a long night. They took turns on sentry duty and slept fitfully. Neither Johann nor Elias slept but talked quietly about their relief that Johann Kaiser had survived another day with them; they shared their inner struggles in facing death on a daily basis and finding what solace they could in the knowledge that they were in this together and could rely upon one another as they had ever since their teenage years.

After all, I promised your father I would look after you two, Elias said smiling and yet also offering a silent prayer that he would be successful in bringing all three of them home safely.

The next day would witness the panic stricken, disorderly headlong flight of both the Fifth and Sixth Armies of the Austro-Hungarians back across the Drina River under the ferocious attacks of advancing revenge-seeking Serbs bombarding them mercilessly with recently acquired artillery pieces and strengthened by thousands of reinforcements and new cavalry units. Only the IV Corps managed to hold new positions after the Serbs forced their way across the Dobrava River and established themselves on the left bank. The IV Corps of the Second Army defending Shabatz were the last Austro-Hungarian forces that still remained on Serbian soil.

The Archduke Albrecht 44th Infantry Regiment was part of the organized retreat from the Dobrava River that began the next morning; their units took up their old positions in the trenches and fortifications below the walls of the town. Fierce fighting would rage for the next three days and all attempts to push the Serbs back were simply abandoned.

On the morning of August 24th the last of the new Serbian siege guns were in place and initiated an artillery bombardment of the Austro-Hungarian positions that had a totally pulverizing effect upon their improvised defences. It continued for hours. When the firing finally ceased, battle tested units of the Serbian army moved forward braced to face the withering fire of the Austro-Hungarian defenders. There was none. The trenches and fortifications had been abandoned during the night and the last detachments of the IV Corps were now crossing the pontoon bridges across the Sava River to sanctuary on the other side.

The invasion was over but the war had only just begun.

A young American newspaper reporter, John Reed, accompanied the victorious Serbian troops into Shabatz and would be the first to inform the Western World of the atrocities that had been committed against the Serbian population in the town and surrounding villages during the occupation and retreat. After investigating, interviewing and detailing the killings, he singled out the Hungarian troops as the perpetrators of these crimes. In a simple sentence, in his press release, he forever coined the term that would be used to describe the character of all of the troops of the Central Powers during the coming conflict. John Reed wrote: The Hungarians reverted to their savage ancestors, the Huns. The Hun soldier, regardless of his nationality, now became the personification of all evil and the enemy of civilization itself. This included the Children of the Danube who wore the uniform of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Army who fought in what would become the Unknown War on the Eastern Front; one of the greatest wars in human history both in scale and slaughter as millions of men suffered, bled and died or were taken into foreign captivity and endured endless privation and brutality.

It would be only a matter of days after the debacle of the Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia that General Potiorek began to plan his next military masterpiece. While he did so he was informed by his superior, Conrad von Hötzendorf, his planning would have to leave out the use of the IV Corps of the Second Army that were now desperately needed for the defence of Lemberg against a massive assault by the Russians streaming across the plains of eastern Galicia. With the approval of the Emperor, Potiorek was relieved of his command of the IV Corps effective on August 30th. The battle worn units of the Archduke Albrecht 44th Infantry Regiment were entrained at Klenak early the next morning unaware of their destination and what now awaited them.

CHAPTER XLV

After a few days the men lost track of time. The constant rolling motion of the slow moving troop train lulled many of them to sleep. Others took turns looking out of the few windows that were available while a group of boisterous men enjoyed a noisy card game off in a far corner. As usual, Johann and Jakob Felder were the ringleaders and by their ingenuity had managed to secure a lantern to shed more light in their otherwise unlit railway car. The bunks were occupied by half of the men during the day and the other half at night. Bedrolls, rifles, greatcoats, helmets, personal effects and extra clothing were stored under the lower bunks. There was a round hole in the floor in a curtained corner that served as an emergency latrine. Few of the men used it preferring to relieve themselves in the bushes alongside the railroad tracks when the train took on coal or water. The highlight of the day was the six hour halt when a field kitchen would be set up and they received their one official meal of the day and they had a chance to stretch their legs and get their bearings. That was not for another few hours.

Like the other two unit leaders in their railway car, Elias Frischkorn kept his eye on things to maintain discipline and tried to keep up the morale of his men. After the final days of fighting in the trenches before the walls of Shabatz only Elias and five men from his unit had made it across the Sava River to safety. Heinrich Tippel and Michael Ehl were somewhere in a military hospital in the Batschka and hopefully were recovering from their wounds and would be going home soon. During the final near suicidal attacks by the Serbs they had lost several more of their comrades: Heinrich Reinhardt, Heinrich Lehr, Andreas Gerth and Konrad Nethling. The Felder brothers, Johann and Jakob, Johann Reinhardt, Johann Kaiser and Johann Tefner along with Elias were all that remained of their former squad. Before entraining at the railway terminus in Klenak all of