The
History of the K.u.k Infanterieregiment Nr.97 “Freiherr von Waldstätten”
The great
common event of the First World War has employed on the military plan the
populations of Trieste, Istria, and Friuli,
mainly on the eastern front: a high tribute of blood and indescribable
sufferings, have been the price of a relationship of solidarity and friendship
which came up between the soldiers of the two opposite armies, Austro-Hungarian
and the Tzarist, on the Galician
fields, on the Carpatian ridges and on the huge Russian steppes.
In August 1914, many Triestinians,
istrians and friulani of Italian
and Slavic nationality found themselves not intentionally involved in an
unexpected war. Organized in several regiments of the 3rd Army Corps
(K.u.K. I.R. 97
, 47, 27, 7 etc.) making part of the 2nd
Army under the command of Gen.
Böhm-Ermoli, they were sent, after a short period of operations in Serbia, in
the desolated Galician plains in order to contain the Tzarist armies, that
smashed in several positions the battle front in direction of Lemberg, and
threatened to go around the entire Austro-Hungarian military alignment. On the
26th of October of that year the 97th Infantry Regiment
and the other above cited regiments engaged their first battle, But, as it is
remembered in the memorial of Major General Arthur Brosch in the 1950’s, this
was the beginning of the long trouble in which the 97th IR got
through: " Launched in an unfortunate situation the regiment
like all the other soldiers of the 3rd Army Corps went to the attack like on a drill ground, and has been very soon
arrested on all the line. In the late afternoon of this most unfortunate day the
commander of the regiment had a complete collapse of nerves and had to be taken
away from the front. At the first twilights with the beginning of the night in
several sectors panic and fear made the Regiment withdrew like others did... the
Regiment has been re-united at east of Lemberg and on the 29th of
August 1914 it has been brought to the attack, this was the day on which begun
the first serious disciplinary infractions, that were immediately punished at
the place ".
The disgregation of the Austrian army will happen with
the military and political decay of Austria after the first three years of war:
on the 23rd of May 1918,
sure of being next to the end of the war, the Italian and Slovenian soldiers of
97th Infantry Regiment rebelled in the barracks of Radkesberg (then
in Stiria, today in Slovenia with the name of Gornja Radgona) with the
acclamation " Viva l’Italia! " and " Viva la Slavia"; this
rebels will be silenced in the blood: two Italians and six Slovenians will be
shot before the Emperor stops all the death sentences made by the court martials.
The memorial of Major General Brosch reveals the dimension of the denigration of
the 97th Regiment among
the Austro-Hungarian Army Commanders which
culminates with the public insult of the Commander of the Army Corps, Count
Pflanzer-Baltin, towards the whole Regiment and its General Staff. It will be
just Brosch that together with other Officers will be able to get at the Court
of Kaiser Franz Josef I, to ask for help and to let the Count Pflanzer-Baltin
take back the words he said.
The district of recruitment of the
97th Infantry Regiment
" Freiherr von Waldstätten " was the city of Trieste with its
territory and Istria. At the same
time this was also the complementary main district for the K.u.k Kriegsmarine
which of course obtained the best human material from all the enlisted people.
All the rest of people were assigned to
the Artillery; the technical troops, the Cavalry etc. as well as
to the 20th Jager Battalion, which also had its complementary
district there. What remained was recruited in the 97th
Regiment. These soldiers were for the bigger part Italian speaking people
and Slovenian speaking people of
the Carso, and like all the inhabitants of southern semi-mediterranean countries
endowed with very few military qualities, difficultly to disciplinate and
devoted to the nice “make nothing”. In order to obtain from these good
soldiers a strong iron fist was necessary, only this could transform them in
magnificent soldiers, not inferior to some other Regiments. From 1890 to the
beginning of the new century the Regiment was of garrison in Pola and in those
years its commander was Colonel
Gerba, a Croatian of the old military territory
(Croatia/Bosnia). In 1899 the Regiment was transferred to Trieste. The Commander
of the Regiment became Colonel Bernath von Bosutpolje, a strong Croatian that
behaved in a draconian way and sometimes in a brutal way with Officers and
soldiers. In the same period Konrad von Hötzendorf was a Major General (later
on Feldmarschall). Konrad got the special protection of his Imperial Highness
the Hereditary Archduke and has been promoted to Brigadier General. He followed
von Bosutpolje in the command of
the 97th IR until he was
replaced by Staff Officer Colonel
Wagner who left his command, in 1906, to Colonel Count Stürgh. It was a person
who was very far away from the troop and so sight weak that he had to use very
strong lenses. He was neglected in dressing and disordered in saluting. In
addition to this he also had a very delicate personality and everytime he had to
punish asoldier he felt morally very bad As
a result of that the discipline of the Regiment unfortunately declined . For the
drill and the public order the Regiment remained still Trieste. At the Command
of the Triestinian Regiment came in 1910
Colonel Thaler who only remained for a year when he retired. He was
substituted by Colonel Baron Knopp
von Kirchwald who conducted the Regiment in
the War. The mobilisation went on without any trouble: the reservists presented
themselves punctually, there were no deserters, everybody was enthusiastic. On
the 11th of August 1914
the 97th Infantry
Regiment left Trieste by train and reached Zydaczow making part of the 3rd
Army Corps, and here it remained until the 19th
of August, and later on, after a long but fast march, it engaged its
first battle at Lemberg on the 26th of August 1914. The day after in
Gliniany, a town on the main road to Lemberg, the worst of the things happened.
Sanitary Units, Artilleries and columns of ammunition porters retreating and
vehicles of Officers driving in the opposite direction
in order to find their troops, created a traffic jam that was impossible
to resolve. Everybody wanted to maintain the discipline with the guns in hand,
everybody screamed louder than the other provoking therefore more confusion.
Skidded troops of all the Regiments and among them many of the 97th
Regiment that tried to retreat, regimental bands that threw their large trumpets
and drums in street pits: this was the picture of a lost battle. The 97th
Infantry Regiment was re-united at east of Lemberg and on the 29th of
August 1914 it has been brought to the attack, this was the day on which begun
the first serious disciplinary infractions, that were immediately punished at
the place ". That time Major Giraldi
let shoot one of the deserters in
front of the whole
Battalion. Lieutenant Krainovich murdered personally two or three men,
while executions occurred here and there. When the soldiers realized how serious
the situation was, and recovered from the choc of their first battle in
Gliniany, their sense of duty returned, and discipline and order was
restored, the Regiment could draw up his men again. But all of a sudden the 97th
Regiment became the scapegoat of the defeat: many Officers of the General staff
pressed to let the Regiment being split up. The Regiment was really without any
guide, every moment changed the Commanders. In the second battle of Lemberg (Grodek)
the Regiment drew up the whole of its men, and had many serious losses. In the
two battles of Lemberg the Regiment lost: 1 Commander of Battalion, died -- 8
Officers, died - 5 Officers seriously wounded – more than 70 NCO’s dead and
wounded - approximately 1000 men died or were wounded. Despite of this the
critics against the Regiment did not finish, indeed they were still strengthened
more. During the retreat towards
the Carpati a sudden order of the 3rd
Army Corps said to put together all the P.U.(Politisch Unverlässlich-
politically suspicious) and to transfer them to the inner lines. When the
Regiment moved to Bielanka at south-east of Neusandec, every Company
was taken away of several, mainly Italian, men. These approximately 400
men at the command of Lieutenant Keilwerth were transferred to
the inner frontline and employed here for the construction of the
bridgehead to Krems on the Danube for later on being transported to their depot
(Kader); at New Year's Day they reached their Regiment again. Certainly this was
not a clever move to increase the combative spirit and the troops’ morale. In
the end of September a new Commander of Regiment, Colonel Adamovich from Pola ,
took his duty. On the 4th of October continued the advance towards
Przemysl to save it from the Tcarist besiege. Later on with the retreat towards
the Carpazi the Regiment accomplished to all its duties. To the end of November
another the Commander of Regiment was replaced again. His name was Colonel Gheri,
he was not new to the Regiment, as in time of peace he was a Staff Officer for
special duties in the Regiment. He was a courageous tirolean
and he guided the Regiment for 15 months. The Regiment was in position on
the Carpazi near Zdynia at the extreme left wing of the 3rd Army. On
the 27th of January followed an attack of the Russians in the deep
forests of that region in which a Lieutenant of Czech nationality passed with
its squad to the Russians. The situation was very critic when a
counter-offensive of the 47th Infantry Regiment with sections of the
97Th Infantry Regiment
restored the situation but had 200 soldiers captured by the Russians,
this event did start again the slander critics against the 97th
Regiment. A secret order from the
head of the 28th Infantry
Division said that if this should have happened again they would have placed machine guns behind the Regiment in
order to eventually shoot deserters. In
the night between the 9th and the 8th of February 1915,
next to the 22nd Jager
Division in the region of Kiskurima
the Russians broke through and Major Giraldi even if the snow was high and the
fight conditions not very good led his Battalion to the counter-offensive and
succeeded having only a hundred man captured but re-establishing
the situation. Despite of this magnificent result nothing changed.
The opinion of the General Staff about the 97th Regiment was
always the same, the consideration for the Regiment and its Officer Staff was
always very low. At the left wing of the 97th IR the front folded
vertically towards north and it was connected ready with the next Army. After the breking of the front at Gorlice the Regiment takes
part at all the events in which the 3rd Army has been involved to and
receives from the 36th Infantry Regiment (which was of Czech
nationality) 200 men and some young Officers. This Regiment has been split up
for punishment at south of Przemysl. This Regiment had the same colour of the
collar tabs of the 97th Regiment, they were only distinguished by the
color of their uniform buttons which were golden instead of silver as those of
the 97th. In the end of August/September 1915 while the 3rd
Army Corps was transferred to the southern front against the Italian armed
forces, the 97th Infantry Regiment was kept in his position on the
northern front against the Russians. In November 1915 several Russians deserted
and joined the Austro-Hungarian lines but the same happened the other way round,
about 30 deserters were count in this period, among them there was even an
Officer. Obviously all these “losses” had to be let known to the Army’s
general Command in Kolomea; immediately and soon it was said that the 97th
IR is a Regiment of deserters. Of course it never has been possible to certify
if these men were really deserters or simply were captured by the enemy. In the
night between the 31st of December 1915 and the 1st of
January 1916 the whole Regiment has been removed from its positions and
transferred to Zalezyki as reserve because, as it was said on a telephonic order
of the 4th of January, it had to pass the review of the Commander of
the Army His Excellence General of the Cavalry von Pflanzer-Baltin at the
eastern city gate of Zalezyki. Commander von Pflanzer-Baltin arrived with the
Commander of the Division and Colonel Gheri presented himself and his Regiment
to these high Generals. The first question of the Commander of the Army was: “
How many deserters do You have in Your Regiment Colonel Gheri?”, Gheri
answered: “I can’t tell exactly, I do not know. Your Excellence.”
Pflanzer-Baltin began to review the Regiment and gave a look to all those
soldiers as he says to Gheri: “Colonel Gheri!, would you come here please? Do
you really think this is a Regiment?…this is a bunch of dirty pigs!!” he
continued his review and continued: “Look at these men!… it’s scandalous!!”.
He went on saying other horrible things to these poor people that fought for
months in trenches and dirt when he finished his review and ordered to all the
Officers Staff to assembly in a semi-circle in the middle of the Regiment and
said the following words: “I cannot accept this presentation of the Regiment
given me by these Officers until it is not better presented. I will refrain you
from deserting. If I will be told again of deserters in this Regiment I will
split it up and integrate its parts among my Hungarian Regiments so that the
Hungarians can kill You!… In the next days I will let You know my disciplinary
punishment”. Swears and rude words followed. He turned towards the Commander
of Division and then turned back to Colonel Gheri and said: “ I should spit on
an Officers Staff like Yours!! What a shame! …to hell!” As a matter of fact
after that he spit. After this review Colonel Gheri acted in the most wise way
and replaced himself with the oldest in service of the Battalion Commanders,
Major Giraldi. Gheri reached the nearest Infirmary and disappeared for a while
in order to ricover from this chock. Two days later arrived the telegram of the
30th Infantry Division with the punishment disposals of
Pflanzer-Baltin: 1) All holiday permits either for Officers or for soldiers are
suspended until new order. 2) No Officer or soldier can be promoted to the next
rank or for medals. More orders would have been communicated as soon as possible.
The day after Major Giraldi called all the Officers Staff in a secret council in
order to prepare a protest message to be sent to the Army’s High Command, even
if this was prohibited by military law. Major Giraldi said:” You all know,
Sirs, what happened. As temporary Commander of the Regiment I want to prepare
with You a protest message, we must do it for all our fallen comrades, for their
honour and our honour. Are you with me?” Of course everybody was. Major
Giraldi asked everybody to keep this secret and to always deny if it comes out
that there was a secret council. He asked all the Officers to pretend that they
came spontaneously to their Regiment Commander to present their disappointment
for the outrageous things which were said about the Officers Staff. The duty to
prepare the message was given to Captain August Renelt, a strong and valorous
Officer. He prepared the message in a so perfect diplomatic and military way
that no military judge could ever find any politically un correct word.
On the 8th of January there was another secret council, in which the
message was read to all the Officers and in which it was decided that it would
have been delivered personally by Major Giraldi directly to the Commander of
Division. When, on the 10th of January, the Division Commander got
the letter from the hands of Major Giraldi, he called immediately an Officers
Council and presented the protest very heavily suggesting to think about what
could happen if this would be of public domain. It is known that von
Pflanzer-Baltin has been informed about this protest message and blame about him
and that all his General’s Staff laughed about him. On the 19th of
the same month the 97th Regiment was alarmed at 4 a.m. and put on
march towards Sniatyn in the battles of Toporoutz and Rarancze. In the end of
January a new Regiment Commader took his duty, he arrived with some instructions
of the Army Commander. In the first days of February the Regiment was removed
from its positions and transferred to Sadagora near Czernowitz for disciplinary
reasons. The daily activity was based on drill in the morning from 8 a.m. to 11
a.m. and the same thing in the afternoon from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. During all
these drill hours the whole Officers Staff and the Regiment’s Commander had to
be present, independently of the weather conditions. Finally at the end of
February arrived a telephonic order in which was said that the Regiment had to
be presented in the city of Czernowitz for the 26th or 27th
at 11 a.m. When His Excellence von Pflanzer-Baltin arrived all the Officers
presented themselves in a semicircle. Von Pflanzer Baltin arrived there only
with a Major of his Officers Staff and Warrant Officer. He spoke to the Regiment
with the following words: ”A really outrageous thing has happened in the whole
world’s history. You dared to send a protest to Your highest Commander. I will
read now the decision of the Commander of the Army”…a lot of diplomatic and
un comprehensive words followed which were far away from the main topic which
was the honour and valour of the men and the Officers of the 97th
Infantry Regiment. When he ended his speech he only said:” I will accept the
presentation of the Officers and their staff”. Every single Officer, junior
Officer and even cadets presented to personally to the Commander of the Army His
Excellence General of the Cavalry von Pflanzer-Baltin. He shacked hands and
complimented with everyone of them, only who knows von Pflanzer-Baltin, a person
that did not even shake hands with Generals, knows what it meant for this man to
have to shake his hands even to a junior Officer or a cadet and make his
compliments. All the disciplinary disposals have been revoked on the same day.
The situation on the eastern front remained calm from Brest-Litowsk to the
Rumanian border and for weeks not a single bullet was shot until the
Austro-Hungarian attack of Brussilow in June 1916. During this period in April
1916 the Regiment was transferred to Buczacz for a review of the Commander of
the 3rd Army. The Regiment received the highest honours from the
Commander who saluted personally every single Company and at the end of the
review he called together all the Officers Staff and made his compliments to
each Officer. This nice but tragic episode shows how hypocritic the General
Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was and how strong can be a word of the
Army’s High Command. Later on Major Giraldi has been promoted to Lieutenant
Colonel and in October 1917, chosen among several Lieutenant Colonels and
Colonels, nominated to Commander of the 97th Infantry Regiment. He
guided his Regiment until his sad and cruel end, as a matter of fact when on the
13th of March 1918 after a short fight against the Bolsheviks in
Radjelnaja it entered in Odessa, it already had a good and respected reputation
amongst all the other Commands and Regiments.