Austria-Hungary Goes to War
Even though an Austrian ultimatum ostensibly started the war, once the fighting started military events semed to have a way of fading to unimportance whenever Austro-Hungarian forces were involved. Or such at least is the impression one has when viewed from the vantage point of the Western Front. But the war experience for soldiers, willing and unwilling, of the vast multi-ethnic empire of the Hapsburgs was no doubt just as dangerous, miserable and tediously boring as that of their Western Front enemies and comrades-in-arms.
When using French, British and Belgian source material, it is somewhat difficult to find photos and illustrations of the Austro-Hungarian front. German publications, as brothers-in-arms were more forthcoming. And though Austria-Hungary did not hold any part of the Western Front trench line as an integral fighting force, it did send detachments to France and Belgium which participated mainly in siege operations with heavy Skoda artillery pieces.
The following collections contain a number of photographs from the early days of the war. Demonstrations of support for the war were not limited to Paris, London and Berlin. In Vienna and Budapest crowds also eagerly or anxiously awaited news of the developing situation and took sorrowful leave of loved ones as trains full of recruits left the train stations heading off towards the front.
To Illustrations and Photographs
