Siege of Przemyśl

Siege of Przemyśl Part of the Eastern Front during World War I The fortress in 1915 Date 24 September 1914 – 22 March 1915 Location Przemyśl, present day Poland Result Russian victory Belligerents Russian Empire Austria-Hungary Commanders and leaders Radko Dimitriev Andrei N. Selivanov Hermann Kusmanek Strength 300,000 Przemyśl Garrison (126,000) Casualties and losses 115,000 total casualties (40,000 casualties were sustained in the first few days of the siege) at least 16,000 dead, the remaining 110,000 surrendered

The Siege of Przemyśl was one of the greatest sieges of the First World War, and a crushing defeat for Austria-Hungary. The investment of Przemyśl began on September 24, 1914 and was briefly suspended on October 11 due to an Austro-Hungarian offensive. The siege resumed again on November 9 and the Austro-Hungarian garrison surrendered on March 22, 1915 after holding out for a total of 133 days.

Background

Przemysl and surrounding forts

During the Russian offensive from Galicia into Lemberg in 1914, General Nikolai Ivanov overwhelmed the Austro-Hungarian forces under Conrad von Hötzendorf during the Battle of Galicia, and the whole Austrian front fell back over 100 miles (160 km) to the Carpathian Mountains. The fortress at Przemyśl was the only Austrian post that held out and by September 28 was completely behind Russian lines. The Russians were now in a position to threaten the German industrial region of Silesia, making the defense of Przemyśl of importance to the Austro-Hungarians as well as the Germans.

First siege

On September 24, General Radko Dimitriev, commander of the Russian Third Army began the siege of the fortress. Dimitriev was without sufficient siege artillery when he began the investment and instead of waiting for the Russian high command to send him the artillery pieces, Dimitriev ordered a full scale assault on the fortress before an Austrian relief force could be sent. For three days the Russians attacked and accomplished nothing at the cost of 40,000 casualties. While this was under way General Paul von Hindenburg launched an offensive against Warsaw in the north. In conjunction with the German attack on Warsaw, General Svetozar Boroevic von Bojna led a relief force towards Przemyśl. On October 11 Dimitriev lifted the siege and withdrew across the San River. von Hötzendorf had hopes that a combined assault from Boroevic's army and the Przemyśl garrison would inflict a severe blow on the Russians.

Second siege

By October 31, Hindenburg had been defeated at the Battle of the Vistula River and withdrew from his assault on Warsaw. This caused Boroevic to pull back from the San River line, and abandon von Hötzendorf d's proposed offensive against Russia. On November 9 the Russians resumed the siege of Przemyśl. Radko Dimitriev's force was withdrawn from the Przemyśl sector and moved north. The Russian Eleventh Army under General Andrei Nikolaevich Selivanov took up the siege operations. Selivanov did not order any frontal assaults as Dimitriev had, and instead settled to starve the garrison into submission. In February, 1915 Boroevic led another relief effort towards Przemyśl.

By the end of February all relief efforts had been defeated and von Hötzendorf informed Hermann Kusmanek von Burgneustädten that no further efforts would be made. Selivanov was given sufficient artillery to reduce the fortress. The Russians overran the northern defenses on March 13. An improvised line of defense held up the Russian attacks long enough for Kusmanek to destroy anything left in the city that could be of use to the Russians once captured. On March 19 Kusmanek ordered an attempt to break out but his sallies were repulsed and he was forced to retreat back into the city. With nothing useful left within the city, Kusmanek had no choice but to surrender. On March 22 the remaining garrison of 110,000 surrendered to the Russians.

Mail communications

The world's first airmail flights from Przemyśl during both sieges when airmail postcards, mostly military mail, were flown from the besieged city on twenty seven flights. Following a forced landing, mail from one flight was confiscated by the Russians and sent to Petrograd for postal censorship and onward transmission. Balloon mail, on manned but mainly unmanned paper balloons, was also carried out of the city. Pigeon mail was also used to send messages out of the city.

Results

Statue commemorating the siege of Przemyśl in Budapest, Hungary

The fall of Przemyśl led many to believe that Russia would now launch a major offensive into Hungary. This anticipated offensive never came, but the loss of Przemyśl was a serious blow to Austro-Hungarian morale. A further blow to Austria-Hungary was the fact that Przemyśl was only supposed to be garrisoned by 50,000, yet over 110,000 Austrians surrendered with the fortress, a much more significant loss. The Russians held Przemyśl until the summer of 1915 when an Austro-Hungarian and German offensive pushed back the Russian front in Galicia.

References and sources

Notes

Sources

• Tucker, Spencer The Great War: 1914-18 (1998)

External links

• The Siege of Przemysl - A Sketch from a British War-Correspondant