The Czechoslovak Review/Volume 1/Praise from Brusiloff

PRAISE FROM BRUSILOFF

 

A somewhat belated testimonial of the bravery of our boys in Russia has recently reached this country. It will be remembered that in the brief Russian offensive, undertaken in July of this year by General Brusiloff in Galicia, the first Czechoslovak Brigade, the original unit of the Czechoslovak army in Russia, distinguished itself near Tarnopol and that a few weeks later this brigade covered for two weeks the disorderly retreat of the Russians.

Brusiloff, in an interview given on the day before he was deprived of the chief command, had this to say about the Russian rout and about the deeds of the Czechs and Slovaks:

“I was prepared for the catastrophe: it could not be otherwise. It is the necessary, logical outcome of the systematic undermining of the army which has gone on during the last five months. Whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall reap. In a few days the enemy captured, or rather leisurely occupied all that large area which I took away from the Germans a year ago at a great cost by employing my splendid army of half a million. If a mere particle of blame attached to me personally, I would blow off my head this minute. But my conscience is clear. I did all in my power and shall continue to labor for the salvation and restoration of the army. But a disease attacks suddenly and is expelled very gradually. Just one order, No. 1 (referring to Kerensky’s famous order abolishing death penalty at the front) sufficed to transform an army of many millions into a mob. To effect a cure, to transform camp orators into fighters will take many months. If I am given full power, if they will let me introduce iron discipline, we will smash the Germans in spring. The civilians bragged: ‘Now we have an army that has no equal, a free army.’ Oh yes, there is no other army like it; we got ahead of them all. The army was not only dragged into politics, but it was made a partisan army. And you have seen the consequences. Regiments, divisions, whole army corps, ran away for thirty-five versts, when they saw three German companies. There were a few noble exceptions—cavalry, artillery, storming troops and the Czechoslovak Brigade.

“These Czechoslovaks, shamefully abandoned by our infantry at Tarnopol, fought so that we should all fall on our knees before them. One brigade held up several divisions. The best men of the Bohemian nation fell there. Teachers, lawyers, engineers, authors, public men, fought and died there. The wounded begged their comrades to kill them so that they might not fall into the hands of the Germans, who are known to torture helpless Czechoslovaks who get into their hands alive.”

Russia needs generals like Brusiloff and fighters like the Czechoslovaks, if she is to work out her own salvation. Brusiloff will be heard from again, and so will the Czechoslovaks, former Austrian conscripts, now eager fighters in the cause of freedom and real democracy. Two full divisions of them are now under arms in Russia, and patriotic Russians know that they they count on them.