Austro-Hungarian soldier in a trench reinforced with fascines on the Eastern Front, 1915...WORLD WAR l

Austro-Hungarian soldier in a trench reinforced with fascines on the Eastern Front, 1915...WORLD WAR l

Today 108 years ago, on August 26, 1915, the Austro-Hungarian Army launched their Black-Yellow Offensive (Referring to the colours of Austria), also known as 'Herbstsau' (Autumn swinery).

Following the successful Austro-German Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive in May 1915, the Germans continued pushing back the Russians on the northern sector of the Eastern Front throughout the summer. 

Austro-Hungarian Chief-of-Staff von Hötzendorf feared the Germans were gaining too much influence and wanted to demonstrate that Austria-Hungary was their equal or, favourably, superior.

He planned a grand offensive to recapture the last bit of Austro-Hungarian territory held by the Russians in Galicia. The A-H 1st Army would attack in the north towards Lutsk and Rovno, while the 2nd Army would attack further south, and together they would form a pincer movement and encircle the Russian 8th Army.

In support of the 1st Army was also the 4th Army just north, and the German South Army would also support the A-H 2nd Army in the south.

Although the Austro-Germans had a huge advantage in troops, the terrain the troops were to attack in was swampy with poor roads. This was especially a concern for the Germans, but they reasoned any minimal success would boost the A-H morale and therefore allowed their South Army to participate.

On August 26, 1915, the A-H 1st Army attacked in Galicia and achieved great success, advancing 25 km in 2 days and capturing the city of Lutsk on August 29.

In the south, the A-H 2nd Army and German South Army had difficulty advancing through the Zolota Lypa valley and suffered heavy losses, but progressed nevertheless. By September 2, the Austro-Germans had advanced up to 100 km in some places, but problems began to show.

Rain had turned the battlefield into a quagmire, the A-H's logistics were poor, their soldiers were exhausted, having suffered high losses, and Russian counter-attacks led to further setbacks. Many A-H troops began deserting, especially Czechs and Ukrainians.

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Yet the Austro-Hungarians kept attacking, suffering heavy casualties and achieving minimal gains.

The A-H 4th Army also participated alongside the 1st Army in the north in an attempt to advance and capture Rovno, but with a lack of heavy artillery  the attack was doomed to fail through the swampy terrain.

On September 7, the Russians initiated a large counter-offensive between the A-H 1st and 2nd Armies in order to split them.

The Russians advanced and threatened to collapse the Austro-German lines, but determined German resistance halted them.

The A-H lines were spread out dangerously thin, and the A-H were forced to withdraw troops from the Serbian Front intended for an upcoming invasion.

The Germans agreed to fill in for the missing A-H on the Serbian Front on the condition that the A-H abandon their offensive in Galicia.

Following some more desperate and futile attacks in the north, the Austro-Hungarians agreed and called off the offensive on September 18, withdrawing to better defensive lines. In addition, the Russians recaptured Lutsk on September 23.

In the Black-Yellow Offensive, the Austro-Hungarians had suffered a staggering 231,000 casualties, of whom 100,000 were prisoners.

The offensive was poorly planned and disastrously executed, and the Austro-Hungarian staff and soldiers nicknamed it "Herbstsau", roughly translating to "Autumn swinery/blunder".

The Austro-Hungarians had achieved pretty much the opposite of their objective, as the offensive only made the Austro-Hungarians more dependant on the Germans, who more than ever doubted the abilities of their ally.

Additionally, the Austro-Hungarian 2nd and 4th Armies were now put under German command in the Army Group Linsingen.

An Austro-Hungarian Staff officer wrote of the offensive: "This entire operation belongs among the most shameful in the records of what we have been able to accomplish in leadership."