The challenges of Researching Events on the Eastern Front

[jluetjen]

As I've been researching my grandfather's unit's activities during WWI, I've found the history of the Eastern Front particularly challenging -- for many reasons, most pertaining to language and political history and geography. I figured I'd share in case any of my observations prove helpful for others. For examples, most place names are referred to in the German and A-H histories and maps using the German/Austrian name (of course!). But on modern maps these same places are listed in either Polish or Russian/Ukrainian. Note that after Poland was moved west after WWII, they renamed some places that they acquired after the places that they lost. Russian maps are notated using the Cyrillic alphabet, which poses its own complexities when trying to translate. Both the Germans and Austrio-Hungarians have records of the battles in the East, but many Russian records were often destroyed by the Communists since they generally saw WWI as an Imperial war not worth remembering. It's taken years of me picking away at it in order to make any sort of progress. For example, looking at the month of October 1915, and a specific engagement listed below in bold underline...

Per the Official unit history: Kuerassier Reg 1, 11 Kavallerie Brigade, 5 Kavallerie Division reported as "Engagements at the Stochod (river)"

From http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/kov ... istory.htm

Brusilov's army paid a high price for its advance. The marshes made for slow going. His troops mounted 18 different attacks through October, but the German commanders, having observed Russian tactics similar to those of Brusilov on the Western front, inflicted huge casualties on the Russians and stalled their offensive. "Russian mass attacks also account for Russian mass losses," said the German General von Linsingen.

From the History of the Leib-K-R Großer Kurfürst (Schles.)Nr.1

In pursuit of the Russians from the Prut Pripet in the summer of 1915, the regiment was fighting many of the enemy tirelessly. In one of such battle, at Schelesnitza in the marsh area southwest of Pinsk on 24 September 1915, 18 Russian squadrons, and two companies of infantry attacked at night, the regiment was in a situation reminiscent of 1758 Battle of Hochkirch. Due to the cool leadership of the regimental adjutant Frhr. Durant, the Major Schmising and the Captain Graf von Thun, the battle was transformed into a success. In the morning the Lieb Kürassiers re-captured the south part of the village lost by an assigned infantry battalion at the night. On the Russian side the battle is described as the "Battle of Jeliesnitza (Sheljesnic)" in thrilling ways by General Krasnow in his book "From Double Eagle to Red Flag" (vol. 2, p. 483-484 and 501)..

The 5th Kavallerie Division stayed in the Pripet Marshes area until the cessation of hostilities with Russia on 17-December, 1917. They were then transferred to the Western front where they served as an infantry division.

By the way, note that the disguised name used in the book -- "Jeliesnitzia" if phonetically very close to the actual name.

A little bit of geographic history From Wikipedia

The Pinsk Marshes (Пинские болота) or Pripyat Marshes (Pripet Marshes, Припятские болота) are a vast territory of wetlands along the Pripyat River and its tributaries from Brest, Belarus (west) to Mogilev (northeast) and Kiev (southeast).

The Pinsk Marshes mostly lie within the Polesian Lowland and occupy most of the southern part of Belarus and the north-west of Ukraine. They cover roughly 38,000 square miles (98,400 km2) surrounding the Pripyat River on both sides. Dense woods are interspersed with numerous swamps, moors, ponds and streams extending 300 miles (480 km) west to east and 140 miles (225 km) north to south. The marshes undergo substantial changes in size during the year, with melting snows in springtime and autumn rainfall causing extensive flooding as the river overflows. Drainage of the eastern portion began in 1870, and significant areas have been cleared for pasture and farmland.

During most of the year, the marshes are virtually impassable to major military forces, thus influencing strategic planning of all military operations in the region. The few roads that traverse the region are narrow and largely unimproved. At the start of World War I the marshes separated the Austro-Hungarian fourth army from the XII corps. This left a wide gap open, and the Russian third army poured in before the Austro-Hungarian second army's transfer from Serbia was complete. The Russians soon captured the valuable railhead at Lemburg, in the far east of then Austro-Hungary (now part of the western Ukraine), as a result. Throughout the following years of the war it remained one of the principal geographic features on the Eastern Front (World War I) (From Wikipedia)

It turns out that Austria-Hungary made a complete and fairly accurate set of maps of much of Europe in 1910, which can be very helpful. Here's an overlay of two of them in Google Earth of the area in question. Can anyone spot "Schelesnitza"?

Zooming in helps a bit...

Just below center you can see a town named "Senchytsi". Zooming in on that spot on the 1910 A-H maps, you can spot the village named "Sinezyczy".

So far we've established that Schelesnitza = Sheljesnic = Jeliesnitza = Sinezyczy = Senchytsi.

More in the next installment...

[jluetjen]

After a lot of searching, I discovered that in many cases on the Eastern Front, the Austro-Hungarians seemed to have better records than the Germans. This is especially true since the German 5 Kavallerie Division was subordinated to the KuK command for much of the 1915 campaigns. An excellent source is "Austria-Hungary's Last War" (available on-line) which has day-by-day reports and many excellent maps. Here's a portion of one from the time-period in question which covers the October Offensive in the area, which helps some, but doesn't clarify much. You can see a couple of cavalry divisions just left of center, but they are not notated. Chances are that one of them is the division I'm looking for.

Offensive in the East, End of August to the End of September 1915

Here's a second which finally provides some needed detail. Just below center you can see the location of the "5 KD" noted.

Positions in East Galicia on 15 October 1915

So now I've located the geographic locations listed in the unit histories, and also confirmed that the unit was actually in that area during the time in question.

[jluetjen]

I was able to find some more detailed maps in a book titled "Der Volkerkrieg" (roughly "The League of War") which included maps and reports from the Eastern Front in 1915. Among them was this detailed map of the section of front that I was interested in:

October 1915 map from Der Volkerkrieg

Here you can see a more detailed view of where the front line was, as well as a new variation for the village name that I was interested in: "Sinczyce"!

So if you're keeping track -- Schelesnitza = Sheljesnic = Jeliesnitza = Sinezyczy = Senchytsi = Sinczyce

Whatever it's called, it's located about 5 km (3 miles) behind Russian lines. So what happened there?

[jluetjen]

From "1914; ein Tagebuch von Eduard Engel"

Army Group of the General von Linsingen. Southwest of Pinsk the village Sinezyezy is taken by storm. The cavalry fighting at Kuchorka-Wola and in the area of ​​Iezierey daneru. From the front between Rasalovka and the railway Kovel-Rowuo, many of the enemy's bristles were turned down and 383 prisoners were brought in.

According to the Regimental History of Leib-K-R Großer Kurfürst (Schles.)Nr.1

In one of such battle, at Schelesnitza in the marsh area southwest of Pinsk on 24 September 1915, 18 Russian squadrons, and two companies of infantry attacked at night, the regiment was in a situation reminiscent of 1758 Battle of Hochkirch. Due to the cool leadership of the regimental adjutant Frhr. Durant, the Major Schmising and the Captain Graf von Thun, the battle was transformed into a success. In the morning the Lieb Kürassiers re-captured the south part of the village lost by an assigned infantry battalion at the night.

Excerpts from the novel "From the Double Eagle to the Red Flag" by General P. N. Krassnoff. Note that the names and date apparently were disguised in the novel, although the romanticized description apparently refers to Krassnoff's experiences during the battle at Sinezyezy.

Lieutenant (Khoroundji) Alexei Ivanovitch Karpoff was wounded in the chest by a machine-gun on the 11th of September 1915, during the battle of Jeliesnitza. He had joined his regiment only a couple of months previously and loved it with that particular feeling that characterizes very pure youths, unacquainted with sexual love.

"Well you see," he said, "it was on the 11th September during the night. The fighting had gone on for two months, but not regular battles. We'd shoot and let them approach to a distance of about fifteen hundred paces, and then we'd retire. But this time orders were given not to retreat. Cartridges were forwarded to us, because we were very short of them. For five days running our division, besides two Cossack regiments and three battalions of infantry, had to repel the attacks of the enemy. Would you believe it, they attacked us three times a day, and twice every night. They'd come up as close as six hundred paces, we'd pelt them with machine guns and rifle fire and they'd retreat. On the 12th September the Commander of the division gave orders that we should take Jeliesnitza. The second brigade, the Cossacks and the Hussars had to form the front line. We, Cossacks started from the front and the hussars went from the right flank.

The battle of of Jeliesnitza had been his first experience of a serious action. The dismounted (Russian) cavalry had encountered the German infantry, which occupied a fortified village. This burning village had been stormed by moon-light across a boggy field intersected by numerous ditches and the Cossacks had remained victorious, capturing German machine guns and prisoners. Young Karpoof had witnessed the retreat of the Germans, had pursued them and, noticed a German soldier lying with a machine-gun, had made a rush at him together with his Cossacks Kushetzoff, Skatchoff, Likhovidoff and Barannikoff, had been wounded and turned a summersault, had nearly come to the ground, continueing his pursuit until he had seen Barannikoff strike the German with his bayonet, while Likhovidoff and Skatchkoff possessed themselves of the machine-gun. Karpoff, spitting blood, had run along the flame-lit road which was clouded with smoke. Cossacks were hurrying to and fro, someone shouted "forward, forward" but at that moment his strength failed him and he dropped on a heap of logs in the middle of the road, staring around with wide-open eyes and unable at times to realize whether he was asleep or the victim of a horrible nightmare.

Two Cossacks passed by with a machine-gun. They noticed Karposs and approached him. "What is amiss with you, Your Honour" asked one.

Karpoff made an effort to reply, but the sound of his voice was choked by a clot of thick, hot blood which stuck in his throat. He tried to pull himself together but fell in the attempt. He did not lose his senses, but it seemed to him as though he was dreaming.

"You are wounded. That's unfortunate. Akimtzeff! Stay here with his Honour, while I fetch a stretcher. Mind the machine-gun, so the other soldiers do not get hold of it. The whole division is coming this way."

Akimtzeff helped Karpoff into a more comfortable position and the later could now see the bright moonlight sky. The rattle of rifle and machine-gun shots wounded a couple of miles off. The battle was still being fought, but for Karpoff it had, to his great surprise, lost all interest.

Some ambulance attendants appeared with stretcher, and carried Karpoff to the ambulance-car. While he was being shoved into the car, he heard a voice inquiring whether it was full. "Chock full," was the rejoinder -- "Go ahead."

A thick pine-wood, silver-lit by the moonshine, faced a small field with a wooden house, in front of which nurses in white head-dresses were moving to and fro. One of these nurses in a black leather-jacket with a red-cross sleeve-band, approached Karpoff wearily and bending over him asked what his name was. Karpoff answered automatically, ashe used to do when quite a child.

"I very nearly captured a machine-gun" said Karpoff breathless with excitement. "If I had not been wounded I should have seized it with my own hands. Unluckily I was hit and I rolled over as if someone had struck me in the ribs. Then I started running and noticed that Barannikoff was already slashing a German and that Likhovidoff and Skatchkoff were dragging the machine-gun. Can you imagine, a German was fastened to a machine-gun by a chain. It's possible that he would have bolted if he could, but he couldn't.

"Barannikoff noticed that I was wounded and cried to me:"Don't bother, Your Honour, I'll finish him off for you" and hit him with his bayonet right through the stomach. I saw it happen. The German collapsed."

Here's an area view of the village from 2003 (it's clearer than the 2017 image). The whole village is maybe 100 buildings.

Senchytsi Today

As far as I can tell, there are no ground level images of the village available, but here is an image from the main road that travels North-South that is visible in the upper right corner of the image, at the intersection with the road that goes through the center of the village. You can just make out some of the houses in the distance. It does give a good idea of the flat marshy terrain of the area around Pinsk, which is why there were no major offenses through the area during 1915 and 1916.

Ground Level view looking west towards Senchytsi

[Latze]

Wow! Great posts. I read them with fascination.