Postcard for travel to Brno for the Slet, a Sokol gymnastics festival on June 27, 28, and 29, 1914. By E. Kouby.
Zájezd Č.O.S do Brna, Ve Dnech 27. 28. a 29. Cervna 1914Č.O.S trip to Brno on June 27, 28, and 29, 1914Reverse:Dopisnice ve prospĕch sletu sokolstva v BrnĕOchranná známkaDie original E. Kouby, BrnoVydává J. Procháska, Brno, Rudolfova ul. 9Postcard for Sokol slet [gymnastics festival] in BrnoTrademarkDie Original E. Kouba, Brno Published by J. Prochaska, 9 Rudolph Street, Brno
"After that Švejk began to talk of the famous orders which had been read out to them before they got into the train. One was the army order, signed by Franz Joseph, and another came from Archduke Joseph Ferdinand, the Supreme Commander of the Eastern Army and Group. Both concerned the events on the Dukla Pass on 3 April 1915, when two battalions of the 28th regiment including their officers went over to the Russians to the strains of their regimental band."
The Good Soldier Švejk (or Schweik) is the hero of Jaroslav Hašek's novel of the same name. Both Švejk and Hašek are Czech, as are the two battalions that deserted to the Russians in the battles of the Carpathian Mountain passes. Švejk and his Czech regiment were on a train in Galicia heading off to fight the Russians. The Army Order of April 17, 1915 from Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph that Švejk extemporizes upon read, 'With a heart overflowing with grief it is my command that the Imperial and Royal Infantry Regiment no. 28 be struck off the roll of my army for cowardice and treason. The regimental standard is to be withdrawn from the dishonoured regiment and handed over to the War Museum. This day marks the end of the existence of a regiment which was morally poisoned by the atmosphere at home and went into the field to commit treason.'
The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek, page 450, copyright © Cecil Parrott, 1973 (translation), publisher: Penguin
1915-04-03, 1915-04-17, 1915, April, Švejk, Schweik, Hašek, Hasek, Czech, Sokol, 1914-06-27
