Postcard of Kaiser Wilhelm II and Kaiser Franz Joseph, in the Secessionist style. Kaiser Wilhelm is wearing the uniform and shako of the Death's Head Hussars.
Völkerkrieg (people's war)1914; In Treue FestPeople's WarFirm in Loyalty
"The Russians had lost 412 000 in May 1915 alone. Still, General Ivanov vowed to hold every square foot of ground. But the Russian 'Great Retreat' continued unabated. The Germans crossed the Dniester River on 27 June. On 13 July OberOst mounted another major offensive: Hindenburg attacked in Russian Poland from the northwest, Mackensen from the south, and Woyrsch from the west."
The German offensive that began on July 13, 1915 put over ten divisions and 1,000 guns with 400,000 shells on a front of 40 kilometres. The Russian defenders were unprepared. OberOst was 'Oberbefehlshaber der gesamten Deutschen Streitkräfte im Osten'—'Commander in Chief of all German Armed Forces in the East, headed by Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. General August von Mackensen had commanded the Battle of Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive of which the July 13 offensive was an extension.
The First World War: Germany and Austria Hungary 1914-1918 by Holger H. Herwig, page 144, copyright © 1997 Holger H. Herwig, publisher: Arnold, publication date: 1997
1915-07-13, 1915, July,
