Austro-Hungarian soldiers marching through a city, their officers bawling orders. Women and a child watch and talk, possibly shouting to be heard over the marching feet. An original watercolor on blue paper, signed W. Rittermann or Pittermann, December 26, 1915.
signed W. Rittermann or Pittermann, December 26, 1915.
"From 20th May [1916], a series of appeals from Italy reached Stavka, 'each more peremptory in tone than the last'. Joffre, through Laguiche at Stavka; the Italian representative there; the Italian embassy in Petrograd; finally the King of Italy in a personal telegram to the Tsar prevailed on Alexeyev. It seemed that only an immediate Russian offensive could help Italy; and if Italy dropped out of the war, then large numbers of Austrian divisions would be free to take up the battle against Russia."
After five Battles of the Isonzo River along the Italian-Austro-Hungarian border in northeast Italy, battles in which Austria-Hungary stood on the defensive, the Austrians struck in northern Italy from Trentino on May 15, 1916 in the Asiago Offensive, and made great advances that threatened to break through from the mountains to Italy's northern plain, isolating the Italian armies. French Commander in Chief Joffre, preparing an Anglo-French offensive on the Somme River, and desperately battling at Verdun, was not yet ready for an offensive. Alexeyev was Chief of Staff to Commander in Chief of Tsar Nicholas II. Stavka was the Russian general staff. General Brusilov was preparing an offensive, and was both ready and willing to strike sooner rather than later.
The Eastern Front, 1914-1917 by Norman Stone, page 246, copyright © 1975 Norman Stone, publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons, publication date: 1975
1916-05-25, 1916, May, Stavka, Austro-Hungarian army
