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On the Eastern Front in October, in the fortress of Przemyl the Austro-Hungarian defenders were enjoying a temporary respite after a brutal period of siege and assault from Russian forces. Earlier in the month, troops from the Austro-Hungarian Third Army had forced the Russians to withdraw. But this would only be a brief respite.
By November 10, a second siege would begin following the withdrawal of both German and Austro-Hungarian armies. That winter would be a grim one for the Austro-Hungarians. The fortress would be bombarded ceaselessly and conditions would steadily worsen. Outside the fort, almost a million soldiers would be killed and wounded trying to force a way through the Carpathian mountains to relieve Przemyl many from hideous weather conditions and disease.
Part of Przemyl today.
The last relief effort was in February, and after that failure the commander at Przemyl was told that there would be no help coming. The garrison maintained their resistance until March 22, first destroying anything of value within the city. When there was nothing more they could do, more than 110,000 men surrendered, including nine generals. The loss of Przemyl and the disastrous attempts to save it might have broken the back of the Austro-Hungarian army barely 8 months after the war had begun and it would be more than three years before it ended.
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