The Russian Military near Cracow during the First World War

Abstract

The article is devoted to the presence of Russian troops in November and December 1914 in villages and towns near Cracow. Autumn 1914 is remembered as the month of the biggest success of the Russian army that took place at the eastern front during World War I. One of the purposes of the Russians was to take control of Cracow, which was then a very strong fortress. The capture of the city opened the way towards Silesia and Vienna — the capital of Austria-Hungary. These actions did not bring about any effect, and in the winter of 1914 the Russian army was repelled from Cracow. The short stay of the Russians in November and December 1914 in villages and towns near Cracow was permanently etched on the memory of their inhabitants. Tsar’s soldiers, commonly referred to by them as “Muscovites” or “mongrels”, were seen as the enemy. There is no doubt that some frontline soldiers and Cossacks, performing reconnaissance functions committed destruction, theft, rape or murder in the occupied villages and towns. However, there were also those among soldiers and officers whose behavior was noble towards the local population. Many officers in the the Russian army were Poles who displayed dignity under war conditions. Well-educated tsarist commanders belonging to the nobility or aristocracy behaved similarly. The presentation of both bad and good demeanors will allow to refute the existing stereotypes regarding the behavior of Russian soldiers stationed in villages and towns near Cracow in 1914.