Hello from northern Italy

[Felix Echt von Eleda]

Good morning Gentlemans, 

thanks for admitting me in this wonderful forum, I'm a "paper loving" collector. Since I entered the world of military collecting, almost 10 years ago, paper had a fatal attraction on me; I started from letters and photographs and now I mainly collect KuK album, paintings and diaries from Italian front, even more specifically from South Tyrol, the place where I live. 

 

Today I'd like to show you my last addition of 2022: this is the diary of Josef Sterger, a young Fänhrich from Marburg (Slovenia). Enlisted in September 1915, he probably died on June 28, 1916, in Igls (near Innsbruck), where he had been hospitalized following the injuries sustained on the Asiago plateau.

He was first drafted in IR 47, with wich he trained for weeks; suddenly, just before he left for the front, he was assigned to BH2 (quoting his words "with great surprise and delight") one of the most battle-hardened Austro-Hunagrian regiments of the great war.

He always fought on the Italian Front: first on the Karst, Gorizia, mount St. Gabriel and Isonzo. In April 1916 he was assigned in South Tyrol, where he trained for the spring offensive. From may to June 1916 he he fought valiantly against the Italians (he wrote a lot about Italian prisoners, captured war material, trenches, assaults and defenses etc.).

On 7 June 1916 he was one of the conquerors of Melette (1824 meters above sea level).

 

Emilio Lussu (1890-1975) was there when Bosnian infantrymen attacked his trenches, he later wrote:

 

Suddenly one of our machine guns opened fire. I wash to see, the Austrians were attacking. Those who witnessed the events of that day will, I believe, see them on their deathbed. As our machine gun fired, the bombardment ceased. The enemy had attacked the instant the artillery stopped firing. The Austrians attacked en masse, in closed order, in side by side battalions... they advanced singing a war hymn, of which we could only hear the resonance of the incomprehensible choir.
"Hurrah!"
and the chorus resumed.
...
The line opened fire, of our two machine guns only one fired, the other had been destroyed by a grenade.
...
The enemy battalions advanced slowly, hampered by stones and brushwood. Our machine gun fired furiously, without stopping. We used to see entire departments fall mowed down. The comrades moved, so as not to pass over the fallen. The battalions recomposed and the singing resumed. The tide moved in.

The Austrians were now only fifty yards away. - To the bayonet! cried the major. –Savoy! yelled the wards, rushing forward. Of what happened in that clash, I have never kept a clear memory. The smell of that cognac had me dizzy. But I distinctly saw that, in front of us, on the left, from the Austrian formations, a group of three men detached themselves with a machine

gun and took up positions behind a rock. The tac-tac of the Schwarzlose followed that rapid movement. The beam of fire hissed around us.

I got up and resumed running, forward. The clash between ours and the Austrians had already taken place. Confusedly mixed up, both stopped. The Austrian departments withdrew, at a pace, their rifles slung, as they had advanced. Unforeseen resistance had thrown them into disarray. Our men, held back by the officers, flat on the ground, opened fire from behind. I only saw someone fall. The units, side by side, soon disappeared behind the crests. The wind kept blowing and throwing waves of cognac at us...

 

"Un anno sull'altipiano", 1938, Emilio Lussu. 

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During the war Josef Sterger was promoted Leutnant and awarded withe the Silver Bravery Medal of first class ("Ranglisten des Kaiserlichen und Königlichen Heeres 1918", page number 884).

The diary is written entirely in German, except for a short poetry, written in Bosnian dialect, regarding the defense of Mount San Michele against the Italians.

 

Thank you for reading my report up to this point.

Best Regards 

Leo. V. 

 

 

 

 

 

the poetry written in Dialect.

[Felix Echt von Eleda]

In the first pages of the diary Josef wrote all the name of his men, as well as a number of annotations like " first time on the battle field, good shooter" and so on.

 

[Felix Echt von Eleda]

21 November 1915: in this short story, Josef tells of the failed attack on an Italian position, just outside Gorizia. He, in command of three platoons, another second lieutenant in command of one platoon, and a lieutenant, in command of an entire company, lead an attack hoping to catch the enemy unprepared.
The attack ends in complete failure, leading to the total annihilation of almost all the Austro-Hungarian soldiers. Josef spends the night under Italian barbed wire, and then slowly withdraws together with a dozen survivors. on the way back he meets the lieutenant crying in despair, as he has lost the entire company under his command.

[GdC26]

Welcome to the Forum, and thank you for posting this, Leo. The grouping is quite moving, and it is sad to see how 106 years on, history repeats itself on another European front.

Kind regards, 

Sandro

[Graf]

Welcome to the Forum,

[Elmar Lang]

Hello Leonardo,

 

it's really nice reading from you on this Forum!

 

The document hereby posted, is of great historical interest, for its accuracy, neat calligraphy and personal notes (even poetry!), besides knowing that this officer couldn't survive the war as a consequence of his wounds.

 

Your contributions shall always be welcome!

 

All the best,

 

Enzo (E.L.)

[Trooper_D]

May I echo the welcomes you have received and say how much I have enjoyed reading your account of the document you are fortunate enough to own.

 

I have been lucky enough to have been on a battlefield tour of much of the terrain of this bloody but not so well known campaign, visiting both the Austrian and Italian positions (where some trenchwork still remains) and including walking the ground where Rommel won his PLM. You have to have been there to truly understand what an extraordinary feat of endurance it was to fight in those mountains, particularly in the depth of winter.

 

Your transcriptions of Sterger's diary entries brings home the human side of the fighting in a very vivid way. Thank you!

[Felix Echt von Eleda]

thank you all for the warm welcome in the forum, in the future I will post more images and transcripts of these touching pages! 

 

Leo

[Farkas]

On 01/12/2017 at 18:41, Farkas said:

Hi Gents

a friend has a few items on the way. I usually get first refusal on some bits...

ive been looking around to Id these two. But not seen the first at all...

 

The first Looks like TSU?

- Tyrol Security / police unit - Ww2 

The second looks like an Albanian flag from '92 onwards but as Tyrol has used similar im not sure. Also the wing are a round design not straight top to bottom.

Any thoughts appreciated Gents...

cheers 

tony

Hello Felix,

I was just reading your post again, I look forward to hearing more 👍

you mentioned you live in Tyrol and it reminded me of this 👆patch (TSU or TSV?) that I have tucked away still.

My friend bought these items together from a friend in Tyrol, I was able to get the patch from her.

I was optimistic I would find out what it was but never have…

 

A long shot I know but I don’t suppose it is something familiar to you? 🤞

 

cheers

tony

[bandwurm]

STV stands for "Salzburger Turnverein"

 

"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abzeichen_Salzburger_Turnverein_-_1956.jpg

[Farkas]

That’s brilliant, it’s bugged me for years!

 

I was not expecting a gym club but glad I know, thanks for your help,

 

cheers

tony

[gjw]

Hello, guess I'm a day late and dollar short, but, Welcome to this wonderful forum!  Lots of great folks here with a ton of knowledge.  I've learned a lot from these folks, very helpful and courteous to a man.

 

Again, Welcome!

 

Best Regards,

 

Greg