Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 52. (2007)
FRIED, Marvin Benjamin: Feldmarschall Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf: A Memoir Analysis
could come from France.”9 Even against these tremendous odds, Conrad, like his German counterpart Helmuth von Moltke, felt that 1914 was “the last chance” after which the Central Powers,10 11 “losing allies, [and] in the Austro-Hungarian case unable to count even on basic loyalty, would have no hope of winning the war Thus, the “First World War,”12 as Conrad prophetically called it in 1924, saw Austria-Hungary march against Russia to protect herself and her German ally. The Austro-Hungarians, in the first and failed engagement against the Russians, fought quite some way within their own territory due to a slow mobilization plan laid out by Conrad,13 and subsequently took heavy losses once Conrad completed the retreat. Conrad stated that his army was “no more and no less destroyed than the Germans after the battle of the Marne.”14 It is clear that although the number of Austro- Hungarian dead and wounded after Lemberg was only about 150,000 higher than the Germans are believed to have suffered at the Marne,15 it nevertheless represented fifty percent casualties16 for the Austro-Hungarian fighting force in Galicia, thus hardly comparable to the German situation at the Marne. Following this disaster and the Austro-Hungarian inability to do anything but wait, defend, and hope for German assistance, Conrad’s credibility as an effective commander was destroyed and it is a surprise that he nonetheless remained Chief of Staff until 1917. Conrad stated in his papers a “desire to offer a glance behind the curtains”17 before he “departs from this world.”18 He declared that he intended to be “fully objective”19 in his essay, since he was “unconcerned”20 as to how he would be “judged.”21 As we will see, Conrad’s personal views seem to justify his course of action during his career, his prejudices and ideologies explain the fall of Austria- Hungary, and his arguments remove all blame from himself. It is therefore beyond Feldmarschall Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf 9 Stone, Norman: The Eastern Front 1914-1917. Middlesex, England, Pg. 70. 10 For the purposes of this article, “Central Powers” always refers to Germany and Austria-Hungary, the two original Central Powers at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. 11 Stone, Norman: The Eastern Front, Pg. 70. 12 Conrad von Hötzendorf, Franz: Private Aufzeichnungen, Pg. 209. 13 Stone, Norman: The Eastern Front, Pg. 80. 14 Conrad von Hötzendorf, Franz: Private Aufzeichnungen, Pg. 108. 15 250,000 German casualties at the Marne ( http://www.naval-history.net/WWlAreaBalticl914.htm ) vs. 400,000 Austrian casualties following Lemberg, Stone, Pg 91. 16 Stone, Norman: The Eastern Front, Pg. 91. 17 Conrad von Hötzendorf, Franz. Private Aufzeichnungen, Pg. 185. 18 lb id, Pg. 156. 19 Ibid, Pg. 136. 20 Ibid, Pg. 156 21 Ibid, Pg. 156. 229
