The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-01-27
Join Allies
Austrian Slavs Fighting
Now Under Serb Flag.
BY Prot. veislav N. Yexaneviteh,
Formerly Official Eyewitness" OF the
Serbian Army.

BY Prot. velsiav N. Yexanoviteh,
Formerly Official Eyewitness OF the
Serbian Army.
One OF the greatest embarrassments
OF the Austrian general staff Is the
heterogeneous composition Of the army
OF the empire. 1t is impossible to
send men from Bosnia. Croatia, and
the other Serbo- Croatian speaking Aus
TRAN provinces against the cribs and
Montenegrins; the Italians OF Tren-
tino can not be used against King Vic
tor Emmanuel's troops. the Rouman-
mans of Pennsylvania and the Buko-
vina against the Kingdom of Rou-
mania, or the Czechs OF Bohemia
against Russian or Serbian troops.
Experience has shown that they de-
sert en- masse to the so called enemy.
That Is not a legend but stern
reality can vouch from personal ex-
perience during the first campaign in
Serbia. After the Austrian defeat In
December. 1914, when $1,000 Austrians
surrendered to the Serbs. ] was with
the Division of Timok. under the COM
mand Of Colonel Zhivan6vitch. was
with him one evening In his head
quarters at MladenOvatz when
dozen Austrian officers taken prisoners
were brought to be examined. Az
soon as they were brought in the Ser
bian commander looked at one OF them
and cried: what, JOvo, Is 1t your"
and flung his arms around him. The
prisoner, a tall elderly man wearing
the uniform Of n lieutenant In the AUS
trian army. looking very tired. al
though very glad, was Jovo Ban
janin, chief editor OF the Serbian jour-
nal Srbobran at Zagreb (Agram) and
Croatian delegate to the Hungarian
Parliament. As officer Of reserve he
had been mobilized and with his regi-
ment sent against his racial brothers
In Serbia.
Again 1t was determined to send
Serbian speaking subjects against
Serbia, the Croatian and other Jugo-
slav regiments being sent to the Rus
sian front. But even here there was no
Improvement The Austrian Jugo-
slavs refused to fight against their
brother Slavs OF Russia, and over 150.-
900 OF them surrendered. As soon
as they reached the concentration
camps, $4,000 asked to be mobilized
against Austria. A considerable num-
Der were sent in 1915 via the Black
sea and the Danube to Serbia, where
they arrived few days before the
German attack on the Danube front.
But the main effort of the Austrian
Serbo- Croats was made in Russia it.
self, Here three full divisions Cor
over $4,000 mem were recruited and
attached to the army operating with
the Roumanian forces. These divi-
sions were organized by the officers OF
the Royal Serbian army. under the
command Of General Zhivkovich, the
defender of Belgrade.
But It was not only on the question
OF fighting against their brother Slavs
that the Austrian Czech and Serbo-
Croatian troops have gone over to the
other side. They declined to fight on
any front against the allies. This Is
proven by the dispatch sent to the
foreign minister of the Serbian gov
eminent at Corfu, signed by "a Jugo-
slav officers who served in the Aus
trian army and who surrendered to
the Italians on the lsonzo front.
"The undersigned officers of Jugo-
slav nationality, late Of the Austro-
Hungarian army. who. In order to
escape from the Austrian tyranny,
have surrendered to free and allied
Italy, beg your excellency to transmit,
on the occasion Of the birthday OF his
majesty. King Peter l. the expression
of their most sincere devotion. admira-
ton, and fealty to the supreme chief
and wise sovereign who conscious OF
the heroic tradition Of the Karageorge-
witch, knew well how to lead the ma
ton toward a better future. Serbia,
who is 80 great. In the grateful heart
Of the Jugoslavs was never annthilated
and the admiration Of the whole wide
world was never so great for her and
her dynasty. In offering our warmest
wishes we are ready to sacrifice our
lives in order to contribute to the
rapid restoration and liberation OF our
beloved country"
1t is needless to say that the au-
thorities in Vienna revenged them
selves in typical Austrian fashion b.
reprsals against the relatives who in
habit the country and by the confisca-
ton of the property Of the offenders
The number of these reported In the
Austro- Hungarian press shows the
great extension the movement of de-
sertion had taken. l possess several
hundreds Of such official announce
ments and l cite here only few OF
the most typical OF them.
| The official paper. Narodne Novine
published in Agram, December Il, 1916
the following:
1.-The court of first instance In Ia.
greb has decreed the confiscation OF
the movable and immoveable property
OF Stevan Roksandvich. and keu2ma
Radakovich, OF Karlovchich, In view OF
the well-founded suspicion, based OIL
evidence. that in 1914, during tht
incursion of the Serbian army II
Syrmia. they, OF their own free will
with carts and horses, Joined the Serb
ian troops, with whom they then pro
ceeded to Serbia, where they were
given assistance in consideration o
the services they had rendered