Jan Šípek

“ The Germans in my company made jokes about Russian marksmanship, but the Italians were sore and kept glancing at me as if to ask what I made of it. The shots were not many and soon they ceased; it seemed as if the Russian artillerymen had been merely trying to decide a bet, whether they could hit the railroad. About eight o’clock the noise ceased and a grateful quiet prevailed in the trenches. As the sun ascended higher, we took things easier, for it grew to be very hot. ”

“ In the spring of 1915 I commanded a company in a Tyrolean regiment, composed of Italians and Germans, the Italians being about twice as numerous as the Germans. The men liked me, and the Italians saw in the Czech officer a friend. Especially after April, when Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary, we seemed to understand each other well. ”