Field fortifications of Austro-Hungarian and Russian army from winter 1915 (examples from Northeastern Slovakia)
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| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The Carpathian Mountains became the focal point of war conflict at the beginning of 1915, when the fiercest clashes between the Russian and Austro-Hungarian armies of the whole war took place in the Carpathians. Due to the mountainy terrain, the combat operations took place in, the remnants of war-related activities have been preserved until present days in many sites. Some of them were surveyed by archaeological methods: Austria-Hungarian trenches on Staviska hill (Bardejov district) and Kobyla hill (Medzilaborce district), Russian positions near Habura (Medzilaborce district) and near Olšinkov (Medzilaborce district). There are well-preserved remnants of field fortifications on all selected sites. Although the reconnaissance of the russian outposts is still in it´s early stage, several interesting structures already emerged. Small foxholes for one kneeling/laying soldier, usually prone to quick destruction due to their small size, are still visible on the site near Habura. Positions on the ridge near Olšinkov consist of one or two distinctive trenchlines and numerous smaller shelters for soldiers. Remarkable clusters of trenches, located behind the main trenchline (possibly smaller shelters related to commanding hierarchy), plus two very deep dugouts. These two dugouts might be where the 107mm field guns were positioned. All structures mentioned above are clearly visible on LiDAR-based visual data, originating from the reconnaissance carried on Polish territory. The defence of austro-hungarian troops on the ridge of Staviska hill consisted of one main trenchline. It was built with using the stone, obtained by shattering the bedrock, disturbed during digging the trenches and related structures. Trench line is connected with backward slopes of peak via several communication trenches. On Kobyla hill, there is a whole tangle of trenchlines, often over 1 m deep. There are numerous shelters connected to the main trechline as well, plus the main trenchline is reinforced by traverses. Behind the main defensive trenchline, there is a remarkable cluster of entities. Detailed drawn documentation of the preserved remnants in 1:100 scale was carried out on both sites and the usefulness of photogrammetric 3D documentation was tested either. |
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