Memories of my military life
E-book, Czech
Memories of my military life
Karel Prášil's memoirs begin with the outbreak of war and his conscription into the Austro-Hungarian army. The following is a description of the vicissitudes on the Eastern Front and the fall into Russian captivity. Via Darnitsa near Kiev, he reached the prisoner-of-war camp at Tockoye, where the living conditions were appalling. In the winter of 1915/1916 almost half of the prisoners died of cold, hunger and spreading diseases. Karel Prášil also fell ill, but thanks to his strong will he recovered and joined the ranks of the Czechoslovak army in the summer of 1916. As a member of the 2. čs. guard. regiment participated in the reconnaissance in the Pinsk marshes, the famous battle of Zborov and during the Tarnopol retreat ended up completely exhausted in hospital. Then, through the 1st Reserve Regiment, with which he fought at Bachmač and against the Bolsheviks, he reached the army intendancy, with which he connected the rest of his professional career. However, the author does not only describe combat actions. It focuses much more on the life of soldiers, their everyday worries and joys, as well as on Russian culture and history. Although his memoirs remain unfinished, they make an interesting contribution to the history of the legions and are illustrated with more than a hundred contemporary photographs and documents.
Samples to download:
Nakladatelství Epocha s.r.o., Kaprova 12, 11000 Praha 1-Staré Město, Česká republika, 224 810 352
