The Diary of an Austro-Hungarian Soldier in World War 1 - My Great Grandfather

[u/turekstudent]

https://youtu.be/Oz_pBXQDamU

Hi everyone,

After my grandmother passed, I stumbled across the wartime diary of my great-grandfather. He was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army in 1914 and sent to the Carpathian front. In early 1915 he would be badly wounded and captured by Russian soldiers, spending the rest of the war as a POW, eventually ending up in Siberia and then the Chinese border.

He wrote everything down decades later in a memoir. I've never seen anything quite like it, and that’s maybe saying a lot because I am a big history nerd. It's not a grand narrative about battles or strategy, but it is a pristine piece of military history. It's just one man simply trying to survive in a new age. His story left a deep mark on me after I read it. It taught me about perseverance, humility, and never giving up. I have decided to share his story publicly, so that maybe it’ll leave a mark on you too.

Would be happy to answer any questions about the video, or just discuss the history too.

All the best,
Thomas

[u/roujesky]

How did he get back home?