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Description: | obverse design: a 'Scourge of War', personified by a cadaverous shrouded human figure, seated cross-legged and facing upon
the corpse of a woman symbolising the city-fortress of Przemysl.
obverse text: 'PRZEMYSL' (upper edge)
exergue: 'MÄRZ 1915'
reverse design: warrior, naked except for helmet, sword belt and sword in its scabbard, standing facing left freeing the chains around the
wrists of a woman, wearing classical robes, who sits facing him. At the woman's knee and child and behind the warrior, lower right, the
head and shoulders of fallen male figure.
reverse text: 'PRZEMYSL JUNI 1915'
The medallion commemorates the capture of the Galician fortress city of Przemysl by Russian forces on 22 March 1915.
This represented a significant set-back for the Austro-Hungarian Army as the surrender of the fortress, in bitterly cold winter conditions,
resulted in the loss of many hundreds of artillery pieces and an estimated 120,000 Austro-Hungarian troops were taken prisoner. The
enormity of the defeat is rendered allegorically by the artist, the Russian attackers are depicted as the scarcely human 'Scourge of War'
sitting in triumph on its powerless and unequal victim. The reverse design chronicles, symbolically, the re-capture of the city by Austro-
German forces on 3 June 1915. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | Russian Capture of & 22/3/1915 Eastern Front & Przemysl Austro-German Re-capture of & 3/6/1915 commemorative First World War propaganda | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Leibküchler, P ? | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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