Troops from Bohemia began joining the Italian Army in April to fight
against Austria. The first detachments of this Czecho-Slovak army,
which is being formed in many centres out of the one-time subjects of
Emperor Karl, have taken up their positions in various parts of the
Italian line. They wear the Italian uniform, with certain distinctive
signs. The effect upon their fellow-Slavs who are still fighting under
the Austrian colors is a subject of considerable interest on both
sides. The new position of affairs is being assiduously explained to
them by airplane propaganda, and committees of their own race are
accredited to and working with the Italian high command. G. Ward Price,
a British correspondent, telegraphed from Italian headquarters on May 1:
One night recently some of the Czechs fighting with the
Italians were in the front line at a place where the Austrian
battalion holding the trenches opposite consisted largely of
their fellow-countrymen. After some preliminary conversation by
megaphone one of the allied Czechs crawled out to the other lines
and urged his compatriots to come over to our side, where they
would be treated not as prisoners or deserters but as friends. The
Austrian Czechs replied that they would willingly do so, but that
the line behind their own was held by Hungarians, who would almost
certainly see them moving out of the trench and open fire on them
with machine guns.
The allied Czech brought this message in to his friends, whereupon
the Italian guns were asked to put down a barrage between the
Austrian front trenches and their support line, driving the
Hungarians to cover and isolating them from the Czechs, of whom
some were thus able to cross over in safety to our side.