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Name of Object:

The impalement of heads of two trapped Austrian soldiers during the combat at Jaice, August 7th 1878

Location:

Vienna, Austria

Holding Institution:

Austrian Military Museum / Institute of Military History

 About Austrian Military Museum / Institute of Military History, Vienna

Date of Object:

1901 (Monogramed and dated: "AP u. TO 1901")

Author:

Albin Panian von Labor

Inventory Number:

HGM_MHI_6_Jaice

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

62 x 102 cm

Description:

This painting depicts a brutal war crime that occurred during the Austro-Hungarian Army's occupation campaign in 1878. On the reverse side of the painting there is a contemporary inscription, which sheds light on the situation: “During the battle at Jaice, Master Corporal Grilec and Private Matko, members of the 53rd Infantry Regiment have been trapped and beheaded. Their heads have been impaled in front of the gate to the river Pliva.” This treatment of prisoners of war was unfortunately not rare during the first weeks of the campaign; it provided a glimpse into a difference in approaches to warfare that would be borne out during the upcoming wars in the Balkans, 1912–13.

Citation of this web page:

"The impalement of heads of two trapped Austrian soldiers during the combat at Jaice, August 7th 1878" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;at;52;en

Copyedited by: Daniel de la VegaDaniel de la Vega

Daniel de la Vega is a copy editor based in Portland, Oregon. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in linguistics from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2014 and has since done editing and localization work on everything from college applications to magazines to video game dialogue.

MWNF Working Number: AT 053

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