Durchhalten!

In English, “Resistance!” was the call in the winter of 1914/15, when the Russian offensive in the Carpathians was halted with great difficulty. This military success meant a loss of hundreds of thousands for the troops sent to the front. Several units (such as the 3rd honvéd infantry regiment) had to be reorganized at the beginning of 1915, after the number of 4-5 thousand fighters had shrunk to a few hundred riflemen. Even at this price, it was necessary to withstand, since the Russian attack could have continued on the Hungarian Plain after crossing the Carpathians, even threatening Budapest. It is a little-known fact that the leadership of the Monarchy expected this threat, and the construction of Budapest’s circular defense lines began. Some concrete bunkers from this time can still be seen today.

In the end, the Carpathian battle was very difficult, but it was won. The Allies tried to take advantage of this success with propaganda tools. The text of the postcard presented in the post also contains the text encouraging perseverance: “Our sweet country, you can be calm: we will persevere!” The attached insignia also contains this inscription above the coats of arms of the allies.

Other badges also display “Persistence!” or “We will endure!” subtitle. This is also the case with the 13th Landsturm regiment, with the portrait of the insurgent with a pipe. It can also be read: We will endure! (Wir halten durch!)