Lysonia
The inscriptions on the badges are often difficult to trace, because there are no direct sources. For example, the 81st Infantry Regiment has a badge with the inscription Lysonia on it. For a long time, while the Internet uploads were rare, I could not even tell what geographical unit this name refers to. A village? A region? A mountain? After diligent reading, I finally managed to find out that it is a 399-meter-high hill somewhere in the vicinity of Brzezany. The 32nd Feldjager had a job here in the fall of 1916. They had to help retake positions lost by other units.
It was known that this section of the front was defended by the German South Army, in which the Hofmann Corps also fought. There were mixed troops in this corps. Several newly formed Honvéd infantry regiments (308, 309, 310), Ukrainian legionnaires and the 35th Landwehr Regiment in the 55th Division, the 81st and 88th Infantry Regiments and the 32nd Feldjagers in the 54th Division. I first found a good map on Ukrainian pages that showed the area and location of the height. It shows that the Lysonia Heights is located south of Brzezany city on the east bank of the Zlota Lipa River.
Based on the recollections of the Ukrainian sources, the 309th Home Guards and the 32nd Feldjager, the picture then unfolded. After the great breakthrough of the Brusilov Offensive, the Russians tried to push back the front on this Galician front section as well, but they did not achieve a real breakthrough here. Between the breakthrough points in the north, Luck, and the south Olika, this section held its own well and successfully resisted the fierce Russian attacks. These were the largest in September and October 1916. According to Ukrainian sources, after September 2, the 35th Landwehr Regiment stationed on the hill suffered heavy losses and was replaced by Ukrainian soldiers. In the second half of September, they also suffered more than 30% bloody losses during the Russian attacks and were also withdrawn. The 32nd Jager were temporarily stationed here at the end of September. After that, the 309th Honvéd Infantry Regiment was sent here, which held the front line until mid-October, when the Russian attacks subsided. They were replaced by the 81st infantry.
The fighting was characterized by large mass attacks. The front lines changed hands frequently, and the captured positions had to be retaken by counterattack. The Hofmann Corps’ command praised the steadfastness of the troops in daily orders on several occasions. The defenses of the 54th and 55th divisions could not be broken through, but both divisions suffered heavy losses. In the center of the attack, on the Lysonia hill, the defending troops had to be changed every two weeks due to losses. The replaced units were rested and supplemented in nearby Brzezany.
Two types of badges with the inscription Lysonia were made. Since the badge shows a scene of position construction, I believe that the badge of the sappers and construction companies working here was made first. The existing sample was used to deliver the order of the 81st badge later. It is interesting that the badge is dated 1917. There were also fights here this year, but not with the same intensity as the year before. The map above shows the town of Brzezany, from where the Zlota Lipa River flows south. To the east is Lysonia Hill 399, with the Austro-Hungarian positions in green. On the other side of the hill are the Russian lines.
