From Both Sides Now

The astonishing diary of a war hero. Lovingly translated and compiled by his daughter.




Sent to fetch a bandage for a comrade whose leg had just been blown off. Winning a medal for bravery for running up a hill under fire to deliver a message to his commander. Relishing meals of potatoes and coffee. Studying Roman Law, Portuguese and double-entry bookkeeping in a POW camp. Suffering anti-Semitic jibes and discrimination.




These are some of the experiences recorded in the diaries and letters of a young Austro-Hungarian who enlisted in the army in 1916, aged 18, and fought in some of the fiercest battles of World War I in Italy, before being taken prisoner of war by the Italians after the Armistice. The diaries, transcribed from a now obsolete German shorthand, and other material originally written in German have been translated, compiled and edited by his daughter.




Richly illustrated with photos, documents, letters and souvenirs and copiously provided with background information to set the scene, From Both Sides Now presents a picture of one mans war and life and makes a unique and important contribution to the military and social history of the time, rarely seen from the Austro-Hungarian side.