Authors

Discussion

The Eastern Front of the First World War, stretching for thousands of kilometers from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, had an incredibly varied landscape. The section of the Eastern Front in Galicia (Western Ukraine), then belonging to Austria-Hungary, is especially interesting from studying the interaction of combatants and the environment. The role of rivers (as well as other water sources) in creating a unique front-line environment was exciting. The belligerent parties perceived the rivers (Dnister, Prut, the Buh and San) primarily as an object of strategic planning. Their shores needed strengthening not from natural forces but the enemy. The rivers were supposed to change their ways, turning terrain to be impossible for enemy troops’ marching. Also, rivers served as sources of water for drinking, technology, construction. Pollution and contamination of rivers (primarily due to the corpses of people and animals) turned them into a distinctive element of the environment that needs adaptation to war and human care. Fear was also mixed with concern since the water from rivers posed a danger to troops, who were forced to spend energy in battles with the enemy and the fight against epidemics provoked by polluted water. Based on ego-documents and headquarters documents, this paper highlights the features of the policy of the opposing sides on the Galician sector of the Eastern Front concerning rivers, emphasizing their strategic, sanitary, and economic role.