Page 250 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

250 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

In April 1897 the Austro-Hungarian squadron already consisted of 15 ships and tor-
pedo boats with 28 guns as well as 96 rapid-fire guns. The total number of officers and
men on and off Crete amounted to 1,765. In May the depot ship “Cyclop” joined the
squadron, which made the repair of minor damage easier. The Austro-Hungarian tor-
pedo boats were busy cruising in the bays of the Austro-Hungarian district during the
day. The main problem for the torpedo boats was the rough sea, especially near Kissa-
mos – in October 1897 “Tiger” started to float in the rough sea off Kissamos, and had
to anchor. After having lost anchor and chain, it finally found a safe harbour at Grabusa
(Gramvousa) – anchor and chain were found by divers more than three weeks later and
taken on board again.
For the Greek trabaccoli and the very small transport sailing ships, however, the area
provided ample opportunities. They had their bases on the Islands of Cerigo (Kythira) and
Cerigotto (Antikythira), west of Grabusa, which served as a starting point for the Aegean
Sea, as these islands offered the little ships enough protection against bad weather and the
ships of the international squadron. An uninhabited rock cone named Pondikonisi, also
west of Grabusa, served as a reloading point for smuggled goods. The Greek unloaded
goods there during the day and the insurgents came and took them during the night. There-
fore, the Austro-Hungarian ships started to use searchlights during the night and very soon
stopped this illegal supply route.
44
45
After a Greek defeat in a short war against the Ottoman Empire in the spring of 1897
the gradually receding smuggling operations made the naval patrols close to the shore no
longer necessary. Therefore, most of the Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were recalled in
June and October. The priority of tasks shifted as well: from the prevention of interference
from Greece in the spring to the maintenance of peace and stability on Crete throughout
the summer and autumn. The main task was now the prevention of armed clashes between
the Christian insurgents and Ottoman troops as well as Muslim civilians.

nd
5. The Deployment of the 2 Battalion of the 87 Infantry Regiment
th
Already at the beginning of March 1897 the governments of five of the great pow-
ers – Germany actually did not participate in this action – had agreed upon the dispatch of
battalions of 600 men each to form part of the landing troops which were to guarantee the
maintenance of security, law and order in the bigger towns of Crete.
In Austria-Hungary three infantry regiments – 22, 87, and 97 – were taken into con-
sideration to contribute a battalion to the international force.
nd
On 8 March 1897 Emperor Francis Joseph issued the order to send the 2 battalion
of the 87 infantry regiment Roszkowski under the command of Colonel Leo Guzek to
th

44 Pangerl, Die Kreta-Mission der k.u.k. Kriegsmarine, p. 74f.; Alfred Koudelka, Unsere Kriegsmarine, Vienna,
Verlag Hölder, 1899, p. 324.
45 For more detailed information see Ekinci, The Origins of the 1897 Ottoman-Greek War: A Diplomatic
History.