By: HISTORY.com Editors

1915

Austro-German troops recapture Przemysl fortress from Russians

Published: October 28, 2009Last Updated: January 25, 2025

On June 3, 1915, Austro-Hungarian and German troops recapture Przemysl fortress (now in Poland), from Russian forces. The citadel guarding the northeastern-most point of the Austro-Hungarian Empire had been held by Russian soldiers for several months.

Used as the Austrian army headquarters during the first months of World War I, Przemysl was ordered to hold out until the end in the face of the surprisingly effective Russian advance into Austria-Hungary in the fall of 1914. After six months under siege, facing severe food shortages and heavy casualties, the last Austro-Hungarian troops at Przemysl finally relinquished control of the citadel on March 22, 1915.

With their hard-fought victory, Russia’s troops had gained a certain measure of control in the much-contested Galician region of Austria and were poised to move into Hungary. This was not to be, however, as the powerful German army stepped in to offer more help to their faltering ally. Over the course of the next several months, Austro-German forces began moving swiftly and aggressively on the Eastern Front, recapturing the passes of the Carpathian Mountains and moving steadily forward into Galicia. On May 25, the Germans announced they had taken some 21,000 Russian prisoners east of the San River; the Russians were soon pushed back toward Przemysl, and battle began there once again.

On June 3, 1915, Austro-German forces finally emerged victorious against the exhausted Russians at Przemysl; the citadel fell back into the hands of the Central Powers the following day. The recapture of Przemysl effectively marked the end of Russian control in Galicia. As a British observer wrote dismissively of the Russian troops, "This army is now a harmless mob."

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on June 3rd

1754

Lieutenant Colonel George Washington builds Fort Necessity

On June 3, 1754, during the Seven Years’ War, a 22-year-old lieutenant colonel in the Virginia militia named George Washington begins construction of a makeshift Fort Necessity. The fort was built to defend his forces from French soldiers enraged by the murder of Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville while in Washington’s custody. One month later, […]

2:02m read

1800

President John Adams arrives in Washington, D.C., as the new capital city is being built

On June 3, 1800, John Adams, the second president of the United States, arrives in Washington, D.C., where he briefly takes up residence in Georgetown and is fêted in advance of being the first American president to move to the burgeoning new capital city. When he arrives, its streets have yet to be paved and […]

2:50m read

1864

Union disaster at Cold Harbor

Union General Ulysses S. Grant makes what he later recognizes to be his greatest mistake by ordering a frontal assault on entrenched Confederates at Cold Harbor, Virginia. The result was some 7,000 Union casualties in less than an hour of fighting. Grant’s Army of the Potomac and Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia had […]

1916

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs National Defense Act

On June 3, 1916, United States President Woodrow Wilson signs into law the National Defense Act, which expanded the size and scope of the National Guard—the network of states’ militias that had been developing steadily since colonial times—and guaranteed its status as the nation’s permanent reserve force. Though Theodore Roosevelt and other Republicans were pushing […]

1936

Western author Larry McMurtry is born

Larry McMurtry, one of the most well-known modern writers in the western genre, is born in Wichita Falls, Texas on June 3, 1936. McMurtry’s family had been involved in Texas ranching for three generations, and he was exposed to ranching life from an early age. McMurtry, however, ultimately proved more interested in books than in […]

2:30m read

1937

Duke of Windsor weds American socialite Wallis Simpson

In France, the Duke of Windsor—formerly King Edward VIII of Great Britain and Northern Ireland—marries Wallis Warfield Simpson, a divorced American socialite for whom he abdicated the British throne in December 1936. Edward, born in 1896, was the eldest son of King George V, who became the British sovereign in 1910. He served as a staff officer […]

4:54m read

1940

Germans bomb Paris, killing hundreds of civilians

On June 3, 1940, the German air force bombs Paris, killing 254 people, most of them civilians. Determined to wreck France’s economy and military, reduce its population, and in short, cripple its morale as well as its ability to rally support for other occupied nations, the Germans bombed the French capital without regard to the […]

0:58m read

1943

Zoot Suit Riots begin in Los Angeles

Fueled by wartime fears and anti-Mexican prejudice, the Zoot Suit Riots became one of the most infamous episodes of racial violence in Los Angeles history.

3:02m read

1956

Rock ‘n’ roll is banned in Santa Cruz, California

On June 3, 1956, Santa Cruz, California captured national attention when city authorities announced a total ban on rock ‘n’ roll at public gatherings. Officials called the music “detrimental to both the health and morals of our youth and community.” Santa Cruz, a favorite early haunt of author Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, became […]

1:58m read

1965

First American astronaut walks in space

Edward H. White II opens the hatch of the Gemini 4 and steps out of the capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to walk in space.

1:20m read

1989

Crackdown at Tiananmen begins

With protests for democratic reforms entering their seventh week, the Chinese government authorizes its soldiers and tanks to reclaim Beijing’s Tiananmen Square at all costs. By nightfall on June 4, Chinese troops had forcibly cleared the square, killing hundreds and arresting thousands of demonstrators and suspected dissidents On April 15, the death of Hu Yaobang, […]

1992

Presidential candidate Bill Clinton plays saxophone on "The Arsenio Hall Show"

The unconventional saxophone performance endears many young, urban voters to the Arkansas governor.

2010

Joran van der Sloot arrested for murder in South America

On June 3, 2010, Joran van der Sloot, a longtime suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba, is arrested in Chile in connection with the slaying of 21-year-old Stephany Flores, in Lima, Peru. Flores was murdered on May 30, 2010, exactly five years to the day after Holloway went […]

2:36m read

2017

Terrorists attack London Bridge

During one horrific 8-minute period on June 3, 2017, eight people were killed as a band of terrorists drove a van through a pedestrian walkway on the London Bridge. The men then exited, armed with pink steak knives, and proceeded to slash and stab people in a nearby market. The attack was the third to […]

1:24m read

World War I

24 videos

World War I

Why Was the Battle of the Somme So Deadly?

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of World War I, and among the bloodiest in all of human history.

World War I

26 Photos of Dogs Being Heroes in WWI

Dogs served loyally at the side of soldiers and medics in World War I.

World War I

When Fears of Tuberculosis Drove an Open-Air School Movement

Intended to curb the spread of tuberculosis, open-air schools grew into a major international movement in the early 1900s.

About the author

HISTORY.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Christian Zapata, Cristiana Lombardo and Adrienne Donica.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

Citation Information

Article Title: Austro-German troops recapture Przemysl fortress from Russians
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/june-3/austro-german-forces-attack-russians-at-przemysl

Date Accessed: October 21, 2026
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: January 25, 2025
Original Published Date: October 28, 2009

Austro-German troops recapture Przemysl fortress from Russians

Related

World War I

Why Was the Battle of the Somme So Deadly?

26 Photos of Dogs Being Heroes in WWI

When Fears of Tuberculosis Drove an Open-Air School Movement

About the author

Fact Check

Citation Information