The main reason for the Neretva region troops' combat effectiveness, aside from the region's fierce folk customs, had much to do with the composition of the units.
Because of the setbacks at the beginning of the war, more than half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's officer corps and standing army, painstakingly cultivated over many years, had been lost. Though emergency replacements had been made, the troops were of mixed composition, including Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Ukrainians, Slovenians, Croats, and others. It was fundamentally difficult to form any real combat strength.
The 54th Division and 59th Division did not have this problem. Compared with non-core Imperial Army units, the 54th and 59th Divisions could carry out combat orders with great efficiency.
Thus, even without formal military training, the 54th Division and 59th Division could not possibly have performed worse than the Austro-Hungarian Empire's other motley units.
So, after being sharply rebuked by Clyde, General Frank instead realized the seriousness of the problem.
He changed his tone and said humbly, "Division Commander Clyde, don't get worked up. First give me a detailed report on your division's situation. I'll investigate it thoroughly and absolutely will not let you suffer this grievance!"
With Frank's assurance, Clyde naturally poured out his grievances. "Our unit has now lost nearly thirty percent of its men. We have fewer than eight thousand troops left, with losses exceeding four thousand, and to this day we have received no manpower replacements. That does not even include the wounded."
"We have fewer than ninety shells remaining, and the shortage of rifle ammunition is even more severe. Medicines, horses, and artillery are all in short supply as well."
"Most frightening of all, our rations are far below those of other units. We are even short of wheat flour, and what we receive is poor