The Good Soldier Švejk

The Good Soldier Švejk has an exceptionally rich cast of characters. Alongside those who play a direct part in the plot, a great many fictional and real people (and animals) are mentioned throughout the narrative, in Švejk's anecdotes, and in the book's idioms and turns of phrase.

This page offers brief entries on the people referenced in the novel, from Napoléon in the introduction to Hauptmann Ságner in the final lines of the unfinished Part Four. The list is sorted in the order in which names first appear. Chapter headings follow Zenny Sadlon's recent translation (1999–2026) and, in most cases, differ from Cecil Parrott's 1973 version.

The Czech quotations are taken from the online version of The Good Soldier Švejk provided by Jaroslav Šerák and link to the relevant chapter. The toolbar provides direct links to Wikipedia, Google Maps, Google Search, svejkmuseum.cz, and the novel online.

The names are colour-coded according to their role in the novel, as illustrated by the following examples:

Note that many seemingly fictional characters are inspired by real people. Examples include Oberleutnant Lukáš, Major Wenzl, and many others. These are still listed as fictional, since they are literary creations only partly inspired by their similarly named 'models'.

Military ranks and other titles related to Austrian officialdom are given in German, in accordance with the terms used at the time (explanations in English are provided as tooltips). This means that Captain Ságner is still referred to as Hauptmann, even though the term is now obsolete and has been replaced by Kapitän. Civilian titles denoting profession, etc., are translated into English. This also applies to ranks in the nobility where a direct translation exists.

	Oberleutnant Wurm, Johann
	*22.3.1884 Smíchov - †? 19??
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Wurm was an obrlajtnant in Budějovice whom Švejk told Feldkurat Martinec about during spiritual consolation in the cell in Przemyśl. It was a very long anecdote about the plight of officer cadets who were neither officers nor ordinary soldiers. They were not allowed to eat in any of the canteens, as Wurm forbade them to use the soldiers' canteen, considering it beneath their dignity. They were not permitted in the officers' canteen either, and were thus left in limbo.

Background

Wurm was an officer in k.u.k. Heer, Oberleutnant in Infanterieregiment Nr. 91 until 1 July 1915, then promoted to Hauptmann. Apart from no doubt being the person Švejk talks about in the cell in Przemyśl, it is also possible that Wurm partly served as inspiration for the grotesque Fähnrich Fähnrich Dauerling.

Eybl's diary

Field chaplain Jan Eybl noted in his diary that Wurm commanded a march company that arrived at the front by Jaworzec in the Carpathians on 16 March 1915. In terms of timing, this indicates that they were part of the 7th march battalion. At the time Ersatzbataillon IR. 91 was still located in Budějovice, so it is very likely that Hašek knew Wurm, as the former served there from 17 February and the 7th march battalion probably departed around 8 March. Eybl also notes that Wurm was a nephew of Field Marshal Wenzel Wurm (he was mistaken regarding the rank: Wurm was in 1915 Feldzeugmeister).

Ranglisten und Schematismus

There is only one person on the list of officers (Ranglisten) from IR. 91 that fits the description that Eybl gives. This person is Johann Wurm, born in 1884 in Prague. The list reveals that he was promoted to captain on 1 July 1915 and thus his rank in March was Oberleutnant, exactly as Jan Eybl noted. This was a rank he achieved on 1 November 1912 and he had served as lieutenant since 1 May 1907. In his early career he served in Feldjägerbataillon Nr. 7 and from 1907 in Feldjägerbataillon Nr. 22.

Police records

Any Johann Wurm born in 1884 is not listed in the Prague police records, but the details of a certain Hans Wurm fit well. The names Hans and Johann were to a degree interchangeable (Hans Bigler is another officer who appears with both names). Lieutenant Wurm served with Infanterieregiment Nr. 75 in 1911 and he lived in Vinohrady Hálkova tř. 379/12 (today Londýnská 379/73).

Before the war

With the help of newspaper stories it has been possible to piece together more details from Wurm's career apart from what is already mentioned. On 22 May 1909 he was involved in an incident in Jindřichův Hradec where, during a clash with a Sokol instructor, he drew his sabre and slashed his opponent's hand.

Wurm was the son of factory manager Josef Wurm, who ran an oven and iron foundry in Podbořany (Podersam). The German press used the names Hans and Johann interchangeably, although Johann was more common. The Czech press predominantly used Jan, although Hans also occurred.

Serving in IR. 91

Newspapers reveal that during spring 1914 he was transferred from Infanterieregiment Nr. 75 to IR. 91/1st battalion. After the outbreak of war he served with this battalion in southern Dalmatia and in Serbia, where he was commander of the 4th company. Some time between 6th and 8 October 1914 he was wounded (shot in the foot). He was brought to hospital and was also awarded the Signum Laudis. According to a list of injured he was sent to a reserve hospital in Kroměříž (Kremsier) in Moravia. Prager Tagblatt noted that on 7 February 1915 he appeared in a celebration for decorated officers in Dirnfellern (Suché Vrbné) by Budějovice where the 7th march battalion were exercising. It was added that he had been severely wounded but was still returning to the field.

Details from the rest of the war are only available in fragments. A brief note in Prager Tagblatt 21 November 1915 reveals that he was decorated for the second time for his endeavours on 24 September 1915. This was during the battle at Khorupan where Jaroslav Hašek, František Strašlipka, Emanuél Michálek and hundreds of their fellow soldiers from IR. 91 were captured. In 1916, he was decorated for the third time and was still with IR. 91.

Arrested as spy

In May 1921, Wurm entered the Czechoslovak army as staff captain at the Ministry of Defence (MNO), where he acted as a liaison officer with Parliament, serving German members. However, he was arrested on 7 October 1922 on suspicion of espionage. During the same operation, two other officers, Gustav Wolf and Georg Nowakowski, had already been detained. The case was tried before a military court in December.

The trial

Court proceedings commenced on 11 December at 9 in the morning, and were conducted at the military court at Hradčany (see Vojenský soud Hradčany). Parts of the trial were closed to the public. The prosecution provided a 24-page charge against the three, which broadly contained accusations of spying and treason. Wurm was accused of having passed on a restricted document in exchange for a reward of 3,000 crowns. The recipient was Jaroslav Philipp, a former k.u.k. officer and now an agent in Polish service. Wurm was also suspected of having passed on more restricted material to the same contact. Wurm was alleged to have been in contact with the committed monarchist Philipp from the time he entered service in the Czechoslovak Army.

In total, 13 people were called to testify and provided 91 pages of witness accounts. Additionally, experts in psychiatry, handwriting, and photography testified. The first person to be interrogated was staff captain Wurm. During questioning on 11 December, he confessed to having passed sensitive material to Philipp, but claimed not to have known what the recipient needed it for. He admitted to having accepted 3,000 crowns for the documents, as he found himself in a difficult financial situation.

The next day, the proceedings concerned only Wolf and Nowakowski, but on 13 December Wurm's name is mentioned during the interrogation of witnesses. It was said that "although he was of Czech origin, he harboured German national political convictions". Another witness, a relative of Wurm, spoke about the accused as "power-mad, unsympathetic and not well liked, even amongst comrades".

Witnesses who knew him from his time in k.u.k. Heer described him as a brutal, vain and inconsiderate officer, especially towards Czech soldiers. Examples of his cruelty are given: he once punished his horse with two days' starvation for having thrown him off, and also shot his own dog when the animal did not obey.

During the afternoon court proceedings on 13 December, a psychiatric expert stated that "Wurm could be described as physically and spiritually degenerate", but it could not be concluded that he was (or had been) mentally ill. It was also revealed that Wolf's confession upon his arrest led directly to the detainment of Wurm.

Wurm's defender, Major Řehák, argued for a complete acquittal. He stated that "it was inconceivable that Wurm would jeopardise his entire existence for such a small amount", and that "Wurm was an accommodating person who acted under pressure from Philipp". The judge ought to consider the following mitigating circumstances: a previously spotless record, the difficult situation of the accused (financially and mentally), and his family. Wurm also made a final appeal, during which he wept and explained the difficult situation he and his family were in, and asked for a lenient verdict.

The verdict was delivered on 15 December and all three accused were convicted. It was concluded that they all betrayed their country for financial reasons, which resulted in a harsher sentence than if their motives had been national or political. Wurm was given four and a half years under hard terms: fasting once a month and solitary confinement for the last month of every half year. He was also deprived of his officer's rank and lost the right to vote during the term of his imprisonment. Wurm was sent to Terezín to serve his sentence. Nowakowski was sentenced to eight years and Wolf to three.

Information from the press

Newspaper reports from the trial revealed further details about Jan Wurm (as he was called in Czech). He was born in Smíchov 22 March 1884, went to German schools, including Prager Infanteriekadettenschule. He enlisted in the army in 1904 after having served as a one-year volunteer. He declared himself with German nationality but spoke good Czech. He had three children who went to German schools. At the time of the court case the family lived in Dejvice in a flat belonging to his wife. This must have been his second wife because his first wife Mathilde (born Hartmann) died 16 October 1918 at the age of 29.

Venkov, Prager Tagblatt and Budweiser Zeitung confirm Eybl's information that he was nephew of Colonel General Wenzel Wurm. Venkov adds that the latter committed suicide (he died in Vienna 22 March 1921), but Lidové noviny and Innsbrucker Nachrichten wrote that he died from natural causes. Budweiser Zeitung astonishingly claimed that Wurm was Czech, that his father and his famous uncle both were Czech chauvinists and hostile to Germans.

Registration sheet

The registration documents of his father finally sheds light on Wurm's background. He was son of Josef Wurm, born in Penzing by Vienna 17 March 1857. His mother was Karolina, born Schück in 1860. The parents married in 1881 and Johann Wurm was born on 22 March 1884 in Smíchov. He had one sister, Karolina, born in Prague 3 December 1882. His grandfather Josef was a Oberleutnant. The family moved to Nové Strašecí in 1892, and then to Podbořany. Until then they had lived in Vinohrady.

Unknown fate

What happened to Wurm after he was released from prison is not known. In the summer of 1932 it was reported that he attended a gathering of war veterans in Volary (Wallern). He was still alive in 1938, and spoke during a meeting of former front soldiers in Vimperk (Winterberg) on 13 or 14 August that year. Thus he would certainly have witnessed the German annexation of Sudentenland a few months later. If he was still alive in 1945, he was surely expelled from Czechoslovakia.

The very last mention of him that has been found so far is from Budweiser Zeitung 14 February 1940. Again it was a report from a gathering of war veterans (now under the umbrella of the Nazi party), but this time it wasn't any longer Wurm himself who spoke, but others who talked about him. This indicates that he may already have died.

It not known whether or not Wurm continued to live in Prague after being released. Three Jan Wurm are listed in the address book from 1937, but it is impossible to tell whether any of them is identical to the former officer. None of the three lived in Dejvice.

Military archives

Recent investigations (VÚA, 22 November 2018) of Wurm's documents from k.u.k. Heer confirm much of what we know from other sources, and also provide additional details. Here we will however focus on those that touch on IR. 91 during the war, and briefly on post-war Czechoslovakia.

Wurm served by 1st battalion in Dalmatia and Serbia from the outbreak of war. He was wounded on 2 October 1914 and was only back at the front with the 7th march battalion. This unit left Budějovice on 8 March 1915 and on arrival in the Carpathians he assumed command of the 14th field company. He fell ill with pneumonia and typhus on 2 April, and spent some time at a hospital in Kroměříž. From 10 May he worked at the draft board of Infanterieregiment Nr. 75. From 26 July 1915 he was back with IR. 91 and the 14th march battalion. From 19 September he was again in the field, now by Khorupan. Wurm took part in the battle here five days later, and with the regiment transferred to the Isonzo-front in mid November.

On 10 January 1916 he fell ill again and after a week at a hospital in Laibach (Ljubljana) he was transferred to Bruck where he was made commander of IR. 91 1. Ersatzkompanie. Here he served until 14 April 1916 when he was transferred to k.k. Landwehr draft commission no. 3 in Prague. From this period his documents reveal that he again volunteered for service at the front. His application was however rejected as his health condition was poor and the regiment also need experienced instructors behind the lines.

From 8 July 1916 he commanded the 23rd march battalion and on 29 August they left for the front. On 8 February 1917 he reported ill and was transported to a hospital in Ljubljana and after recuperation again served at a draft board until 20 June, presumably in Prague. Until 3 December he was battalion commander by IR. 91/1st battalion and then at the 28th Rifle Regiment, 3rd battalion (k.k. Landwehr). Then he spent the time until 10 April 1918 in hospital in Prague, again with lung problems. From 30 April he served Jägerregiment Nr. 137, the machine gun section.

Details about his career in the Czechoslovak army are revealed and these correspond well to what was written in newspapers during the court case. It is also added that he didn't serve out his prison term, as he was released on probation after three years. His three children were born in 1912, 1914 and 1916 respectively, two daughters and one son. The verdict from the spy case was accurately reported in the newspapers. There is no additional information that can shed light on his fate after having been released from prison.

Devil dressed as a human

The recently published book "Jednadevesátníci" (Jan Ciglbauer, 2018) casts a dark shadow on Wurm as a person and officer, and largely confirms the damaging testimonies that were given during the spy trial in December 1922. Ciglbauer notes that Wurm's name strikingly often appears in the notes and diaries of veterans from IR. 91, and in the worst possible light.

For instance the book refers to an article in the magazine Kamarádství from 1937, where J. Hospodářský, a former soldier from IR. 91, describes Wurm as an incredibly brutal officer, abnormal in his behaviour. The whole regiment feared and hated him, including his fellow officers. As commander of 1. Erstatzkompanie in Királyhida in 1916 he once mistreated his horse at Batailionsraport because it became restless. In addition he "sentenced" the animal to two days in the stables without food and water. He also once had his wife escorted away by four armed soldiers when she entered the training ground (where civilians were strictly forbidden to be during exercising). He is reported to have shot soldiers for trifles, and once had his servant tied up for two hours because he failed to bring water in time. Hospodářský describes Wurm as "a devil dressed as a human, in uniform".

The arrested horse

The story about the horse also appeared in newspapers around the time of the spy process, in the form of testimonies.

The similarities between Wurm and the novel figure Fähnrich Dauerling are striking, at least in the way the two tyrants treated common soldiers. Jaroslav Hašek however only crossed paths with Wurm for three weeks in early spring 1915 and again briefly in the autumn, and they didn't serve in the same companies. Still the author would surely have heard about Wurm's antics, and may have been inspired by these when creating his grotesque Dauerling figure.

Jan Morávek

In his series "Jaroslav Hašek - the Good Soldier Švejk" (Večerní České slovo, 1924) Jan Morávek mentions a captain Wimmer who was replaced by Rudolf Lukas as commander of Hašek's march company shortly before they were transferred from Budějovice to Királyhida. Lukas assumed command of the 4th company of XII. Marschbataillon on 1 June 1915, and Ersatzbataillon IR. 91 were transferred to Bruck the same day. Wimmer allegedly tyrannised the soldiers and subjected his horse to disciplinary measures.

A certain captain Otto Wimmer did actually serve in IR. 91, but it is unlikely that the regiment was burdened with two such lunatics. Jan Morávek adds that "Wimmer appeared in the newspapers about a year ago", which roughly fits the time of the spy trial (Morávek had his series published in September 1924). It is, therefore, likely that Morávek mixed up Wurm with Wimmer and thus undeservedly tainted the latter as a brutal psychopath. In Wurm's military service record, he is, however, reported to have been on sick leave at the time. One explanation could be that Wimmer was indeed the person Rudolf Lukas replaced, but that Morávek somehow swapped Wimmer and Wurm later.

Petr Novák

V edici je Eyblův záznam z 16. března přepsána takto: "Spal v márnici. Naše vojsko je zahrabáno, na útok nepomýšlí. Proti nám stojí čerstvé vojsko, minský a jekatěrinoburský pluk. Došla marškumpanie, kterou vedl nadporučík Wurm, synovec Feldmaršála Wurma."

Quote(s) from the novel

[IV.2] Měli jsme jich tam tenkrát pět a ze začátku vám to žralo v kantině samý syrečky, poněvadž mináž nikde nedostali, až tam na ně přišel takhle jednou obrlajtnant Wurm a zakázal jim to, poněvadž prej se to nesrovnává se ctí kadetštelfrtrérů, chodit do kantiny pro manšaft.

Credit: Petr Novák, Eybl, Jan Ciglbauer, ÖStA, VÚA

Literature

Wenzel Freiherr von Wurm, Austro-Hungarian Land Forces 1848-1918,2001 - 2016
Ranglisten der kaiserlich und königlichen Heeres, K.K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei,1916
Ze sadů, Ohlas od Nežárky,28.5.1909
Poručík a cvičitel Sokola, Venkov,29.5.1909
Aus dem Verordnungsblatt für das k.u.k. Heer, Budweiser Kreisblatt,29.4.1914
Das I./91. Feldbataillon in Serbien, Böhmerwalds Söhne im Felde Nr. 6W. Tobner,1924-1928
Verlustliste Nr. 49, 8.11.1914, K.u.k. Kriegsministerium
Ein Ruhmesblatt aus der Geschichte des Inf.Reg Nr.91, Budweiser Zeitung,5.1.1915
Dekorierungsfeier, Prager Tagblatt,15.2.1915
Hauptmann Johann Wurm, Prager Tagblatt,21.11.1915
Auszeichnung, Budweiser Zeitung,23.11.1915
Zum dritten male ausgezeichnet, Budweiser Zeitung,17.11.1916
Mathilde Wurm, Prager Tagblatt,17.10.1918
Militärpensionisten, Prager Tagblatt,12.6.1921
Forderungen der nichtaktiven Militärpersonen, Prager Tagblatt,19.6.1921
Die tschecischen Redl, Arbeiter-Zeitung,8.10.1922
Hans Wurm, Lidové noviny,8.10.1922
Die Untersuchungen in der Spionageaffäre werden immer Komplizierter, Volksfreund,8.10.1922
V brněnské vysvědačské aféře, Lidové noviny,14.10.1922
Der Spion Stabskapitän Wurm - ein Tscheche, Budweiser Zeitung,29.11.1922
Die brünner Spionage-Affaire, Prager Presse,11.12.1922
Brněnští vysvědači před soudem, Lidové noviny,12.12.1922
Die brünner Spionage-Affaire. Fortsetzung der Zeugenvernahme, Prager Presse,12.12.1922
Baeranovi pomocníci před divisnem soudem, Venkov,12.12.1922
Die brünner Spionage-Affaire, Prager Presse,13.12.1922
Armádní zrádci, Národní listy,13.12.1922
Die brünner Spionage-Affaire, Prager Presse,14.12.1922
Velezrádný proces s vojenskými společníky poslance Baerana, Československá republika,14.12.1922
Das Urteil im Spionage-Prozeß, Prager Presse,15.12.1922

Zrada, Československý legionář,15.12.1922
Rozsudek v brněnské vyzvědačcké aféře, Moravská orlice,16.12.1922
Armádní zrádci, Národní listy,21.12.1922
Spionage-Prozeß, Der Handwerker,22.12.1922
Gute Kameradschaft jetzt und allezeit!, Budweiser Zeitung,20.7.1932
Ze vzpomínek jednadevadesáníka, Kamarádtsví,15.9.1937
Erstes Frontkämpfertreffen des Gaues Böhmerwald-Süd, Budweiser Zeitung,20.8.1938
NS Reichskriegerbund, Kreiskriegerführing Budweis, Budweiser Zeitung,14.2.1940

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	IV. The Illustrious Thrashing Continued
	2. Spiritual Consolation