The Brusilov Offensive
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Military engagements most often are named for their locations, their objectives, their participants, or their dates. Seldom are they named for one man, but that is exactly the case of the Brusilov Offensive (called in Russian "Brusilov's Breakthrough"), named for Russian general Aleksei Brusilov, who planned and guided the operation.
The situation was this: At the start of World War I, the Triple Entente (the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom) were standing against the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. Naturally, Russia was responsible for most of the operations on the Eastern Front, and the other two members primarily held the Western Front. (Soon, the "Allied Powers" emerged, with Japan and the U.S. joining the original Triple Entente, and Italy switching sides.)
Brusilov proposed a massive offensive on the Southwestern Front against the Austro-Hungarian army in Galicia (in present-day western Ukraine). He aimed to relieve some of the pressure on the French, British, and Italian armies in the west, and also, if possible, to take Austria-Hungary out of the war. The Russians had a numerical advantage since much of the Austrian army was occupied fighting in Italy.
The assault began in June of 1916 and lasted until September. It is considered Russia's greatest push in that war, and also its costliest: it has been called "among the most lethal offensives in world history." It was Austria-Hungary's worst defeat in the war, but both sides had high casualties: some 1,264,000 to 1,764,000 for both sides together for the entire engagement.
The battle started with a brief but accurate artillery bombardment, which created a breakthrough in the Austrian line. Unfortunately, a delay in the arrival of reinforcements gave the Germans time to reinforce the Austrian troops. Nevertheless, by September Brusilov had reached the Carpathian Mountains, securing much of the territory that had previously been taken by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, whose army never fully recovered from the assault.
An article in the New York Times hailed Brusilov as the "Hero of the Hour in Russia."