The First World War is one of the bloodiest in the history of mankind. Armed conflict began in 1914 with the Sarajevo assassination. On June 28, Archduke Franz Ferdinand died at the hands of a terrorist student from Bosnia. This caused aggression in Europe, more and more countries were drawn into hostilities. As a result of the war, four empires were wiped off the face of the earth, 10 million soldiers and officers were killed, five times more were wounded. Mass and merciless people remembered the First World War. The main battles of this European "meat grinder" today are striking in their scale and cruelty.
Tannenberg operation
In another way, it is also called the Battle of Grunwald. During this battle in the east of Prussia, Russian troops came together, the first and second armies, in which there were 250 thousand military men, and the German army of 200 thousand soldiers.
The constant contention and inconsistency of actions within the Russian army led to the fact that entire divisions were defeated and strongly thrown back. As a result, many ordinary soldiers died. Losses on the part of the Russians were more widespread: 150-200 thousand, which amounted to almost 2/3 of the total number of military based in this area. Germany lost 50 thousand of its subjects fighting under its flag.
The Russian army in the Tannenberg operation was defeated. And this led to the fact that the Germans were able to transfer significant reinforcements to the Western Front. At the same time, Russia's swift offensive cut off German troops from allies, Austro-Hungarian soldiers. Having not received help from Prussia, they lost another important battle, the Galician, which is also famous for the First World War. Major battles also include this battle in their bloody list.
Battle of galicia
It occurred in the summer of August 1914. The main stage fell on the first days of this month. According to historical archival records, Russian and Austro-Hungarian forces converged in equal numbers: from both sides 4 armies participated in the battles.
The main battles of the First World War are also distinguished by these battles that took place near Lviv, Galich and Lublin in the Ukrainian-Polish territory. The fate of the Battle of Galicia was a foregone conclusion when the Russians near Tarnavka broke through and launched an offensive. This greatly influenced the further course of events and became their trump card in obtaining the treasured victory.
The losses from the
battle of Galicia at Austria-Hungary were colossal: 325 thousand soldiers. This was a third of all the empire's forces on the Eastern Front. Subsequently, the sediment from this rout was felt in the actions of the army. She was never able to stand up after a crushing blow, and only thanks to the help of the Germans won a handful of minor successes.
Sarykamysh battle
Speaking about the main battles of the Great Patriotic War (that was what they called it before the start of World War II), one cannot fail to mention this operation. In it, Russia and Turkey competed on the threshold of the new 1915. At that time, the Turkish command was developing a cunning plan: to capture Karas and completely destroy the army of the Caucasus.
The Crescent troops were advancing. The Russians were surrounded in Sarykamysh, but they continued to hold down the main forces of the enemy and impeded its advancement. Accustomed to a milder climate, their opponents could not stand the harsh winter. From severe frosts and snowstorms, tens of thousands of Turkish soldiers died in just one day.
The Russians were waiting at that time, which was the right decision. Soon reinforcements approached Sarykamysh, and the Army of the Crescent was defeated. In total, about 100 thousand people died in this operation. The largest battles of the First World War also include this battle, since it played an important strategic role: the situation in the Caucasus was stabilized, and the Russians were able to curb their ardent opponent - Turkey.
Brusilovsky breakthrough
The main battles of World War 1 were not without courage and strategic skills of General Brusilov. In the summer of 2016, under his leadership, the Russians broke through on the Southwestern Front. The Austro-Hungarian army lost many soldiers and officers. The number is astounding - 1.5 million dead.
The Russians occupied Bukovina and Galicia. This forced the Germans to strengthen their positions here by transferring additional forces to the area from the Western Front. Despite this, Russia's allies strengthened in this territory, and the Entente was also understaffed by Romania, which switched to the side of the Union.
Russian troops also missed many valiant heroes. And therefore, a new wave of mobilization was announced in the country, urging newcomers to join the thinned ranks of the army. This unpopular move by the government caused outrage and discontent among the common people. People did not want to be
"cannon fodder", because the First World War did not spare either old or young. The main battles show: there were a lot of losses from both the Russians and their opponents.
Kerensky's offensive
In 1917, the Bolsheviks overthrew the monarchy, and therefore the further course of the war was dictated by the revolutionary events in the country. The Russians launched the offensive in June 1917, but after two days of active advance, they suddenly stopped. The soldiers felt that this was enough, they completely fulfilled their sacred duty.
Beginners also refused to stand in the front ranks. All this disorder and general disobedience took place against the background of the regular desertion that the revolution provoked. The main battles of the First World War have never seen such massive chaos and panic among military personnel.
At this time, taking advantage of the situation, Germany attacked and pushed the Russian units back to their old positions. The once strong and courageous army of Russia actually ceased to exist as an organized force. Germany was no longer afraid of her opponent and was able to gain a foothold on all fronts. The Russians had to make the Brest Peace, which was disadvantageous and humiliating for our country.
Goeben and Breslau
The naval battles of World War I are also striking in their scale. With the beginning of the battles, the parties to the conflict turned their attention to the Mediterranean Sea. It was an important component for the transport of the army, especially the French. In order to transport its soldiers without obstacles to the waters of the Mediterranean, France had to destroy the German cruisers Geben and Breslau, which cruised off the coast of Sardinia.
In August 1914, these two German ships fired at the ports of Algeria and headed for Constantinople. No matter how hard the British troops tried, the German ships reached the Sea of Marmara. Having joined the Turkish fleet, the Goeben and Breslau fired on Russian positions in the Black Sea. This changed the course of the First World War. Russia declared war on Turkey, while the British and French forces launched the blockade of the Dardanelles. They also believed that it was necessary to neutralize the Austrian allies of Germany. The Anglo-French fleet crossed the Adriatic more than once, hoping to challenge the Austrian ships to a duel, but this did not bring the desired result.
Operation Dardanelles
Another major naval battle, stretched in time for the whole of 1915. The campaign included the capture of the straits and the landing of the Anglo-French landing. But unforeseen situations characterized the First World War. The main battles did not always go according to the developed plan, sometimes the operations failed. This happened with a strategic plan called the Dardanelles. The parties suffered tremendous losses: almost 200 thousand soldiers suffered in the Turkish army , 150 thousand among the allies. This is the wounded and killed, as well as missing.
In May, Italy joined the Entente. At the same time, German submarines were able to penetrate into the Mediterranean. They managed to sink 100 merchant ships, while losing only one unit of equipment. Thus, despite the help of Italy, the allies in the naval campaign of 1915 could not achieve superiority. The only plus was the evacuation of the Serbian army, which was defeated by enemy forces in the fall.
Baltic fights
This sea side was called secondary. The First World War, the main battles of which took place not only on land, but also on water, did not bet on the Baltic. The British considered the Russian fleet exhausted after the Russo-Japanese war, and therefore did not count on its help. Only old ships cruised in the Baltic.
But in August 1914, an incident occurred on this calm and serene sea, which could affect the course of the war. German cruiser Magdeburg aground in the Gulf of Finland. Soon he was captured by the Russians. They found the signal book of this ship, handed it over to the British - this played a major role in uncovering the German naval code. Using the knowledge gained, the Allies carried out many successful operations.
This is only part of the main battles of that time. And there were a lot of them. The main battles of the First World War, the scheme, table and schedule of operations, their detailed course are described today in history textbooks. Reading them, we understand how bloody that period of time became, and how it influenced the further fate of the countries drawn into it.