The battles of World War I were rarely offensive. The war was sluggish, positional, but it was extremely bloody. Perhaps the only exception was 1916, when the Russian command organized a large-scale offensive operation on the Southwestern Front. This event is well known in military history as the Brusilov breakthrough.
General Brusilov, in whose honor this military operation was named, applied an unusual and completely new breakthrough tactic at that time. Its essence was to undermine the enemy’s defense thanks to a powerful strike in the main direction and simultaneous auxiliary strikes in other directions. Thus, reserves and forces were dispersed, and the enemy could not repel the main blow, losing their positions.
In fact, the Brusilov breakthrough became a new stage in the history of military art.
The Supreme Headquarters in 1916 decided, based on the general picture of hostilities, to give the main offensive role to the Western Front, with the support of the Northern Front. And the South-Western Front, which was headed by General Brusilov, was only supposed to defend and divert enemy forces. However, Brusilov personally insisted on conducting a full-scale offensive operation of the Russian troops from the southwest.
The preparations for the offensive were carried out by Brusilov very carefully and in an atmosphere of complete secrecy. The Austro-Hungarian command in general knew about the plans of the Entente, but was fully confident that after the failed operations of 1915 the Russian troops would not dare to conduct offensive operations again.
Meanwhile, the Russian armies were drawn to breakthrough places, soldiers learned to overcome barriers, artillery - to break down defenses and barriers. For several months, troops on the Southwestern Front were skillfully grouped unnoticed by the enemy.
The morning came on June 4, 1916, tragic for the Austro-Hungarian troops. Blinding death awaited them: volleys of thousands of guns turned habitable fortified positions into dust and dust. The attack of the Russian troops was successful at all points of the breakthrough.
Russian artillery and infantry acted surprisingly well-coordinated. Reliably covered by the fire of their artillery, the infantry marched on the attack. They walked in waves, three or four chains in each, at a distance of 170-200 steps from each other. The attack was "rifts."
The army of General Kaledin acted most successfully on the right flank, in the Lutsk direction. The city of Lutsk itself was taken just a few days after the start of the offensive, and the enemy was pushed 60 kilometers inland to the Stokhod river.
On the left flank, the army of General Lechitsky was able to advance 120 kilometers, crossed the Prut and captured Chernivtsi on June 18.
The army of General Sakharov was less successful, faced with the stiff resistance of the Austro-Hungarians.
The Brusilovsky breakthrough meant a real disaster for the troops of the Triple Alliance.
To consolidate the success, it was decided to transfer the main blow from the Western Front to the Southwest. The headquarters hesitated for some time, expecting that the commander of the Western Group of Forces, General Evert, would nevertheless go on the offensive. However, he did not dare, and in the second half of June, reserve troops began to arrive at the disposal of Brusilov. Under pressure from the high command, Evert went on an unsuccessful attack in the direction of the Baranavichy.
Germany, Austria and Italy began hastily pulling their troops to the Southwestern Front in order to defend the strategically important Kovel. Brusilov launched a new attack on Brody and Kovel, but the enemy was able to stabilize the situation on the fronts with fierce resistance. At the end of June, there was a lull in hostilities again.
Largely due to the indecision and inaction of the Headquarters, the Brusilov breakthrough did not receive the proper development and success. However, this event played an important role during the 1916 campaign.
The losses of the Austro-Hungarian troops amounted to about one and a half million people against 500 thousand from the Russians. 450 thousand Austrian soldiers and almost 10 thousand officers were captured.
The battles of World War I rarely brought such luck to the troops of the Entente: all of Bukovina and part of Galicia were recaptured. Germany was forced to transfer 16 divisions from the Western Front, and Austria generally turned offensive in the direction of Italy in order to transfer 7 divisions to Galicia. Turkey also introduced its 2 divisions there.
The Brusilovsky breakthrough also led to the fact that Romania in August 1916 decided to take the side of the Entente.
Thus, despite its general incompleteness, this brilliant military operation rightfully entered the hundred greatest battles in the history of mankind.