Brusilov Offensive 1916: How Russia Broke the Austro-Hungarian Front

The Brusilov Offensive was a massive attack by the Russian Southwestern Front under General Aleksei Brusilov, launched on 4 June 1916 and lasting until September. Within days four Russian armies broke through the Austro-Hungarian defences along a front of about 350 km, took hundreds of thousands of prisoners and forced Germany and Austria-Hungary to pull troops away from Verdun and the Italian front. It was the most successful Allied offensive of 1916, and also one of the bloodiest for Russia itself.

Why Brusilov attacked in the summer of 1916

In spring 1916 the Allies agreed on simultaneous attacks on every front. France was bleeding at Verdun, and Italy begged for help after the Austrian offensive in Trentino. The main Russian blow was supposed to come from General Evert's Western Front, while the Southwestern Front in the south got a secondary role. That is exactly why Brusilov was free to do things his own way.

He knew the classic 1915 method (one narrow breakthrough after a week of bombardment) no longer worked: the enemy sees the preparation and brings up reserves in time. He proposed something different. First, strike with several armies at once in many places. Second, prepare every sector separately. Third, never let the enemy work out where the main effort lies.

The new tactics: what he actually changed

Preparation took weeks. Russian infantry dug trenches until they were only 70-100 metres from the Austro-Hungarian positions, and built further trenches behind them for the assault waves. Scouts studied every stretch of enemy defence, and the artillery registered on real targets rather than on map squares.

The bombardment was short but precise: from a few hours to a day and a half, depending on the sector. It hit batteries, command posts and communication lines, not just trenches. The infantry advanced in waves, and each wave took the next line of defence without stopping. More on the guns in our article on WW1 artillery.

The course of the offensive: 4 June - September 1916

On 4 June 1916 Kaledin's Eighth Army struck at Lutsk, and the city fell within three days. The Austro-Hungarian Fourth Army of Archduke Joseph Ferdinand effectively disintegrated. Further south Lechitsky's Ninth Army advanced into Bukovina and took Czernowitz. Shcherbachev's Seventh Army and Sakharov's Eleventh Army held the flanks.

In the first two weeks the Russians advanced up to 60-80 km in places. Then the momentum faded. Evert's Western Front failed to carry out its part of the plan, and reserves reached Brusilov late. Germany moved more than ten divisions east, and at Kovel the Russian advance bogged down in heavy fighting. The battles went on until September, but the decisive breakthrough never came.

Losses and consequences

Sources differ, but the scale is clear. Austria-Hungary lost roughly 600,000 men, more than 400,000 of them prisoners. Total Central Powers losses, German ones included, are estimated even higher. Russian losses ran from half a million to a million men.

The consequences were strategic. The Austro-Hungarian army never recovered its old form and depended more and more on Germany. Conrad had to halt the Trentino offensive, which saved the Italians. Germany eased the pressure on Verdun. On 27 August 1916 Romania joined the Allies, encouraged by the Russian success (its fate is told in our article on Romania in 1916). For Russia, however, the price was too high: the loss of its best regular units sped up the crisis of 1917 described in the article on Brest-Litovsk.

What to take from this in Frontkrieg

Brusilov proved a simple thing: a defender cannot be equally strong everywhere. If you attack with several armies at once in different provinces, the enemy does not know where to send reserves, and one sector is bound to fall. So do not put everything into a single stack when the enemy border is stretched thin. Scout weak points in advance and plan your strikes so they are hard to predict.

The second lesson is tempo. A breakthrough is worth nothing without reserves to hold the result. The Russians succeeded within two weeks but could not exploit it because they had not prepared reinforcements. Keep a second line of armies ready to move into the captured provinces. More advice is in the offensive tactics guide. Want to test the idea? Open the lobby and start a new match for free.

For the wider picture see the overview of the Eastern Front, and for more history browse the blog. The detailed account of the offensive is on Wikipedia.

FAQ

What was the Brusilov Offensive?

It was an offensive by the Russian Southwestern Front under Aleksei Brusilov, launched on 4 June 1916 along a front of about 350 km. It crushed the Austro-Hungarian Fourth Army and cost Austria-Hungary roughly 600,000 men.

Who led the Brusilov Offensive?

General Aleksei Brusilov, commander of the Southwestern Front. His armies - the Eighth (Kaledin), Eleventh (Sakharov), Seventh (Shcherbachev) and Ninth (Lechitsky) - attacked simultaneously along a wide front.

What were the results of the Brusilov Offensive?

Austria-Hungary lost much of its fighting power and became dependent on Germany. Germany pulled forces from Verdun, Italy survived the Trentino attack, and Romania entered the war. For Russia the losses were too high and brought the crisis of 1917 closer.

Why did the offensive stall?

Evert's Western Front did not support the blow, reserves arrived late, and the Germans moved more than ten divisions east. At Kovel the advance bogged down and ran out of strength by September.