Russia's Forgotten War Against Austria-Hungary

The Eastern Front of World War I was a theatre of operations that encompassed the frontier between Russia and Romania on one side and Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, and Germany on the other. The conflict ranged from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south, involving most of Eastern Europe and stretching deep into Central Europe. The Eastern Front saw dynamic warfare, often involving the flanking and encirclement of entire formations, and resulted in over 100,000 square miles of territory becoming occupied by a foreign power.

At the start of the war, Russia launched offensives against both Germany and Austria-Hungary, intending to achieve a rapid victory. While the invasion of East Prussia was defeated, the advance into Austria-Hungary stalled in the Carpathians. In 1915, Germany and Austria-Hungary launched successful counteroffensives, defeating Russian forces in Galicia and Poland and causing Russia to abandon the Polish salient, parts of Belarus and the Baltic region, and Galicia. However, these campaigns failed to achieve Germany's objective of taking Russia out of the war.

In 1916, Russia went on the offensive again, inflicting over one million casualties on Austria-Hungary and forcing Germany to redeploy divisions from the Western Front, albeit at the cost of heavy losses. The Brusilov Offensive, led by General Aleksei Brusilov, is considered Russia's greatest victory of World War I. Despite initial successes, the Brusilov Offensive slowed due to inadequate troops and supply lines, costing Russia half a million casualties in the first two months alone.

In summary, Russia and Austria-Hungary did fight against each other during World War I, primarily on the Eastern Front, with Germany and other Central Powers as key participants in this theatre of the war.

The Russian offensive in the Battle of Stallupönen, which was the opening battle of the Eastern Front, quickly turned to a disastrous defeat following the Battle of Tannenberg in August 1914

The Russian offensive in the Battle of Stallupönen, fought on 17 August 1914, was the opening battle of World War I on the Eastern Front. The battle was fought between Russian and German armies, and it marked the beginning of the conflict between these two powers. The Russians had planned to attack Austria-Hungary in support of Serbia, but due to German mobilisation, they had to shift their focus to East Prussia. This was a crucial move to draw German troops away from the Western Front and support France.

The Russian First Army, led by General Pavel Rennenkampf, and the Second Army, commanded by General Alexander Samsonov, were deployed for the attack. The combined Russian forces consisted of 208 infantry battalions and over nine cavalry divisions. The First Army attacked north of the Masurian Lakes, while the Second Army attacked from the south. However, the two armies faced challenges due to the distance between them and ineffective communication.

On 15 August 1914, Rennenkampf's army crossed the border with six infantry divisions, intending to advance through Stallupönen. The Germans, under the command of Hermann von François, conducted a successful counterattack against the Russians, who were separated and lacked coordination. Despite this initial success, the Germans retreated to Gumbinnen after the battle.

The Battle of Stallupönen was a prelude to the more significant Battle of Tannenberg, which began on 26 August 1914. The German 8th Army, led by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, launched a devastating attack against the advancing Russian 2nd Army, commanded by Samsonov, in East Prussia. The Russians had sent two armies into East Prussia, while the Germans focused their forces on the Western Front against France.

The Battle of Tannenberg resulted in a crushing defeat for the Russians, with over 30,000 killed and 92,000 taken as prisoners. The German victory at Tannenberg became emblematic of the Russian Empire's disastrous experience in World War I on the Eastern Front. The rapid changes of fortune and the greater distances characterised the initial encounters on this front.

The Brusilov offensive became the largest Entente victory in the war

The Brusilov Offensive, named after General Aleksei Brusilov, was a large-scale tactical assault carried out by the Russian forces against the Austro-Hungarian army in Galicia. It was the largest and most successful Allied offensive of World War I, and among the most lethal offensives in world history. The offensive was Russia's greatest feat of arms during the war and became the largest Entente victory in the war.

The offensive was launched on June 4, 1916, and lasted until late September. It took place in eastern Galicia (present-day northwestern Ukraine), in the Lviv and Volyn Oblasts. Brusilov amassed four armies totalling 40 infantry divisions and 15 cavalry divisions. He faced 39 Austro-Hungarian infantry divisions and 10 cavalry divisions, formed in three defensive lines, as well as German reinforcements that were later brought in. Brusilov's tactics included the use of smaller, specialised units to attack weak points in the Austro-Hungarian trench lines, which were a departure from the conventional human wave attacks that had been used up to that point in the war.

The offensive achieved its original goal of forcing Germany to halt its attack on Verdun and transfer considerable forces to the East. It inflicted irreparable losses on the Austro-Hungarian Army, with over a million casualties, and induced Romania to enter the war on the side of the Entente. The offensive also contributed to a morale boost among the Russian troops, and in 1917, Nicholas II planned a general offensive along the entire front to end the Central Powers.

However, the offensive was tremendously costly for the Imperial Russian Army, with Russian casualties numbering between 500,000 and 1,000,000. The human and material losses on the Russian side also contributed to the onset of the Russian Revolution the following year. Despite the heavy losses, the Brusilov Offensive is considered a manifestation of good leadership and planning on the part of the Imperial Russian Army, showcasing the skill of the lower ranks.

The Germans and Austro-Hungarians functioned under a unified command during the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes

The Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes, also known as the Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes, was part of a larger plan by Paul von Hindenburg to push against Russia by the Austro-Germans. The aim was to force Russia's defeat and end the war on the Eastern Front. The Germans and Austro-Hungarians functioned under a unified command during this battle.

The battle began on February 7, 1915, with a surprise attack by German General Fritz von Below's Eighth Army against the Russian army north of the Masurian Lakes on the Eastern Front. The Germans advanced almost 70 miles within a week, overwhelming and nearly encircling the Russians. The Russians fell back and were attacked by the German Tenth Army from the north on February 9.

The Russian XX Corps, under the command of Bulgakov, put up effective resistance in the Forest of Augustow, delaying the German advance and allowing the remaining three corps to escape. The Russians suffered 56,000 casualties and an estimated 100,000 prisoners, while German losses were relatively small.

Despite the initial success of the Germans and Austro-Hungarians, later attacks by the Russian Twelfth Army halted their progress, and the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes had little strategic impact for the Central Powers.

The Brusilov offensive slowed down due to inadequate troops and poorly maintained supply lines

The Brusilov Offensive, which took place from June to September 1916, was the largest and most successful Russian assault during World War I. It was also one of the deadliest offensives in history, with casualties on both sides numbering in the hundreds of thousands. The offensive was named after General Aleksei Brusilov, the commander in charge of the Southwestern Front of the Imperial Russian Army. Brusilov's tactics were a significant improvement on the conventional human wave tactics that had been used up to that point in the war.

The offensive was initially very successful, with the Russians achieving a massive and accurate assault that broke the Austrian lines on the first day. The Austrians were unable to withstand the attack, and many Slav units deserted en masse. However, the overall campaign began to slow down due to inadequate troops and poorly maintained supply lines. While Brusilov's tactics were effective, the Russian army as a whole was not able to fully exploit this new strategy. Other Russian commanders failed to recognise the potential of Brusilov's tactics and continued to use conventional tactics that proved costly and indecisive.

Additionally, the Russian commanders in the north did not maintain pressure on the Germans, allowing them to send assistance to stabilise the front. As a result, the Brusilov Offensive reached its limits by September 1916 and was shut down. Despite this, the offensive had a significant impact on the war. It forced Germany to abandon its plans for an offensive in France and instead divert critical forces to the East to support their Austrian allies. The blow to Habsburg prestige was irreversible, and Austria-Hungary never recovered from the defeat, playing a significantly diminished role in the war from then on.

The Russian Expeditionary Force continued to maintain a presence on the Western Front and the Macedonian front, even after the October Revolution

Russia did fight against Austria-Hungary as part of World War I. The Russian Expeditionary Force (REF) was a World War I military force sent to France and Greece by the Russian Empire. The REF was formed of four brigades, consisting of approximately 45,000 men, and fought alongside the French army in 1916. The REF was deployed to the Western Front and the Macedonian Front, which was also known as the Salonika front.

The REF continued to maintain a presence on the Western Front and the Macedonian front even after the October Revolution. The Russian Revolution, which began in February 1917, caused several mutinies within the REF against Russian officers and French authorities. Despite this, a loyal remnant of Russian troops, under Colonel Georgy Semyonovich Gotua, demanded that they be allowed to continue to fight. These troops were incorporated into either the French Foreign Legion or the Russian Legion of Honour, which was attached to the French 1st Moroccan Division. The Russian Legion continued to fight alongside the French army until the Armistice of 11 November 1918.

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