World War I Quiz - The June Advance (Answers)
The June Advance is about the Brusilov Offensive.
In order to relieve the German attack on Verdun, the Allies were to launch the Battle of the Somme in June 1916. In an attempt to take German forces from the Western Front the Russians were also to launch an attack on the Eastern Front at the same time. This was the Brusilov Offensive. It was a victory for the Russians, though not as successful as hoped, and it ranks as one of the largest campaigns of the entire war.
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The battle occurred on the borders of the then Russian Empire with the Austro-Hungarian Empire around the towns of Lutsk, Kovel and Lviv. These are today in the north-western corner of Ukraine
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Because the Russian troops were attacking several areas at the same time, there was no possibility of reinforcements. All men were stationed as close to the enemy as possible to give them the best chance of success. The attack was to be complete victory or total defeat
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The Russian forces in the campaign were commanded by General-Adjutant Aleksei Brusilov. In May 1917 Brusilov was made the Commander in Chief of the Russian Army, however just two months later he was removed from this position after the failure of the Kerensky Offensive
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The attack began with a brief artillery barrage instead of the usual more lengthy bombardments which did more damage but gave the defenders time to bring in reinforcements. The Russian troops then broke through the Austrian lines and Lutsk was taken on 8th June 1916
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In preparation for the battle Brusilov was urged to concentrate his forces on a smaller area, giving more chance of a breakthrough, but the Russian commander refused to change his plan
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Brusilov's strategy was to use shock troops to attack weak points in the Austrian defences. Unfortunately the Russians did not realise the full potential of this new kind of warfare - it was ironically the Germans who were to grasp the idea with their own 'storm troopers', which they utilized well in 1918. Brusilov's idea is also thought to have been the inspiration for Germany's 'Blitzkrieg' tactics of WWII
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Romania had hoped to take its historical province Transylvania back from the Austrian Empire. Seeing the Austrians driven back, Romania seized the opportunity. Their efforts failed however, and they withdrew from the war in August 1917, having to pay reparation to the Germans, including two million tons of grain which was taken from Romanian farmers
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The attack, when it did come, was a weak one and was checked by the Germans. General Evert had opposed Brusilov's tactics before the start of the campaign, favouring a more defensive strategy. This may be why his own attack was both late and lacked the success of Brusilov's
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Without the German reinforcements the Austrians would probably have given way to Brusilov. To prevent the collapse of the Austrian forces, the Germans would have had to redeploy huge numbers of men from the Western Front and this may well have spelled their defeat, but it was not to be. As is often the case, one man's error cost the lives of thousands
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The casualty figures of the time are not reliable. Some estimate that as many as 2.3 million men were killed or injured during the campaign, while others give estimates as low as 900,000
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