Figure 1.--

World War I was begun and eventually settled on the Western Front. Of all the other campaigns, it was the figting on the Eastern Front that was most important. The figting on the Eastern Front was critical in preventing the Germans from forcing a conclusion at the beginning of the War. The Russians, true to their treaty obligations, with the commencemebnt of hoistilities, drove west with their huge but cumbersome army into Germany (East Prussia) and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Hindenburg and Ludendorff became German national heros for defeating the Russian offensive. These victories came at a cost, hever, forces had to be ithdrawn from the Western offensive. It was all just the beginning. Fighting raged from East Prussia in the north through Poland to Calacia and the Catpethean mountains. Fighting at first stopped there because Romania did no immediatelt enter the War. While Brithish, French, and American historians focus on the Western Froint, the fighting in the East was every bit as bloody as on the Western front. It was entirely differnt in character. While there were also trenches, the fighting in the East was to a large degree a war of movement, what the Germans had intended in the West. The Austro-Hungarian Army suffered enormous losses in Galacia, especially around Lemberg (Lviv) that severely weakened it. Russia was also mortally wounded by the fighting. Gernany w not mortally wounded, but the fighting in the East prvenbted it from unleaing the full power of its military on the Western Allies. The three empires locked in mortal combat in the East began the War as awelcomed opportunity to settke precived accounts. It would prove the death knool end of all three, actually four if the Ottoman Empire is included.

Russian Offensive (August-September 1914)

The Russians, true to their treaty obligations, with the commencemebnt of hoistilities, drove west with their huge but cumbersome army into Germany (East Prussia) and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Lithuanian and Poles had decisevely defeated the Teutonic Knights near Tannenburg haltuing German expansion east (1410). Thus it was a location indelibly engrained in German history. Germany braced for the invading Russian Army. The Germans under Hindenburg and Ludendorff met a Russian army under Samsonov (August 26, 1914). The Germans smashed the Russians, taking 100,000 prisoners. Such was the scale of the Russian defeat that Samsonov shot himself. A scond Russian army under Rennenkampf was to have joined up with Samsonov. The Germans soon engaged that army and destroyed it in the Battle of the Mansurian Lakes. Hindenburg and Ludendorff became German national heros.

Importance

World War I was begun and eventually settled on the Western Front. Of all the other campaigns, it was the figting on the Eastern Front that was most important. The figting on the Eastern Front was critical in preventing the Germans from forcing a conclusion at the beginning of the War.

Extent

The early Grman victiries were just the beginning. Fighting raged from East Prussia in the north through Poland to Calacia and the Catpethean mountains. Fighting at first stopped there because Romania did no immediatelt enter the War. While Brithish, French, and American historians focus on the Western Front, the fighting in the East was every bit as bloody as on the Western front.

Nature

The fighting on the Eastrn Front was entirely differnt in character. While there were also trenches, the fighting in the East was to a large degree a war of movement, what the Germans had intende in the West. One historian writes, "The picture of trench wrfare as a motif for the First World War i misleading. During the years that British, French, German, Belgian, and American soldiers fought and died in northern France and western Belgium, another war raged in Eastern Europe, consuming soldiers on a scale to matchthe bloody battles of the Western Front. Yet although this war, too, had long periods of static warfare, it was dominated by huge movements, as the armies advanced and retreated hundreds of miles." [Buttar]

Poland

Baltics

Galcia (1916)

Russian General Brysilov proved to be the most imagunative and sucessful of the major Russian commanders. Despite his successes, Brusilov's campaihns proved to be some of the bloodiest campigns of the War and severely weakened the Russians.

Romania (1916)

The country finally decided to enter the war on the Allied side (August 1916). The goal was Transylvania. Given the weakening situation on the Eastern front with Russian defearts, this seems an unwise decession. ThevKing and his ministers were influenced by the impressive Russian Brusilov offensive which scored important victories over the Austro-Hungarian Army. Initially the Romanian Army scored some success. The Romanians attacked Hungarian Transylvania and occupied much of it. Romania wasn't strong enough or well enough equipped to face a modern army. And Russia was unable to sustain the Brusilov offensive The Central Powers launched a counter-offensive made up of both German and Austrian-Hungarian forces (September) In sharop contaast to the trench warfare of the Western Front, the campaign in the East was a war of movement. Thus is in part because the combattant forces in the East were not evenly matched. This was especially rrue of the poorly armed and prepared Romanian forces. Romania found herself rapidly invaded and occupied by not one but two German armies. The Germans with the Austrians unleased an offensive of bold, rapid infantry movements. Although the Germans were not mechanized, the campaign in Ron=mania fioresghaddiwed the Blitzkrieg offensives of World War II. The Germans struck the Romanians where they leasr expected it and advanced into the breches in the Romanaian lines before they could be closed. The Germans and Austrians thus managed to breech the formidable obstacle of the Transylvanian Alps and on to the plains of Walachia. They rolled over Ronanian divisions from west to east. The surviving remanents of the Romanian Army retreated into Russia. Bucharest fell (December 1916). The Central Powers thus suceeded in occupying much of Romania, including all of Walachia and a major portion of Moldovia (late-1916). Bulgarian forces advanced into the Dobrudja. [Barrett] The Romanian camoaign was one of several victories the Germans achieved in the East and Balkans and led the German people to thuink thjat they were winning the War. This is part of the reason gthat the final German defeat was so shiocking to miost Germans.

Russian Revolution (March-November 1917)

The poorly organized and led Russian Army suffered enormous losses. The Russian tied down large German armies in the Eastern Front, making it impossible for the Germans to concentrate their strength against the French and British on the Western Front. Germany began the War as the strongest single country in Europe. The inability of the Germans to concentrate their strength in the West in the end cost them the war. The Russians finally cracked in 1917. Revolution broke out in Petrograd. The Tsar attetmpted to retuen to the capital, but was arrested and forced to abdicate. A Provisional Government formed from the Duma attempted to continue the War. The Bolsheviks promosing "Bread, pace, and land," seized control in the name of the Petrograd Soviet.

Peace Treaty of Brest-Litvosk (March 1918)

The poorly organized and led Russian Army suffered enormous losses. The Russian tied down large German armies in the Eastern Front, making it impossible for the Germans to concentrate their strength against the French and British on the Western Front. The Russians finally cracked in 1917. Revolution broke out in Russia. The Bolsheviks seized control of the Russian government in November 1917. The Russian Army had collapsed in front of the Germans. The Russian people were starving as deperate. The Bolsheviks who had pledged bread and peace had no alternative but to seek terms. The Germans were thus able to force a humiliating peace on the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks had to ceede the Ukraine, its Polish territories, the Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), and Finland. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed in 1918 between the new Soviet government and the Central Powers. Russia gave up land for peace. This thus allowed the Russians to withdraw from the war, although at enormous cost. The Germans were thus able to withdraw substantail forces from the Eastern Front to reiforce the Western Front. The Germans rushed to attack before the America which entered the War in April 1917 could equip and train substantial forces which could come to the aid of the British and French. The Germans amassed their forces in 1918, hoping that they could break the Allies on he Western Front before the Americans who were arriving in France in force would be ready to fight. The Breast-Litovsk Treaty was after the collapse of the Western Front was annulled by the Armistice between Germany and he Western Allies.

German Spring Offensive in the West (1918)

The collapse of Russia in late 1917 and peace treaty forced upon the Bolsevicks in 1918 enabled the Germans to transfer powerful forces to the Wesern Front. The draconian demands on the Bolshecicks, however, delayed the signing of the peace treaty and the transfer of troops to the Western Front. The Russian Revolution occurred during the late Fall. The ensuing Winter of course meant that the Germans could not launch a major offensive until the Spring. By the time they were able to launch their offensive, a new American Army of over 1 million men awaited them in the Allied trenches. Even so, the Germand nearly succeeded. The French Army almot broke. Without the arrival of the Americans, it is likely that the Germans would have won the war. German General Ludendorff was to say after the War that it was the arrival of the American infantry that was the decisive factor on the Western Front.

Aftermath

The three empires locked in mortal combat in the East began the War as awelcomed opportunity to settke precived accounts. It would prove the death knool end of all three, actually four if the Ottoman Empire is included.

Sources

Buttar, Prit. Collission of Empires: The War on the Easten Front in 1914 (2014), 488p.

Created: 3:23 AM 1/18/2015
Last updated: 3:23 AM 1/18/2015