General Aleksey Brusilov General Aleksey Brusilov, whose command of the offensive that bears his name helped neutralize the forces of Austria-Hungary in World War I. © Art Images/Heritage Images—Hulton Archive/Getty Images. (more) Brusilov Offensive World War I [1916] Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Brusilov-Offensive-1916 Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites The History Learning Site - The Brusilov Offensive HistoryNet - Almost Victory Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by John Swift John Swift is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Cumbria. His work appears in Encyclopaedia Britannica as part of a joint publishing agreement with the publisher of 1001 Battles That... John Swift Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Dec 11, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question Quick Facts Date: June 4, 1916 - August 10, 1916 (Show more) Location: Carpathian Mountains Galicia (Show more) Participants: Austria-Hungary Central Powers Russia (Show more) Context: World War I (Show more) Key People: Aleksey Alekseyevich Brusilov (Show more) See all related content Brusilov Offensive, the largest Russian assault during World War I, and one of the deadliest in history. It occurred from June 4 to August 10, 1916. Following several stinging defeats, including the Battle of Tannenberg, the Russians found a capable commander, General Aleksey Brusilov. Leading the offensive that bears his name, he inflicted a defeat on Austro-Hungarian forces from which their empire never recovered. It came, however, at a heavy price in terms of casualties, and Russia lacked the resources to exploit or repeat this success.

　　Brusilov, a cavalry officer who commanded the Southwestern Army, was possessed of common sense and a willingness to learn from past failures, but unlike other Tsarist generals, he was not so cautious as to avoid action. He also had an army that had recovered astonishingly quickly from the Gorlice-Tarnow defeat, which was the Central Powers’ major victory on the Eastern Front in 1915. Its troops were rested and supply problems eased. Where many Russian generals felt an offensive would be futile, Brusilov insisted that with surprise and adequate preparation, it could succeed. His troops were trained in full-size replicas of the positions they were to attack, artillery was sighted using air reconnaissance, and secrecy was strictly maintained.

　　World War I Events keyboard_arrow_left

　　Battle of the Frontiers August 4, 1914 - September 6, 1914

　　Battle of Mons August 23, 1914

　　Battle of Tannenberg August 26, 1914 - August 30, 1914

　　First Battle of the Marne September 6, 1914 - September 12, 1914

　　First Battle of Ypres October 19, 1914 - November 22, 1914

　　Battle of Tanga November 2, 1914 - November 5, 1914

　　Battle of the Falkland Islands December 8, 1914

　　Christmas Truce December 24, 1914 - December 25, 1914

　　Gallipoli Campaign February 16, 1915 - January 9, 1916

　　Naval Operations in the Dardanelles Campaign February 19, 1915 - March 18, 1915

　　Second Battle of Ypres April 22, 1915 - May 25, 1915

　　Battles of the Isonzo June 23, 1915 - October 24, 1917

　　Battle of Lone Pine August 6, 1915 - August 10, 1915

　　Battle of Verdun February 21, 1916 - December 18, 1916

　　Battle of Jutland May 31, 1916 - June 1, 1916

　　Brusilov Offensive June 4, 1916 - August 10, 1916

　　First Battle of the Somme July 1, 1916 - November 13, 1916

　　Battle of Messines June 7, 1917 - June 14, 1917

　　June Offensive July 1, 1917 - c. July 4, 1917

　　Battle of Passchendaele July 31, 1917 - November 6, 1917

　　Battle of Caporetto October 24, 1917 - December 19, 1917

　　Battle of Cambrai November 20, 1917 - December 8, 1917

　　treaties of Brest-Litovsk February 9, 1918; March 3, 1918

　　Battle of Belleau Wood June 1, 1918 - June 26, 1918

　　Battle of Amiens August 8, 1918 - August 11, 1918

　　Battle of Saint-Mihiel September 12, 1918 - September 16, 1918

　　Battle of Cambrai September 27, 1918 - October 11, 1918

　　Battle of Mons November 11, 1918 keyboard_arrow_right The blow, when it fell on June 4, appalled the Austrians, who were unable to believe the Russians capable of such a massive and accurate assault. Following an intensive artillery barrage along a 200-mile-long front in what is now Ukraine, Russian shock troops led attacks that broke the Austrian lines on the first day. Soon the Austrians collapsed, even though they far outnumbered the attacking Russians, and many Slav units, who had no love for their Habsburg rulers, deserted en masse. So many Austrian guns were captured that Russian factories were converted to manufacture shells for them.

　　As Russian forces pushed into the Carpathian Mountains, it appeared that Austria-Hungary would collapse, and the emperor was forced to beg for German help. Russian commanders in the north did not maintain the pressure on the Germans that Brusilov expected, so the Germans were able to send assistance that stabilized the front. However, the blow to Habsburg prestige was irreversible, especially among the Slavic minorities within the empire. Romania, hitherto neutral, entered the war on the side of the Allies, while Germany was forced to divert critical forces from the Western Front to the East.

　　Losses: Russian, 500,000–1,000,000 dead, wounded, or captured; Central Powers, some 1.5 million casualties (Austrian, 1,000,000–1,500,000 dead, wounded, or captured; German, 350,000 casualties; Ottoman, 12,000 casualties.