The Western Front turned into stillness and Austrians were losing in Galicia. Falkenhayn, the successor of Moltke jr. had to find a way out. He thought if they gave terrible blow to Russians and force them into compromise peace they would deal with British and French all at once.

Generally speaking, it was unknown whether Russians with two potent allies could accept German peace and they could beaten the rest of two by their whole strength. Falkenhayn was shrewd enough not to push Russians into corner too hard.

von Falkenhayn

On the other hand the East faction ( Hindenburg and Ludendorff ) thought that unless Russians were defeated in total they could not accept any compromise and felt that the territory in the East was more attractive to the Germans than the West. These way of thinking was similar to Hitler's and in the course of history the East faction might be right.

In military operation the East faction wanted to annihilate Russians in Poland pocket at first. Falkenhayn thought differently. He tried to lighten the burden on Austrians and contrived a break through operation plan with Austrians.

Ludendorff was not pleased and offered his idea to go south from East Prussia to envelop Warsaw. Falkenhayn insisted that the encirclement operation was impossible in this wide area. If trying it the enemy could flee away on rail. His point happened exactly when Warsaw seemed to be encircled.

When taking the result of Schlieffen plan into account the close encirclement in the wide area was impossible. Because the enemy could use railways as inter line. It was obvious infantry could move faster on rail than on foot. Infantry moving on outer line was almost impossible. Falkenhayn was quite correct.

He picked up 8 division from the Western front and organised 11th army. Mackenzen was appointed as commander and Seekt, his chief of staff. The reinforcement for this Gorlice operation was only this 8 divisions. Falkenhayn kept his basic policy to balance both fronts.

First Drive (Gorlice-Tarnow Break Through)

He selected Gorlice and Tarnow as a break through point. The left flank was to be guarded by the Vistula and the right by Carpathian mountains. Austrian 4th army was joining striking force and the Germans were on rail in utmost secrecy.

Falkenhayn also tried a feint attack at Ypre on the Western front. This was the second battle of Ypre.

The Russians had their own offensive plan. They organised 12th army in Bukovina and planned to reach Budapest after trekking through Carpathian mountains. They also transferred 11th army which had sieged Przemysl to Bukovina. The lone 3rd army ( Radko-Dmitriev ) took defensive in front of Austro-German striking force. In the first place the North Eastern Front should cooperate with 3rd army which was located to next north. But, Russian's rigid bureaucratic system did not allow this.

Russian Infantry

In the First World War all of successful breakthroughs were subject to surprise attack. Even preparatory bombardment may let the enemy know of the approaching attack. Seekt who was on the Western Front so far made any movement of troops camouflaged and tried to have the native dwellers, Ruthenians to move out. Because their language, Western Ukraine was similar to Russian.

Russian 3rd army was 216000 soldiers strong and equipped with more than 600 field guns. In this light, their strength was around equal to the Austro-Germans. However, the offensive side could choose when, where, and how to attack if the secrecy was kept.

On 2 May the Austro-German artillery started bombardment lasting from mid-night to 600.

Russian defence was defective with no second-line trench, so shallow, no dug-out, and no communication trench. They were of dense formation without local reserves. After six hour bombardment one third of front line soldiers were lost. Even though they went back they had to run on the open field more vulnerable to bombardment.

The Austro-Germans simply walked over Russian trench gaining 7 miles in depth for two days. Radko-Dmitriev tried to get permission to retreat from Stavka ( Russian Supreme Headquarters ) but Grand Duke Nicholas refused to because they could clear up German offensive by executing Bukovina offensive. The tiny 3rd Caucasian corps tried to succour the remaining 3rd army to vain. This was a fatal mistake to Russians.

Mackenzen annihilated the enemy opposite to them but did not hurry up even waiting for the enough accumulation of ammunitions.

On 7 May The Russians counter attacked forced by Stavka. Except 3rd Caucasian corps and 24th corps there were no corps in the full. The North-Western front sent one of second line corps for help, to no use. The battle was at Dokra pass. But, this was one sided massacre. Russian soldiers had nothing for fighting but spirit. Half of them even did not have rifles. They were asked to take guns from their dead comrades.

The entire Russian front in western Galicia collapsed down. By 10 May the Austro-Germans took more than 140 thousand prisoners. According to Radko-Dmitriev 3rd army was bled to death.

German Headquarters moved from Mezieres to Pless in upper Silesia. Mackenzen was not in a hurry while constructing narrow gauge railways and accumulating shells.

Grand Duke Nicolas ordered Bukovina offensive to start. This was successful to force German Southern army to retreat. However, Seekt was quite correct because Russians could not confirm the exploitation by the battle unless they repulsed German advance from the west.

Russians put the San for defence line. But this did not work because originally the defence facilities were constructed by Austrians, so defensive toward east. But Russians stood against the west. The battle started on 16 May, which was the repetition of Gorlice. The Austro-Germans crossed the river on 19 May. The large number of Russian soldiers drowned to death.

Russia was at emergency. Grand Duke Nicholas asked the Allied to start offensive on the Western front and Italians to join. Italians answered. They declared war only against Austrians on 24 May.

However, Italians did not have any meaningful offensive plans against Austrians. The border in Tirol was mountainous and in Isonzo narrow with rivers. Conrad picked up 5 divisions from Balkan force and Galicia for defensive with full alarm of Italian entry.

There was no way for Russians other than to retreat. On 4 June they abandoned Przemysl without resistance. Here among Austro-German commands, happened a dispute. Mackenzen wanted to advance to Balkan in order to rescue the Turkish. Conrad had to change the course to attack Italians. Seekt persuaded Mackenzen to exploit the battle by perusing Russians. They decided to go ahead toward north.

Austrian 2nd army took Lemberg on 22 June. They retook the whole Galicia.

Up to that date Austro-German striking force of 250 thousand took more than 240 thousand prisoners and killed or injured 90 thousand. Remarkable feat, indeed. The break through battle at Gorlice was the most successful operation of that kind in the First World War. This was because Russian trench system was far inferior to any on the Western front.

While Mackenzen turning to north Conrad and Ludendorff advised to bring in cavalry and to try rapid advance. Falkenhayn refused saying that it was better to break through at the point the enemy had to defend. And that it was more risky to be taken flank by advancing too quickly or to reduce logistics. Falkenhayn or Seekt was more modern a staff officer than Ludendorff or Conrad.

Second drive ( Poland Pocket )

Mackenzen spent the whole June to accumulate shells and to wait for his timing. Going on July, Falkenhayn reorganised the whole striking force. Firstly, he set up Niemen army (Sholtz) to adavace in Courland as a feint. Secondly, a Gallwitz detachment separate from the Eastern army was to break through toward south. Thirdly, Austrian 9th (Prince Leopold)army protected the flanks of the striking forces in western Poland. Fourthly, Buk army (Linsingen) separate from 11th army plays the role of main attacker toward north.

Thus, striking forces would advance from three directions.

Ludendorff was opposed to Falkenhayn's plan. His ides was to strengthen Niemen army and to march eastward to take Kovno. On the other hand, Conrad insisted on northward march first and later turning to east at Pripet Marsh as a pivoting point. This idea might be superb because it enable Buk army to cut Russian logistics line off. Falkenhayn did not know the Marsh passable due to the low water level and rejected all.

The second drive began on 13 July from three directions. Gallwitz detachment attacked at Przasnysz where Russian defence line was separate between 12th army(Churin) and 1st army(Litvinov). Here again, was Russian defence far from perfect.

Russian Trench

By 17 July 2 divisions opposite to Germans were annihilated. Alexeyev decided immediately to send 21st corps and 3rd Siberia corps to succour but they failed to arrive in time. This failure showed something to light up the difference between the Western front and the Eastern.

German 11th (Mackenzen) defeated remaining Russian 3rd and 13th army at Krasnik and Krasnostaw. Both corps had been damaged terribly before and not supplemented by reserves.

In Poland Pocket Russian front was broken at two points, south and north. There was no other way for Russians to retreat. On 22 July Grand Duke Nicholas ordered to withdraw in total.

However, Fortress Novogeorgievsk which was a symbol of Russian rule in Poland was left defended with expectation to play the same role as Przemysl. This was all of nonsense. Przemysl was made of mud but Novogoergievsk, brick more vulnerable to heavy guns.

Beseler, victor of Antwerp duly arrived to siege with 30.5 Skoda made guns. All forts were sliced into ruin for a week. The Russian commander, Bobyr surrendered with his 3 divisions and 1600 guns on 13 August.

Russian retreat continued in relatively good order. Going on to the east the front line shortened so that Russian rear guards thickened. Gallwitz suffered more than 60 thousand casualties in this pursuit battle.

However, Russian civilians suffered more. Before Warsaw fell on 5 August 1 million civilians had to escape on foot because the military transportation had a priority on rail.

On 26 August German Buk army occupied Brest Litvsk. The second drive finished in German's favour.

Third Drive ( Vilna )

In Austro-German command the quarrel arose between Falkenhayn and Ludendorff.

Ludendorff insisted that by turning movement toward north they could encircle Russian centre. In order to succeed in this encirclement Gallwitz group had to tie Russian centre. But, how?

Falkenhayn, on the other hand, wanted to start Balkan offensive to open the route to Constantinople. Eastern operation must be stopped on the given front. The Kaiser and Chancellor, Bethmann were called up. Falkenhayn won the argument.

Hindenburg was robbed of the authorisation to command in the East. The independent force called Prince Leopold army group was separated from Hindenburg's. The Mackenzen army in Balkan was established and Mackenzen himself moved to the Danube opposite to Belgrade in early September.

Russia was in confusion. They feared the Germans could land on sandy beach off St. Petersburg. The Germans were land animals, never landing and never crossing salt waters. Their fleets were all in harbours. The Russian transferred some troops to defend Baltic coast in August.

Going on September the court intrigue in St. Petersburg occurred. Czarina Alexadra tried to remove Grand Duke Nicholas from the office of commander in chief because he openly declared to twist Rasputin's neck like a chicken if he appeared at the front. The broken army gave this clan a pretext. Grand Duke Nicholas was given a new task as Viceroy in Caucasus. The Czar decided to take command himself on 5 September. Chief of General Staff, Yanushkevic was also replaced by the commander of North Western front, Alexeyev.

Grand Duke Nicholas

Ludendorff did not shrink. He started his own offensive with support of Conrad on 2 September. He used his force, the Eastern army. Austrian centred Leopold group also participated in the offensive. Falkenhayn was aghast to hear that, but he could not stop it because of de fact military operation.

However, Ludendorff's operational plan was splendid enough to deploy three corps to siege Vilna without Russian suspicion. However, it took two weeks to reduce it. The Germans also suffered terribly, the loss of 60 thousand. Falkenhayn ordered to transfer 13 divisions in action to the Western front on 20 September.

With winter approaching and prolonged logistics Ludendoff gave up the offensive ordering to sap trench in the waste land. Falkenhayn was correct in the first place.

Despite successive defeats the Russians would recover quickly. Imperial Russia's last victory in June 1916 was to astonish the world.