Great Retreat (Russia)

Quick Facts: Who was Great Retreat (Russia)?

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Great Retreat (Russia)

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The 1915 strategic withdrawal of Russian forces on the Eastern Front during WWI.

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Origins & Early Life

The Great Retreat was a strategic withdrawal and evacuation on the Eastern Front of World War I in 1915. The Imperial Russian Army gave up the salient in Galicia and Congress Poland. The Russian Empire's critically under-equipped military suffered great losses in the Central Powers' July–September summer offensive operations, which led to the Stavka ordering a withdrawal to shorten the front lines and avoid the potential encirclement of large Russian forces in the salient. While the withdrawal itself was relatively well-conducted, it was a severe blow to Russian morale. Following the German success with their Gorlice–Tarnów offensive, Hans von Seeckt proposed that August von Mackensen's 11th Army should advance north towards Brest-Litovsk, with their flanks shielded by the rivers Vistula and Bug.

Career & Major Achievements

Mackensen and Chief of the German Great General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn supported this strategy of attacking the Russian salient in Poland, and forcing a decisive battle. Ober Ost, led by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, would attack towards the southeast, while Mackensen turned north, and the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army attacked east. The Ober Ost 12th Army, led by Max von Gallwitz, would advance to the northeast of Warsaw, while the 9th Army, led by Prince Leopold of Bavaria, the Woyrsch Corps, led by Remus von Woyrsch, and the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army, led by Paul Puhallo von Brlog, pushed the Russians eastward to the Vistula. The Army of the Bug, led by Alexander von Linsingen, the Austro-Hungarian 2nd and 7th Armies, led by Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli and Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin respectively, protected Mackensen's eastern flank. On Mackensen's western flank was the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army, led by Archduke Joseph Ferdinand.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

On 24 June, the Russian Tsar Nicholas II met with his senior leaders in Baranovichi, where it was agreed to no longer defend the Polish salient. The new Russian line would run from Riga, Kaunas, Grodno, Brest-Litovsk, along the upper Bug, and then along the Dniester into Romania. The 3rd and 4th Armies were also placed under the control of Mikhail Alekseyev's Northwest Front, consisting of the 2nd, 1st, 12th, 10th and 5th Armies, deployed south to north. Alekseyev then planned a slow withdrawal from the salient. The Ober Ost attack was to commence on 13 July, followed by Mackensen's advance on 15 July.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1915: 1915 Milestone — The Great Retreat was a strategic withdrawal and evacuation on the Eastern Front of World War I in 1915.

Notable Quotes by Great Retreat (Russia)

“The Russian Army was certainly forced to move [back], but it escaped. It launched constant determined counterattacks with powerful forces to reorganize and successfully mount prolonged resistance.”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Great Retreat (Russia)

True or False: “Did the Central Powers' offensive during this period result in fewer total casualties for the Imperial Russian Army compared to previous campaigns?”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Although the 1915 losses were less than the Gorlice campaign's 1,243,400 men, the average daily casualty rate (22,300) was higher.

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