The First World War: the main battle. Naval battles of the First World War

The First World War - one of the most bloody in the history of mankind. Armed conflict began in 1914 with the Sarajevo murder. On June 28 Archduke Franz Ferdinand died at the hands of a terrorist, a student from Bosnia. This caused aggression in Europe, more and more countries were drawn into hostilities. As a result of the war, four empires were wiped from the face of the earth, 10 million soldiers and officers were killed, five times more wounded. Mass and merciless people remember World War I. The main battles of this European "meat grinder" and these days are striking in their scale and cruelty.

Tannenberg operation

In another way it is also called Grunwald battle. During this battle in the east of Prussia the Russian troops, the first and second armies, in which there were 250 thousand military men, and the army of Germany with the strength of 200 thousand soldiers, came together.

Constant discord and inconsistency of actions within the Russian troops led to the fact that entire divisions were defeated and heavily pushed back. As a result, many ordinary soldiers died. The losses on the part of the Russians were more extensive: 150-200 thousand, which was almost 2/3 of the total number of military personnel based in this region. Germany lost 50,000 of its subjects who fought under its flag.

The Russian army in the Tannenberg operation was defeated. And this led to the fact that the Germans were able to transfer significant reinforcements to the Western Front. Simultaneously, Russia's rapid offensive cut off German troops from the Allies, Austro-Hungarian soldiers. Having received no help from Prussia, they lost another important battle, the Galician one, which is also famous for the First World War. The main battles also include this fight in their bloody list.

The Galician Battle

It occurred in the summer, in August 1914. The main stage fell on the first of this month. As historical records show, Russian and Austro-Hungarian forces converged in equal numbers: 4 armies participated in the battles on both sides.

The main battles of the First World War are also highlighted by these battles that took place near Lviv, Galich and Lublin on the Ukrainian-Polish territory. The fate of the Galician battle was sealed when the Russians near Tarnavka broke through and began the offensive. This greatly influenced the further course of events and became their trump card in obtaining a cherished victory.

The losses from the Galician battle in Austria-Hungary were enormous: 325,000 soldiers. It was a third of all the forces of the empire on the Eastern Front. Subsequently, the sediment from this defeat was felt in the actions of the army. She was never able to stand on her feet after a crushing blow, and only thanks to the help of the Germans she gained a handful of minor successes.

Sarykamysh battle

Speaking about the main battles of the Great Patriotic War (that's what they called it before the Second World War), one can not help but mention this operation. It competed with Russia and Turkey on the eve of the new 1915. At that time, the Turkish command was developing a cunning plan: to seize Karas and completely destroy the army of the Caucasus.

Crescent troops were advancing. The Russians were surrounded in Sarykamysh, but they continued to bind the enemy's main forces and prevented him from advancing. Accustomed to a milder climate, their opponents could not stand the harsh winter. From severe frosts and snow storms, tens of thousands of Turkish soldiers died in one day.

The Russians were waiting at that time, which was the right decision. Soon reinforcements approached Sarykamysh, and the army of the Crescent was defeated. In total, about 100 thousand people died in this operation. The biggest battles of the First World War also include this battle, since it played an important strategic role: the situation in the Caucasus was stabilized, and the Russians were able to curb the ardent enemy - Turkey.

Brusilovsky breakthrough

The main battles of World War 1 were not without the courage and strategic skills of General Brusilov. In the summer of 2016, under his leadership, the Russians broke through on the South-Western Front. The Austro-Hungarian army lost many soldiers and officers. The figure hits - 1.5 million dead.

The Russians occupied Bukovina and Galicia. This forced the Germans to strengthen their positions here, transferring additional forces from the Western Front to this region. Despite this, Russia's allies strengthened on this territory, the Entente was also complemented by Romania, which went over to the side of the Union.

Russian troops also missed many valiant heroes. And that's why a new wave of mobilization was announced in the country, urging the newcomers to replenish the ranks of the army that are weaker. This unpopular step of the government caused outrage and discontent of the common people. People did not want to be "cannon fodder", because neither the old nor the young were spared by the First World War. The main battles show: there were a lot of losses both from the Russians and from their opponents.

The offensive of Kerensky

In 1917, the Bolsheviks overthrew the monarchy, and therefore the further course of the war was dictated by revolutionary events in the country. The Russians began the offensive in June 1917, but after two days of active advance they suddenly stopped. The soldiers felt that this was enough, they fully fulfilled their sacred duty.

Beginners also refused to become in the forefront. All this disorder and general disobedience occurred against the backdrop of the regular desertion that the revolution provoked. The main battles of the First World War have never seen such massive chaos and panic among the military.

At this time, taking advantage of the situation, Germany attacked and pushed the Russian troops to the old positions. Once upon a time, Russia's strong and courageous army virtually ceased to exist as an organized force. Germany was no longer afraid of its opponent and was able to consolidate on all fronts. The Russians had to conclude the Brest Peace, unprofitable and humiliating for our country.

"Geben" and "Breslau"

Sea battles of the First World War are also striking in their scale. With the beginning of the battle, the parties to the conflict paid attention to the Mediterranean. It was an important component for transporting the army, especially the French. In order to transport its soldiers without water obstacles in the Mediterranean, France had to destroy the German cruisers Geben and Breslau, which cruised near the coast of Sardinia.

In August 1914, these two German ships shelled the ports of Algeria and headed for Constantinople. No matter how hard the British troops tried, the German ships reached the Sea of Marmara. Entering the Turkish fleet, Geben and Breslau fired at Russian positions in the Black Sea. This changed the course of the First World War. Russia declared war on Turkey, while the British and French forces began the blockade of the Dardanelles. They also believed that it was necessary to neutralize the Austrian allies of Germany. The Anglo-French fleet has repeatedly crossed the Adriatic, hoping to bring the Austrian ships to the duel, but this did not bring the desired result.

Operation "Dardanelles"

Another major naval battle, stretched in time for a whole 1915. The campaign provided for the seizure of straits and the landing of the Anglo-French landing. But unforeseen situations characterized the First World War. The main battles did not always go according to the plan, sometimes the operations failed. This happened with a strategic plan called "Dardanelles". The parties suffered enormous losses: nearly 200,000 soldiers were injured in the Turkish army , 150,000 from the Allies. They are wounded and killed, as well as missing persons.

In May Italy joined the Entente. At the same time, German submarines were able to penetrate the Mediterranean. They managed to sink 100 merchant ships, while losing only one of their equipment. Thus, despite the assistance of Italy, the allies in the maritime campaign of 1915 could not achieve superiority. The only advantage was the evacuation of the Serbian army, which was defeated by the enemy forces in the fall.

Battles in the Baltic

This sea side was called secondary. The First World War, whose main battles took place not only on land, but also on the water, did not stake on the Baltic. The British considered the Russian navy to be exhausted after the Russo-Japanese War, so they did not count on his help. Only old ships cruised the Baltic.

But in August 1914 on this calm and serene sea an incident occurred that could influence the course of the war. The German cruiser Magdeburg ran aground in the Gulf of Finland. Soon he was captured by the Russians. They found the signal book of this ship, gave it to the British - it played a major role in uncovering the naval cipher of Germany. Using the acquired knowledge, the Allies turned many successful operations.

This is only part of the main battles of that time. And there were a lot of them. The main battles of the First World War, the chart, table and schedule of operations, their detailed progress are described today in history textbooks. Reading them, we understand how bloody this period of time has become, and how it influenced the future fate of the countries involved in it.