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16 August 2014 – 10:25pm

The 100th anniversary of World War I is being marked this year in both Russia and Europe. The Galician battle, which started on August 18, 1914, was one of the major battles of this war. In the framework of this battle the Russian forces captured Eastern Galicia, almost all Bukovina and besieged Peremyshl (modern Western Ukraine). The Russians managed to draw the opponent, but suffered from great losses themselves. 190 thousand out of 1 million Russian soldiers and officers died and 40 thousand were taken as prisoners. The adversary lost 300 thousand people dead and 100 thousand servicemen were captured.

Associate Professor at the Moscow State Regional University, Dr. Nikolay Postnikov believes that in August and September 1914 the commanders, who were in charge of the operation, could not use the advantageous position of the Russian army. “Yakov Zhilinsky, the commander of the North-Western Front, and Paul von Renenkamf were incapable of strategic thinking. They were very petty and self-centred people, they were trying to defend their point of view rather than to actually defeat the enemy. The operation held in Eastern Prussia in 1914 proves this fact. Renekamf had great opportunities. We could help the 2nd army led by Samsonov and destroy the 8th German army. Erich Ludendorf and other German commanders believed so too. In fact all people, who took part in the battle, said that Renenkamf was very inactive during the operation. One may say that his activities were absolutely invisible. The fact that all commanders believed that Renenkamf did not take active part in the operation shows that this person was not capable of leading an army,” the historian said.

Speaking about the Galician battle itself, the expert noted that the commanders were very skilled. “Ivanov, the Commander of the Front, knew exactly what he should do. He followed his line in a very confident way, even though the commander of the 3rd Russian army often did not listen to him. It was him who secured Russia’s victory in this battle,” the historian said.

According to Postnikov, to struggle against the Germans was harder than to striggle against the Austrians. “I read a lot of letters and memoires, whose authors note that the Germans were fighting incredibly bravely. The Austrians did not demonstrate such bravery and motivation,” the historian said.

“At the battle of Gumbinnen the Germans were marching in columns under machine gun fire. They kept moving despite heavy losses and then engaged in a close fight with the Russians. The Austrians have never attacked in such a way. The Germans did so everyone. It means that not only the German economy was more developped than the Russian one, not only the German army better equipped than the Russian army, but the Germans had a better morale as well. Of course this morale played a great role in the eastern front,” he said.

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