Stories of the Forgotten Heroes

1916

The year 1916 saw all the belligerents engage in massive operations aimed mostly at causing the collapse of the enemy, incurring a massive death toll in the process. The mantra which had been on everyone's lips, namely that the war will end by Christmas is now a painful memory, characteristic of the innocence of those early days. Most of the battles taking place during this year will be remembered until the present day for the titanic efforts of the military to end the war on their terms. Verdun, the Somme, and the Brusilov Offensive will provide important lessons to the emergent military tacticians, and the entry of two nations, one in the Central Powers and the other as part of the Entente will further expand the front.

On the Western Front, the French Republic is barely holding itself together after Verdun and the surrounding forts are incessantly attacked by the German Imperial Army. Fort Douamont will fall after intense fighting from its French defenders, some retreating into the underground tunnels and keeping the fight for as long as they could. The Germans then attempt to take Verdun - its fall would prove catastrophic for the French morale. Field Marshall von Falkenhayn is bombarding the enemy day and night with regular shells and poisonous gas, hoping that Philippe Pétain would surrender. Pétain will find a suitable solution to his predicament by rotating soldiers often and keeping the sole supply road usable until larger relief can be sent. US Volunteers take part in the intense fighting but their entry is still one year away. Fielding 75 divisions, the Germans believe that the 50 divisions which the French have will prove insufficient for them to keep the frontline secure when faced with such unfavorable odds. In the end, the nine-month siege will be a tactical victory for the French. The Lion of Verdun will begin a counteroffensive that will see some of the objectives the Germans had captured earlier in the operation fall back into French hands. Due to his failure to break the enemy, the German Field Marshal will be recalled and replaced by Paul von Hindenburg.

At the same time the inferno at Verdun took place, the British forces commanded by Field Marshall Haig will commence a battle that would forever remain in the annals of British history as one of the bloodiest engagements of the war, the Battle of the Somme. The earlier bombardments, performed with the wrong type of shells, did not damage the barbed wire or the deep positions which the Germans had created earlier in the war. Since the ordinance used was of a smaller caliber, the Germans hid in the deep dugouts, unscathed by the constant bombardment. To make matters worse, the barbed wire which was already zig-zagging the no-man's-land was spread out thus creating another obstacle for the advancing army. Starting on the 1st of July, the bloody engagement commenced with the aim of relieving some of the pressure from their French counterparts. Going over the top at a pace, certain that the last bombardment had clearly affected the morale of the enemy, the British were met with machine gun fire from the Germans. By its end, it would prove a highly costly plan, which to the chagrin of the Entente will end indecisively, the only positive aspect being the fact that it proved diversionary enough for the French to entrench themselves even further at Verdun.

The War in the East will prove even more dramatic with the Kingdom of Romania's entry into the war and the Russian offensive undertaken by General Brusilov. Unprepared for the expansion of the frontlines, the Austro-Hungarians found themselves fighting against the Romanian Army, one of the strongest in the South-East of Europe, overnight. Assured by the Entente that they will receive a steady stream of modern military equipment, King Ferdinand I Hohenzollern, a cousin of the Kaiser, took the rash decision to enter the fray, afraid that they will be left aside if peace would come that year. Despite having outdated equipment, the Romanians had a good initial push in Transylvania through Bran Pass until the Austrian and the German armies, led by the newly demoted von Falkenhayn, crushed their forces decisively. Whilst Mackensen attacked the Romanians from the Serbian Front, von Falkenhayn attacked from Transylvania, stopping at Oituz after a costly engagement. Seizing the opportunity, the Tsardom of Bulgaria, humiliated by the Romanians and the Serbs in 1912, also joins the fray and will defeat in two battles near their border the poorly-led Romanian Army. The Battle of Turtucaia alarms the Romanian politicians for now the the way to Bucharest lay open. Romania will manage to stabilize the frontlines only when one-third of the country remains independent, with the capital under the German occupation of von Mackensen.

Better news would come from Russia since General Brusilov will commence one of the greatest operations which the war will ever see. Named after its creator, the Brusilov Offensive will see the Russians incapacitate the Austro-Hungarian Army so badly that for the rest of the war, they will be relegated to the role of junior partner in the East, with Germany having total control regarding their military operations. This lighting victory can be traced back to the composition of the KuK Army. Formed from many nations, many of them desiring to gain their independence from the two "equal peoples" created not only loyalty issues but also coordination ones since the High Command would not allow the troops of one ethnicity to form a single battalion or division. Eventually, Brusilov's push will run out of steam due to a variety of causes. One of them can be attributed to the lack of proper supply lines, but it is also very important to mention the intense rivalry that the Russian High Command suffered from. The Austrians, reinforced by the Germans, managed to stabilize the frontlines. This would be the starting point for the great offensive directed by Mackensen into Russia, with the aim of finally defeating the Russians and closing the Eastern Front before defeat.