Dniester Front

The Dniester front a series of battles on the eastern front between Russia and the central powers summer offensive.

Battle of Dniestr
Part of the Eastern Front of World War I
Zolota Lypa-Dnestr battle
Date 17 March-2 June 1915 Location Dniester (present-day Poland and Western Ukraine) Result Russian victory
Belligerents
German Empire Austria-Hungary	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin	Platon Lechitsky Vasily Gurko
Units involved
South Army VII Army	IX Army XI Army

Background

The Austro-Hungarian armies, not included in the army group of A. von Mackensen, received passive tasks of pinning down the opposing Russian forces and gradually liberating the territory of eastern Galicia from the Russian troops by attacking Buchach and Chortkiv. Since the left tributaries of the Dniester were natural defensive lines, the commander of the 7th Austro-Hungarian Army, cavalry general Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin, decided to force the Dniester River between the mouths of the Strypa and Seret rivers.

First Khotyn offensive

Khotyn operation
Date 17-22 March 1915 Location Dniester Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Austria-Hungary German Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin	Platon Lechitsky
Units involved
VII Army	IX Army
Strength
Unknown	6 division
Casualties and losses
3,000 captured 8 machine guns	Unknown

A Russian defensive operation to prevent the encirclement of the 9th Army. It ended with the failure of the Austro-Hungarian troops.

Prut operation

Battle of Prut
Date 19-24 May 1915 Location Prut Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Austria-Hungary German Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin	Platon Lechitsky
Units involved
VII Army	IX Army
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Heavy; including 16,000 captured 20 machine guns	6,082

A Russian sabotage operation in the territory near the Dniester and the Prut. The Russians successfully crossed the Prut, while incurring heavy losses, but after a while they managed to throw back the Austro-Hungarian units from a height in front of the river and capture large trophies at the same time.

Second Khotyn offensive

Khotyn operation
Date 1915 Location Dniester Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Austria-Hungary German Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin	Platon Lechitsky
Units involved
VII Army	IX Army
Strength
Unknown	6 division
Casualties and losses
8,000 captured 20 machine guns	Unknown

Transnistrian operation

First battle of Dniester
Date 26 April-2 May 1915 Location Dniester Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Austria-Hungary German Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin	Platon Lechitsky
Units involved
VII Army	IX Army
Strength
8 infantry and 5 cavalry division	9 infantry and 6 cavalry division
Casualties and losses
25,000 captured 20 guns and 33 machine guns	Relatively small

The operation was carried out in order to alleviate the condition of the Russian army against the background of the catastrophe in Galicia. The main force of the 9th Russian army consisted of cavalry and militia squads. Later, the famous Finnish figure Mannerheim also participated in the battle. The Russians were opposed by the 7th army of Austria-Hungary, as well as 2 Polish brigades. Russian Russians launched a large-scale offensive on the morning of April 27, such tactics immediately had an effect and the Russians effortlessly broke through the enemy's front in several places. Some Russian units suffered quite heavy losses, the 1st Trans-Amur division lost up to half of its personnel in the battles for the city of Chernilets, but was able to capture the city and prisoners into the bargain. During the first day of fighting, the 33rd Corps lost 26 officers and 1,589 lower ranks, and she captured 753 prisoners. Russian reinforcements came after that, the fighting went on with varying success, but the Russians still forced the enemy to retreat from the Dniester and capture several cities and 25,000 prisoners.

Battle of Zuravno

Second battle of Dniester
Date 24 May-2 June 1915 Location Dniester Result Russian victory
Belligerents
German Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Alexander von Linsingen	Vasily Gurko
Units involved
South Army	XI Army
Strength
Unknown	8 infantry and 1 cavalry division
Casualties and losses
28,000 captured 29 guns and 110 machine guns	Unknown

The battle began with the German troops advancing on the Russian bridgehead at Zhuravno, it was well fortified and flanked by impassable marshes. The Russian troops were well equipped and eager to fight. The Germans attacked unsuccessfully along the entire front, and apparently in poor morale, as cases were recorded when entire companies of the Prussian Guard surrendered. The Russians heroically defended the bridgehead from the troops of the central powers, capturing prisoners and inflicting losses on the guard. The Russians defeated several corps and pushed them away from the Dniester, but after that they had to retreat due to general failures in Galicia and the withdrawal of Brusilov's 8th army.

Outcome

Austro-Hungarian troops were unable to cross the Dniester and defeat the Russian troops in eastern Galicia. Their trophies amounted to only 7 machine guns and 5,168 prisoners (34 of them officers). During this time, Russian troops were able to capture more than 80,000 during five operations on this sector of the front.

Notes

Bibliography

• Oleynikov, А. (2023). Германский натиск на Восток 1915 [The German push to the East 1915] (in Russian). ISBN 978-5-4484-4327-5.