Russia
Russia in the First World War →Tag
(562)1915
January
- 02
- End of the Battle of SarikamishIn early January 1915 the Russians encircled the remnants of the Ottoman IX Corps at Sarikamish and took its commander. X Corps escaped over the mountains.
- Russians abandon UrmiaOn 2 January 1915 Russian troops withdrew from Urmia in northern Persia. Thousands of Assyrians and Armenians fled with them; Kurds and Turks took the town.
- 08
- Turks take TabrizOn 8 January 1915 Kurdish and Turkish units entered Tabriz, abandoned by the Russians. The occupation of the capital of Persian Azerbaijan lasted three weeks.
- Battle of Kara Urgan beginsIn early January 1915 the Ottoman XI Corps attacked the Russians at Kara Urgan, on the road from Erzurum to Sarikamish. Then Enver Pasha left the front.
February
- 22
- End of the Second Battle of the Masurian LakesOn 22 February 1915 the Germans declared the winter battle in Masuria over. The Russian 10th Army left East Prussia, but most of its corps escaped.
- Start of the battle of PrzasnyszOn 22 February 1915 German divisions began to encircle Przasnysz in northern Mazovia, and the Russians sent fresh Siberian corps against their flank.
March
- 04
- Russians retake StanisławówOn 4 March 1915 the Russian 9th Army retook Stanisławów, captured by the Austrians two weeks earlier. The town stayed in Russian hands until June.
- Russia demands ConstantinopleOn 4 March 1915 Sergey Sazonov asked Britain and France to agree that Constantinople and the Straits would be annexed to Russia after the war.
April
- 03
- Municipal self-government law for the Kingdom of PolandIn spring 1915 Tsar Nicholas II approved a law giving the towns of the Kingdom of Poland elected councils. The Russians never managed to put it into effect.
- Turkish raid on OdessaOn 3 April 1915 the Turkish cruiser Mecidiye struck a Russian mine off Odessa and sank. Goeben and Breslau, covering the raid, escaped the Black Sea Fleet.
May
- 01
- Key eventStart of the Battle of GorliceOn 1 May 1915 German and Austro-Hungarian guns began shelling the Russians at Gorlice, and on 2 May Mackensen's army attacked and broke through the front.
- Battle of DilmanOn 1 May 1915 at Dilman in Persian Azerbaijan, Russians and Armenian volunteers under Nazarbekian repulsed Halil Bey's corps. The Turks withdrew at night.
- 14
- Central Powers take JarosławIn mid-May 1915 the German Guard and the Austro-Hungarian VI Corps took the Russian bridgehead at Jarosław and reached the San. The town suffered from shelling.
- End of the battle of Sanok and RzeszówIn mid-May 1915 the Russians withdrew from western Galicia behind the San. The Central Powers took Sanok and Rzeszów and 130,000–140,000 prisoners.
- 18
- Battles of Stryj and Drohobycz beginIn mid-May 1915 the South Army came down from the Carpathians to Stryj and Drohobycz. The Russians stood there on a new line and repulsed attack after attack.
- Russian expulsions of Jews from the front zoneOn 18 May 1915 the deadline expired for the Jews of western Kovno province to leave their homes. The Russian army accused them of treason.
- 19
- Russians enter VanOn 19 May 1915 Russian troops entered Van, preceded a day earlier by Armenian volunteers. The city, defended by the Armenians, was free.
- The Puławy Legion at PakosławOn the night of 19–20 May 1915 the Puławy Legion attacked the Germans at Pakosław near Iłża. Of 493 men it lost 42 killed, 60 wounded and 11 missing.
- 24
- Fighting to retake Przemyśl beginsOn 24 May 1915 Mackensen's army struck at Radymno to cut Przemyśl off from the east. The Russians lost Radymno and thousands of men as prisoners.
- Battle of the Stryj beginsOn 24 May 1915 the South Army began shelling Russian positions before Stryj. Linsingen massed his forces for one blow, but the infantry stuck in the wire.
- Russians retake UrmiaOn 24 May 1915 the Russians returned to Urmia, left a few days earlier by the Turks and Kurds. An occupation tragic for the Christians was over.
June
- 03
- The Central Powers retake PrzemyślEarly on 3 June 1915 German and Austro-Hungarian troops entered Przemyśl, abandoned by the Russians. Russian rule in the town had lasted 73 days.
- End of the battles of Stryi and DrohobyczBy 3 June 1915 the Russians had fallen back from Stryi and Drohobycz to the Dniester. The oil basin was free, but they still held a bridgehead on the river.
- 11
- End of the Battle of PrzemyślA British chronology ends the Battle of Przemyśl on 11 June 1915. After the fortress fell, the front halted at Mościska and Mackensen prepared to hit Lviv.
- End of the Battle of the StryiOn 11 June 1915 the South Army, earlier pushed back over the Dniester, attacked again near Żydaczów. The British chronology ends the Stryi battle that day.
- 12
- Battle of Mościska and Lubaczów beginsOn 12 June 1915 Mackensen's troops crossed the San and the Lubaczówka near Sieniawa. The battle that was to open the road to Lviv had begun.
- Battle of Rarańcza beginsOn 12 June 1915 the Legions' Second Brigade took Rarańcza in Bukovina unopposed, but was held up by Russian trenches on the hills above Rokitna in Bessarabia.
- 15
- Battle of Mościska and Lubaczów endsOn 15 June 1915 Mackensen's armies broke the second Russian line at Nahaczów and Oleszyce. Brusilov ordered a retreat to the Gródek line in front of Lviv.
- Battle of Rarańcza endsOn 15 June 1915 XI Corps fell back to the Rokitna and the Second Brigade dug in at Rarańcza, where the uhlans killed in the charge at Rokitna were buried.
- 22
- Austro-Hungarians retake LvivOn 22 June 1915 troops of the Austro-Hungarian Second Army entered Lviv. After 293 days the Russian occupation of the capital of Galicia came to an end.
- End of the battle of ŻydaczówOn 22 June 1915 the battle of Żydaczów ended. Threatened from the north, the Russians gave up the south bank of the Dniester; the South Army prepared to cross.
July
- 13
- Central Powers' great offensive in the east beginsOn 13 July 1915 the Germans struck from East Prussia towards the Narew. An offensive began that was to drive the Russians out of the Kingdom of Poland.
- Battle of the Narew and Biebrza beginsOn 13 July 1915 Gallwitz's and Scholtz's armies attacked the Russian front between the Vistula and Biebrza, aiming at the Narew crossings and Warsaw's rear.
- Second Battle of Przasnysz beginsOn 13 July 1915, after a bombardment of several hours from some 800 guns, Army Group Gallwitz broke the Russian First Army's main defence line at Przasnysz.
- Battles of Masłomęcz and Grabowiec beginOn 13 July 1915 the German Army of the Bug took up positions between Hrubieszów and Grabowiec. The attack on the Russian Thirteenth Army began on 15 July.
- 17
- Battle of SiennoOn 17 July 1915 Woyrsch's Silesian Landwehr broke the Russian front at Sienno on the west bank of the Vistula. The Russians fell back towards Ivangorod.
- End of the second battle of PrzasnyszBy 17 July 1915 the Germans had pushed the Russian 1st Army back about 30 km from Przasnysz and Ciechanów to fortified bridgeheads on the Narew.
- 18
- End of the battles of Masłomęcz and GrabowiecOn 18 July 1915 the Russian Thirteenth Army still held off the Bug Army near Hrubieszów and Grabowiec. It fell back that night as the front broke at Krasnystaw.
- End of the Battle of KrasnystawOn 18 July 1915 the Germans held Krasnystaw and the Wieprz bridgehead despite Russian Guards counter-attacks. At night the Russians fell back near the railway.
- 19
- End of the second battle of KraśnikOn the night of 18–19 July 1915 the Russians abandoned their positions at Kraśnik and Urzędów and fell back closer to Lublin. As they left, they burned Urzędów.
- Battles of Hrubieszów and Wojsławice beginOn 19 July 1915 the Russians fell back to a new line running west from Hrubieszów. The Army of the Bug followed them and stopped before more trenches.
- 21
- Central Powers encircle IvangorodOn 21 July 1915 Woyrsch's troops reached Ivangorod. Kövess's Austro-Hungarians closed it off from the west; the Germans prepared to cross the Vistula.
- End of the second battle of IvangorodOn 21 July 1915 the Silesian Landwehr broke the front at Zwoleń. The Russians left Ivangorod's forefield for the Kozienice–Gniewoszów line on the Vistula.
- 29
- East Persian Cordon is formedAt the end of July 1915 the British and Russians began to form a cordon in eastern Persia to stop German missions from getting through to Afghanistan.
- Battle of Biskupice beginsOn 29 July 1915 the German 11th Army broke the Russian front at Biskupice and reached the Lublin–Chełm railway at Trawniki. The Russians began to retreat.
- 30
- Battles of Hrubieszów and Wojsławice endOn 30 July 1915 the Russian 13th Army began to retreat from Hrubieszów. After twelve days of fighting the Bug Army reached Strzelce and Leszczany.
- End of the Battle of BiskupiceOn 30 July 1915, after their defeat at Biskupice, the Russians fell back all along the front between the Vistula and the Bug. The Austro-Hungarians took Lublin.
- Start of the Battle of KupiškisOn 30 July 1915 the Russian 5th Army struck at Kupiškis in Lithuania, into the gap between Niemen Army cavalry corps due to set off for Vilna and Dvinsk.
August
- 05
- Central Powers take IvangorodOn 5 August 1915 Vienna announced the capture of Ivangorod. A day earlier the Austro-Hungarians had entered forts the Russians left on the Vistula's left bank.
- Turks occupy VanIn early August 1915 Ottoman troops returned to Van, abandoned by the Russians, and at Bergri Kurds attacked columns of Armenian refugees.
September
- 09
- Start of the Battle of DvinskOn 9 September 1915 the right wing of the German Niemen Army set off for Dvinsk, to reach the Dvina and cover the attack on Vilna from the north.
- Start of the Battle of VilnaOn 9 September 1915 the German 10th Army struck north of Vilna, into the gap between two Russian armies. General Garnier's cavalry pushed into the breach.
- 16
- Germans take PinskIn mid-September 1915 the German Army of the Bug took Pinsk in Polesia. The Russians fell back behind the Yaselda and the Ogiński Canal into the Pripet marshes.
- Battle of Tarnopol endsOn 16 September 1915 Ivanov ended his counter-offensive and pulled back to the Seret. The Russians had halted the Austro-Hungarian offensive in East Galicia.
October
- 19
- Key eventRussia and Italy declare war on BulgariaOn 19 October 1915 Nicholas II's manifesto on war with Bulgaria, "betrayer of the Slav cause", was published. Italy also declared war on Bulgaria that day.
- Japan joins the Pact of LondonOn 19 October 1915 Japan acceded to the Pact of London of 1914. It undertook not to conclude a separate peace with Germany.
November
December
- 17
- Sinking of the cruiser BremenOn 17 December 1915 the German light cruiser Bremen struck Russian mines off Windau and sank with the torpedo boat V 191. Some 200–250 sailors died.
- Loss of the airship LZ 39On 17 December 1915 Russian artillery hit the German airship LZ 39 over Rovno. The crew managed to land near Lutsk, but the ship could not be saved.