The Tsar’s last victory: The Brusilov Offensive, June-September 1916

By 1916, the Tsar’s armies were very different from the brave but ill-equipped forces of 1914. Despite widespread corruption and inefficiency, Russia’s war industries had massively expanded: artillery production was approaching 900 guns and more than 2,500,000 shells per month. The dire rifle shortages of 1914-1915 had been overcome, and all 2,000,000 frontline troops were fully armed. Battlefield communications had also significantly improved: the 1914 holdings of 10,000 field telephones had risen to 50,000 two years later. The real problem lay in utilising this equipment effectively. The higher echelons of the Russian command structure were bedevilled by inefficiency, with far too m