Stryi, Russian Southwestern Front Army command. Commander General Ivanov, is in a rage at the moment. This made all the officers and officers in the entire headquarters keep silent, for fear of angering General Ivanov and causing unnecessary disaster.
Russian 4th Army Corps was defeated miserably in Lviv, Commander General Dimitriev fled Lviv, and the number of troops that withdrew was less than 10,000. You know, 4th Army Corps is a huge group army with 300,000 troops! But what I never expected was that in just a few days, they would be defeated by the Germany people, and they would suffer such heavy losses.
"General, 4th Army Corps also failed in the battle at Zamość. The Germany people have occupied Zamość." A staff officer gritted his teeth and reported to General Ivanov.
In view of General Ivanov's current mood, these officers did not want to see him unless they had to.
"I understand, get out!" General Ivanov said expressionlessly.
Zamość's defenders were completely wiped out by German military, which was nothing to General Ivanov. In his heart, he had completely accepted the fact that 4th Army Corps's entire army had been wiped out.
"Yes, General." The staff officer quickly retreated, as if he was afraid that General Ivanov would regret it.
"Damn, what should we do next? Germany is too strong, and 4th Army Corps is too fragile, which is why Lviv was quickly killed by German military occupied. Without Lviv, the logistics and combat supplies on the front line cannot be guaranteed. How can we continue to fight this battle? "General Ivanov was very angry and panicked at the same time.
"No, we can't continue fighting, we must retreat. Otherwise, once there is a problem with the supply of materials on the front line, it will have a devastating blow to the morale of the troops. By then, it will be too late to retreat." General Ivanov thought secretly. Now he no longer dares to think about winning. In fact, he didn't even want to hold on for a moment. Because he knew that as time passed, their situation became more dangerous. German military, who captured Lviv, was like a dagger in their backs, which could be inserted at any time and kill them.
However, for General Ivanov, retreating is not that easy. Before the battle began, he almost made a desperate choice of risky tactics. Now, the final result is that his adventure completely failed. At the same time, Russian Southwestern Front Army suffered heavy losses. There was no way he could explain this to Grand Duke Nicholas and Tsar Nicholas II!
"God! How could this battle end like this?" General Ivanov closed his eyes in pain. Originally, the tactic he adopted was a bit risky. However, there is absolutely no chance of winning. On the contrary, General Ivanov also believes that the chances of winning are still relatively high. After all, the vulnerability of the Austrian army has been verified by them.
However, after the battle began, the tenacity of the Austrian army completely exceeded their expectations. No matter how the Russian army launched a fierce attack, the Austrian army's defense line remained very stable. On the other side, German military's offensive was very powerful, which made the Russian army gradually fall into a disadvantage in this battle.
Now, among the four armies of Southwestern Front, 4th Army Corps has been completely wiped out. 3rd Army Corps, 8th Army Corps and 11th Army Corps have lost more than 100,000 troops. This means that in just a few days of fighting, they lost nearly half of their troops. It is no longer possible for the remaining six to seven hundred thousand people to fight against German-Austrian Allied Forces.
"We must retreat! Otherwise, all the troops will be lost here." General Ivanov made up his mind.
Immediately, General Ivanov personally drafted a Telegram and sent it to the Russian frontline headquarters, requesting Russian Commander-in-Chief Grand Duke Nicholas to withdraw.
Grand Duke Nicholas is also paying attention to the development of the battle situation. After all, when Northwestern Front Army's entire army was wiped out and there was no time to rebuild, the decisive battle between Southwestern Front and German-Austrian Allied Forces was directly related to the victory or defeat of the entire Eastern Front. When General Ivanov chose radical tactics, Grand Duke Nicholas did not stop him. Because he also hopes that the Russian army can win this battle.
But it is a pity that the god of luck did not favor them in the end. Southwestern Front, millions of Russian troops, are already in a desperate situation during this battle.
"How could this battle end like this? Is Russian Empire's military strength really so different from the mainstream of the world?" Grand Duke Nicholas's face was full of bitterness.
Although, the combat effectiveness of the Russian army has always been at the bottom among the great powers. However, relying on their huge military advantage, they were still able to maintain their status as one of the great powers. The title of steam roller even scares Europe countries. But now, when the superiority of troops can no longer determine the outcome of the battlefield, the Russian army has lost its greatest advantage.
Grand Duke Nicholas knows that after this battle, the Russian army in Eastern Front will be seriously at a disadvantage. I am afraid that until the end of this war, they will not be able to recover from their disadvantage. As for whether Russia can win the final victory in this war, Grand Duke Nicholas has no hope anyway. It's not that they are too weak, but that the enemy is too strong!
"General, General Ivanov is requesting a retreat." A general handed Grand Duke Nicholas to Telegram of General Ivanov.
After Grand Duke Nicholas read it, he nodded. "We have already lost this battle, and there is no point in continuing to fight. It will only make us pay a greater price. Tell General Ivanov that I allow them to retreat. A temporary failure is nothing. We have not lost to the point of total defeat, and we still have a chance! Bring as many troops back as possible, that will be the seed for our re-emergence."
"Yes, General." The general nodded.
When Grand Duke Nicholas's Telegram was delivered to General Ivanov, he immediately gave the order to retreat. General Ivanov ordered Russian 3rd Army Corps, 8th Army Corps and 11th Army Corps to immediately break away from contact with the Austrian army and retreat quickly. They retreated to the hinterland of Ukraine and Belarus, giving up a large area of territory in exchange for getting rid of German-Austrian Allied Forces's pursuit.