World War I Maps

Russian Army Staff Maps

I. Kiselev

This group of maps is interesting because it shows the location of military units and formations of the enemy against the Russian and allied forces. These maps were used for planning future operations by Russian military commanders.

1. The Enemy Positions against the Armies of the Southwestern Front by 17 December 1916.
Topographical Department of the 11th Army Staff, 1917.
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Map shows the location of enemy positions against the Russian troops after the offensive of the Russian Southwestern Front (the so-called "Brusilov Offensive" of May - September 1916 ) was halted. As a result of Brusilov's breakthrough, the Southwestern Front broke the back the Austro-Hungarian army, and the front line advanced into enemy territory from 80 to 120 km deep. Brusilov's troops occupied almost all Volyn, Bukovina and part of Galicia.

2. Location of Enemy Positions against the Front of the 11th Army by 20 March 1917.
Topographical Department of the 11th Army Staff, 1917.
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Map shows the location of the Austro-German forces against the Russian positions. It, apparently, was produced in preparation for a big strategic offensive of the Russian army, planned during late April - early May 1917. However, political instability made the operation impossible in time, and it had to be postponed to the end of June. The 11th and 7th Army carried out the main attack upon city of Lvov from the districts of Zolochiv and Brzhezany. In the first two days, the Russian troops had some tactical success, but then the offensive stopped. The most efficient units suffered heavy losses after the attack, so the German counter-attack on the weakened forces overthrew the 11th army and put it to flight.

3. Positions of the German Armies on the French Front by 15 Jenuary 1917.
Topographical Department of the 11th Army Staff, 1917.
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The staff maps show the situation not only on the Russian front, but also on the fronts of the allies. This made it possible to coordinate the actions of allies, to follow the movements of the enemy troops and, as a consequence, to find weaknesses in the German defense.