Editing Brusilov offensive (section)

==Prelude==
At a war council held with senior commanders and the tsar in April 1916, General Aleksei Brusilov presented a plan to the [[Stavka]] (the Russian high command), proposing a massive offensive by his Southwestern Front against the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] forces in [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]]. Brusilov's plan aimed to take some of the pressure off [[French Third Republic|French]] and [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] armies in France and the [[Royal Italian Army]] along the [[Isonzo Front]] and, if possible, to knock Austria-Hungary out of the war.{{sfn|Tucker|2011|p=428}}

General [[Alexei Evert]], commander of the [[Western Front (Russian Empire)|Russian Western Army Group]] based in Smolensk, favored a defensive strategy and opposed Brusilov's proposed offensive. [[Emperor of Russia|Tsar]] [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]] had taken personal command of the Imperial Russian Army in September 1915. Evert was a strong supporter of Nicholas and the [[Romanov]]s, but the emperor approved Brusilov's plan. The offensive aimed to capture the cities of [[Kovel]] and [[Lemberg|Lviv]] (in present-day western Ukraine); the [[Central Powers]] had recovered both these cities in 1915. Although the Stavka had approved Brusilov's plan, his request for supporting offensives by the neighboring [[Front (military formation)|front]]s (the [[Western Front (Russian Empire)|Western]] under Evert and [[Northern Front (Russian Empire)|Northern]] under [[Aleksey Kuropatkin]]) was denied.<ref>{{cite book |last=Onacewicz |first=Wlodzimierz |date=1985 |title=Empires by Conquest: 1905-1945 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vwfUAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Although+Brusilov+was+allowed+to+attack,+he+was+denied+any+additional+means+with+which+to+do+So%22 |location=Fairfax, VA |publisher=Hero Books |page=74 |isbn=978-9-1597-9040-6 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

On 26 May, the tsar issued orders for accelerating the start of the Russian summer offensive, in response to pleas from the Italians facing Conrad's offensive. Brusilov would attack on 4 June, and the rest of the Russian army ten days later. Brusilov chose [[Alexey Kaledin]]'s Eighth Army to spearhead the capture of [[Lutsk]] and Kovel. Kaledin's attacking force included the XXXII Corps in the south, the VIII and XL Corps in the center, and XXXIX Corps in the north. The Russians fielded 148 infantry battalions against the 53 battalions in Archduke [[Archduke Joseph Ferdinand of Austria|Joseph Ferdinand]]'s Fourth Army. Further south on the Austro-Hungarian front were [[Paul Puhallo von Brlog]]'s [[1st Army (Austria-Hungary)|1st Army]], [[Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli]]'s [[2nd Army (Austria-Hungary)|2nd Army]], and [[Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin]]'s [[7th Army (Austria-Hungary)|7th Army]].<ref name=rlg/>{{rp|136–146}}

Mounting pressure from the western Allies caused the Russians to hurry their preparations. Brusilov amassed four armies totaling 40 infantry divisions and 15 cavalry divisions. He faced 39 Austro-Hungarian infantry divisions and 10 cavalry divisions, formed in a row of three defensive lines, as well as German reinforcements that were later brought up.{{sfn|Dowling|2008|pp=43–46}} Deception efforts on the Russian side were intended to conceal the point of attack.{{sfn|Buttar|2016|p=131}} They included false radio traffic, false orders sent by messengers who were intended to be captured, and equipment displays including dummy artillery.{{sfn|Dowling|2008|pp=43–46}}{{sfn|Buttar|2016|p=131}} Brusilov, knowing he would not receive significant reinforcements, moved his reserves up to the front line. He used them to dig entrenchments about {{cvt|300|×|90|m|yd}}<!--really?--> along the front line. These provided shelter for the troops and hindered observation by the Austrians.{{sfn|Dowling|2008|pp=43–46}}

Brusilov extended his army's trenches forward as far as possible, in some cases to within 100m of the Austro-Hungarian positions. Tunnels were also dug below the Russian barbed wire, allowing the entanglements to remain intact during the Russian attack. By these methods Brusilov hoped to lessen the exposure, and increase the surprise, of his attacking troops. Instead of massed formations, each of Brusilov's armies would attack along a 15&nbsp;km wide sector of their choice, attacking in waves with two reinforced infantry corps.<ref name=rlg/>{{rp|127,144}}