Battle of Łomża
Spring 1915 battles on the Eastern Front.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
The Battle of Łomża consisted of major clashes between the German and Russian Empires during the spring of 1915 in what is now Poland. The Russians turned back the second German push on Przasnysz, while the Germans likewise stopped several large Russian attacks.
After the Russian front repelled a German drive along the Bobr and Narew rivers, the commander of the Northwestern Front, Nikolai Ruzsky, aimed to build on that success by reviving a January plan to invade Germany. On the night of February 27, the commander of the 1st Army, Alexander Litvinov, proposed striking at Willenberg and Janowo to improve the front’s overall position. To secure the flanks at Płock and Mława and support the attack with two Siberian corps and the 38th Infantry Division, he requested an extra division, ideally a corps. By then, Russian Headquarters had dropped plans for a new East Prussian offensive. On March 1, Chief of Staff Nikolai Yanushkevich told Ruzsky not to get drawn into East Prussia, but to deliver short, strong blows, pursue only to the border, and not weaken the armies on the Vistula’s left bank. The next day, Ruzsky ordered a general front offensive: the 10th Army toward Lipsk and Sopotskin to clear the Augustów Forest and possibly reach Augustów, Kalvarija, and Suwałki; the 12th Army from Łomża and Novogrod; the 1st Army toward Mława and Khorzhel. The 2nd and 5th Armies were to hold their lines on the Bzura, Rawka, and Pilica rivers. Ruzsky still hoped to seize the southern Masurian Lakes as a base. The Russians held a favorable balance of forces. German troops, from the Baltic coast to Płock, dug in defensively. Weakened by losses, they were far outmatched in men, but often had superior artillery and machine-gun equipment.
On March 1, regiments of the 1st Army Corps (22nd and 24th Infantry Divisions, under General A. Dushkevich) arrived from behind the Vistula to join the 12th Army. They attacked on the morning of March 2 but took heavy casualties from German rifle and artillery fire—the 22nd Infantry Division alone lost 40 officers and 3,500 soldiers—and halted 200 to 500 steps from the German lines, hoping to take them by night assault. The 2nd Guards Infantry Division, led by Pavel Pototsky, advanced alongside them and captured Hill 74.4 south of Chude village. In Lieutenant General S. Savvich’s detachment, the 10th Siberian Rifle Division seized
- Location
- Territory of modern Poland
Lore & Background
The battle began after the commander of the Northwestern Front, Nikolai Ruzsky, sought to develop success from earlier defensive actions. On March 2, 1915, Ruzsky ordered a general offensive by the Russian 12th and 1st Armies, aiming to clear the Augustów Primeval Forest and advance toward Mława and Khorzhel. The Russian 10th Army, shattered in the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes (February 7–22, 1915), was not capable of launching a significant offensive and remained on the defensive, not conducting a general advance. The German forces, under commanders such as Hermann von Eichhorn and M. von Gallwitz, had gone over to the defensive in equipped positions, but were seriously inferior in manpower, though often superior in machine guns and artillery.
Russian attacks met mixed results. The 12th Army, despite significant superiority, could not complete its tasks, while the remnants of the 10th Army were in retreat and unable to advance. The German 8th Army launched a counteroffensive near Przasnysz on March 8-9, capturing 2,000 prisoners under the command of Gallwitz and Eichhorn.
Reader's Guide
The Battle of Łomża illustrates the stalemate on the Eastern Front in early 1915, where neither the Imperial German nor Imperial Russian army could achieve a decisive breakthrough. The Russian offensives, though initially promising, were blunted by German defensive positions and counterattacks, while the German attempt to push the Russians back beyond the Narew River also failed. The battle highlights the importance of fortified positions, barbed wire, and artillery in World War I, as well as the high casualties—such as 40 officers and 3,500 soldiers lost in a single Russian division. The engagement also shows the shifting strategic priorities of the Russian command, which abandoned plans for a deep invasion of East Prussia in favor of limited strikes. Ultimately, the battle set the stage for further German offensives later in 1915, contributing to the eventual Russian retreat.
Did You Know?
- The Russian 10th Army was shattered in the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes (February 7–22, 1915) and was not capable of launching a significant offensive on March 2, 1915.
More in German Empire 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record