Battle of Zborov (1917)

Battle of Zborov

Czechoslovak legionnaires in the trenches

Date	1–2 July 1917
Location	Zborov, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine)
Result	Czechoslovak and Russian victory

Belligerents

Czechoslovak Legions

Russian Republic

Austria-Hungary

Commanders and leaders

Vyacheslav Platonovich Trojanov

Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli

Strength

3,530

5,500

Casualties and losses

167 killed,
17 fatally wounded,
11 missing
~700 injured

3,300 soldiers (62 officers) captured,
20 guns and large amounts of military material seized

The Battle of Zborov (Зборовское сражение in Russian, Schlacht bei Zborów in German, bitva u Zborova in Czech and Slovak) was a part of the Kerensky Offensive, (the last Russian offensive in World War I, taking place in July 1917). The battle was the first significant action of the Czechoslovak Legions (volunteers fighting against the Central Powers) on the Eastern Front and the only successful engagement of the failed Russian offensive in Ukraine.

As the reliability of many Russian military formations was in doubt, only units that volunteered to attack were used in the offensive. Among those who did was the Czechoslovak Riflemen Brigade (Československá střelecká brigáda) formed from three regiments of Czechs and Slovaks. The brigade (about 3,530 men), was low on equipment and training. Moreover, this was the first use of the brigade as a single formation; previously, the Russian command had used only smaller units of the brigade, mostly in reconnaissance actions. On the other hand, overall morale amongst the members of the brigade was very high.

The brigade was commanded by Russian colonel Vyacheslav Platonovich Trojanov, but the tactical assault plan was prepared by Czech and Slovak officers serving in the Czechoslovak Legion. Professor Thomas Masaryk, the main organizer of the Czechoslovak resistance against Austria-Hungary, was in telegraphic connection with colonel Nikolai Petrovich Mamontov so he could follow a situation from Petersburgh.

The brigade was deployed near Zborov, a town in today's Ukraine, in a sector of secondary importance. The 4th division protected it from the north, the 6th division from the south. The enemy, the army of Austria-Hungary, deployed four well entrenched and well equipped infantry regiments (IR), the IR 6, 35, 75 and 86 (in all, about 12,000 men).

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