Battle of Galicia

Opening engagements in Galicia turn to be unfavourable to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

At the beginning of the war in Eastern Europe, the initiative was on the side of the Russian Empire. With German forces tied in the offensive in the west, the eastern front was left mostly to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with German forces in the north playing an only secondary role.   Commander of Austrian General Staff - Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf - initially wanted an all-out offensive. This, however, changed when the archduke Franz Ferdinand recuperated and insisted to become a commander-in-chief for the war (as he was supposed to in case of war... before the assasination attempt). He had more cautious approach. Instead of a pre-emptive offensive that endangered Austro-Hungarian forces in case of enemy counter-offensive, a more defensive plan was quickly drafted.   While plans rarely go well when they are drafted quickly, in this particular battle it wasn't the case. While the Austro-Hungarian forces were defeated - no other option was possible with such a numerical superiority of an army of the tsar - they weren't defeated decisively, orderly retreating from Galicia. What's more, Russian forces suffered bigger casualties than their opponents.