<– Part 88 – March 26, 1916  | Part 89 – April 2, 1916 |  Part 90 – April 9, 1916 –>

French infantry charging with fixed bayonets

The Russian offensive at Lake Naroch ended March 30 with no gains. The long bombardment was ineffective; the 10km penetration of the front caused minimal damage to German defenses, and the 5:1 numerical superiority (375,000 Russians to 82,000 Germans) was wasted in human wave attacks. Russian morale is crushed, and the French (hoping the offensive would relieve pressure on the Western front) is similarly weakened. The Russians lost approximately 100,000 men, to the Germans’ 30,000.