8. Aleksei Brusilov
Aleksei Brusilov was top of the list of innovative World War 1 generals. It’s his creative, strategic and tactical ideas that gave Russia its first most victory in the war after a series of disheartening losses. Brusilov commanded the Russian Eighth Army in Galicia. He orchestrated plans for a full-blown attack on the comparatively larger Austro-Hungarian army. His celebrated Brusilov Offensive started with spectacular conquests like the Battle of Lutsk and resulted in a complete decimation of the Austro-Hungarian forces.
Within the first two days of the battle, their opponents had suffered about 230,000 casualties, allowing the Russian troops under Brusilov’s command to advance further. The offensive ended with the intervention of the German troops transferred from the Western Front, leaving the Austro-Hungarian army utterly broken. It’s because of the massive success of the Brusilov troops during the early stages of the offensive that Romania agreed to join the battle.
7. Živojin Mišić
Vojvoda Živojin Mišić played a crucial role in the liberation of Serbia after being a conspicuous figure on the Serbian Front at the start of World War 1. Despite the overwhelmingly large numbers of the Austro-Hungarian forces, Mišić in late 1914 decisively defeated them in the Battle of Kolubara.
It was only after the Austro-Hungarian army joined forces with German troops and Bulgarian forces that Serbia capitulated in 1915. Živojin Mišić pulled out his forces to Greece through Albania and Montenegro. He was later appointed the commander of the First Army following the establishment of the Thessaloniki Front. About two years later in mid-1918, he was appointed Chief of Supreme Command and commanded the Serbian army until the war ended.
6. Svetozar Boroević
The Austro-Hungarian army suffered many losses to their rivals even though they were often numerically superior in most cases. Svetozar Boroević, however, changed that narrative. This Austro-Hungarian general from a Serbian Orthodox family was one of the most adept of all Austro-Hungarian generals. His was a defensive strategy, which enabled him to achieve a great victory in the 1917 Battle of Caporetto where his Austro-Hungarian forces joined with the German forces and advanced over 60 miles.
His weakness in offensive tactics, however, worked against him when the attempt to bombard the Italian forces failed. This resulted in the collapse of his Austro-Hungarian army after the Battle of Vittorio Veneto.