Part 8/15:
In the rugged terrain of the Carpathians, Russian forces had achieved significant gains—capturing 5,600 Austro-Hungarian soldiers by March 29. The region was nearing the end of its third winter of fighting, with the earlier snow battles ending in failure. On March 27, Austro-Hungarian command decided to abandon all pretenses of defending the mountains, opting instead to delay the Russians by destroying their own supply lines—yet this strategy proved costly as the Russian army, under the command of General Brusilov, advanced swiftly, moving 5 kilometers in one day and causing widespread disorder among the Austro-Hungarians.