Atlas of Battles

battle, major, First World War

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive was a battle fought on 22 June 1915 at Tarnów, in what is now Poland. It was part of the WWI Eastern Front, which ran from 1914 to 1918. The recorded result: Central Powers victory.

See it on the globe Read the article

Gorlice-Tarnów Breakthrough.
Gorlice-Tarnów Breakthrough.. Department of Military Art and Engineering, at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought22 June 1915
WhereTarnów, Poland49.654N, 21.159E
OutcomeCentral Powers victory
BelligerentsAustria-Hungary; German EmpireagainstRussian Empire
Part ofWWI Eastern Front1914 to 1918

Where it sits in the WWI Eastern Front

Battle of Łódź, 1914Russian invasion of East Prussia, 1914Battle of Kraśnik, 1914Battle of Rawa, 1914Battle of Krzywopłoty, 1914Battle of Bzurą 1914, 1914Battle of Stallupönen, 1914Battle of Gumbinnen, 1914Battle of Komarów, 1914Battle of Gnila Lipa, 1914Battle of Augustów, 1914Battle of Kraków (1914), 1914Battle of Limanowa, 1914Carpathian Front, 1914second battle of Krakow, 1914Battle of Bolimów, 1915Battles of Przasnysz, 1915Battle of Konary, 1915Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive, 1915Narew Offensive, 1915Siege of Novogeorgievsk, 1915Siege of Kovno, 1915Sventiany Offensive, 1915Battle of Ustechko (1916), 1916Brusilov Offensive, 1916Second Battle of Ķekava, 1916Baranovichi Offensive, 1916Kerensky Offensive, 1917Battle of Toboly, 1917Battle of Zborov, 1917Battle of Riga, 1917Battle of Jugla, 1917Battle of Moon Sound, 1917Battle of Rarańcza, 1918Battle of Bakhmach, 1918Battle of Kaniów, 191819141918Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive, 1915
36 placed engagements of the WWI Eastern Front in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date22 June 1915
to June 1915
PlaceTarnów, Poland
49.654N, 21.159E
KindBattle, First World War
Territorial changeRussian forces retreat from Galicia and Polish salient
StrengthOn 1 May 1915; Total: 1,248,319 men; 1,440 machine guns; 2,911 guns; On 15 May 1915: Total: 1,502,844 men; 1,636 machine guns; 3,111 guns; On 31 May 1915: Total: 1,613,360 men; 1,884 machine guns; 3,259 gunsOn 1 May 1915; Total: 1,059,576 men; 1,459 machine guns; 1,756 guns; On 15 May 1915; Total: 1,211,060 men; 1,712 machine guns; 2,369 guns; On 31 May 1915; Total: 1,424,158 men; 1,768 machine guns; 2,383 guns
Casualties and losses2 May – 13 July 1915; Total 487,821 men; German Empire: 24,063 KIA; 66,540 WIA; 8,050 MIA; Total 98,653; Austria-Hungary: 44,191 KIA; 180,385 WIA; 164,592 MIA; Total: 389,168 men2 May – 13 July 1915; Total 1,019,953 men; 118,112 KIA; 402,346 WIA; 499,495 MIA
Commanders
Gorlice–Tarnów OffensiveGorlice–Tarnów OffensiveBattle of ŁowczówekBattle of GwoźdźcemBattle of WojniczBattle of KrosnoBattle of the Dukla PassBattle of ŁowczówekBattle of GwoźdźcemBattle of WojniczBattle of KrosnoBattle of the Dukla PassKrakówKatowiceRzeszówKošicePrešovŽilinaZvolenBytom100 km49.654N, 21.159E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-09-20. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 288 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 262 to 641 m, 378 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 47% tree cover, 28% grassland, 14% built-up.

tree cover: 47%grassland: 28%built-up: 14%cropland: 11%tree cover 47%grassland 28%built-up 14%cropland 11%
west to east, 10.0 km282 to 430 mnorth to south, 10.0 km278 to 491 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1915

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: GER 11TH ARMY, AUS 3RD(-) & 4TH ARMIESDefender: RUS 3RD ARMY
Strength216,000219,000
Casualties36,000 (16.7%)153,654 (70.2%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1083
Outcomeattacker won
Duration2 days
Front width121 km121 km
Attacker advanced30 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 295), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 469 in present-day Poland.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q670489, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Gorlice–Tarnów offensive, revision 1370621540, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.