Aleksei Brusilov, Russian general (d. 1926)
Aleksei Alekseyevich Brusilov (Russian: Алексе́й Алексе́евич Бруси́лов, romanized: Alekséj Alekséevič Brusílov; 31 August [O.S. 19 August] 1853 – 17 March 1926) was a Russian and later Soviet general most noted for the development of new offensive tactics used in the 1916 Brusilov Offensive, which was his greatest achievement. The innovative and relatively successful tactics used were later copied by the Germans. Born into the aristocracy to a father who was also a general, Brusilov trained as a cavalry officer, but by 1914 he realized that cavalry was obsolete in the new style of warfare because of its vulnerability to machine gun and artillery. Historians portray him as the only First World War Russian general capable of winning major battles. However, his heavy casualties seriously weakened the Russian army, which was unable to replace its losses.Despite his prominent role in the Imperial Russian Army, he joined with the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War and aided in the early organization of the Red Army.