GERMAN SOLDIERS EXECUTING A RUSSIAN SOLDIER AND A CIVILIAN DURING THE OPERATION FAUSTSCHLAG..

  German soldiers executing a Russian soldier and a civilian during the Operation Faustschlag, 1918.

Today 106 years ago, on February 18, 1918, the last battle on the Eastern Front began with the Operation Faustschlag (Fist Punch), resulting in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and Russia's exit from the First World War.

By November 1917, the Bolsheviks had seized control of Russia and the Russian military was in a state of dissaray and political turmoil. The Bolsheviks and Central Powers began discussing peace negotiations in December 1917, but were unable to agree on peace terms, as the Bolsheviks believed the German terms were too harsh, and wanted to delay peace in case of a Communist revolution in Germany.

The Germans wanted to move troops from the Eastern Front to the Western Front for their Spring Offensive, and thus sought to speed up the peace negotiations. Together with Austria-Hungary, they planned a large-scale offensive along the Eastern Front, called Operation Faustschlag. 

On February 18, 1918, the Austro-Germans attacked the Russians with 53 Divisions towards Narva, Smolensk and Kiev.

Only the most determined and loyal of Tsarist Russian troops put up any resistance, many troops surrendering at the site of an enemy soldier, and the Austro-Germans soon captured key objectives and thousands of Russian prisoners, advancing 240 km within a week, taking advantage of the Russian railways.

The Bolsheviks realized the critical situation and decided to accept the harsh German peace terms after the capture of Kiev on March 2. On March 3, 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed between the Russians and the Central Powers, ending the war for Russia on the Eastern and Caucasus Fronts.

The Russians ceded huge amounts of land, notably modern-day Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Finland to the Central Powers, accounting for some 1.2 million m² and 1/4 of the Russian population, as well as 1/4 of their industry and 9/10 of their coal mines. In the further months the Germans advanced 500 miles into their newly gained territory.

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