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Title: Tannenberg: Clash of Empires by Dennis E. Showalter ISBN: 0-208-02252-X Publisher: Archon Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 1991 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $42.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Best Book on the Subject
Comment: This is an outstanding piece of scholarship which provides a tremendous amount of detail on not only the 1914 campaign in East Prussia, but also on the Russian and German armies, and the imperial rivalry between the two nations in eastern Europe. Amazingly well researched and superbly written, this is the best book by far on the subject.
Rating: 3
Summary: Tannenberg: In need of Better Maps and Organization
Comment: This is a widely acclaimed account of the great German victory over the Russians in 1914 that falls far short of expectations. One third of the book is spent recounting the events leading up to a Russo-German war, starting about 1870. The author would have done better to spend time discussing the organization, doctrine and leadership in both armies. Instead, the armies of both sides remain rather faceless ciphers in this account. Showalter does a better job describing the campaign, with much useful detail, but it is difficult to follow without adequate maps and the timelimes of specific events are often vague. Good maps are the heart of any detailed operational-level military history, but this book lacks them. Showalter does have some interesting observations, particularly about the much-maligned Tsarist army. The Russian army apparently learned something in the Russo-Japanese War because they had some initial tactical superiority over the Germans in their use of artillery and skillful use of terrain. Despite spending over 100 pages discussing events leading up to the war Showalter's account has a significant omission: despite the fact that the Germans knew for over twenty years that they would have to conduct a delaying operation in East Prussia against numerically-superior Russian forces they never developed a proper mobile covering force or the doctrine of delaying actions. Instead, the German army of 1914 had only two tactical options: attack or defend, neither of which was well-suited for the start of the war in the East.
Rating: 4
Summary: Valuable and comprehensive overview of overlooked WWI aspect
Comment: Showalter's "Tannenberg" is an exceptionally thorough and comprehensive history of not just the 1914 Battle of Tannenberg but also the dynamics that lead up to this clash and the fallout later. The only shortcomings are the lack of any historical photographs and the somewhat difficult to read, elliptical style of writing that Showalter uses at times. A recent article in "Military History" magazine also coincidently covers the same battle but incorporates historical photographs of the people and places which adds to our understanding of this turning point. This book is nonetheless well worth reading for any historian interested in this overlooked aspect of World War One or in German history in general
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Title: Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea by ROBERT K. MASSIE ISBN: 0679456716 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 28 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror by Richard A. Clarke ISBN: 0743260244 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 22 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $27.00 |
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