Tannenberg: Clash of Empires 1914 (Cornerstones of Military History)
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Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.422
EAN: 9781574887815
ISBN: 1574887815
Label: Potomac Books Inc.
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 432
Publication Date: 2004-04
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc.
Studio: Potomac Books Inc.
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Editorial Reviews:
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The battle of Tannenberg (August 27–30, 1914) opened World War I with a decisive German victory over Russia—indeed the Kaiser’s only clear-cut victory in a non-attritional battle during four years of war. In this first paperback edition of the classic work, historian Dennis Showalter analyzes this battle’s causes, effects, and implications for subsequent German military policy. The author carefully guides the reader through what actually happened on the battlefield, from its grand strategy down to the level of improvised squad actions. Examining the battle in the context of contemporary diplomatic, political, and economic affairs, Showalter also reviews both armies’ social settings and military doctrine, and shows how the battle may be understood as a case study of problems that military organizations face in the initial stages of a major war. In addition, he demolishes many myths about the battle, such as the supposed superiority of the German military, the animosity among Russian field commanders, and the assumption that the Germans viewed their opponents as a horde of uniformed illiterates. Tannenberg’s mystique later served the Weimar Republic and Third Reich propagandists. For years its legends helped to shape German nationalist ideology and military policy. In 1941, Hitler’s Wehrmacht grossly underestimated Soviet military capability, leading to disaster in World War II.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding History
Comment: For those wishing to read about this forgotten battle of the Great War, or who wishes to read something with a more interesting perspective on Tannenberg, this is the book.
Dennis Showalter not only has put together an orginal history using first sources, but his lively prose make this a very enjoyable book. Dennis Showalter attempts to put to rest many misconceptions that still surround the Battle of Tannenburg to this day. Here are a few:
1)The Russians armies were poorly led and poorly armed.
2)The Germans won primairily because of deep anomositiy between Rennemkampf and Suramenov, and poor signal intelligence on the Russian part.
3)Hidenburg and Ludendorf saved the day for the Germans
Dennis Showalter also points out that there were so many tactical errors committed on both sides for various reasons that it is a wonder that any side won.
The book is outlined chronologically. However, the author also gives plenty of social, political, and anthropological information that presents the reader with a very intimate and clear view of how the battle unfolded. This is not just a recitiation of map movements. Dennis Showalter obviously has much empathy with the common foot solider on both sides, and presents how difficult it was to fight this battle of movement under the hot August sun.
The Battle of Tannenberg was the first modern battle of movement where the field commanders had no view of the battle as it unfolded (Sedan was the probably the last large scale battle where a general sitting a top a hill could control events as they unfolded). Denns Showalter gives the reader a front and center seat of the battle from the gunner's and high commander's perspective. He showed how difficult it was for the high commanders to gather intelligence, issue battle orders and direct strategy using horse calvary, bicycle troops, Zeppelins, and wireless and telephones. The battle was actually a series of battles fought over 180 miles of a very fluid battle field. In a world where we are use to GPS navigation, network centric information centers, and satellite communications, it is easy to forget how difficult it was for a field commander responsible for over a 100,000 soldiers to get good intelligence and issue timely orders over a battle field that was almost 200 miles in length. Dennis Showalter does not let the reader forget.
I also admire that the author didn't show any bias even though the book was written mainly from a German perspective. He clearly presents the facts that the Russians in many ways were superior soldiers during the opening months of the war. The Germans clearly had the Russians beat in the field of administration and logistics, but the Russians were superior in the art of concealment, artillery fire control, and at times daring.
The only problem I had with the book with a lack of maps. There are maps, but they are so few and far between that I constantly had to refer back a hundred pages or so to find the lake, village, or forest where a action took place.
This is the first book I read by by Dennis Showalter, and I place it up there with Alistair Horne's Price of Glory: Verdun.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Repays Careful Reading
Comment: A masterful book by a wonderful historian. No one knows more about the Battle of Tannenberg than Dennis Showalter. He expertly uses archival evidence, official histories, and first-hand accounts to give us the most subtle and persuasive account of the full meaning of this key battle of the Great War. Along the way, he teaches us a lot about how armies fight in the first few weeks of a war. Even the much-vaunted German Army made mistakes, as Showalter clearly shows. Yet, their system was able to recover from these mistakes far more quickly than the blundering Russians. Even so, Tannenberg was decisive only in prolonging the war--not in ending it. Showalter points out the many ironies of this battle that will resonate with readers today. A great book; its only fault is its slow beginning.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Tannenberg a new look
Comment: The relationship of Germany to Eastern European powers in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th Centuries is often overlooked. Anyone interested in the First World War is obliged to review both threats and aspirations of the greatest power in Western Europe. This book gives insights into those threats, perceived or otherwise, which consumed Germany at a time when the nation had ambitions but anxieties about fighting on two fronts. It is easy, when reading the first part of this book, to come to the conclusion that war between Germany and Russia was almost inevitable and that the Western front was a sideshow. That it did not quite turn out like this resulted from miscalculations and a failure to update military thinking. This is well brought out in the first part of the book. Whether one agrees with the author's interpretation of events and of German-Russian politics is not necessarily the point, since what the book does do (for me at any rate) is to provide another perspective for the tensions that led up to the Great War. The second part of the book relates more to a description of the war on the ground in the East. It is still well written, but for this reader the most valuable part of the book was the part as described above.
Customer Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 Stars- A "standard"
Comment: This is considered a classic work of modern military history, a "standard" work. Its at the level of, if you say you are a WWI buff, but have never read this book, you essentially have no credibility. More than that, it should be part of the library of every military history buff. It has been extremely influential on modern military historians, has sold pretty well, and Showalter has done a lot for military history through his role at the History Book Club.
All that said, and noting that you, as a military history buff, must buy & read this book, a few comments. First of all, the maps pretty much suck. This is problematical because it is very hard to follow the quite detailed narrative of group movements without the help of good maps. Maybe the recent 2nd edition has better maps. Second, when Showalter really gets into the movement of troops, down to quite a lot on the regimental level, it does not always make scintillating reading. Third, where Showalter really shines is in sections like Chapter 10, Opportunities & Illusions. This is sort of written in an essay form and is quite fascinating. Showalter's knowledge spans way beyond WWI, and he reaches out throughout history to clarify and magnify points. Fourth, and finally, this will not be a very satisfying book unless you are quite knowledgeable about history, because the author so frequently alludes to matters from Cannae, to the Thirty Years War, to Kharkov. Unless you are educated or have read to a Master's level of education, you will miss a lot.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Knows his stuff, but not exactly a story teller
Comment: In terms of pure information, this book is a must have for any student of WWI who isn't reading from primary sources. The level of detail shows a command of the subject matter that is really amazing.
That said, maybe a few of the details could be tossed to the side, or added in the back as appendixes, and we could get a bit more flow to the story. While I enjoyed the information, reading the book was such a slog that I sometimes forgot information that was back 20-30 pages and I had to re-read several sections. It's not something that normally happens to me, but I got lost in the details here.
I recommend the read, just don't plan on ripping through it in a weekend.
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