Explore the Eastern Front battle that resulted in one of the greatest defeats of World War I, in which an entire Russian army was annihilated by German arms.
Tannenberg is a major battle that deserves a fully illustrated treatment all of its own, and for the first time this book brings the epic Eastern Front clash to life in visual detail. No other book on this topic walks you through the action like this one, using detailed maps to provide unit locations and movements and help explain key command decisions, while period photographs and colour battlescenes put soldiering back at the core of the events by revealing the military material culture of the opposing sides.
Michael McNally guides you through the initial border engagements and the battles of Gumbinnen and Stallupönen, before moving on to explore the massive, often confused running battle of Tannenberg in easy to follow and concise detail. This work helps you understand how the Germans managed to maul Samsonov’s Second Army and all but destroyed the Russians as a fighting force. The Russian war plan of using overwhelming numbers to gain a quick victory before conducting further operations would soon lie in pieces on the ground. It also assesses the contribution modern technology – such as railways, aerial reconnaissance, radio and telegraphy – made to the emphatic German victory.
By:
Michael McNally
Illustrated by:
Seán Ó’Brógáin
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 248mm,
Width: 184mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781472850225
ISBN 10: 147285022X
Series: Campaign
Pages: 96
Publication Date: 28 February 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
ORIGINS OF THE CAMPAIGN Alliance and misalliances Girding for war Stavka plans CHRONOLOGY OPPOSING COMMANDERS Russian German OPPOSING FORCES Russian German Orders of battle OPPOSING PLANS Russian German THE CAMPAIGN Der Russeneinfall –the Russian invasion Invasion Stallupönen: 17 August Gumbinnen: 20 August A change of strategy Man of the moment Samsonov’s progress Der Alte Hase – the old hand Lahna and Orlau: 23–24 August See the elephant: Usdau and Bischofsburg, 25–26 August The sound of the guns: Usdau, 27 August Turning the flank: 27 August Interlude at Osterode A day of decision: 28 August The beginnings of collapse: 28–29 August Days of decision: 29–30 August AFTERMATH GAZETEER OF PLACE NAMES SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX
Michael McNally was born in London in 1964. An expert on 17th- and 18th-century warfare, his previous titles for Osprey include works on the Cromwellian campaigns in Ireland 1649-52, the battles of the Boyne 1690 and Fontenoy 1745. A highly versatile author, he also has a passionate interest in more modern subjects, as demonstrated by his publications on the naval battles of Coronel and the Falklands in 1914, and a Fortress series study of Colditz. Michael is married with three children and lives in Germany, where he works for a major reinsurance company.
Reviews for Tannenberg 1914: Destruction of the Russian Second Army
gives a good feel for the strategic choices and command-quality on both sides -- Chris Jarvis * Miniature Wargames *
