Collision Of Empires
The fighting that raged from East Prussia, through occupied Poland, to Galicia and the Carpathian Mountains was every bit as bloody as comparable battles in Flanders and France, but with the exception of Tannenberg remains relatively unknown. As was the case in the west, generals struggled to reconcile their pre-war views on the conduct of operations, and how to execute their intricate strategic plans, with the reality of war. Lessons were learned only slowly while the core of trained personnel particularly officers and NCOs in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia suffered catastrophic losses throughout 1914. Inadequacies in supply and support arrangements, together with a failure to plan for a long war, left all three powers struggling to keep up with events, and in addition the Central Powers had to come to terms with the dreaded reality of a war on two fronts. A war that was initially seen by all three powers as a welcome opportunity to address both internal and external issues would ultimately bring about the downfall of them all.About the AuthorPrit Buttar studied medicine at Oxford and London before joining the British Army as a doctor. After leaving the army, he has worked as a GP, first near Bristol and now in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. He is extensively involved in medical politics, both at local and national level, and serves on the GPs Committee of the British Medical Association. He appears from time to time on local and national TV and radio, speaking on a variety of medical issues. He contributes regularly to the medical press. An expert on the Eastern Front during World War II, he previously wrote the critically acclaimed Battleground Prussia: The Assault on Germanys Eastern Front 1944-45 (Osprey 2010).Date Published 20th June 2014