Tanneberg

by Showalter, Dennis E.

• ISBN13: 9781574887815
• ISBN10: 1574887815
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-05-01
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Dennis E. Showalter has taught history at Colorado College since 1969 and is a former president of the Society for Military History.

Table of Contents

List of Maps	vii
Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction	1	(4)
Order of Battle	5	(6)
PART I THE FASHION TO MAKE WAR	11	(92)
1 The Circus Rider of Europe	13	(23)
2 The Center Fails to Hold	36	(33)
3 War Finds a Way	69	(34)
PART II NOW THRIVE THE ARMOURERS	103	(108)
4 The Virgin Soldiers	105	(34)
5 Taking the Measure of Danger	139	(33)
6 First Contact: Gumbinnen	172	(39)
PART III THE BLOOD-SWOLLEN GOD	211	(110)
7 The Province of Uncertainty	213	(36)
8 The Province of Chance	249	(37)
9 The Province of Victory	286	(35)
PART IV THE BITTER FRUITS OF VICTORY	321	(26)
10 Opportunities and Illusions	323	(24)
Epilogue	347	(8)
Notes	355	(52)
Bibliographical Essay	407	(4)
Index	411	(6)
Index to Military Formations	417	(3)
About the Author	420