Collision of Empires

The fighting that raged in the East during the First World War was every bit as fierce as that on the Western Front, but the titanic clashes between three towering empires--Russia, Austro-Hungary, and Germany--remains a comparatively unknown facet of the Great War. With the one hundredth anniversary of the beginning of the war in 2014, Collision of Empires is a timely exposé of the bitter fighting on this forgotten front--a clash that would ultimately change the face of Europe forever. Drawing on firsthand accounts and detailed archival research, this is a dramatic retelling of the tumultuous events of the first year of the war, with the battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes in East Prussia followed by the Russo-Austrian clashes in Galicia and the failed German advance toward Warsaw.

Prit Buttar studied medicine at Oxford and London before joining the British Army as a doctor. After leaving the army, he worked as a GP. He is extensively involved in medical politics, both at local and national level. An established expert on the Eastern Front in 20th-century military history, his previous books include the critically acclaimed two-volume series on the siege of Leningrad: To Besiege A City (Osprey 2023) and Hero City (Osprey 2024). He now lives France.

List of Illustrations List of Maps Author's Note Dramatis Personae Introduction 1. The German War Machine 2. The Russian Steamroller 3. Austria-Hungary: the Other Sick Man of Europe 4. Over the Brink 5. The First Battles: Stallupönen and Gumbinnen 6. Crisis of Command 7. Tannenberg 8. The Illusion of Victory: Galicia, August 1914 9. The Battle for the Masurian Lakes 10. The Reality of Defeat: Galicia, September 1914 11. A Bloody Sideshow: The Serbian Front 12. Mud and Blood: Autumn in Poland 13. Lódz 14. The First Christmas 15. Disappointments and Illusions Appendix: Place Names Notes Bibliography Index