The First World War

Chapter 5, “Victory and Defeat in the East,” turns to the initial battles on the Russian front, where the sheer vastness of the spaces created a much different strategic environment than that in the West. Russia committed the bulk of its forces toward East Prussia, directly threatening Berlin, while also keeping the Austrians engaged near the Carpathian Mountains. The Russian force had enormous manpower reserves, but it had in many respects failed to prepare for the challenges of modern warfare: It lacked heavy artillery, its officers often rose through the ranks through prestige rather than merit, and poorly educated soldiers would struggle to adapt when plans went awry. The Russian forces then undercut their advantage in numerical superiority by failing to keep its armies close together as they marched through East Prussia. Vastly superior German intelligence also discovered the Russian position well before the Russians could get an accurate read on the Germans. After an initially successful attack on Russian forces, however, the German Eighth Army was repulsed by Russian artillery and entrenched infantry, suffering enough casualties that its commander contemplated a withdrawal from East Prussia. Aghast at the prospect of losing the home territory of many senior officers, von Moltke dispatched Ludendorff, fresh off of his successes in Belgium, and Paul von Hindenburg.