The Brusilov Offensive

[Jim_Grundy]

Not a review but a request for views. I'd like to know more about the Brusilov Offensive but know very little about it or whether there are good books out there already on the subject. Does anyone know whether this is a good read or of other works on the same subject?

Cheers,

Jim

[Robert Dunlop]

It is an excellent read, Jim. One of the few books that is devoted to the man and what he achieved in 1916. The details of the campaign are pretty high-level, typically at the level of corps and armies but with some mention of divisions involved in key actions. There are tantalizing mentions of the use of armoured cars and the deep penetrations by cavalry, without the details that would have rounded it off for me. But very well written and the best account I have come across in English so far.

Robert

[Jim_Grundy]

Thanks, Robert. Sounds like it's worth investing in.

Cheers,

Jim

[Robert Dunlop]

FWIIW, here is a review that I wrote in another context:

"(ISBN 9780253351302)

This excellent book fills a major gap in the literature. Dowling had worked in the US Embassy in Russia. He also worked in Vienna. Using Russian, Austrian and German sources, Dowling has provided a superbly readable account of Brusilov's series of offensives on the Eastern Front in 1916. The descriptions of Brusilov's tactics, borrowed in part from those developed by the French in 1915 ('Joffre Attacks), are interesting. It is clear that the offensive did not use specialist stormtroopers. Rather, Brusilov used the opportunity to train and arm 'grenadier' formations, which were the equivalent of 'bombers' in the British

Army. The ability of cavalry to exploit breakthroughs is also of interest. There are sporadic mentions of armoured cars, but no real details.

Well worth reading and highly recommended."

Robert

[Jim_Grundy]

Thanks, Robert.

Looks like there's a consensus of opinion forming!

Cheers,

Jim

[Robert Dunlop]

If two posts by me constitute a consensus... so be it. )

Robert

[Paul Hederer]

I recently bought his book as part of a "package deal" when ordering other books at Amazon. Based on the positive comments here, I thought I'd give it a go. I've always been fascinated by the Eastern Front, and especially Brusilov, so I was looking forward to the book. I don't have much time to read these days, but I made time for this.

Unfortunately, I can't give the book better than a lukewarm review.

The book contains an unusual number of elementary mistakes that quickly had me wondering about the author's attention to detail from the introduction on. I most certainly didn't want to nitpick, but it was impossible to ignore all the distracting errors. Some examples (there are many more):

Right out of the gate, the author gives the place of Brusilov's death as Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia--he later contradicts himself, giving Moscow as his place of death.

There are numerous mistakes in his order of battle and organisation data on the various armies--for example, listing the artillery for a German division as 9 batteries of 12x 87.5mm guns and three howitzers. He also incorrectly gives the infantry strength of a German division at the beginning of the war as 9 battalions, instead of 12.

Unfortunately, his information on the Russian and Austrian forces contains basic mistakes as well.

There are mistakes concerning casualty figures.

Names of principal figures are misspelled.

Some German terms are translated incorrectly--for example, he gives the German term for surprise fire ("Feuerueberfall") as "Trommelfeuer." There are more mistakes of this nature.

Apart from details, the errors continue into more important areas of the book--for example, in describing the tactics to be used in Brusilov's offensive, he gives the planned length of the Russian bombardment as one to two minutes (!), then describes the bombardment as three hours in length.

The large number of mistakes concerning details, some important, some not, undermined my trust in the author to guide me through topics with which I am unfamiliar.

He brings up some very interesting issues concerning the ultimate results of Brusilov's offensive--results that were conflicting, but he doesn't investigate them further--this would have been very valuable.

I don't want to be unfair to Dowling. The book sheds new light on a topic rarely covered in English, and for that it has value--But, it also was a work that had me constantly reaching for other sources to check facts that just didn't sound right.

Paul

[Robert Dunlop]

Paul, thanks for picking up on these issues.

Robert

[tvn]

Photos from reenact event related to Brusilov offensive.

Ukraine, Lutsk (Luck) 4-6 July 2010

http://ellar-sindaro....com/53356.html

http://ellar-sindaro.livejournal.com/53673.html

[truthergw]

Since Dowling's book is second string, anything that you would recommend ? Perhaps a book to read in conjunction with it?