Breakthrough: The Gorlice-Tarnow Campaign, 1915

by Richard L. DiNardo

An expert on German military history offers the first extensive, English-language study of one of the critical campaigns of World War I.

The Eastern Front in World War I has been neglected for too long. The Gorlice-Tarnow Campaign, 1915 is the first English-language study of the first of the great breakthrough battles of the war―one of the Great War's critical campaigns.

The book covers the initial attack of the German Eleventh Army and the Austro-Hungarian Third and Fourth Armies in Galicia as they outflanked the Russian position in the Carpathian Mountains that threatened Hungary. Subsequent chapters cover the retaking of Galicia, including the recapture of Przemysl and Lemberg. The examination concludes with the German and Austro-Hungarian forces under the command of August von Mackensen turning north from Lemberg and the subsequent overrunning of Russian Poland by the Central Powers.

Genres: World War I, Military History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 20, 2010

About the author

Richard L. DiNardo is professor of national security affairs, US Marine Corps Command and Staff College.

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A traditional, crisp (150 p.) operational narrative from the Central perspective. In Galicia and on the Carpathian fringes, the German army learnt on its own accord the success of modest bite-and-hold operations over ambitious envelopments in the Tannenberg fashion or big breakthroughs as pursued in the West, shortly after the British did so at Neuve Chapelle (in retrospect). The strain on Austro-German relationships formes an integral part of the story, but their demise doesn't really shine through, in part because they were as good as it gets under the tactful Mackensen and his able chiefs of staff. The political backstabbing between Falkenhayn, Conrad & the Ludendorff-Hindenburg tandem was more of a revelation in relation to the development of the fight.

The Russians aren't 100% faceless: commanders and major units are identified, and the effect of the campaign on Stavka decisions is shown systematically. It is also a primer to the evolution of the Russian war effort: a questionable opening in 1914, a great setback in 1915 and a slight rematch in 1916 under Brusilov before the political turmoil of 1917 kills the military action.

The maps are a weak point : few in number & inconsistent in scale. Luckily, topgraphical information is included in the text when important. Good setting of the offensive within the overall situation in 1915.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Golice-Tarnow Campaign was part of a series of German and Austro-Hungarian offensives against the Russian army on the Eastern Front in the summer of 1915, and Professor DiNardo does a workmanlike job in telling the story of this campaign. As he points out, not much has been written in English about that front, and G-T was a major battle; it basically caused the Russians to abandon their Polish territories and made it certain that they could not contribute offensively to the allied cause for at least a year or more. This slim (140 pages of text) volume covers the background and goes into technical and tactical details, emphasizing the role of commanders of the various formations. The story is told almost entirely from the German/Austrian point of view. I found the narrative to be a bit plodding, but I could put up with that except that the maps are almost completely useless. Crudely drawn, without terrain features, important towns or even (most of the time) the positions of Russian troops, any book that emphasizes tactics and operations MUST have decent maps to illustrate the progress of the battle, especially if it is being fought in a place that would be obscure to an English-speaking audience, such as Galicia. And there ought to have been a picture of von Seekt amongst the photographs.

[James Levy · Rating 4 out of 5]

To reinforce another reviewer, this is an excellent old-fashioned monograph which doesn't overpromise but unquestionably delivers. We have here an important battle that had, before this book, basically nothing very substantial written about it in English. DiNardo saw the gap and filled it professionally. A valuable addition to the WWI literature.

[Skandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine, concise military history. Could really use more maps.