Russia's Last Gasp

The Eastern Front 1916–17

Author: Prit Buttar

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Continuing his best-selling series on the Eastern Front, acclaimed historian Prit Buttar explores Russia's explosive final years of the First World War and offers an enthralling account of the costly Brusilov Offensive, a campaign that saw success on the battlefield but plunged Russia into revolution back home.

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Despite the increasingly futile, bloody struggles for territory that had characterised the Eastern Front the previous year, the German and Austro-Hungarian commands held high hopes for 1916.

After the success of the 1915 Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive, which had driven Russia out of Galicia and Poland, Germany was free to renew its efforts in the west. Austria-Hungary, meanwhile, turned its attention to defeating Italy.

In an attempt to relieve pressure on their British and French allies at the Somme and Verdun, Russia launched one of the bloodiest campaigns in the history of warfare. General Brusilov’s June advance was quickly characterised by innovative tactics, including the use of shock troops – a tactic that German armies would later adapt to great effect. The momentum continued with Romania’s entry into the war and the declaration by the Central Powers of a Kingdom of Poland – two events which would radically transform the borders of post-war Europe.

Drawing on first-hand accounts and archival research, internationally renowned historian Prit Buttar presents a dramatic account of an explosive year on the Eastern Front, one that gave Russia its greatest success on the battlefield but plunged the nation into revolution at home.

About the Author

Prit Buttar studied medicine at Oxford and London before joining the British Army as a doctor. After leaving the army, he has worked as a GP, first near Bristol and now in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. He is extensively involved in medical politics, both at local and national level, and served on the GPs' Committee of the British Medical Association. He appears from time to time on local and national TV and radio, speaking on a variety of medical issues. He contributes regularly to the medical press.

An established expert on the Eastern Front in 20th century military history, his previous books include the critically acclaimed Battleground Prussia: The Assault on Germany's Eastern Front 1944–45 (Osprey 2010) and Between Giants: The Battle for the Baltics in World War II (Osprey 2013). Russia's Last Gasp: The Eastern Front 1916–17 is the third book in a four-volume series, the definitive study of the First World War on the Eastern Front.