"In August 1914, when Germany marched into northern France, Tsar Nicholas II found himself in a dilemma. According to a treaty with the French, he was obliged to attack Germany in order to prevent his ally from becoming completely overrun. But Russia was not ready for battle. Its troops were unfit and undertrained, their equipment inferior, and the supply routes to the front worse than rudimentary. Yet the tsar stood by his treaty, confident that he would be able to overwhelm the Germans through sheer weight of numbers." "So began the Tannenberg campaign. Over the course of the next six weeks the Russians found themselves repeatedly outmanoeuvred and outwitted by their German counterparts. Incompetent leadership, faulty reconnaissance, lack of secrecy and poor communications made defeat seem almost inevitable. By mid-September, Germany had virtually annihilated one Russian army, and turned a second on its heels." "In this interpretation of events, John Sweetman re-examines one of the most important battles of the twentieth century. He explains exactly how the Germans managed to defeat a force twice the size of their own, and analyses what effect the outcome of the battle had on the course of the First World War."-- From the jacket.

Prologue : historical essay -- Edge of an abyss, spring and summer 1914 -- Manoeuvering for combat, July-August 1914 -- Advance to contact, 17-23 August 1914 -- Tannenberg, 26-31 August 1914 -- Masurin Lakes, 8-13 September 1914 -- Epilogue : counting the cost.