Forgotten Wars
Central and Eastern Europe, 1912–1916

Examines the origins, outbreak and early campaigns of the First World War in Central and Eastern Europe.

Włodzimierz Borodziej (Author), Maciej Górny (Author)

9781108940382, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 8 December 2022

390 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.562 kg

'The authors have written a searing and revelatory book. There are other books in this genre, but this is notable for its broad geographical coverage, and the way it links the Balkan Wars to the First World War.' Geoffrey Wawro, Journal of Modern History

Włodzimierz Borodziej and Maciej Górny set out to salvage the historical memory of the experience of war in the lands between Riga and Skopje, beginning with the two Balkan conflicts of 1912–1913 and ending with the death of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1916. The First World War in the East and South-East of Europe was fought by people from a multitude of different nationalities, most of them dressed in the uniforms of three imperial armies: Russian, German, and Austro-Hungarian. In this first volume of Forgotten Wars, the authors chart the origins and outbreak of the First World War, the early battles, and the war's impact on ordinary soldiers and civilians through to the end of the Romanian campaign in December 1916, by which point the Central Powers controlled all of the Balkans except for the Peloponnese. Combining military and social history, the authors make extensive use of eyewitness accounts to describe the traumatic experience that established a region stretching between the Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Seas.

List of Figures
Introduction
Part I. The Fronts: 1. The Road to War
2. Prelude: The Balkans 1912–1913
3. Before the Leaves Fall from the Trees
4. Breakthrough
Part II. The Rear: 5. The Hinterland
6. The Hunger for Information
7. Loyalties
Part III. Occupation: 8. The First Moments
9. New Orders
10. Mission Civilisatrice
Afterword
Select Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Military history [HBW], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], European history [HBJD]