John R. Schindler

A very good analysis of the shortcomings of the Austro-Hungarian army in WW I, and the fateful consequences this had for the Empire. Although no army in 1914 was really ready to face modern warfare, the Austro-Hungarian army was particularily badly prepared. For one thing, in an age where the other great powers spent vast sums on armaments, it was chronically underfunded. For another, its function in the Empire was more to repress the internal dissidents and keep modernity at bay, rather show more than fight an external enemy. This meant that officers were more out of touch with the lives of their men and with the realities of industrial warfare than anywhere else. Finally, the generals (and especially Conrad) had a knack of drawing up clever plans without considering that they had the forces necessary to implement them.

Schindler shows how the disastrous defeats of 1914 came about. The consequences were dire: the Austro-Hungarian war effort came to all intents and purposes under German control. Perhaps more importantly the army, through its inefficiency and callousness, lost its prestige and function as a support of the monarchy.

There is only one important drawback to the book: the complete absence of maps. show less

A comprehensive survey of one of the lesser known charnal houses of the Great War. If you're wondering how the Italian army could fight a dozen battles on essentially the same field of action for so little result, this work will provide you with an answer. As for the complaints in some quarters that Schindler is too much of an enthusiast for the Austro-Hungarian empire and too critical of Italiam arms, well, there is much to be critical about.

As for my criticisms of the book, I wouldn't have show more minded a bit more supporting reference apparatus and maps, but that probably would have resulted in a truly unwieldy work. This is partly made up for by a good bibliographic essay.

There are also a few times when I felt that Schindler was just edging into the tone of "patriotic gore," and was wondering whether this had anything to do with his advertised association with the American Enterprise Institute; though it's probably simply my problem with that organization and its stand on assorted issues. This is particularly since Schindler is now apparently part of the staff of the Naval War College.

Finally, I would have liked to have seen a little tactical analysis of just how the Italians could almost routinely get routed by Austrian counter-attacks. It's implied that the problems stemmed from bad doctrine and suspect unit coherence & motivation, but a formal examination of that point would have been very valuable. show less

To a large degree I'm going to second the existing review of this book on all points. What I'd further add is that the author, having been a one-time serving military intelligence officer, does bring some additional insight in terms of speaking of that element of the story. Schindler also maintains a nice balance between not glossing over the shortcomings of the Austro-Hungarian military and the state and society it served while at the same time not vilifying it the way some of the more show more recent historians of the subject have gone out of their way to do. This is thus a fine one-stop introduction for the general reader of history who'd like to know something of the Duel Monarchy's role in the Great War. show less

Any CT/1615 should read this book! The author says, at the outset, that anyone involved in the NSGR Community will recognize themselves - and he was right! Short and not giving away any 'secrets', it nevertheless provides a moving and interesting chronology of the various permutations that Naval Security Group Reserve has endured through its storied history. It will make you proud you were/are a part of this fascinating history!