Although southern Poland and western Ukraine are not often thought of in terms of decisive battles in World War I; the impulses that precipitated the battle for Galicia in August 1914—and the unprecedented carnage that resulted—effectively doomed the Austro-Hungarian Empire just six weeks into the war.In Fall of the Double Eagle; John R. Schindler explains how Austria-Hungary; despite military weakness and the foreseeable ill consequences; consciously chose war in that fateful summer of 1914. Through close examination of the Austro-Hungarian military; especially its elite general staff; Schindler shows how even a war that Vienna would likely lose appeared preferable to the “foul peace†the senior generals loathed. After Serbia outgunned the polyglot empire in a humiliating defeat; and the offensive into Russian Poland ended in the massacre of more than four hundred thousand Austro-Hungarians in just three weeks; the empire never recovered. While Austria-Hungary’s ultimate defeat and dissolution were postponed until the autumn of 1918; the late summer of 1914 on the plains and hills of Galicia sealed its fate.
#353972 in Books 2011-11-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.75 x 6.10 x 5.50l; 1.04 #File Name: 1611452317384 pages
Review
70 of 73 people found the following review helpful. Good luck trying to read it!!By Charles R. DelobeThis book was extremely difficult to read. The author is obviously not a writer. I make it a practice to complete every book I start. Doing so in this case; however; was truly a challenge. Although the book is about Ms. Atkins; it seems to be as much about the scores of people she became involved with in her espionage work. What makes the book so difficult to read is the author's writing style; which is basically just a hodgepodge of miscellaneous anecdotes about events and people which often seem totally unconnected to the paragraph before or the paragraph that follows. You often wonder why he even mentions them at all; and you often feel lost. You read some paragraphs and have to wonder what he's saying; even after you've read it a second time. You get the impression that the writer; who obviously had tens of thousands of facts at his disposal about WWII British espionage; is trying to impress the reader with the breadth of his knowledge of the subject. In doing so; however; he seems to have put on paper whatever facts popped into his head at a given moment. The relevance of those facts often escapes the reader; who would need the writer's knowledge of the subject to follow what he is trying to say. Perhaps it is an intellectual deficiency on my part; but I suspect that the vast majority of people reading this book will find it unreadable. Ms. Atkins was a remarkable woman. Fortunately; there is another book about Ms. Atkins that I'm currently reading that is far more readable and enjoyable; and provides a much better portrait of this very complicated woman. The title is "A Life in Secrets - Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of World War II."0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Review: Spymistress: The True Story of the GreatestBy Juan M. RodriguezI enjoyed this book immensely. I was shocked and amazed at what transpired in the UK's parliament during ww2 and the many Nazi sympathizers among the upper echelons of English society. I especially liked the way the footnotes were a click away. I've felt guilty at times because footnotes in hard copies are not so readily accessible; therefore not referred to.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Must ReadBy cheryl_pooler@yahoo.comThe two British Intelligence Agencies competing with almost two different agendas is an eye opener. Vera is the true hero of this story and all the women and men she trained. Her dedication to her people; race; county never wavered even as her country abandoned her.
