BOOK REVIEW: THE SPLINTERED EMPIRES.

The Eastern Front 1917-1921

 This is the last of the four book set I bought recently on the Eastern Front during WW1. 

Just like the other books this is a deeply researched and very well written account of the final years of the war in the East , the Russian revolution and the "Pygmy Wars" that broke out after the Armistice as newly independent nations sought their place in the sun.

Following the fall of the Tsar in early 1917, the Provisional Government of Russia tried very hard to continue the war against the Central Powers but as the communist revolution swept through Russia, the army and navy basically collapsed into anarchy. Soldiers Committees sprang up to challenge the authority of officers and discipline in the military fell apart with thousands of soldiers deserting and going home. The Germans offered peace and to backup that offer launched an offensive. With virtually no opposition they advanced throughout the Baltic nations and into Ukraine. Finally, the Bolsheviks, now fully in power and more interested in the revolution than maintaining the fight against Germany, agreed punitive peace terms bringing the war in the East to a conclusion.

With the troops released, but not all as many had to be retained in the East in case the peace faltered, the Germans launched their attack in the West, the result of which is well known. With the subsequent collapse of the Central Powers and the end of the War, the various new nations in the Baltic together with a newly independent Poland all sought to strengthen their positions against Russia and each other in a whole raft of so called "Pygmy Wars". These wars are fascinating in both their variety and scale. The new nations could only field tiny armies and even German troops took part. These various wars offer a huge opportunity for wargaming and this book is worth reading just to understand those scenarios.

Overall a fascinating and very readable book which tells how eastern Europe was reshaped in the aftermath of the First World War.  Together with the previous volumes this is a highly recommended set of books on a fascinating and complex campaign.