With the aid of over 300 black and white and colour photographs, complemented by full-colour maps, "The Eastern Front" provides a detailed guide to the background and conduct of the conflict on the Eastern Front, up to and including the Russian Civil War and the Russo-Polish War. Describes the intitial German and Russian successes on the Eastern Front, the "Great Retreat" of 1915, the renewed optimism of 1916, the two revolutions of 1917, and the Bolshevik struggle against the "White" Russian forces and the newly created Polish state. The complex and often confusing story of World War Iś Eastern Front comprises an immensely important chapter in world history, the consequences of which are still being felt today. The outbreak of war in August 1914 saw almost immediate German victories at Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes, followed the next year by the capture of Warsaw and vast stretches of Russian territory. While the Russians struck back in 1916, the strain of the war led directly to the Revolution of 1917, the collapse of Tsarist power and the ascension of the Bolsheviks. With many stunning photographs and over 20 full-color maps, this chronicle follows the violent story of an epic struggle that lasted more than two years longer than the rest of the war.