The Eastern Front

In The Eastern Front, acclaimed military historian Nick Lloyd transports readers to the often-overlooked theatres of the First World War. This second volume of his landmark trilogy delves into the brutal and complex battles that took place in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, offering a fresh perspective on the war that reshaped nations and altered the course of history. As vast armies clashed across immense front lines, the Fighting in the East was marked by extreme conditions, immense human suffering, and the eventual collapse of three mighty empires: the Russian, the Austro-Hungarian, and the Ottoman.

With remarkable detail, Lloyd reconstructs the war's progression from a confrontation between Austria-Hungary and Serbia to a full-blown conflagration involving Germany, Russia, and eventually Italy. Through the use of intimate eyewitness reports, previously untranslated diary entries, and personal memoirs, the narrative paints a vivid picture of both the strategic manoeuvres and the personal experiences of those who fought and suffered in this lesser-known theatre of war. Each battle, from the sweeping movements across the Carpathian Mountains to the gruelling siege of Przemyśl, is brought to life with an urgency and clarity that has been missing from English-language accounts until now.

Lloyd's comprehensive work sheds light on a facet of the First World War that has often been overshadowed by the Western Front. Yet from 1914 to 1917, the Eastern Front was equally devastating, with approximately 16 million soldiers and 2 million civilians killed, wounded, or maimed. The scale of the conflict is captured through meticulous research and evocative storytelling, illustrating the sheer scale and impact of the battles that stretched across 100 km fronts.

The Eastern Front not only provides a detailed military history but also places the conflict within the larger context of global politics and social change. The unravelling of empires and the consequent political upheaval set the stage for many of the twentieth century’s subsequent conflicts, including the current war in Ukraine. This makes Lloyd's work not only a piece of historical scholarship but a vital lens through which to understand the present-day geopolitical landscape.

Praise for The Eastern Front has been resounding:

'The First World War from a refreshingly unfamiliar angle . . . masterly' — Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times

'Compelling . . . The Eastern Front is essential reading' — Margaret Macmillan, Financial Times

'A masterwork . . . This is the history of the Eastern Front I’ve waited all my life to read' — Simon Sebag Montefiore

Nick Lloyd, also the author of Passchendaele and The Western Front, has crafted a definitive history that is as gripping as it is enlightening. Suitable for both history buffs and casual readers, The Eastern Front is an essential addition to any collection of First World War literature.