Description:
Steel Wind is a piece of historical detective work that explains how Colonel Georg Bruchmuller, an obscure German artillery officer recalled from retirement, played a pivotal role in the revolution of offensive tactics that took place in 1917-18. Ironically, the methods developed by Bruchmuller ultimately were rejected by the German Army of World War II, but they were taken up and applied with a vengeance by the emerging Red Army. The Soviets further developed Bruchmuller's principles and incorporated them into their doctrine, where they remain to this day. Through Soviet doctrine, they have become fundamental to the practice of many other armies. Bruchmuller's influence in shaping the former Soviet Army has also been mirrored in the shape of those armies designed to oppose it.
Brief description:
Major General David T. Zabecki, PhD, U.S. Army (Retired) is an honorary senior research fellow in war studies at Britain's University of Birmingham.
Review Quotes: "The author gives a good general overview of artillery tactics of the great powers during the first three years of the Great War, and fits Bruchmuller's contribution nicely into the broad context of the development of artillery tactics."-Choice