Reviews
"Michael Barrett's Prelude to Blitzkrieg presents detailed descriptions of the various battles during the Romanian campaigns in the First World War. It is a well-written, thoroughly researched contribution to WWI historiography. His portrayal of the interactions of all the participants is particularly interesting. A highly recommended read for military historians in general, WWI aficionados and those interested in the Eastern and Balkan fronts." --Graydon A. Tunstall, author of Blood on the Snow: The Carpathian Winter War of 1915--Graydon A. Tunstall, author of Blood on the Snow: The Carpathian Winter War of 1915, "Michael Barrett's Prelude to Blitzkrieg is an important addition to First World War studies. Well researched and well written, Prelude to Blitzkrieg not only elucidates a thus far obscure First World War campaign, it also indicates the direction of tactics to come in the Second World War. Barrett effectively belies the traditional assumption that the First World War was slow and static and demonstrates that at least in the 1916 Romanian campaign it was a struggle of maneuver and speed. Utilizing sources from both sides of the conflict, Barrett skillfully covers the three main aspects of the Romanian campaign of 1916. These include the Romanian invasion of Transylvania, the Bulgarian-German-Ottoman invasion of Dobrogea, and the Austro-German invasion of Romania." -Richard C. Hall, author of Balkan Breakthrough: The Battle of Dobro Pole 1918, "Barnett's book is a valuable addition to the field. He writes well and with authority. He has been able to illuminate a little-known corner of the First World War and provide a state-of-the-art operational history combining detailed narrative with prescient analysis. It should be seen as a model for further research and one can only hope that it encourages other scholars to examine similar campaigns, particularly on the other lesser-known battlefields of the war in Russia, Poland, Turkey, and Armenia." --American Historical Review, "Michael Barrett's Prelude to Blitzkrieg presents detailed descriptions of the various battles during the Romanian campaigns in the First World War. It is a well-written, thoroughly researched contribution to WWI historiography. His portrayal of the interactions of all the participants is particularly interesting. A highly recommended read for military historians in general, WWI aficionados and those interested in the Eastern and Balkan fronts." -Graydon A. Tunstall, University of South Florida, "Historians have given the Romanian front of World War I little attention. Michael Barrett works to correct this gap, comprehensively describing Romania's 1916 invasion of Hungary and the reaction of the Central Powers." --German Studies Review, "Michael Barrett's Prelude to Blitzkrieg presents detailed descriptions of the various battles during the Romanian campaigns in the First World War. It is a well-written, thoroughly researched contribution to WWI historiography. His portrayal of the interactions of all the participants is particularly interesting. A highly recommended read for military historians in general, WWI aficionados and those interested in the Eastern and Balkan fronts." -Graydon A. Tunstall, author of Blood on the Snow: The Carpathian Winter War of 1915, "[Barrett's] treatment of the Central Powers is extensive, and his research in this regard can only be described as exhaustive. This work will stand as the definitive study of the Central Powers part of the campaign for some time to come."-- Journal of Military History "Barnett's book is a valuable addition to the field. He writes well and with authority. He has been able to illuminate a little-known corner of the First World War and provide a state-of-the-art operational history combining detailed narrative with prescient analysis. It should be seen as a model for further research and one can only hope that it encourages other scholars to examine similar campaigns, particularly on the other lesser-known battlefields of the war in Russia, Poland, Turkey, and Armenia."-- American Historical Review "Historians have given the Romanian front of World War I little attention. Michael Barrett works to correct this gap, comprehensively describing Romania's 1916 invasion of Hungary and the reaction of the Central Powers."-- German Studies Review "This is a well-researched book that very carefully explores the factors shaping command decisions and the consequences of those decisions on the battlefield."-- Austrian History Yearbook "Michael Barrett's Prelude to Blitzkrieg is an important addition to First World War studies. Well researched and well written, Prelude to Blitzkrieg not only elucidates a thus far obscure First World War campaign, it also indicates the direction of tactics to come in the Second World War. Barrett effectively belies the traditional assumption that the First World War was slow and static and demonstrates that at least in the 1916 Romanian campaign it was a struggle of maneuver and speed. Utilizing sources from both sides of the conflict, Barrett skillfully covers the three main aspects of the Romanian campaign of 1916. These include the Romanian invasion of Transylvania, the Bulgarian-German-Ottoman invasion of Dobrogea, and the Austro-German invasion of Romania."--Richard C. Hall, author of Balkan Breakthrough: The Battle of Dobro Pole 1918 "Michael Barrett's Prelude to Blitzkrieg presents detailed descriptions of the various battles during the Romanian campaigns in the First World War. It is a well-written, thoroughly researched contribution to WWI historiography. His portrayal of the interactions of all the participants is particularly interesting. A highly recommended read for military historians in general, WWI aficionados and those interested in the Eastern and Balkan fronts."--Graydon A. Tunstall, author of Blood on the Snow: The Carpathian Winter War of 1915 "Barrett's well-written and clearly argued book is traditional military history at its best. Aided by superb maps and consistent geographic terms, a reader will enjoy Barrett's analysis of the campaign and gain a fuller understanding of the swirling events on the Eastern Front."-- Robert A. Doughty, author of Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operations in the Great War, "Michael Barrett's Prelude to Blitzkrieg is an important addition to First World War studies. Well researched and well written, Prelude to Blitzkrieg not only elucidates a thus far obscure First World War campaign, it also indicates the direction of tactics to come in the Second World War. Barrett effectively belies the traditional assumption that the First World War was slow and static and demonstrates that at least in the 1916 Romanian campaign it was a struggle of maneuver and speed. Utilizing sources from both sides of the conflict, Barrett skillfully covers the three main aspects of the Romanian campaign of 1916. These include the Romanian invasion of Transylvania, the Bulgarian-German-Ottoman invasion of Dobrogea, and the Austro-German invasion of Romania." -Richard C. Hall, Georgia Southwestern State University, "[Barrett's] treatment of the Central Powers is extensive, and his researchin this regard can only be described as exhaustive. This work will stand as the definitive study ofthe Central Powers part of the campaign for some time to come." --Journal of MilitaryHistory, "This is a well-researched book that very carefully explores the factors shaping command decisions and the consequences of those decisions on the battlefield." --Austrian History Yearbook
