Russian army ww1

Mrstrategy

Banned
how could the Russian army be better in WW1?they did very bad fighting the Germans they did better fighting the Turks?
  • better training?
  • leadership?
  • weapons?
  • supplies?
  • politics?
  • have a BEF(British expeditionary force) or FEF(french expeditionary force) orJEF(Japanese expeditionary force )in the fight against Germany in eastern front or in the capital
 

Coulsdon Eagle

Monthly Donor
Having just finished Norman Stone's Eastern Front it will not surprise you that there is not one factor that would solve most problems.

If pressed then I would plump for leadership - but at all levels, and not just within the Army. The economy, which didn't contract but suffered from overheating, is key - especially the relationship between grain supplies and the railways. If you get the home front right, a lot of the problems will ease. Leadership in the Army was a problem at ALL levels, starting with a lack of trained junior officers, the failed relationship between them and the other ranks, the appalling faction fighting at the highest levels between Stavka and Sukhomlinov's party (which led to poor commanders being protected, popping up in new posts after being "sacked", sometimes even at a higher level!), and a huge number of mediocrities at best at Corps / Army / Front level.
 

Redbeard

Banned
Having just finished Norman Stone's Eastern Front it will not surprise you that there is not one factor that would solve most problems.

If pressed then I would plump for leadership - but at all levels, and not just within the Army. The economy, which didn't contract but suffered from overheating, is key - especially the relationship between grain supplies and the railways. If you get the home front right, a lot of the problems will ease. Leadership in the Army was a problem at ALL levels, starting with a lack of trained junior officers, the failed relationship between them and the other ranks, the appalling faction fighting at the highest levels between Stavka and Sukhomlinov's party (which led to poor commanders being protected, popping up in new posts after being "sacked", sometimes even at a higher level!), and a huge number of mediocrities at best at Corps / Army / Front level.

Spot on!

If leadership had been better the Russians very well could have been in Berlin by 1914 and that obviously would have done a lot to hide all the weaknesses of Russia 1914 incl. the ones in her army. Trying to consider how that would have changed the world just makes me dizzy...
 
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