Customer Reviews

Steel Wind: Colonel Georg Bruchmuller and the Birth of Modern Artillery (The Military Profession)

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Having been an instructor at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School and searching for information on artillery tactics and the origin of current doctrine, this book was enlightening and contains information that is very relevant to today's combat arms officer. I highly recommend the book as professional reading material. The book contains many lessons learned that will no doubt have to be relearned once again in time of war. Lt Col Zabecki has done the combat arms officer a favor by taking the time to compile the information for this book then to lay it all out in a comprehensible and enjoyable format. If you are interested in warfighting, you will enjoy this book. All my lieutenants will read this book, answer questions formatted by me, and write a review. Btry R, 5th Bn, 10th Marines.

This book discusses Colonel Bruchmuller of the Imperial German Army and his role in developing modern artillery practices and tactics. By the time you finish this book you'll see how artillery went from guesswork to a deadly science. Highly recommended, whether you are a military buff or a professional soldier.

The author of this excellent work is the former commander of the 2-123 FA. In this book he covers the birth of modern field artillery and its father -- COL Georg Bruchmuller. The author covers not only the history of the evolution of artillery from a direct fire weapon through the universal adoption of MET+VE; but also, the fire support tactics and techniques for employing the weapon. COL Bruchmuller started out the war as a medically retired LTC. He ended up as the de-facto FSCOORD for the German Army. Under his direction the German artillery developed MET+VE, the FDC, and the short, violent, multi-phased preparation. Bruchmuller orchestrated four to six hour preps that accomplished what one and two week preps by the allies couldn't -- breakthroughs. Bruchmuller's tactics and techniques are still in use by most of the world's armies today. The Russian fire support doctrine reads very closely to Bruchmuller's. This book is a quick read and is a must read for all artillerymen

If you are interested in the ratio of gas shells to high explosive shells fired by the German artillery during the Michael offensive of 1918 (and why such ratio was chosen); If you are interested in the number of "tubes" per kilometer mustered by the Germans in the Noyon offensive; if you are interested in how the Germans began bombardments without artillery registration; If you are interested in the development of modern artillery tactics... this book is for you. Mr. Zabecki presents, in clear and concise language, a detailed description of German offensive artillery tactics used to great tactical success during the last two years of WW1. This book is accessible (and interesting) to anyone interested in military history. It is not only for the specialist.

Mr. Zabecki also discusses the man who was instrumental in developing and executing these tactics --- Col. Georg Bruchmuller. Steel Wind is not, however, a biography of Col. Bruchmuller and we learn very little about him outside of his development of artillery tactics. This lack of biographical detail detracts a bit from the book, as I was interested in learning why this medically discharged Lt. Colonel was able to see the possibilities of artillery that his peers and superiors could not.

Overall, I highly recommend this book.

While artillery had a dramatic and profound impact (both literally and figuratively) in the conduct of the Great War, few books have covered this area in-specifics. To analyze the German and, more specifically, the artillery deployments and actions as championed by Bruchmüller, Mr. Zabecki has done a masterful job. But where and when the genesis of this new means of employing artillery came from is sadly lacking.

On the first point, "Steel Wind" contains a plethora of information about the first employment of the new artillery means and methods on the Eastern Front (sadly, a front which has gotten little coverage in the English-language histories of the Great War) and the evolution of these tactics through the Kaiserschlacht battles (which is a somewhat redundant phrase). The deposition, organization, and battles involving German artillery forces is methodical, detailed, and extremely thorough. The cornucopia of organizations and acronyms is great but a little overwhelming (not that this is a bad thing -- maybe my little mind just couldn't keep up). Mr. Zabecki's analysis of Gen. Bruckmüller's influence on Western and Soviet/Russian forces artillery depositions is succinct but comprehensive. Given the subject of the book, Mr. Zabecki's does show a preference towards the continuance of Bruckmüller's tactics in the Soviet/Russian armies, but this is understandable. On these points, Mr. Zabecki's book is an invaluable resource for German artillery tactics in the Great War. On the other hand, it utterly fails to document where or how Bruckmüller came to develop and champion such a revolution in artillery tactics.

As with most books which don't really begin until halfway through the overarching events they detail, Mr. Zabecki gives a good overview of artillery tactics (focusing in on the British forces in particular) until 1916 in the first two chapters. From that point on, the focus is on and the book details Bruchmüllers innovative artillery deployments and tactics. But, given that the first action described in detail is the Riga offensives of 1917, the genesis of Bruchmüller's artillery methods appears to have "sprung, full-grown, from the forehead of Zeus." While, Mr. Zabecki does describe Bruckmüller's having been medically retired in 1913, his recall to duty in 1914, and his relatively lowly rank (a point made repeatedly and which starts to sound like Mr. Zabecki's beating a dead horse) for the responsibilities handled by Bruckmüller, the background to _how_ Bruckmüller came to his artillery tactics is given short shrift. Bruckmüller's entire series of actions and employments from the time of his recall in 1914 to his attachment to the Gen. Hell's staff in April 1916 is covered in one paragraph. So, Bruckmüller's career (except being mentioned as being 'lackluster') up to and during the first few years of the war -- the very period when Bruckmüller's artillery tactics were developed -- is spoken of only in passing and only mentioned to establish a continuity of the events. For all of the excellent, detailed, and methodical descriptions of German artillery tactics and deployments post-1917, this yawning, gaping, and black hole-like lack of description of _where_ the Bruckmüller's tactics came from continually undermines the subsequent portions of the book.

For an excellent analysis and description of Bruckmüller's tactics and influence on the world's armies post-1918, Mr. Zabecki's book is an outstanding work. But the lack of coverage of where and how Bruckmüller developed, tested, and came to his revolution in artillery tactics causes the rest of the descriptions and analysis to lack any historical underpinnings -- an attempt to build a house on a ramshackle and nebulous foundation. On the whole, a 2.5 stars (but lacking the ability to select 2.5 stars, rounded up to a 3) for this book.

'Steel Wind' is a highly engaging and informative read which uses many original sources. It reviews artillery techniques and tactics with skill, and in an accessible manner. The one significant problem is that it carries with it the somewhat uncritical assumption that Bruchmuller was the main innovator, and that he was always right. Some almost identical techniques were developed and used by the Allies, and Bruchmuller was criticised on a number of points by his own colleagues. 'Steel Wind' glosses over some of these points of controversy - nevertheless this book is a must for anyone interested in artillery during WW1.