"it is important to recall that, almost until the end of the ear, it had been fed on a diet of victory:" - -Sir John Keegan.
IT! IT of course being the German Army during the Great War [WW1]. Victories on the Eastern Front to include but not limited to:
* 1914 - - Tannenberg.
* 1915 - - Gorlice-Tarnow.
* 1916 - - Romania.
* 1917 - - Caporetto.
The German army, content with stalemate on the Western Front, but NOT content with stalemate on the Eastern Front.
To an extent as NOT seen against the allies [French and British], a war of movement occurring, German troops taking advantage of "lesser" opponents on the battlefield.
Superior German units [1st Corps of the 8th Army was considered to be the "best" in the German Army, circa 1914!!], commanded by superior commanders, German troops employed aggressively achieving major victories of a surprising and overwhelming - - sometimes even grotesquely overwhelming nature when compared to the stalemated situation vis-a-vis the French and British!!
"vis-à-vis - - adverb 1.face to face: - – adjective 2.face-to-face: 4.in relation to; compared with: 5.facing; opposite:"
This all occurring on the Eastern Front of the Great War!!
Am I flippant and discourteous when speaking of the Russians, Romanians, Italians as "lesser" opponents?
Too, the armistice with Russian [1917], did allow the German high command to release 1 million combat troops for duty on the Western Front. Those German "Spring Offensives" nearly succeeding in destroying also the western allies - - German victory in WW1 almost a consequence!!
coolbert.
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