The Fortress: The Siege of Przemysl and the Making of Europe's Bloodlands

A prizewinning historian tells the dramatic story of the siege that changed the course of the First World War


In September 1914, just a month into World War I, the Russian army laid siege to the fortress city of Przemysl, the Hapsburg Empire's most important bulwark against invasion. For six months, against storm and starvation, the ragtag garrison bitterly resisted, denying the Russians a quick victory. Only in March 1915 did the city fall, bringing occupation, persecution, and brutal ethni...