Berliner Zinnfiguren/Books & Media/Books/1914-1932 (WW I)/Russia products

Baberowski, Jörg: Die letzte Fahrt des Zaren 28,00 €

Thu, 14 May 2026 06:55:07 +0200

Sometimes world history is condensed into a few days and individuals. This was the case in February 1917, when the Tsar boarded the train and the revolution broke out in Petrograd. Jörg Baberowski is a great storyteller who brings this world-historical moment to life in a unique way: the last week of the Tsarist Empire as vividly as if you were sitting in a cinema. The book captures the dynamics of the moment magnificently and shows how a seemingly firmly established order can collapse in a matter of days when the people involved no longer know what they are doing. Baberowski draws captivating portraits and describes the events as if you were right in the middle of the action. However, it also becomes clear that everything could have turned out differently if the tsar, his ministers and generals had understood what was happening around them. This touching book is also a reflection on the foundations of power and the rule of chance.

Beevor, Anthony: Russland. Revolution und Bürgerkrieg 1917-1921 20,00 €

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:20:28 +0200

The history of Russia from 1917 to 1921 - from the collapse of the Tsarist Empire to the October Revolution to the civil war between "Reds" and "Whites" - seems oppressively topical, as the most brutal violence erupted in the struggle for supremacy and spheres of influence on the soil of Ukraine. Drawing on a wealth of recent archival finds, Antony Beevor paints a panorama of this world-historical epoch that is as dense as it is broad, with a barely comprehensible number of combatants who confronted each other on terrain from Warsaw to Vladivostok, from the Arctic Circle to the borders of the Ottoman Empire.

In his haunting overall view of these years, Beevor once again proves himself a captivating storyteller, ordering the complex and monstrously bloody events with great epic power and bringing them to life from a multitude of perspectives.

Cucut, Carlo: Armored trains of the Baltic Republics. From Independence to Soviet Occupation 1918-1940. Photos & Images from World Wartime Archives 21,95 €

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:30:10 +0200

The Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian independence movements seized the opportunity of the outbreak of the Russian Revolution to claim their national identity, declaring independence in 1918, which was followed by years of bloody wars with the newborn Soviet state. The common datum to all three conflicts, following the declaration of independence of the three Baltic Republics, was the shortage of weapons, light and heavy, armored and armored vehicles, cars and trucks, which affected the newborn armies. A significant contribution, operational, logistical and strategic, came from the use of the railways, with railway lines, and rolling stock, which were highly developed in all three Republics. It was thanks to this availability, in addition to the ingenuity and ability of the workers employed, that in a short time numerous armored trains were set up suitable for all types of gauge present, allowing these improvised vehicles to be decisive in numerous clashes with the enemy. At the end of the conflict, in all three Baltic Republics, the battles fought by armored trains were rightly celebrated, thanks both to the results obtained and to the courage and self-denial shown by the soldiers on duty.

Thanks to this availability and the ingenuity and skills of the workers employed, numerous armoured trains could be assembled in a short time for all available gauges, so that these improvised vehicles could be decisive in numerous battles with the enemy. At the end of the conflict, the battles fought by armoured trains were rightly celebrated in all three Baltic republics, both for the results achieved and for the courage and self-denial of the soldiers involved.

Drabik, Douglas, A./Israel, Douglas H./Shumate, Johnny (Illustr.): Soviet State Security Services 1917-46 15,95 €

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:20:08 +0200

The Bolsheviks' seizure of power in Russia in late 1917 was swiftly followed by the establishment of the Cheka, the secret police of the new Soviet state. The Cheka was central to the Bolsheviks' elimination of political dissent during the Russian Civil War (1917-22). In 1922 the Soviet state-security organs became the GPU and then the OGPU (1923-34) before coalescing into the NKVD. After it played a central role in the Great Terror (1936-38), which saw the widespread repression of many different groups and the imprisonment and execution of prominent figures, the NKVD had its heyday during the Great Patriotic War (1941-45). During the conflict the organization deployed full military divisions, frontier troop units and internal security forces and ran the hated GULAG forced-labour camp system. By 1946, the power of the NKVD was so great that even Stalin saw it as a threat and it was broken up into multiple organizations, notably the MVD and the MGB - the forerunners of the KGB. In this book, the history and organization of these feared organizations are assessed, accompanied by photographs and colour artwork depicting their evolving appearance.

By 1946, the power of the NKVD was so great that even Stalin saw it as a threat and split it into several organisations, notably the MVD and the MGB - the forerunners of the KGB. This book assesses the history and organisation of these feared organisations, accompanied by photographs and colour plates depicting the evolving appearance of their members.

Glazkov, Vladimir: Waffen des Ersten Weltkriegs. Die Blankwaffen der russischen Armee 52,47 €

Tue, 19 May 2026 06:45:03 +0200

This second revised and supplemented edition of this title continues the series of books dedicated to the armament of the Russian army during the First World War. This book describes the close combat weapons of the Russian army during the First World War: sabres, swords, broadswords, pikes, daggers and bayonets, with the functional weapons being represented as well as models for ceremonial occasions. The description of experimental bladed weapons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries occupies a special place in the book, without which the reader's understanding of the state of development of Russian weaponry in this field would be incomplete.

For each weapon example, a brief history of its development and introduction into service is given, and the most important changes that the respective weapon system underwent during its use are emphasised. Much attention is given to the use of bladed weapons in the army and their advantages and disadvantages based on soldiers' experiences. For the first time, weapons such as curved daggers, cavalry pikes and ceremonial sabres of guard and Cossack units are described in detail.
This book was written mainly from the point of view of those who actually had to handle these weapons in action - the soldiers and officers of the Russian army at the beginning of the 20th century. Thanks to this approach, the book will be of great interest to historians, costume designers, military re-enactors and anyone interested in the history of the Russian army in the period 1914-1917.
The book is extensively illustrated with images from both museum collections and various private collections. Much of the information contained in the book is being published for the first time.

Leidinger, Hannes: Der Russische Bürgerkrieg 1917-1922 18,00 €

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:25:08 +0200

The reign of Nicholas II ended with the February Revolution of 1917, and the Tsarist Empire fell. In the ensuing power struggles, terrifying violence unfolded, affecting all regions and social groups of the empire. In the sacrificial period of the "transitional turmoil" from which the communist Soviet Union was to emerge, different parties, ideologies, national forces, social classes and foreign interventionist powers confronted each other.

In addition to the political and military developments, the book also traces the everyday lives of the people in the catastrophe. What is known as the "Russian Civil War" requires a fundamentally different characterisation. The series "Wars of the Modern Age", published by the Centre for Military History and Social Sciences of the German Armed Forces, presents the most important military conflicts of the 19th and 20th centuries according to the latest scientific findings and explains their historical causes and political consequences.

Maslov, Mikhail: King of Fighters. Nikolay Polikarpov and His Aircraft Designs. Volume 1 39,95 €

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:32 +0200

In the century-long history of the conquest of the sky there have been a number of outstanding personalities. Among them is the name of designer Nikolay Polikarpov (1892-1944), which is inseparably associated with the best achievements of Russian and Soviet aviation. His practical activity in the aircraft industry began upon graduation from the Petersburg Polytechnic Institute in 1916. Aged 25, Polikarpov was sent to the Russo-Baltic Wagon Factory (RBWF), where the four-engined Ilya Muromets bombers designed by Igor Sikorsky were being built at that time. Later, beginning from August 1918, he worked in Moscow at the Dux aircraft factory. For several years, he was engaged in improving products manufactured by the factory, and upgrading production aircraft to accommodate the available engines, equipment and materials. From 1922, Polikarpov focused his attention on fighter aircraft, the creation of which was a priority for him during the following years. The first of them was the IL-400 monoplane, designated I-1 by the Air Force. The monoplane was followed by biplanes including the 2I-N1 (1925), the I-3 (1927), the D-2 (1928), and the I-6 (1929). It was specialization in fighter aircraft which, from then on, became his mission in life. At the peak of his career as a designer, Polikarpov was informally styled "the King of Fighters", which was quite in line with the level of his merits and achievements.In the 1930s, the TsKB-3 (I-15) and TsKB-12 (I-16) fighters were designed under Polikarpov's supervision. These aircraft were the designer's undoubtable success. They were also the main combat fighters in service with the Red Army Air Force. For the creation of the I-15 and the I-16 fighters, Polikarpov was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1935, and the Order of the Red Star a year later.In the 1930s, Nikolay Polikarpov devised a lot of aircraft of various designs, the majority of which can be described as 'advanced' and "innovative". In 1940, Polikarpov was granted the degree of the Doctor of Engineering and the title of the Chief Designer of the highest category. In the same year, he was awarded the title of the Hero of Socialist Labour. A year later, he became a recipient of the Stalin Prize.The gifted Soviet engineer was destined to live only 52 years. On 30 July 1944, Nikolay Polikarpov died of a rapidly evolving oncological disease. To venerate his memory, the U-2 trainer has ever since been designated the Po-2 (Polikarpov-2).The book which is presented to the reader describes all Polikarpov's original projects, both those put into reality and unimplemented ones. It took the author many years to prepare for the creation of the book. The author studied materials on the respective topics in all Russian archives, and made use of remembrances of Polikarpov's contemporaries and publications by other researchers.

This voluminous volume, illustrated with around 1000 b/w photos, offers a complete overview of the aircraft designs conceived by Nikolay Polikarpov. It includes not only those projects that were actually realised, but also those that never left the drawing board stage.

Kalyuzhny, Robert: Rote Armee 1918-1934. Struktur und Organisation. Handbuch 49,95 €

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:30:10 +0200

The military-historical heritage of the armed forces is an important tool in the formation and development of the theory of military construction, its implementation and further strengthening in modern conditions. Despite the fact that many generations of historians have done a lot of research in this area using various methodological approaches, a number of problems have not been studied so far. One of these problems is the development of the organisational and personnel structure of the Soviet armed forces. This applies in particular to the period 1918-1945, when the foundation and development of the Red Army - the armed forces of the new socialist state - took place. The present work is the first attempt to conduct a comprehensive study of the organisational and personnel structure (central apparatus, military authorities, as well as all troop divisions, services and their structural subdivisions) of the Red Army from 1918 to 1945, based on archival documents, including those previously inaccessible to researchers.

The armed forces of Russia have a multifaceted military history, in which different views on the structure and organisation of the country were formed at different times. Undoubtedly, the peak of the development of the domestic armed forces in terms of their combat capability and combat readiness fell on the Soviet period. A comprehensive study of the history of the development of the Russian armed forces is of great importance both for understanding and evaluating the development of the army and for the history of the state as a whole.

Pomoshnikov, Oleg/Radziemski, Jan: The Russian Battleship Marat 31,95 €

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:32 +0200

This booklet presents the Soviet battleship "Marat", which was launched in 1911 under the name "Petropavlovsk", in great detail. The first 10 pages contain information on the development history, armament, construction and technology of the "Marat". This is followed by the extensive picture section, which depicts practically every part of the ship on approx. 70 colour pages with the help of three-dimensional graphics. No detail is forgotten and the reader gets an excellent impression of the appearance of this ship. A real treasure trove for model builders and ship enthusiasts.

Buttar, Prit: The Splintered Empires. The Eastern Front 1917-1921 16,95 €

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:35:04 +0200

At the beginning of 1917, the three empires fighting on the Eastern Front were reaching their breaking points, but none was closer than Russia. After the February Revolution, Russia's ability to wage war faltered and her last desperate gamble, the Kerensky Offensive, saw the final collapse of her army. This helped trigger the Bolshevik Revolution and a crippling peace, but the Central Powers had no opportunity to exploit their gains and, a year later, both the German and Austro-Hungarian empires surrendered and disintegrated. Concluding his acclaimed series on the Eastern Front in World War I, Prit Buttar comprehensively details not only these climactic events, but also the 'successor wars' that raged long after the armistice of 1918. New states rose from the ashes of empire and war raged as German forces sought to keep them under the aegis of the Fatherland. These unresolved tensions between the former Great Powers and the new states would ultimately lead to the rise of Hitler and a new, terrible world war only two decades later.

Ewers, Philipp: Feliks Dzierzynski. Eiserner Tschekist und gefeierter Held 14,99 €

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:57:29 +0200

Feliks Edmundovich Dzierzynski (1877-1926), nicknamed "Iron Felix", was only 49 years old. Of these, he spent nine years at the head of the Cheka, the intelligence service of the young Soviet Union, of which he was the founder at Lenin's behest. These nine years secured his place in the history books, be it - from a Western point of view - as the "bloodhound of the revolution", or - from a Russian point of view - as a hero who played a decisive role in ensuring the survival of the young Soviet Union. And this at a time when most observers were certain that this state had no future.

Who was the man Feliks E. Dzierzynski, what shaped him, how did he come to assume this decisive position in the young Soviet state? What enabled him to fulfil the office entrusted to him most successfully? Philipp Ewers explores these and other questions in this biography, which sheds light on one of the most important figures in the leadership cadre of the young Soviet Union. A multifaceted and unique portrait drawn from many sources.

Blundell, Nigel/Crow, Maurice: Images of War. Joseph Stalin. Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives 13,95 €

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 06:35:08 +0200

Joseph Stalin was a monster. He sacrificed his friends and allies in pursuit of power, murdered thousands with sadistic brutality to maintain it and callously obliterated millions more of his own people over a quarter century of his leadership. Yet almost as frightening as the horrendous crimes he committed is the idolatry that allowed this ogre to flourish. Just like fellow monster of the twentieth century Adolf Hitler, Stalin saw himself as a master of destiny, a role that to him excused the vilest atrocities. And, bafflingly, just like his Nazi counterpart, he was allowed to dominate his nation and overrun others with the enthusiastic support of the majority of the citizens whom he had subjugated. Stalin was lauded as a national savior right up until his death, which was marked by mourning crowds so vast that untold numbers perished in the crush. This unquestioning adulation is not only a mystery to today's historians but a cause for alarm. For, under the Soviet Union's present regime, there are signs that the Stalin cult is being resurrected as the Russian bear again sharpens its claws. This concise book presents a cautionary study, in words and historic photographs, of the peasant's son from Georgia who as a choirboy seemed destined for the priesthood but who grew up to be a street-fighting revolutionary using torture and terror as tools to attain power. It asks how the coarse, brutish drunkard that he became could nevertheless have been lauded abroad as a cultural giant and spellbind so many millions at home as an object of worship. It provides clues as to how Stalin the military incompetent came to be seen as a statesman of equal standing to war leaders like Churchill and Hitler (whose lives are covered by companion volumes in the Pen & Sword 'Images of War' series). And it points to the danger of rewriting history to allow the resurrection of Stalin as a 'father' of his people in the twenty-first century rather than a bloodstained idol with feet of clay. Also Available by Nigel Blundell, from the Images of War series, Images of War Winston Churchill and Images of War Adolf Hitler.

The volume shows Stalin's development and rise, his self-dramatisation and veneration as well as his importance as the military and political leader of his country in the Second World War and beyond.

Lüdeke, Alexander: Fact File. Tanks of the USSR 1917-1945 9,95 €

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 06:35:08 +0200

The Soviet Union had already begun building an armored industry as early as the 1920s. Although initially limited to reconstructing and developing Western European armored vehicles, an independent line of powerful and easy-to-produce models had been established by 1939. Even after the Second World War, the USSR expanded its armament force considerably, even planning to cross western Europe in a massive armored wave in the event of any conflict with NATO. In this book, Alexander Ludeke looks at all the important Soviet tanks that were built from 1917 up until the end of the Second World War

Glazkov, Vladimir: Nagradnoye i prizovoye kholodnoye oruzhiye Rossiyskoy armii 27,97 €

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:30:10 +0200

The honour blank weapons of the Russian army during the First World War. In the everyday life of the Russian army, these edged weapons were used in a similar way to conventional edged weapons. They were therefore part of the outward appearance of Russian officers, even of the lower ranks.

The book is divided into four chapters, each of which deals with one type of edged weapon.

The book contains a series of biographies of officers who were awarded edged weapons. This provides a picture of the officer corps at the beginning of the 20th century.

In addition, the book contains a number of documents that have hardly ever been published before. The many colour photos show weapons from private collections and museums, most of which are being published for the first time.

Buttar, P.: The Splintered Empires. The Eastern Front 1917-1921 29,95 €

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:55:36 +0200

Buttar, P.: Russia's last Gasp. The Eastern Front 1916-17 16,95 €

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:34:00 +0200

In Russia's Last Gasp, Prit Buttar looks at one of the bloodiest campaigns launched in the history of warfare--the Brusilov Offensive, sometimes known as the June Advance. With British, French and German forces locked in a stalemate in the trenches of the Western Front, an attack was launched by the massed Russian armies to the east. The assault was intended to knock Austria-Hungary out of the war and divert German troops from the Western Front, easing the pressure on Russia's allies. Russia's dismal military performance in the preceding years was forgotten, as the Brusilov Offensive was quickly characterized by innovative tactics. Most impressive of all was the Russian use of shock troops, a strategy that German armies would later use to great effect in the final years of the war. Drawing on first-hand accounts and detailed archival research Buttar gives a dramatic retelling of final years of the war on the Eastern Front, with the Russian Army claiming military success at a cost so high that it was never able to recover.

Stone, D. R.: The Russian Army in the Great War. The Eastern Front, 1914-1937 64,95 €

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:20:06 +0200

A full century later, our picture of World War I remains one of wholesale, pointless slaughter in the trenches of the Western front. Expanding our focus to the Eastern front, as David R. Stone does in this masterly work, fundamentally alters and clarifies that picture. A thorough, and thoroughly readable, history of the Russian front during the First World War, this book corrects widespread misperceptions of the Russian Army and the war in the east even as it deepens and extends our understanding of the broader conflict. Of the four empires at war by the end of 1914 the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, German, and Russian none survived. But specific political, social, and economic weaknesses shaped the way Russia collapsed and returned as a radically new Soviet regime. It is this context that Stone's work provides, that gives readers a more judicious view of Russia's war on the home front as well as on the front lines. One key and fateful difference in the Russian experience emerges here: its failure to systematically and comprehensively reorganize its society for war, while the three westernmost powers embarked on programs of total mobilization. Context is also vital to understanding the particular rhythm of the war in the east. Drawing on recent and newly available scholarship in Russian and in English, Stone offers a nuanced account of Russia's military operations, concentrating on the uninterrupted sequence of campaigns in the first 18 months of war. The eastern empires' race to collapse underlines the critical importance of contingency in the complete story of World War I. Precisely when and how Russia lost the war was influenced by the structural strengths and weaknesses of its social and economic system, but also by the outcome of events on the battlefield. By bringing these events into focus, and putting them into context, this book corrects and enriches our picture of World War I, and of the true strengths and weaknesses, triumphs and successes of the Russian Army in the Great War

Buttar, P.: Germany Ascendant. The Eastern Front 1915 19,95 €

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:34:00 +0200

While millions of men died in France and Belgium in 1915, battles equally as large and bloody were being fought on the Eastern Front, as Imperial Germany, Hapsburg Austria-Hungary, and Tsarist Russia clashed on a scale greater than anything seen on the Western Front. These massive offensives were shocking in their scale and intensity, and hugely important. Yet they are largely ignored in the West. Now, with the work of internationally renowned Eastern Front expert Prit Buttar, this story of the unknown side of World War I is finally being told. In Germany Ascendant, Buttar examines the critical year of 1915, when Germany launched the great Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive, lead by Field Marshal Mackensen. The move, which started as a minor German operation to relieve their Austro-Hungarian allies, ultimately resulted in the utter collapse of Russian forces from all of Poland and Gallacia, and came tantalizingly close to knocking Russia out of the war altogether. Next the Germans led the invasion of Serbia, leading Britain and France to intervene with ground troops, an operation that ultimately failed. Yet despite this unbroken string of successes, Germany was still hamstrung by a two-front war. Her every attempt to knock Russia out of the war--military and diplomatic--has failed. The stage was then set for the next phase of the war when Russia launched its own counter-offensive that nearly brought the Central Powers to their knees.

Emmanuel, V.: The Russian Imperial Cavalry in 1914 39,95 €

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 06:00:28 +0200

Based on the drawings of Vladimir Emmanuel, this work presents a uniform survey of all cavalry regiments of the Imperial Russian Army in 1914, with additional information on the history, organisation and ranks of the Russian cavalry. The main part of the book consists of more than 100 colour uniform illustrations depicting all Russian cavalry regiments. The book concludes with a wartime breakdown of the Russian cavalry for 1914.

Buttar, P.: Germany Ascendant. The Eastern Front 1915 24,95 €

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:55:31 +0200