The Final War of a Great Empire "The official history of the Habsburg empire in the First World War ought to enjoy a better reputation than it does." - Sir Hew Strachan In August 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in response to the assassination of their heir to the throne, declared war against Serbia. Their army was multi-national and multi-lingual. Backed by Germany and opposed by an alliance between Russia, France, and Great Britain, the conflict would plunge the entire world into five years of brutal warfare. Started just after the Great War ended and completed only one year before the start of the Second World War, this is a comprehensive history of the final conflict of an empire that only half a century prior had been among the most powerful in Europe. With Russia never completing an official history of the Great War, and Italy, Romania, and Serbia's official histories unavailable in English, this is an invaluable and essential resource for any student of the Eastern and Italian Fronts of the First World War. This volume contains full colour facsimiles of all 27 leaflets and 56 sketches accompanying Volume 1, covering the outbreak of war to the Battle of Limanowa-Lapanow.