McNamara, an impressive storyteller armed with a treasure of documents only recently available, ably narrates the remarkable feats of these men who fought every inch of the way. Until now.A captivating tale, brilliantly told." -History of War "Extraordinary. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it, though, is that it's a fable that's remained largely untold. A fantastic addition to the shelves of World War I histories." -Kirkus, Starred Review, "An epic story unknown even to many World War I history buffs.With admirable energy has assembled the story by piecing together archival records and the memoirs of the gallant men who served in the rejuvenated Czech Legion during the fateful spring and summer of 1918.A fascinating narrative." -Wall Street Journal "This incredible story lives up to its billing. In the end, this small band of POWs and deserters, whose strength was seen by Leon Trotsky as the chief threat to Soviet rule, helped destroy the Austro-Hungarian Empire and found Czecho-Slovakia.British prime minister David Lloyd George called their adventure one of the greatest epics of history," and former US president Teddy Roosevelt declared that their accomplishments were unparalleled, so far as I know, in ancient or modern warfare." The marauding Czecho-Slovak Legion seized control of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and with it Siberia. As Imperial Russia and Habsburg-ruled Austria-Hungary began to succumb, a small group of Czech and Slovak combat veterans stranded in Siberia saw an opportunity to realize their long-held dream of independence.While their plan was audacious and complex, and involved moving their 50,000-strong army by land and sea across three-quarters of the earth's expanse, their commitment to fight for the Allies on the Western Front riveted the attention of Allied London, Paris, and Washington.On their journey across Siberia, a brawl erupted at a remote Trans-Siberian rail station that sparked a wholesale rebellion. ChurchillIn 1917, two empires that had dominated much of Europe and Asia teetered on the edge of the abyss, exhausted by the ruinous cost in blood and treasure of the First World War. The pages of history recall scarcely any parallel episode at once so romantic in character and so extensive in scale." ,Winston S.
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