When planning the First World War, German militarists relied on blitzkrieg - lightning war. The rapid defeat of the continental opponents - France and Russia - presupposed and meant winning the war. The direct expression of the idea of blitzkrieg in the military sense itself was the so-called “Schlieffen Plan”, drawn up in the German Great General Staff and adopted by the political leadership of Germany. In just six weeks, the Germans, in alliance with the Austro-Hungarians, intended to defeat and withdraw France from the war, and then collapse with all our might on Russia and, therefore, win the conflict, preventing its long-term growth. A new book by M.V. Oskina talks about how the Russian army in 1914 thwarted German plans and prevented the defeat of France.