Printable View
Just finished re-reading a book, "to the Last man" The Kaiserschlact of 1918 where the germans tried to wipe out the British army and drive to the channel.
Re-enacting might be fun today, but the PURE HELL of that offensive is something I cannot imagine.:eek:
John, I take it that you recommend this book?
"See How They Ran" was a good read. I went googling to confirm the title and found this page: lots of other choices.
h ttp://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t22260.html
I found it a 'can't put down' book, though I must admit the 1918 campaign fascinates me, both the Operation Michael Spring offensive & following through the containment period & on to the final 100 days, when German morale collapsed.
ATB
Anyone interested in the Western Front should read Dennis Winter's "Haig's Command; A Reassessment".
Winter has dug out a lot of very important information, though he seems to be a German apologist, probably on the basis of his ancestry, as he persists in claiming that the German army was "undefeated" in 1918. A rather ludicrous assertion.
Even if his book was written from an anti-Anglo-American animus, this should not cause us to reject his other conclusions out of hand, where the facts he presents are irrefutable.
That Haig was an ambitious schemer who took care to get rid of those like Smith-Dorrien and Allenby who were his betters, seems pretty clear. His "wastage" of 35,000 men a week bled Britain white in way that she has never recovered from.
Yes, I would recommend it. The interviews with survivors are from BOTH SIDES.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve H. in N.Y.