Customer Reviews:
WARNING.......2007-02-07
The cd-roms are NOT compatible with Mac. They are for Windows users only.
An unusual and valuable addition to the WWI bookshelf.......2006-07-10
The distinguishing feature of this extraordinary volume is its collection of panoramic photos, nearly all of the Western Front. Long forgotten in the archives, these superb photographic works are used to provide a new perspective for the amateur and professional military historian.
The panoramas provide anchors for the history. Beyond the panoramas, the book is superbly illustrated with hundreds of other photos showing not only the battlefield, but the often surprisingly well-designed trench and underground bunker systems. Contemporary photos of preserved and newly explored systems are provided as well.
The text is just as rich as the photos.
Overall, a wonderful photographic and narrative history of World War I's Western Front which should be on the bookshel of everyone interested in the period. Some of the discussions, such as the ones on mining of enemy trench systems and design of the systems are not only unusual, but extraordinarily informative.
Jerry
A must have for the Great War Scholar.......2006-02-19
The text and panoramic format of this very fine volume are a must see and have for all those interested not only about the Great War but also military history in general. One will seek such volumes about other military topics only to discover how rare they are. Here we have a fine book complete with CD rom at a reasonable price. For the student of the never ending study of the Western Front this is an indispensible volume.
Book Description
In the autumn of 1914 the original British Expeditionary Force faced a heavily reinforced German drive. Field Marshal Sir John French, the British Commander-in-Chief, had sent his men north in an attempt to take the fight into Flanders, so they could fight across open ground. History tells us that this was not to be the case. David Lomas chronicles the first of the trench-warfare battles, where lines that would remain almost static for the rest of the war were established. Although the Germans failed to reach the channel ports, the death knell had rung for the BEF, which was virtually wiped out in this brave defence.
Customer Reviews:
great maps.......2007-10-09
i noted that this book focuses mainly on the heroism of the British units at first ypres.In the artwork ,the Germans sort of have the look of a "foreign horde"(hunnish)look like they're not too bright.When you see the German casualty lists it seems like just so many ants,anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 according to the author,British casualties at 60,000.The British soldiers portrayed in the illustrations are notably in heroic poses bayonetting,machine gunning, or taking the Huns prisoner.At first Ypers the German stategic Vonschliffen plan officially ended and the western front settled pretty much into trench warfare.Britains professional army was decimated and the German high command was forced to accept the prospect of an unwinnable war.The opponents were just too evenly matched from the descriptions in this book.You will also note from the pictures that although the Germans are wearing wearing stahlhelms,the British are still wearing the softcaps,more useful for policing a soccer game but of no use in war,with flying bullets and shrapnel.This just reinforces how unprepared most countries were for this war,and this chaos and lack of organization are discussed in the book.It seemed from a study of the maps in the book, like the Germans were trying to find the British flanks,but too often found themselves enfiladed instead.There are also pictures and a discussion of some of Britains foreign troops mainly the Indian Sepoys which were vital and are too often overlooked.
I was disappointed.......2005-04-21
Perhaps my expectations have been raised too high by the many excellent Osprey campaign books I have read recently, but this book fell short for me. It is told almost entirely from the British point of view and can be easily summarized: the gallant Tommies hold off the German hordes despite terrible casualties. There is very little discussion of the German point of view and even less about the French, who played a key role in the battle. I give it three stars because the story is told competently, but that is all. Being a relatively early book in the series (they are now up to about 150), it does not meet the standard of the later books.
The book also suffers from having to devote a section to wargaming the battle (something dropped in the later books). The author wastes six pages on this -- wastes, as his ideas on wargaming are useless. He would have done much better to keep this section to a minimum and use the pages elsewhere -- either in more descriptions of small unit actions or to flesh out the sections on leaders and the opposing forces, which are terse to the point of being virtually useless. He does include a very detailed order of battle -- for the British. The orders of battle for the French and Germans are skimpy by comparison. In particular, the German heavy artillery, which he repeatedly mentions as having a big impact on actions, is left out completely.
The occasional detailed description of small unit actions are the high point of the book; the rest of the battle is told at such a high level (and in such a dry style) that I was not engaged. I would have happily given up some of the high level narrative for more small unit 'vignettes'. I was particularly intrigued by the author's mention of some of the more experienced German units using 'infiltration'. Since infiltration tactics are not normally considered to have been used until 1917, I would have liked to learn just what these units were doing. But to do that would have detracted from the relentlessly British focus of the book and so, apparently, would not do.
I did gain some interesting insights into this period. Although the standard image of World War 1 is the generals living in chateaus far from the front line, which they never visited, that was not true at this point. In fact, one divisional commander and most of two division's staffs were killed by a single German shell. Haig, in particular, comes across as a hero -- visiting the front lines, scraping together reserves to meet each German breakthrough and generally performing just as a good commander should. Although the author does not make this point, it is obvious that the Germans giving up the attack just when the British line was on the verge of collapse made a strong impression on him. Haig's determination to keep up attacks at (for instance) the Somme was probably based on his intention not to make this mistake; to 'out last' the Germans in the attack, as he had on the defense at First Ypres.
First Ypres 1914 - Publisher's Requirements.......2003-08-09
Given the obvious limitations imposed by the publisher, I think David Lomas has done a most competent job in this title. Anybody familiar with the Osprey Campaign series should realise that they get a basic primer - 'Look & Learn Famous Battles' as it were. Each book is less than 20000 words, has a set number of monochrome pix and an equally fixed number of colour plates. They are designed, I suspect, for a particular market and I don't doubt that the author(s) receive a specific brief - so many words on the commanders, so many words on this aspect, so many words on that angle.
Osprey's titles on some other WW1 campaigns are far worse. I don't name names but 19000 words to cover seven months bitter fighting, for instance, is a near impossibility.
Certainly I don't find Lomas' prose stilted, quite the reverse. It's a darned sight better than some of the turgid stuff that comes out of a few mid-Western universities I could name. It's clear and concise, the photographs are good and the artwork (Brits bashing Germans) is nothing to do with the author - at least if the jacket artwork of some of my books is anything by which to judge. It's the publisher's decision, dudes!
It's true the book concentrates on Ypres 1914 from the British angle. Again, I suggest editorial requirements and, in truth, there ain't the space to do much else. But it is a British publisher who turned this out, presumably for an essentially British market. I personally found the book a lot less one-sided than many similar publications penned by US authors.
Not that I get personal here but I wonder how many rejection slips some of your reviewers have received - if they've ever tried to write a book, that is. I'm not referring to this particular review but across the board. I sometimes think, psrticularly with non-fiction, that every single-issue fanatic in the world sounds off about what a lousy job the author has done. Of course, there are turkeys out there - mostly from graduates of CA Writing seminars - but no book makes it to print without editorial input. In theory, if the damned thing is unreadablr, it gets bounced. Unless, I suppose, your godfather happens to own the publisher but I don't think that is the case with Lomas.
Perhaps there should be a rule that critics should mention their own achievments. I've written 12 published books, as it happens, under a nom-de-plume and cheap fiction granted, so I do know something about what it takes.
Good Campaign Narrative.......2001-06-08
First Ypres 1914, David Lomas' sequel to his earlier Mons 1914, is a decent summary of the relatively neglected period of October-November 1914 in Belgium. During this period after the Battle of the Marne, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fought the Germans to a standstill over a fairly small patch of Belgian mud, thereby denying the Germans access to the Channel ports. However in the process, the old pre-war British regular army was virtually destroyed. The BEF of 1914 was an elite force, but not designed for the grinding attrition warfare that was quickly developing on the Western Front.
The weakest part of this volume is the early sections on opposing commanders, opposing armies and opposing leaders. David Lomas seems to feel that he has done his duty in regard to this vital introductory sections by jotting down a few paragraphs and moving on. For example, the section on leaders barely amounts to one page of text and only comments on army-level commanders like Sir John French. Similarly, the section on opposing armies is far too brief. The Indian Corps that was dispatched to the Western Front was significantly different in training from the remainder of the BEF and this should have been highlighted in this section. Although the extensive order of battle partly covers up the deficiencies of this section, it is skimpy on the French. Opposing plans are also covered in far too brief a section.
Clearly the author has put all his effort into the campaign narrative itself, and as in his earlier Mons 1914, the operational summary is quite good. Excellent maps and photos add value to this account of First Ypres.
Good Campaign Narrative.......2001-06-04
First Ypres 1914, David Lomas' sequel to his earlier Mons 1914, is a decent summary of the relatively neglected period of October-November 1914 in Belgium. During this period after the Battle of the Marne, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fought the Germans to a standstill over a fairly small patch of Belgian mud, thereby denying the Germans access to the Channel ports. However in the process, the old pre-war British regular army was virtually destroyed. The BEF of 1914 was an elite force, but not designed for the grinding attrition warfare that was quickly developing on the Western Front.
The weakest part of this volume is the early sections on opposing commanders, opposing armies and opposing leaders. David Lomas seems to feel that he has done his duty in regard to this vital introductory sections by jotting down a few paragraphs and moving on. For example, the section on leaders barely amounts to one page of text and only comments on army-level commanders like Sir John French. Similarly, the section on opposing armies is far too brief. The Indian Corps that was dispatched to the Western Front was significantly different in training from the remainder of the BEF and this should have been highlighted in this section. Although the extensive order of battle partly covers up the deficiencies of this section, it is skimpy on the French. Opposing plans are also covered in far too brief a section.
Clearly the author has put all his effort into the campaign narrative itself, and as in his earlier Mons 1914, the operational summary is quite good. Excellent maps and photos add value to this account of First Ypres.
Book Description
The carnage on the Western Front at Passchendaele, where 275,000 Allied and 200,000 German soldiers fell, was neither inevitable nor inescapable, the authors of this gripping book insist. Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson here offer the most complete account of the campaign ever published, establishing what actually occurred, what options were available, and who was responsible for the devastation. This Nota Bene edition includes a new preface indicating the results of research completed since first publication.
Customer Reviews:
Very Accurate and Very Dry.......2006-09-21
This book was not written to entertain. I has all the excitement of a coroner's report. Having said that, Pryor and Wilson have, in my opinion, established themselves as the pre-eminent historians on the actions of the Western Front of WW1.
The military history is liberally interlaced with British, and to a lesser extent, German home-front politics surrounding the battle. Much of this narrative revolves around the mutual dislike of Lloyd George (PM) and Haig, who was usually misinformed or misleading about the successes of the BEF in Flanders.
The military aspect of the battle is told in a very matter-of-fact style, beginning with a description of the minor BEF successes at Vimy and Messines. The main battle then begins and the German defense system initially proves impenetable. General Plumer learns to compensate for the flexible German defense to some degree, but the weather then intervenes and a smaller but more competently led German army exacts its toll on the British. Wilson and Pryor estimate respective casualties at 200,000 German and 325,000 Allied. Inerestingly, Ernst Junger describes his experiences in this battle as a company commander as not a coordinated series of actions but a completely disjointed melee of confusion and isolation without benefit of support from the high command.
Blooody campaign, bloody Haig.......2004-09-08
Quite a good expose of the limitations of Haig as a general, insensitive, uncaring, obstinate and incompetent, a farce of a man if not for the tragedy of tens of thousands lives wasted by his idiotic tactics.
While full of good information............2004-01-25
...I found this book to be rather dry and difficult to get into. Of course I was looking for something a little more basic. This book might be best for someone who already has some knowledge of the battle and wants to expand on it, rather than as an introduction.
Excellent account of a pointless campaign.......2002-02-19
This book tells how British General Haig threw thousands of his own men through mud in fruitless assaults on the German trenches. It tells in great detail how many lives were lost for how little ground taken and how the British General staff could not devise any new ways to fight and ignored the losses. It is an excellent book for anyone interested in military history or even psychology.
outstanding.......2000-02-28
There"s not to much to add from the other reviews I think. This is a highly readable book. Much can be said of a operation that lasted 3 months at such a terrible cost and then give up what you gained in only 3 days! The book also points the finger of blame not just on Plummer, Haig, and Gough but also the war cabinat overseen by Loyd George and Robertson. A must read for those who never understood the campaigne.
Book Description
Mons, le Cateau, Notre Dame de Lorette, First Ypres, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Ridge, Festubert, Second Ypres, Loos, Fromelles, Vimy Ridge, Third Ypres, Cambrai, Fourth Ypres.
Interest in the battlefields of The Great War has increased exponentially in the last 10 years and credit for this must rest in large measure on the shoulders of Major and Mrs Holt. Not only did they pioneer the concept of 'Battlefield Tour' holidays but their books, of which this is the latest, have long been regarded as the Bible for tourists making the pilgrimage to the scenes of battles whether in Flanders, Normandy, Gallipoli or Arnhem.
The Holts, appreciating that today the areas visited has broadened considerably have researched a much wider book than their earlier Somme and Ypres Guides. This is the first part of the results of their labours and the second covering the Southern battlefields will follow later in the 2004.
Customer Reviews:
Back to the Front.......2007-06-29
Tourism, aided by easy Chunnel access, has made World War One's Western Front a significant British tourist destination. Veterans groups and family history researchers have joined history buffs and day trippers to make the battlefields, cemeteries, and memorials of the Great War a busy place. Predictably, sites associated with British and Commonwealth forces have been especially favored. While it always helps to know Flemish or French, neither are necessary to visit Ieper (French Ypres, British slang Wipers), Vimy, or the Somme where English is a second language.
If you're planning such a trip, you'll quickly encounter Tonie and Valmai Holt. Their numerous books and maps (twenty-three at last count, and growing) are the standard against which other battlefield guides are judged. Start with this volume (and its companion, The Western Front - South) and you'll be on your way. The Holts have driven all the fields, and provide detailed maps and directions to take you on the roads and tracks that cross them. {They assume you brought your car from Britain, and provide all their distances in miles rather than kilometers.} They miss very little. Tiny cemeteries, roadside shrines, wall plaques, and local amenities are all here (and keep in mind there are well over 100 cemeteries maintained just by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.). It sometimes gets a bit overpowering, and the casual traveler may want to consult a "best of" list or focus upon the sites that the Holts illustrate with attractive color photos that make this a fine souvenir of any trip. Be aware that their guides can send you to some moving experiences that are off the main paths: their advice at the Somme took us to the Devonshire Trench Cemetery and the 38th (Welsh) Division Memorial.
Their books are obviously works for the tourist. The Holts offer only brief historical summaries, so you will want to read a good general history of the 1914-1918 war before heading out. {We recommend John Keegan's Pictorial History of World War One, but there are many others.} You also need to remember that the Belgians and French, while welcoming visitors, want to live modern lives in the areas liberated from the Kaiser's forces. Surprisingly few sites retain the "feel" of the trenches (the Holts will steer you to them), and cemeteries and memorials far outnumber museums. The Holts admire valor and sacrifice, and they will tell you why those sites deserve respect. Some of their harshest criticisms are directed at those who poorly maintain a site. Two weeks and nearly a thousand kilometers of driving this summer from Ieper to St. Mihiel with the Holts convinced us they are the guides of choice. Take them with you when you go back to the Front.
Customer Reviews:
Well told WW I Story.......2005-02-09
Ypres: The First Battle, 1914 by Ian F W Beckett (Longman) First Ypres in 1914 was a devastating battle for the British and a turning point for all four of the major armies involved.
Ypres: The First Battle draws on a wide range of British, French, German and Belgian sources in order to reconstruct the battle from all sides. Many of these personal papers and public accounts have never before been published.
Through a shrewd analysis of the most recent secondary works as well as archival materials, Ian F. W. Beckett appraises the significance of First Ypres as a key moment in the Great War marking the transition from war as it had been to war as it would become.
The battle for Ypres in October and November 1914 represented the last opportunity for open, mobile warfare on the Western Front for the next four years. It marked the transition between war as it had been and war as it would become.
The first battle to associate the British army with the `immortal salient, and indeed regarded as the end of the old army, the mythologising of the British struggle has obscured the major role of the French and Belgians in defending Flanders.
But it has also been mythologised from the German perspective, the so called kindermord (slaughter of the innocents) providing a useable myth for the Nazis through the participation of the young Adolf Hitler. In the first study of First Ypres for almost 40 years, Ian F. W. Beckett draws on a wide range of previously neglected sources to reappraise the conduct of the battle, its significance and its legacy.
Book Description
Covering the important WW1 Battles of Ypres, including the notorious Passchendaele, this guidebook takes readers on a historic trip through some of the well-known and most important sites of the area.
This book, part of a new series of guides, is designed conveniently in a small size, for those who have only limited time to visit, or who are simply interested in as an introduction to the historic battlefields, whether on the ground or from an armchair. They contain selections from the Holts' more detailed guides of the most popular and accessible sites plus hand tourist information, capturing the essential features of the Battles.
The book contains many full color maps and photographs and detailed instructions on what to see and where to visit.
Book Description
In the autumn of 1914 the original British Expeditionary Force faced a heavily reinforced German drive. Field Marshal Sir John French, the British Commander-in-Chief, had sent his men north in an attempt to take the fight into Flanders, so they could fight across open ground. History tells us that this was not to be the case. David Lomas chronicles the first of the trench-warfare battles, where lines that would remain almost static for the rest of the war were established. Although the Germans failed to reach the channel ports, the death knell had rung for the BEF, which was virtually wiped out in this brave defense. In the autumn of 1914 the original British Expeditionary Force, aided by French troops under Foch, stood against a heavily reinforced German drive. Field Marshal Sir John French, the British Commander-in-Chief had sent his men north in an attempt to take the fight into open ground in Flanders, so his men could fight across open ground as they had been trained to do. History tells us that this was not to be the case. David Lomas' excellent book covers the first of the trench-warfare battles, where lines that would remain almost static for the rest of the war were established. Although the Germans would fail to reach the channel ports, the death knell had rung for the BEF. It was virtually wiped out in this brave defense, to be replaced later by Kitchener's mass of volunteers. However, in spite of its loss of 58,155 killed, wounded and missing it and its French allies did manage to inflict at least 134,315 casualties on the Germans and halt their offensive: on 17th November Falkenhayn decided to cut his losses and abandon his attack. With the battle's end went the last chance, for four years, for a war of movement. Static trench warfare now became the reality on the Western Front and the towns of La Bassee, Armentieres, Messines and Ypres would remain prominent in the fighting until the end of the war.
Average customer rating:
- Raw Data
- Not what I exspected
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Passchendaele and the Battles of Ypres 1914-18 (Battles and Histories)
Martin Marix Evans
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Belgium
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ASIN: 1855327341
Release Date: 1997-11-10 |
Book Description
Passchendaele and the battles of Ypres stand out amongst the key events of World War 1 as particularly striking symbols of both courage, and death and desolation which the great war brought to an entire generation. Here, Martin Marix Evans presents a moving portrayal of those who fought and died in Ypres, on both sides of the conflict.
Customer Reviews:
Raw Data.......2005-01-30
Essentially a regurgitation of offical sources and regimental histories with some slick graphics. Poorly written, choppy and in places incoherent. Do not waste your money.
Not what I exspected.......2000-07-19
Not really the best book about WW1 in Flanders. Sometimes boring. Too much information about locations (too specific for a non-flemish) and regiments and batallions. The author should have focused more on tactical warfare and possible different strategies and their implications. This is just a too detailed chronological report of the facts, nothing more. The few comments he published from soldiers that survived the battles are too short and do not fit in the structure of his book. The author should have worked out this book much better. I was disappointed!
Average customer rating:
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Death of an Army (Wordsworth Military Library)
Anthony Farrar-Hockley
Manufacturer: Combined Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1853266981 |
Customer Reviews:
Why Ypres?.......2000-07-28
What were the events that caused that famous part of the Western Front to form around the little Belgian town of Ypres during World War One?
This small volume provides the answers and it is a gem to read. It follows the British Expeditionary Force of the Great War during the months of October and November, 1914 - the battle known as First Ypres to the British.
This was a critical (and ultimately fatal) time for the BEF. The war was still one of movement and this period saw both the Allies and the Germans attempting to flank each other while closing the lines of battle towards the coast.
The book goes a long way towards explaining the "why" behind the eventually static positions of the trench warfare in Flanders. It's interesting to read about topographical features such as chateaus and woods which still stood in their original form when the opposing armies first arrived and came into contact. The remains of these same features would become famous as points of reference on the barren hell-scape of the trenches in just a few months time.
The book does assume that the reader has knowledge about the course of the war up to October of 1914. The retreat from Mons, the Marne, and the BEF's position on the Aisne are touched on only in a cursory manner. For the prelimiaries to First Ypres, see Barbara Tuchman's general introduction "The Guns of August" or more specifically Richard Holmes' "Riding the Retreat: Mons to the Marne 1914 Revisited".
Written in the mid-1960s by a British author, the book is not overly jingoistic. It does a fair and scholarly job of viewing the action from the German point-of-view. The author's criticisms of the BEF's leadership is present yet understated.
Perhaps the author's only (understandable) fault is his lionization of 'Tommy Atkins' - the British common soldier. That they were a completely professional army with more than their share of courage is unquestionable but the author tends to focus on the saints rather than the sinners in the Old Contemptibles' abilities to withstand superior numbers (often at 7-to-1), disaster, confusion, and poor leadership.
My great great uncle soldiered with the 3rd Cavalry division of the BEF and was wounded in October, 1914. This book gave me a clear idea what he had been up against. The BEF was bled dry at First Ypres and ceased to exist as a fighting force due to their exertions. They had bought time for Lord Kitchner to train and equip his "citizen-army" to fight in 1915, but Britain had forever lost its small professional army.
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