The Western Front: A History of the First World War
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- Create Date：2021-04-14 13:52:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Nick Lloyd
- ISBN：0241347165
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Summary
In the annals of military history， the Western Front stands as an enduring symbol of the folly and futility of war。
However， The Western Front， by bestselling military historian Nick Lloyd， reveals that the story is not， as so many assume， one of pointlessness and stupidity。 Rather， it is an epic triumph against the odds。 With a cast of hundreds and a huge canvas of places and events， Lloyd tells the whole tale， revealing what happened in France and Belgium between August 1914 and November 1918 from the perspective of all the main combatants - including French， British， Belgian， US and， most importantly， German forces。
Drawing upon the latest scholarship on the war， wrongly overlooked first-person accounts， and archival material from every angle， Lloyd examines the most decisive campaigns of the Great War and explains the achievements that have been too long obscured by legends of mud， blood and futility。 Far from being an arena of static， stale attrition - and despite mistakes and wrong turns along the way - the Western Front was a 'cauldron of war' that saw unprecedented innovation， adaptation and tactical development。
Lloyd conveys the visceral assault of the battlefield， and skilfully moves the focus in and out， giving both the bigger picture and telling detail。 He recreates the decision-making and experiences of the war as it was at the time as well as with hindsight， and in doing so redefines our understanding of this crucial theatre in this monumental tragedy。
However， The Western Front， by bestselling military historian Nick Lloyd， reveals that the story is not， as so many assume， one of pointlessness and stupidity。 Rather， it is an epic triumph against the odds。 With a cast of hundreds and a huge canvas of places and events， Lloyd tells the whole tale， revealing what happened in France and Belgium between August 1914 and November 1918 from the perspective of all the main combatants - including French， British， Belgian， US and， most importantly， German forces。
Drawing upon the latest scholarship on the war， wrongly overlooked first-person accounts， and archival material from every angle， Lloyd examines the most decisive campaigns of the Great War and explains the achievements that have been too long obscured by legends of mud， blood and futility。 Far from being an arena of static， stale attrition - and despite mistakes and wrong turns along the way - the Western Front was a 'cauldron of war' that saw unprecedented innovation， adaptation and tactical development。
Lloyd conveys the visceral assault of the battlefield， and skilfully moves the focus in and out， giving both the bigger picture and telling detail。 He recreates the decision-making and experiences of the war as it was at the time as well as with hindsight， and in doing so redefines our understanding of this crucial theatre in this monumental tragedy。
Reviews
Russel Henderson
，
One of the best and most accessible books on the subject I’ve yet read。 Lloyd’s breadth is impressive， but he is true to his mission in addressing the war elsewhere only to the extent necessary to inform what was happening in this theater。 He does an admirable job of giving British and American readers and appreciation for how much of the burden was borne by the French。 He is perhaps too negative toward the British， but not glaringly so。 His look at personages and relationships， and the changes One of the best and most accessible books on the subject I’ve yet read。 Lloyd’s breadth is impressive， but he is true to his mission in addressing the war elsewhere only to the extent necessary to inform what was happening in this theater。 He does an admirable job of giving British and American readers and appreciation for how much of the burden was borne by the French。 He is perhaps too negative toward the British， but not glaringly so。 His look at personages and relationships， and the changes to both over the course of the conflict， was particularly edifying。 The heroes of early battles sometimes found it hard to grow into new role and in some cases less successful commanders in early conflicts redeemed themselves later， something too many narratives on the subject reduce to lions and villains。 If the book has a fault， it is that he cuts through topic of vigorous debate in a few sentences， making necessary judgments and not enlightening the reader to the existence of some of these disputes， but he did tell the reader in advance that he was doing so。 That’s the requirement of distilling subjects on which tens of millions of pages have been written to just 500 or so。 There are better and more insightful works on specific facets of the war in the west but I’ve found few equals in tackling it comprehensively。 I eagerly anticipate his next installment。 。。。more
Roger Mosedale
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