The Western Front

by Richard Holmes

Book Overview

For most British people, the First World War was the Western Front, the trench line stretching from the Swiss Frontier to the North Sea. It was there that the majority of nearly nine million British and Dominion soldiers who enlisted during the war served, and where most of the 947,000 who were killed met their deaths.

This detailed but accessible account covers everything from how the front was created and the experiences of the British...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1846075823
• ISBN13: 9781846075827
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: BBC Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

exc. planing

i'm not an expert on to the western front, but this book allowed me to have a very good historycal and military picture of the events on the western front. for me this is an excellent briefing for further readings into more detailed section/ops on this front.

Essential WWI Study

I checked this book out from our local library a few years back not expecting much from it. With 'TV Books' I though it would come up short concerning its coverage of WWI. But to my great surprise this book was a terrific read. The maps and photographs blend with Holmes' narrative to give the reader a very comprehensive offering of WWI. Nothing superficial here! I liked it so much that later when in a larger area bookstore, purchased a copy for myself. While I have no serious critique to offer concerning this book, I feel the photographs illustrate more the British and Austrailian efforts in the Great War. But rather than be set back by this I am pleased because most WWI books I have concentrate mostly on the 'doughboys.' This book by Richard Holmes also caused me to become interested in the series he edits, Cassell's Fields of Battle. From that I also have collected 3 dozen or so Cassell Military Classics in paperback. It's safe to say that this book on WWI has had far reaching consequences for me and my library. It is just beyond me how anyone could not enjoy this fairly comprehensive book on WWI. Semper Fi.

The Western Front

This book deals with the war from the Allied and German side as it was fought on the Western Front. I found it very interesting and full of details on the weapons, tactics and SANFUS that each side comitted. It expalined how the Germans were able to over come the stagnation of trench warfare with new infiltration tactics while the Allies continued with bloody wave attacks that gained no ground. Eventually the British blockade of Germany, the US entery into the war and the tank lead to the defeat of the Central Powers. If you are interested in a fast paced descriptive view of tactics as practiced on the Western Front then read this book.

If you read only one book on World War I, make it this one.

Richard Holmes has written a no-nonsense concise guide to both World War I and the controversial historiography that has dogged the conflict ever since. He summarizes the events of the Western Front (only--other theaters are mentioned only as they impact Germany's decisions about force allocation) quickly, perhaps too quickly for my taste. He slows down a little bit when reviewing the major controversies from the war over tactics, strategy, and war guilt, where he examines the different schools of thought with an even hand. Sometimes his hand is too even: on some topics, particularly when discussing the question of why trench warfare degenerated into such bloody, futile slaughter, I wanted Holmes to be bolder in naming names.But these are petty disagreements with what is a very successful attempt to summarize the events on the Western Front. I hope Holmes will someday give other theaters similar treatment.