Excellent command level coverage of the Western Front. ( )

It has been a while since I have read a First World War account, so I downloaded Nick Lloyd's work with much anticipation to see what modern scholarship could produce. Lloyd's work differs from other WWI histories I have read in that he focuses solely on the key theater of the war and the title of his book--the Western Front. Other theaters are mentioned only as they influenced events and policies on the Western Front.

Lloyd divides his book into three parts, each representing a key period of the war and ending at a distinct transition event. Part 1, "War is not like maneuvers", Liege to the Second Battle of Champagne, August 1914-November 1915, spans Chapters 1-7. This part naturally covers the war's initial battles of movement as the combatants transitioned to the trench warfare that was to dominate the war's middle years. Part 2, "Scales of Fate", Verdun to the Second Battle of the Aisne, December 1915-May 1917, includes Chapters 8-15 and depicts the war as most people (mostly historians) today would envision the First World War--a stalemated trench war. Part 3, "A matter of command", Messines Ridge to Compiegne, June 1917-November 1918, contains Chapters 16-24 and shows the conflict regaining its mobility through the German Spring Offensive and the British breakthrough at Amiens. Lloyd finishes his book with an epilogue, a cast of characters (significant personalities of the war), a useful list of abbreviations, a list of references, a select bibliography, and an index. Lloyd also includes a short but nice selection of photographs at the end of the book in my Kindle edition.

Most WWI histories I have read quickly get into the standard themes of chateau generals, intolerable weather, atrocious conditions in the trenches, and the domination of artillery on these battlefields. Most English language histories I have read also emphasize the British aspects of the war at the expense of French participation, which is usually limited to the Marne, Verdun, and the Nieville Offensive. Lloyd takes a different tack with his book by equalizing the coverage of the armies and leaders and placing a spotlight on the political aspects of the war on both sides. He notes the changes in leadership during different phases of the war, along with the policy changes that go with new leaders. The author deftly works in details of the personalities of the various military leaders and how those personalities aided or hindered their army's effectiveness (I know I would not liked to have worked for French, Haig, Nieville, von Hindenburg, or Ludendorff).

I think Lloyd did a great job in focusing solely on the Western Front. Most WWI histories are diluted by the inclusion of the wide-ranging naval war, the Mediterranean theater, and the Eastern Front. By concentrating on the key theater in which the war could be won or lost, Lloyd gets his readers quickly to what matters in the story of this archetype of Industrial Age warfare.

Give it a try! ( )

Productcode (EAN): 9789048858798
Verschijningsdatum: 7/05/2021
Aantal bladzijden: 791
Uitgeverij: Hollands Diep
Auteur(s): Nick Lloyd
Afmetingen: 136 mm x 212 mm