stu Posted 30 April , 2004 Share Posted 30 April , 2004 Hi, Can anyone recommend Kaisers Battle by Martin Middlebrook. I've read some of his other works and have enjoyed them,I'm looking for some good reading on the Spring Offensive so would be grateful for any reviews on this book Many thanks. Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 30 April , 2004 Share Posted 30 April , 2004 I have read this book several times. It is an excellent book in my opinion, well written, well organized and filled with individual accounts of the offensive from the German side. If you can get a copy I would highly recommend that you read it. Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 30 April , 2004 Share Posted 30 April , 2004 Martin Middlebrokk himself considers this to be a better book than The First Day on the Somme, not least because he had had plenty of practice by the time he came to write it. I once told him that I wished he had spent more time writing on the Great War (his WW2 titles outnumber WW1), yet though I make only occasional forays into WW2, I have enjoyed his WW2 writings, especially Convoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 1 May , 2004 Share Posted 1 May , 2004 I would totally endorse the comments from Kate and Ralph. It basically only covers the first day. You should couple this book with Lyn Macdonald's book 'To the last man: Spring 1918'. This will give you a greater sense of what happened over the subsequent days. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham-McAdam Posted 1 May , 2004 Share Posted 1 May , 2004 There are also various Pen & Sword books about the Spring Offensive, more detailed on specific areas. I love Helen McPhail & Philip Guest "St Quentin" but "Epehy" and "Riqueval" also cover the ground, all with good maps and interesting photos. Dominic Hibberd's recent "Wilfred Owen" goes through it, and Vol 8 of Henry Willamson's “A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight” – “A Test to Destruction” has a magnificent fictionalised account of what it was like for him on the retreat towards Amien. The classic is, of course, the Middlebrook, but after that you'll be gripped and want some more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andigger Posted 1 May , 2004 Share Posted 1 May , 2004 Stu... Just a heads up, but in this part of the world a copy of the book is hard to get. It was on my book club reading list for May, but I had to change it when I tried to order enough copies for the group. All the major book stores didn't even have back stock in their warehouses. I did get my copy off amazon.co.uk so its possible there. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu Posted 1 May , 2004 Author Share Posted 1 May , 2004 Many thanks to you all for your replies,I think I'll have to get myself a copy as soon as possible. Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 2 May , 2004 Share Posted 2 May , 2004 Ernst Junger, Ludwig Renn, and Herbert Sulzbach's books all describe aspects of the Spring Offensives from personal perspectives. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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