rhimsl Posted 3 November , 2004 Share Posted 3 November , 2004 I've been looking for some good books written regarding the Spring Offensive of 1918 lately. Wondering what your thoughts were about what the best one out there is? So far, I think its Lyn MacDonald's "To the Last Man". What do you Pals think? Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve fuller Posted 3 November , 2004 Share Posted 3 November , 2004 Moore's 'See how they Ran' isnt a bad effort IMHO. Gives a good account of the scale, and covers the thoughts of all involved, from the Generals to the Pte's. 2/3 of the way through reading t a second time as it happens! Not written purely academically too. so not too dry considering how much factual info he crams in. Many nice lines too, including about the highlanders 'lifting their kilts & showing their whites' to stop british planes strafing them! thatd do it I suppose?! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Samson Posted 3 November , 2004 Share Posted 3 November , 2004 Of course, there's always Martin Middlebrook's The Kaiser's Battle to consider too. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 3 November , 2004 Share Posted 3 November , 2004 Blaxland's 'Amiens 1918' is good and what about John Terraine 'To Win A War' and Toland's 'No Man's Land'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 3 November , 2004 Share Posted 3 November , 2004 It is difficult to beat the British Official History ('The German March Offensive and it's Preliminaries) for breadth of coverage. I found it absolutely gripping - read it from cover-to-cover. Many other books concentrate on the German successes and give less of a feel for the dogged resistance elsewhere. I think it is a must for anyone with a serious interest in Operation Kaiserschlact, as are the related series on the Battles of the Lys and other German attacks. It forms a basis for viewing material such as Middlebrook's and MacDonald's books (both of which I enjoyed) in context. From the gunners' perspective, there is Fardale's 'History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Western Front' as a nice summary, supplemented by books like 'Pushed and the Return Push' and 'A Field Artillery Group in Battle' that give detailed personal anecdotes. From the German perspective, there is Junger's 'Storm of Steel', Renn's 'War', Nagel's 'Fritz: World War I Memoirs of a German Lieutenant' and Sulzbach's 'With the German Guns'. I was NOT impressed with Passingham's 'All the Kaiser's Men' in relation to the Spring offensives, indeed generally. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhimsl Posted 3 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 3 November , 2004 Sounds like I have some reading to catch up on! Thanks all! Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andigger Posted 3 November , 2004 Share Posted 3 November , 2004 I'd agree with Mark and Gary on The Kaiser's Battle and To Win a War... oh, and To the Last Man is really good as well. I am of the firm belief there is no one book that is comprehensive about any topic. Concerning the Spring Offensive you should also consider the German side as well. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 4 November , 2004 Share Posted 4 November , 2004 A short bibliography of histories of 1918. Its not complete, more like partial. And not always attributed to the original publisher and date, rather the publisher and date of the edition I've seen. Histories of 1918 Association de Recherches Historiques et Archéologiques Militaires. "La Bataille de La Lys 1918 ou l’Histoire d’une Battaille Oubliée sur le Front des Ier et Xième Corps", (Saint-Floris, Picardy: ARHAM, 2003). Barclay, C. N. "Armistice 1918", (London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1968). Blaxland, Gregory. "Amiens 1918". (London: Frederick Muller, 1968). Brook-Shepherd, Gordon. "November 1918", (London: Williams Collins, 1981). Brown, Malcolm. "The Imperial War Museum Book of 1918: Year of Victory", (London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1998). Cowley, Robert. "1918: Gamble for Victory - the Greatest Attack of World War I", (New York: Macmillan, 1964). Dennis, Peter and Jeffrey Grey. "1918: Defining Victory", (Canberra: Army History Unit, 2000). Doyle, Arthur Conan. "The British Campaign in France and Flanders: January to July 1918", (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1919). Dupuy, Col. Trevor Nevitt and Julia Crick. "1918: the German Offensives". (New York: Franklin Watts, 1967). Dupuy, Col. Trevor Nevitt and Julia Crick. "1918: Decision in the West". (New York: Franklin Watts, 1967). Essame, H. "The Battle for Europe, 1918", (London: Batsford, 1972). Evans, Martin Marix. "1918: The Year of Victories", (Leicester: Capella, 2002). Gies, Joseph. "Crisis 1918: the Leading Actors, Strategies, and Events in the German Gamble for Total Victory on the Western Front", (New York: W. W. Norton & Co. Inc., 1974). Harris, J. P with Niall Barr. "Amiens to the Armistice: the BEF in the Hundred Days’ Campaign, 8 August - 11 November 1918", (London: Brassey’s, 1998). Johnson, J. H. "1918 - The Unexpected Victory", (London: Arms & Armour Press, 1997). Kitchen, Martin. "The German Offensives of 1918", (Stroud: Tempus Publishing, 2001). McWilliams, James and R. James Steel. "Amiens: Dawn of Victory", (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2001). Middlebrook, Martin. "The Kaiser’s Battle", (London: Penguin, 2000). Moore, William. A. "See How They Ran: the British Retreat of 1918", (London: Sphere, 1975). Pitt, Barrie. "1918: The Last Act", (London: Cassell, 1962). Terraine, John. "To Win a War: 1918 The Year of Victory", (London: Cassell Military Paperbacks, 2001). Terraine, John. "Impacts of War 1914 & 1918", (London: Leo Cooper, 1993). Toland, John. "No Man’s Land", (London: Methuen Paperbacks, 1982). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 4 November , 2004 Share Posted 4 November , 2004 The general histories of 1918 tend to give a very broad-brush view of the German offensives. Their focus often leans more towards the last 100 days. Kitchen's book gives a very good, thorough review of the political and high-level strategic aspects of the German offensives. There is less detail about the actual fighting that took place. The maps, for example, are very poor. It is an excellent book but I did not place it in my selection for these reasons. Thanks for raising this one. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 16 November , 2004 Share Posted 16 November , 2004 GENERALS DIE IN BED!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 17 November , 2004 Share Posted 17 November , 2004 The one and only Ernst Juenger:"Fire and Blood" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andigger Posted 17 November , 2004 Share Posted 17 November , 2004 Operation Kaiserschlact Not to call you out Robert, but wasn't it Operation Michael and the entire offensive - from the Artois to Ieper - called Der Kaiserschlact? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 17 November , 2004 Share Posted 17 November , 2004 Operation Kaiserschlact Not to call you out Robert, but wasn't it Operation Michael and the entire offensive - from the Artois to Ieper - called Der Kaiserschlact? Andy Not to call you out Andy: "Kaiserschlacht" = Die Kaiserschlacht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andigger Posted 17 November , 2004 Share Posted 17 November , 2004 Es tut mir Leid! Ich kann nur wenig deutsch schreiben, und so haben Sie natuerlich einen Faehler gefunden. Naechstenmal werde ich hoeffentlich besser. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 17 November , 2004 Share Posted 17 November , 2004 Andy you are doing great - I did not know you being perfect in German!! So go ahead and get Fire+Blood =Feuer+Blut von E.Juenger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 17 November , 2004 Share Posted 17 November , 2004 Kaiserschlacht refers just to the March offensive, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 18 November , 2004 Share Posted 18 November , 2004 Yes, it refers specifically to Operation Michael, which was the first in a series of German operations. The others went by their various codenames (Operation Mars, Operation Gneisenau, Operation Archangel, etc) or are better known by the English names, such as the Battles of the Lys. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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