New Book on French Army

[Simon_Fielding]

This looks an interesting review in today's Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml.../11/bomain.html

Cheers

Simon

[IanB58]

The review is incredibly interesting not just for a new book on the British Army but also some of Hew Strachan's side swipes. As he is currently engaged in writing what will almost certainly be the definitive history of the war for a long time it is interesting to see his views on certain subjects.

"Our national preoccupation with Haig, and with the battles of the Somme and Ypres, has resulted in an extraordinary loss of perspective."

"The comparative French success on the first day of the Somme on July 1, 1916 is either neglected or, if alluded to, is mentioned without context or explanation. Instead, we are treated to travesties of the truth – with suggestions that the British attacked on the Somme in order to relieve the French at Verdun, and that they launched the third battle of Ypres in the following year to take the heat off an army racked by mutiny. Both are post-hoc rationalisations of offensives undertaken for totally different reasons."

This gives you some idea of the thrust but do read the whole thing.

The subsequent volumes of his book should make entertaining reading. I look forward to them.