Latze Posted 3 February Share Posted 3 February I am looking for one or two good books about the battle of the Scarpe, maybe some of you have recommendations for me? I am not particularly interested in eye witness accounts and the like but in tactical and operational matters. It would be great when both British and German sources are used. Smithsons "A taste of success" looks promising (even if it does cover only 1st Scarpe), is it good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertBr Posted 6 February Share Posted 6 February Latze I am unaware of any such single book. I have a particular interest in the Mars Offensive of 1918. In my research I mainly use the War Diaries of the Divisions/Brigades/Battalions involved. The Battleround Europe Books do have two titles which my be of interest 'Oppy Wood' and 'Gavrelle'. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Lees Posted 7 February Share Posted 7 February Jim Smithson's book is very good. It examines the planning for the battle as well as the way it developed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latze Posted 7 February Author Share Posted 7 February Thank you very much for your input Ken and Bob! I think I will get Smithson's book then and hope to find something covering the rest of the battle later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamRev Posted 8 February Share Posted 8 February (edited) For an excellent recent book that covers all three Battles of the Scarpe I would recommend Don Farr's A Battle Too Far: Arras 1917 (Warwick: Helion 2018). There is plenty of detail on the French actions as well, and an 8 page appendix with extra background on on the German Army. There are several 2nd hand/as new copies at around £22 from Amazon sellers on Amazon. I also recommend the Smithson book - I suggest buying both, but the Farr is the one to get if you if you are just buying one book. William Edited 8 February by WilliamRev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latze Posted 9 February Author Share Posted 9 February On 08/02/2024 at 16:16, WilliamRev said: For an excellent recent book that covers all three Battles of the Scarpe I would recommend Don Farr's A Battle Too Far: Arras 1917 (Warwick: Helion 2018). There is plenty of detail on the French actions as well, and an 8 page appendix with extra background on on the German Army. There are several 2nd hand/as new copies at around £22 from Amazon sellers on Amazon. I also recommend the Smithson book - I suggest buying both, but the Farr is the one to get if you if you are just buying one book. William Hello William, thank you for your input. Looks like I have to get both books then... best regards, Latze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rwool53 Posted 22 February Share Posted 22 February There are two Canadian references that are good, the 1964 Official Canadian History, available in PDF and if you can find it, one published on 1919 which is official from the Canadian Corps. There are several unit accounts that are also available on PDF for free online, 13th, 15th, 16th, and 24th Battalions, and 4th CMR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latze Posted 22 February Author Share Posted 22 February 12 hours ago, Rwool53 said: There are two Canadian references that are good, the 1964 Official Canadian History, available in PDF and if you can find it, one published on 1919 which is official from the Canadian Corps. There are several unit accounts that are also available on PDF for free online, 13th, 15th, 16th, and 24th Battalions, and 4th CMR Thanks a lot for that hint. I just realized that this whole thread should be in the "Books and Book Reviews" section. Can a regular user like me move a thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now