Advance from Mons

[popeye turbo]

Hello all. I have just this day finished the hugely interesting book " Advance from Mons" by Walter Bloem. This short book written by a German officer is the story of his participation on the opening march of the First World War. This man is an amazing author who misses few details in his effort to portray the first few weeks of the march through Belgium ans ending when he himself is shot on the Marne.

I was transfixed with the immediacy of his story of the first short sharp firefights and their ghastly encounter with the results of the first shelling by the English artillery. This is a rare book which I read through at one sitting. I heartily recommend it. Unfortunately this volume is extremely rare published only once in translation in 1930.

[Paul Hederer]

Hello,

Actually Bloem's book is one of a trilogy detailing his war experiences. The remaining two volumes have not been translated, as far as I know.

The book you mention has been published a few times--within in the past few years , if I remember correctly. My copy is a 1960's paperback version I bought for a pound.

You're right, he is a good writer. He published a great many books, both fiction and non.

Paul

[squirrel]

Excellent book and reprinted not too long ago - available from naval & Military Press.

[Glenn J]

It is an excellent book but suffers from the sloppy translation of military terms, ranks and units into English. Thus we find the companies of the I./Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 12 called A, B, C & D instead of the correct 1., 2., 3. & 4. Similarly the rank titles are not well done. A good example being that of Offizierstellvertreter Schüler, one of Bloem's platoon commanders, whose rank is simply translated as "Sergeant". The original German language version titled "Vormarsch" has considerably more pages.

Incidentally, Major d.R. Walter Bloem also wrote the regimental history of Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 12 published in 1940 titled Das Grenadier-Regiment Prinz Carl von Preußen (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 12.

Regards

Glenn