Product Description

This is the story of the most intense and bitterly fought battles of the twentieth century, and their lasting impact on the world. From Amiens in the First World War to the First Gulf War in 1990-1, each of the battles featured in this book marked a turning point in military history. Political journalist, Peter Snow and military historian Dan Snow have written a high-octane, gripping narrative, punctuated by powerful eyewitness testimony that brings to life the experience of war. They reveal that these battles were shaped not just by distant military commanders but by men fighting on the frontline, whether the apocalyptic terrain of the Western Front or the hidden guerilla tunnels of Vietnam. What were the key factors that swayed the course of victory? Was it sheer grit and determination, military intelligence or strategic initiative? To answer these questions the authors take us into the heat of the action when the battles were poised on a knife edge and split-second decisions determined their outcome. During the course of the twentieth century, military warfare reached unimaginable levels of intensity, scale and cost. "The World's Greatest Twentieth Century Battlefields" looks back at the most violent century in history and examines the challenges facing armed forces in the future. Richly illustrated with archive photographs and over 40 detailed maps, this compelling and often shocking account recreates the landscape of warfare.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56545 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

From the Publisher
The dramatic account of eight crucial battles that changed the course of 20th-century history by father and son team Peter and Dan Snow

About the Author
Peter Snow is a highly respected journalist, author and broadcaster. He was ITN's Diplomatic and Defence Correspondent from 1966 to 1979, and presented Newsnight from 1980 to 1997. An indispensable part of election nights, he has also covered military matters on and off the world's battlefields for 40 years. Dan Snow was awarded a first-class degree in history at Balliol College, Oxford, where he developed a passion for military history. Whilst at Oxford he was President of the Boat Club; he was in the winning crew in the 2000 Boat Race and was captain in 2001. Since leaving university he has written articles on military history. In 2004 Peter and Dan presented the BAFTA-winning Battlefield Britain for BBC2 and wrote the accompanying book. For the next two years they worked on the follw-up series, Twentieth Century Battlefields, which this book accompanies.

Customer Reviews

A great read!!
I bought this book after watching only one episode of the t.v. series.
A superb book to compliment an excellent BBC series. The t.v. programme is aimed at all ages, and certainly shows off the beeb's graphics dept. The book however is less flashy, yet still remains true to all real book lovers. Great photos, maps of the battlefields, detailed stategies, geography, political standings and an image of what must have been a tough time for many.
I would recommend this book to anybody interested in the t.v. series, war, politics, history and students.

shame about the format
I bought this book for my son who thoroughly enjoyed Battlefield Britain, which in conjunction with the TV series brought history to life. The new series on Television covering 20th century battlefields is as good as the earlier series, but the book is just too dry in both format and content. Could this be to keep down costs or are they aiming at a different audience. Shame, as the TV series brought history to the attention of a younger audience without having to resort to the sensationalism and inaccuracies that History programmes such as Rome resort to. A missed opportunity