Product Description

This book is a fascinating narrative history of the last year of the First World War. For the weary Allies 1918 was truly a year of victory. First came the defensive victories of the British and the French against the last desperate offensive launched by the Germans in the Spring. Then came the turning point of Foch's counter-offensive on the Marne followed by Haig's great attack on 8 August - 'the black day of the German Army' - the breaking of the Hindenburg Line and the pursuit of the defeated German Army across the wasteland of war. This challenging and perceptive book gives honour where it is due: to a victorious British Army in 1918.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #499934 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
John Terraine is the author of seven important works of military history including Douglas Haig: The Educated Soldier, The Road To Passchendaele and General Jack's Diary 1914-1918 (available in Cassell Military Paperbacks), and The Great War 1914-1918.

Customer Reviews

Why DID the Allied armies win in 1918?
An excellent and very readable book covering the final months of the First World War. I have read many other accounts of the 1914-1918 conflict, but this is the first book that managed to convincingly explain to me just why the British, French, US and other Allied forces won the war and why the overall German position fell apart so quickly and so completely after four years of apparent stalemate.

Sheds light on how the war ended
This book explains in detail how WWI finally ended after nearly 4 years of stalemate.

The author is anxious that credit is given where it is due, ie to the British army. The French army had suffered huge losses in the war and Terraine is of the opinion that it was unable to function properly by the end of the war.

He also states that he wants to refute the theory that the German army were not defeated in the field. This was a theory that was accepted in Germany in the 30's and helped lead to the collapse of democracy there.

Terraine's opinion is that the entry of the US to the war was not very signifcant as the US generals were determined not to commit troops until they were able to operate independently.

The research and detail is breathtaking, with numerous quotes from those involved in all aspects of the war.

The thinking behind the decision making on both sides is discussed in detail. Not surprisingly given that he has written an autobiography of Haig the author's admiration of that general is obvious. However Marshal Foch also comes out of the book well.

The political intrigue in Germany preceding the end of the war is also revealed in detail.

An excellent book. I would definitely be interested in reading some more of this authors books.

Very Interesting

Very interesting indeed! Very satisfying to read a book on the last year of the war that correctly apportions credit where it's due - namely, to the fearsome war-machine that was the British Army of 1918.

Who do you suppose taught Blitzkrieg to the Germans? It wasn't the French. It wasn't the Americans. And it sure as hell wasn't the Russians. Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig and his army of experts were the ones who (eventually) came up with a formula that enabled them to rain a series of hammer-blows on to the Germans, knocking them down and then out.

Of course, without the earlier great battles of attrition (Verdun, the Somme and Passchendaele), the war could not have been won in 1918. And one cannot overlook the significant activities of the French and Americans. Nevertheless, it was the British Army who delivered the coup de grace and finally broke the back of German resistance in the field - having already withstood the main part of the great German spring offensives of that year.

This achievement by the British Army has been disgracefully under-valued, pretty much since the war. There's a case to be made that this came about as a result of significant re-writing of the situation by those with the most to gain by doing so - Lloyd George, for example.

Altogether, a very readable, well-written, very informative and interesting book that helps to cast a proper perspective on the events of the last year of The Great War. Highly recommended.