Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #228895 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Customer Reviews

A good guide, but should be better
Having made my first visit to Verdun last week I bought several books (okay, many) including "Walking Verdun" and "Fort Douaumont" by Christina Holstein (separate review for the latter). Both have considerable overlap, but Douaumont is for me more interesting. As the reviews here have noted she is an excellent companion for visiting and walking the battlefield.

I simply wish to make a comment to the publisher. While "Walking Verdun" is a little better, both books suffer from poor illustration; the maps, modern photographs and plans are dismal. A competent photographer with a wide-angle lens and high contrast film is required as is a graphic designer / illustrator. Certainly clearer - colour coded - plans for the forts (specifically Douaumont and Vaux) are essential. Embarrassingly, the Michelin Guide "Verdun - and the Battle for its Possession" published in 1919 has superior maps and better definition pictures. Some 90 years on with a basic PC / programme 'Pen and Sword' need to improve. It is not difficult to produce 3D contour maps which would go some way helping visualise the ground, which as others have said is difficult given the dense tree cover!

We, and no doubt Ms Holstein, should expect more. Illustrations, in particular maps, plans and diagrams are fascinating concisely transmitting the facts and feel of the battle. One example is Peter Barton's books on the Somme, Passchendaele and Beneath Flanders Fields which are superb. I see no reason - even if it adds a little to the price - why this book should not be significantly better.

Walking where heroes fell
Having been an ameteur world war one historian for over 20 years and after visitng most of the British line of the western front, I decided to vist the French sector a couple of years ago and was amazed at what there is to see. Verdun is one of those great atmospheric battlefields whose lunar lanscape has been softened with forest, but there is much to see. On that visit I missed out on walks and guides to the area. I am visiting again next week (Oct 2009) and bought the book to assist me. Knowing a little about the battlefield and its geography after my first visit, Christina Holsteins book would appear to be invaluable. Of particular interest to me is the area around Mort Homme and Hill 304. Christina delivers a guide to walk around Mort Homme which I don`t think I could have found without this guide. Other walks detailed in the book seem accessible and easy to follow, and I hope to walk some of her suggestions on my visit.
There is little in English about the French army of the Great war. They seem the forgotten army of the conflict. This book is to me, an important guide that will assist people like me who want to learn more and visit the places where men died in their thousands for misguided prinicpals in a world that bore no resembelance to the one we live in today.
On a personal note, I have coresponded with the author for some help in finding the area where the 92 French Infantry Regiment attacked at Mort Homme in March 1916.Not only is the lady incredibly knowledgable, but approachable and extremely helpful.That is a massive recommendation in itself.
This no magnificent work on the scale of Hornes "Price of Glory", but anyone wanting to visit this sacred battlefield or just learn a little about what happended there, buy this book and go and walk where heroes fell.

An excellent guidebbok
I wanted a guidebook to the Verdun battlefield area which would ensure that I was able to arrive there with clear priorities as to how to spend the limited time available to me and this book proved ideal. The various walks are accurately described and easy to follow and pre-reading enables a thorough understanding of the battle tactics and events. Visitors to the battlefield should be forewarned, however, that the forestation throughout the area since 1918 makes sightlines and ground appreciation almost impossible. All in all this book was an excellent purchase.