Winning and Losing on the Western Front: The British Third Army and the Defeat of Germany in 1918

Cambridge Military Histories

by Jonathan Boff

The 'Hundred Days' campaign of 1918 remains a neglected aspect of the First World War. Why was the German army defeated on the Western Front? Did its morale collapse or was it beaten by the improved military effectiveness of a British army which had climbed a painful 'learning curve' towards modern combined arms warfare? This revealing insight into the crucial final months of the First World War uses state-of-the-art methodology to present a rounded case study of the ability of both armies to adapt to the changing realities they faced. Jonathan Boff draws on both British and German archival sources, some of them previously unseen, to examine how representative armies fought during the 'Hundred Days' campaign. Assessing how far the application of modern warfare underpinned the British army's part in the Allied victory, the book highlights the complexity of modern warfare and the role of organisational behaviour within it.

Genres: History, World War I, Military History

310 pages, Hardcover

First published July 16, 2012

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having had this book on various TBR lists pretty much since it came out, I had two main concerns. One, was this going to be the sort of book that only a trained staff officer could love, as I no longer have the patience I used to have. Two, being over a decade old, would this work already feel dated. On the whole, I now regret not getting around to this work sooner, as Boff does a good job of examining the various mono-causal explanations for British success in the end-game of the war and, as one might expect with mono-causal explanations, finds most of them wanting.

While the influx of American troops in 1918 was a prerequisite for victory, and the British military did show a great deal of growth in terms of tactical and operational competence, Boff still thinks that you can overrate those developments. It might be more accurate to say that the Germans played a weak hand badly and that Erich Ludendorff had lost his "grip" by the time the "Hundred Days" commenced. Whereas the much maligned British leadership displayed tenacity, flexibility, and drive when going in for the kill. Neither lions nor donkeys, but perhaps a pack of wolves.

I'm now looking forward to reading Boff's study of Bavarian Crown Prince Rupprecht as a commander.

[Jonathan]

A workmanlike and scholarly examination of the hows and whys the British Army succeeded in advancing to victory in the final "Hundred Days" campaign on the Western Front of the First World War and, conversely, how and why the German Army lost. The British operations focuse on the activities of Byng's Third Army, while the German defenders dissected in this study are the Seventh and Seventeenth armies. After a brief narrative of the campaign, the chapters closely detail various aspects of the battles and how they contributed to either side's performance, such as leadership and command, material strength, moral, tactics, etc. What quickly becomes clear is that this campaign was no blitzkrieg-style walkover for the Brits, who suffered heavy casualties, but that the German army was in even worse shape after the failures of the spring offensives and irredeemable attrition. I found the text to be interesting enough, considering that the book is basically a worked-up PhD. thesis, and there are useful charts and photos. The maps are good. I especially liked the fact that Professor Boff examined other historical schools of thought about these key battles. A worthy addition to your World War I bookshelf.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A workmanlike and scholarly examination of the hows and whys the British Army succeeded in advancing to victory in the final "Hundred Days" campaign on the Western Front of the First World War and, conversely, how and why the German Army lost. The British operations focuse on the activities of Byng's Third Army, while the German defenders dissected in this study are the Seventh and Seventeenth armies. After a brief narrative of the campaign, the chapters closely detail various aspects of the battles and how they contributed to either side's performance, such as leadership and command, material strength, moral, tactics, etc. What quickly becomes clear is that this campaign was no blitzkrieg-style walkover for the Brits, who suffered heavy casualties, but that the German army was in even worse shape after the failures of the spring offensives and irredeemable attrition. I found the text to be interesting enough, considering that the book is basically a worked-up PhD. thesis, and there are useful charts and photos. The maps are good. I especially liked the fact that Professor Boff examined other historical schools of thought about these key battles. A worthy addition to your World War I bookshelf.

[Simon Alford · Rating 5 out of 5]

An analysis of why British 3rd Army won during the 100 days, and why the Germans lost.
What factors were at work ? And it wasn't tanks, they were too few !