Passchendaele

by Peter Barton

Passchendaele is the third volume in the ongoing project to recover and publish the unseen battlefield panoramas of the First World War. This title includes newly discovered German collections and as yet unpublished British images. Today bearing the single name Passchendaele, the 1917 British summer offensive in Belgian Flanders has entered the English language as the epitome of all that was both wretched and noble about the Great War. The remains of no fewer than 200,000 soldiers still lie unfound within the narrow boundaries of the battleground. Here are the battlefields of the Ypres Salient as you have never seen them before, from the start of the battle to the desolation of 1918. Peter Barton presents over 50 extraordinary panoramas of the conflict, including 20 German scenes that that have not seen the light of day since the war. All the panoramas were taken at huge personal risk by specialist photographers.They reveal what no other photographs have - the view beyond both British and German trench parapets - and a great deal more. Also included are unpublished testimonies, letters and memoirs from many of the units who served, sourced from archives across the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere, with stunning mapping, plans and diagrams throughout and equivalent aerial photographs.

Genres: World War I, History, Military History, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published July 26, 2007

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Peter Barton. He has much more to offer than just panoramic photos or the pwettiest battle maps you've ever seen. His books always make for the perfect first read on any given Western Front battle, with eyewitness accounts that neither interrupt nor illustrate his own text, but complete it.
Every word counts. Take your time, oh, and a magnifying glass for some of the pictures.