The First World War (3): The Western Front 1917-1918

Osprey Essential Histories #22

by Peter Simkins

In this, the second volume covering the war on the Western Front, Peter Simkins describes the last great battles of attrition at Arras, on the Aisne and at Passchendaele in 1917. Then he moves on to relate the successive offensives launched by Germany in the spring and summer of 1918 in an effort to achieve victory or a favourable peace before American manpower proved decisive. Again, questioning and correcting several myths and long-held assumptions about the nature and conduct of war on the Western Front, the author also looks at the aftermath and legacy of the 'war to end wars'.

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

96 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2002

About the author

Peter Simkins worked at the Imperial War Museum for over 35 years and was its Senior Historian from 1976 until his retirement in 1999. Awarded the MBE that year for his services to the Museum, he is currently Honorary Professor in Modern History at the University of Birmingham, a Vice-President of the Western Front Association and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Reviews

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the other books in the Essential Histories series, this book is a good but very brief overview of the last two years of the Western Front. However, it barely mentioned the AEF at all, wither in the "warring sides" or in the "fighting" sections.