History of World War I: The Western Front 1914-1916: From the Schlieffen Plan to Verdun and the Somme

The History of World War I

by Michael S. Neiberg

After the first few months of World War I, the Western Front consisted of a relatively static line of trench systems which stretched from the coast of the North Sea southwards to the Swiss border. To try to break through the opposing lines of trenches and barbed wire entanglements, both sides employed huge artillery bombardments followed by attacks by tens of thousands of soldiers. Battles could last for months and led to casualties measured in hundreds of thousands for attacker and defender alike. After most of these attacks, only a short section of the front would have moved and only by a kilometer or two. After Gallipoli, Australians were moved to fight in France on the western Front, in battles including the Battle of the Somme. On the first day of the 1916 Battle of the Somme, 60,000 Allies were casualties, including 20,000 deaths. The principal adversaries on the Western Front, who fielded armies of millions of men, were Germany to the East against a western alliance to the West consisting of France and the United Kingdom with sizable contingents from the British Empire, especially the Dominions. The United States entered the war in 1917 and by the summer of 1918 had an army of around half a million men which rose to a million by the time the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. For most of World War I, Allied Forces, predominantly those of France and the British Empire, were stalled at trenches on the Western Front. With the last few men who served in World War I now dying out, and the 90th anniversary of the Armistice coming in November 2008, there is no better time to reevaluate this controversial war and shed fresh light on the conflict. With the aid of numerous black and white and color photographs, many previously unpublished, the World War I series recreates the battles and campaigns that raged across the surface of the globe, on land, at sea and in the air. The text is complemented by full-color maps that guide the reader through specific actions and campaigns.

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

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Michael S. Neiberg is the Stimson Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the US Army War College. He has also taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Reviews

[Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was brilliant and packed full of very informative text. I loved the layout of the book with its fantastic pictures and diagrams. I certainly learnt a lot from reading it. The book flowed brilliantly and you could tell the author had a passion for this subject matter. I especially loved the fact each important player in history had their own box giving information about them so you fully understood there roll in the first World War. Although we were given a key at the start of the book for reading the war maps. I kept forgetting what the different symbols ment so I think it would be more useful especially in the ebook to remind us every so often as it is hard to move back and forth in the digital copy. I would definitely recommend this book to all history fans of this era as it's a very interesting read. I look forward to reading more from this author.
So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for producing such and interesting and very informative account of the ww1.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good history of WWI on Western Front till 1916. There's a lot of maps, photos and the text is clear.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine general history of the Western Front through 1916. Includes maps and photos. Includes a subject index and a military units index. Highly recommended for someone seeking a general understanding of the fighting in France.

Notes on the Kindle edition:
1) Maps are small and hard to read; I bought a WWI atlas to follow the action. They might be more readable on a color Fire.
2) Two brief passages and one caption had words and phrases dropped out. Only one got in way of my understanding. Not a pervasive problem, but it is annoying.