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1918: The Last Act
This vividly detailed history examines the battles and politics in the final year of WWI--includes trench diagrams, photographs, and maps of battles.
Three years into the Great War, Europe found itself in a stalemate on the Western Front. The Russian Front had collapsed and the United States had abandoned neutrality, joining the Allied cause. These developments set the stage for the climactic events of 1918, the year that would finally see an end to the war. In 1918: The Last Act, acclaimed military historian Barrie Pitt "analyses with great lucidity the broad outlines of German and Allied Strategy" (The Sunday Telegraph).
With an expert eye, Pitt looks into the policies of the warring powers, the men who led them, and the resulting battles along the Western Front. From the German onslaught of March 21, 1918, to the struggles in Champagne and the Second Battle of the Marne, to the turning point in August and the final, hard-won victory, 1918 The Last Act traces "the blunders at the top and the filth and stench and misery of the trenches" in order to deliver "a compelling narrative" of World War I (Daily Mail).
Three years into the Great War, Europe found itself in a stalemate on the Western Front. The Russian Front had collapsed and the United States had abandoned neutrality, joining the Allied cause. These developments set the stage for the climactic events of 1918, the year that would finally see an end to the war. In 1918: The Last Act, acclaimed military historian Barrie Pitt "analyses with great lucidity the broad outlines of German and Allied Strategy" (The Sunday Telegraph).
With an expert eye, Pitt looks into the policies of the warring powers, the men who led them, and the resulting battles along the Western Front. From the German onslaught of March 21, 1918, to the struggles in Champagne and the Second Battle of the Marne, to the turning point in August and the final, hard-won victory, 1918 The Last Act traces "the blunders at the top and the filth and stench and misery of the trenches" in order to deliver "a compelling narrative" of World War I (Daily Mail).
465 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1962
22 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Barrie Pitt
160 books7 followersBarrie William Edward Pitt was educated at Portsmouth Southern Grammar School before becoming a bank clerk. After service in the Second World War Pitt worked as a surveyor, joined 21 SAS (TA), with whom he rose to the rank of sergeant, and started to write for the magazine Adventure. Pitt also worked for a time as an information officer at the Atomic Energy Authority establishment at Aldermaston, where he demonstrated a talent for turning scientific information into readable prose
In 1958, Pitt wrote a novel, The Edge of Battle, and Zeebrugge, an admired account of the First World War raid on the Belgian U-boat base. This led to a long and prolific career as an author and editor of popular histories. Under the overall editorship of Sir Basil Liddell-Hart, he was responsible for the first major part-work, Purnell's History of the Second World War, a 96-instalment mass circulation series which was launched in 1966 at the Imperial War Museum. He also worked as a researcher for the 1960s BBC television series The Great War.
In 1958, Pitt wrote a novel, The Edge of Battle, and Zeebrugge, an admired account of the First World War raid on the Belgian U-boat base. This led to a long and prolific career as an author and editor of popular histories. Under the overall editorship of Sir Basil Liddell-Hart, he was responsible for the first major part-work, Purnell's History of the Second World War, a 96-instalment mass circulation series which was launched in 1966 at the Imperial War Museum. He also worked as a researcher for the 1960s BBC television series The Great War.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 29, 2013
I love to read about WWI and the various takes that authors have on exactly what happened during that horrible carnage. In almost any history of the Great War, the reason that the war suddenly ends in 1918 even though the Germans were still winning battles is explained as one of three: 1)poor German military leadership; 2) troop morale; or 3) the addition of the Americans to the fighting forces. The author takes the high road and blames all three situations which is probably nearer the truth. But he also adds one more very convincing argument that is not always included in some histories.......that being the blockade of Germany by the Royal Navy and the virtual starvation of the population. The military may not have been on its knees quite yet but the civilian population was and revolution was fomenting.
You will have to be a military history buff to enjoy this book as the author goes into great detail about the battle tactics (complete with maps) of the last year of the war. I thought it presented an unbiased look at all the political/military machinations and egos and the author is unafraid to lay blame where it belonged. I would recommend it to the reader who is familiar with the first years of the Great War since it is important to know about battles/leadership of the early years to understand the last year of the "war to end all wars". Recommended.
You will have to be a military history buff to enjoy this book as the author goes into great detail about the battle tactics (complete with maps) of the last year of the war. I thought it presented an unbiased look at all the political/military machinations and egos and the author is unafraid to lay blame where it belonged. I would recommend it to the reader who is familiar with the first years of the Great War since it is important to know about battles/leadership of the early years to understand the last year of the "war to end all wars". Recommended.
June 30, 2021
Barrie Pitt’s is rightly acclaimed for his insightful history of the commanders and the politicians who buried so many bodies in the mud during the last year of World War I.
1918: The Last Act is about war-time strategies (and lack thereof), not tactics. It is so much more than a chronology of the key battles of 1918.
Pitt sets down the compelling chronicle of the fantastically feckless and reckless commanders of all the armies who defied facts, logic, and basic humanity in ordering millions of men to attack, attack, attack…General Foch, Marshal of France, notoriously and repeatedly said, “Tout le monde à la bataille” (“Everyone must attack”). Foch never got his boots muddy.
Another historian has documented this reality: armies do not win wars, rather the loser is the side that gives up first.
It is estimated that the casualty list of World War I is about 20 million dead and 20 million wounded.
The average daily carnage was about 6,000 soldiers a day, from July 18, 1914, to November 11, 2018.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com
1918: The Last Act is about war-time strategies (and lack thereof), not tactics. It is so much more than a chronology of the key battles of 1918.
Pitt sets down the compelling chronicle of the fantastically feckless and reckless commanders of all the armies who defied facts, logic, and basic humanity in ordering millions of men to attack, attack, attack…General Foch, Marshal of France, notoriously and repeatedly said, “Tout le monde à la bataille” (“Everyone must attack”). Foch never got his boots muddy.
Another historian has documented this reality: armies do not win wars, rather the loser is the side that gives up first.
It is estimated that the casualty list of World War I is about 20 million dead and 20 million wounded.
The average daily carnage was about 6,000 soldiers a day, from July 18, 1914, to November 11, 2018.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com
November 9, 2009
The most cataclysmic year of the Great War, splendidly rendered. Looks the devil in the eye. Sentences crafted into a sardonic entrainment of event and causality. Seriously analytical: battle sequences are clad in the armor of tactical study. Ethically biased against the sacrificial mindset of combatant commands; partisan toward the lot of the common soldier. Alternating views from either side of the trenches bring clarity to mayhem. Often heartbreaking but at odd moments, thrilling; e.g., you'll cheer for an intrepid British tank named "Music Box." In short, a book which takes in hand contemporaneous military strategy, national culture, idiosyncracy of command, knowledge of weapon systems, the relentless fog of war, and the insane geopolitics of the day. Heavily influenced by the retrospectives of British scholar Liddell-Hart yet lively and readily accessible to a general readership. Published in the sixties. Barely known today. Such is the pity.
February 19, 2018
Decent overview of 1918 on the Western front especially on the operational level, but only sporadically addressing the tactical evolution of the first air-landbattle doctrines, while in addition being rather uneven in it's treatment of political and strategic developments.
May 2, 2020
Barrie Pitt's history of the final year of the Great War is well written, covering the wider contextual challenges for the allies after the offensives of 1917, leaving French morale heavily weakened, and British forces under strength, and then the German and allied offensives of the spring and summer respectively. The author is engaging in style and balances well the depth and breadth of the topic covered, it is easy for the reader to get caught up in the excitement and pace of the offensives, as the allies move from one assault to another, pushing the Germans back. Regardless of the German myths created about not being defeated on the battlefield, it is evident that they firmly were. Many more men would certainly have died if the fighting had continued, but the end was no longer in doubt.
Written in the 1960s, the narrative shows it, Pitt is very critical of "the Staff" with barely a positive word to say about them or allied commanders. This reflects the wider historical narrative of the time, with less recognition of the challenges of the battlefield at the time, especially in communications between command and the battlefield. Ultimately the role of the Army Commander was not in the front line trenches, and this is important to recognise. However, Pitt rightly argues that allied commanders were slow to recognise different tactical and strategic necessities of the battlefield by 1918, and that Petain and Foch were perhaps the first to recognise the changed approaches required to counter the German spring offensives (Petain) and then the opportunities for offensive in the summer (Foch). Though also recognises that both of them took fairly blunt approaches, justified in the end by the outcomes, but perhaps not in the precise method of delivery.
Pershing and the Americans do not get a positive ride by Pitt; whilst he clearly identifies the valuable role the expectation of large amounts of American troops would provide to the allied forces, the stubborn approach of Pershing delayed their entry to the battlefield, and when they did arrive fighting in areas of the front not considered critical. Further an unwillingness to learn lessons from their allies, meant operational tactics from 1916 were adopted at the cost of many lives.
With hindsight the developments on the Battlefield appear obvious that the allies had the upper hand and could bring the war to a successful conclusion in 1918, but the preceding years and lessons learnt did not make it obvious to commanders at the time, or indeed governments. Haig was perhaps one of the few to recognise this, which Pitt recognises here, though arguably overplays the hindsight perspective.
The book is well recommended for anyone interested in the last year of the war, though consideration should also be given to more modern interpretations, for example those written by Nick Lloyd and Charles Messenger.
Written in the 1960s, the narrative shows it, Pitt is very critical of "the Staff" with barely a positive word to say about them or allied commanders. This reflects the wider historical narrative of the time, with less recognition of the challenges of the battlefield at the time, especially in communications between command and the battlefield. Ultimately the role of the Army Commander was not in the front line trenches, and this is important to recognise. However, Pitt rightly argues that allied commanders were slow to recognise different tactical and strategic necessities of the battlefield by 1918, and that Petain and Foch were perhaps the first to recognise the changed approaches required to counter the German spring offensives (Petain) and then the opportunities for offensive in the summer (Foch). Though also recognises that both of them took fairly blunt approaches, justified in the end by the outcomes, but perhaps not in the precise method of delivery.
Pershing and the Americans do not get a positive ride by Pitt; whilst he clearly identifies the valuable role the expectation of large amounts of American troops would provide to the allied forces, the stubborn approach of Pershing delayed their entry to the battlefield, and when they did arrive fighting in areas of the front not considered critical. Further an unwillingness to learn lessons from their allies, meant operational tactics from 1916 were adopted at the cost of many lives.
With hindsight the developments on the Battlefield appear obvious that the allies had the upper hand and could bring the war to a successful conclusion in 1918, but the preceding years and lessons learnt did not make it obvious to commanders at the time, or indeed governments. Haig was perhaps one of the few to recognise this, which Pitt recognises here, though arguably overplays the hindsight perspective.
The book is well recommended for anyone interested in the last year of the war, though consideration should also be given to more modern interpretations, for example those written by Nick Lloyd and Charles Messenger.
October 16, 2025
Excellent book if you are interested in how the Great War came to a conclusion. The story is really well told without too much deep level descriptions of individual army units, which can get the reader rather bogged down in detail. That's not to say he doesn't name check the armies and also, of course the Commanders and Politicians. Strongly recommend if this period of history is of interest..
October 5, 2018
The end of WWI covered in a highly readable manner. Barrie Pitt brings the reader into the heart of the action.
August 3, 2021
Boring almost beyond belief. The only saving grace was the epilogue
July 6, 2025
Hyvää tietoa sisältävä teos suuren sodan viimeisestä virallisesta sotavuodesta.
April 20, 2019
By 1918, after three years of war, Europe was weary of the stalemate and the terrible slaughter on the Western Front. The Russian Front had collapsed but the United States had abandoned her neutral stance and joined the Allies. So the stage was set for what would be the last year of the Great War.Acclaimed historian Barrie Pitt describes the savage battles that raged unceasingly along the Western Front, and analyses the policies of the warring powers and studies the men who led them. From the German onslaught of 21st March 1918 - the Kaiser's Battle designed to force a resolution before America's armies could tip the balance - through the struggles in Champagne and the Second Battle of the Marne to the turning point in August and final victory, the author gathers together scattered material to make an enthralling book.REVIEWS "Analyses with great lucidity the broad outlines of German and Allied Strategy, and is notably successful in his round- by -round descriptions of the main battles." Sunday TelegraphMr. Pitt tells it clearly, graphically but soberly. The blunders at the top and the filth and stench and misery of the trenches are worked into a compelling narrative.Daily Mail
November 10, 2012
This book begins in 1914, When the Germans attacked France for attacking their alli, which attacked Frances alli for attacking them. This is very confusing, but yet this is how war usually starts. Anyways though I thought this book very accurately described World War 1 for being written in the 1960's. I thought the description of every day that passed was detailed in some sort of way that made it unique instead of just saying "They were in trenches, British attacked Germany counter attacked and etc." I also thought this was pretty interesting how the Allies distributed Germany's power to hold them off as long as they could, many people thought Germany was going to win the war...but that's when something spectacular happened after many years of back and forth trench warfare between the Allies and the Axis powers, and the Allies asking for help from America but we said we wouldn't be apart of it for fear of joining a foreign war. Eventually though after enough of German U-boats sank enough of American vessels we have had enough. So we called for war against Germany, That isn't the only reason we joined though we actually we participating in the war without being in it we were supplying the allies with weapons and ammunition. So as we pooled so much money into the allies and it seemed like they were losing we decided to help otherwise we would've lost all the investment we put into the allies. So we jumped into the war in 1917, and helped the allies push the axis powers back into their homes and kept in beating them until they surrendered. After that s many years of trench warfare countless people dead the war was over and everything was back to normal Germany was punished for their actions including other axis powers and life went back to normal.
August 24, 2015
This is a classic history of the last year of World War I. Factually it is spot on. Pitt traces the combat accurately and clearly. I did, however, find the book to be plodding. Perhaps that was the nature of the first world war (see my review of Greenwood's Second Battle of the Marne). But there are few personal stories and the story is repetitive. Haig and Foch fought with each other, Haig and Lloyd George hated each other. The Americans were pouring into France and would eventually turn the tide.
Reccomended as a reference but a tough slog as a read.
Reccomended as a reference but a tough slog as a read.
August 31, 2008
It was written in 1963, so the perspective is antiquated. They refer to WWI as "in our time," but they do a good job of portraying WWI as being fought in the Napoleonic style until the final German offensive, which introduced the new German tactics adopted in WWII.
March 20, 2015
What a great book! I can't wait to visit these battlefields again.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews