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No Man's Land: 1918, the Last Year of the Great War
From freezing infantrymen huddled in bloodied trenches on the front lines to intricate political maneuvering and tense strategy sessions in European capitals, noted historian John Toland tells of the unforgettable final year of the First World War. As 1918 opened, the Allies and Central Powers remained locked in a desperate, bloody stalemate, despite the deaths of millions of soldiers over the previous three and a half years. The arrival of the Americans "over there" by the middle of the year turned the tide of war, resulting in an Allied victory in November. In these pages participants on both sides, from enlisted men to generals and prime ministers to monarchs, vividly recount the battles, sensational events, and behind-the-scenes strategies that shaped the climactic, terrifying year. It's all here—the horrific futility of going over the top into a hail of bullets in no man's land; the enigmatic death of the legendary German ace, the Red Baron; Operation Michael, a punishing German attack in the spring; the Americans' long-awaited arrival in June; the murder of Russian Czar Nicholas II and his family, the growing fear of a communist menace in the east; and the armistice on November 11. The different points of view of Germans, Americans, British, French, and Russians add depth, complexity, and understanding to the tragedies and triumphs of the War to End All Wars.
727 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
About the author
John Toland
36 books203 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
John^Toland - 17th century theologian, Philosopher & Satirist
John^^Toland - American writer and historian (WWII & Dillinger)
John^^^Toland - Article: "The Man who Reads Minds"
John Willard Toland (June 29, 1912 in La Crosse, Wisconsin - January 4, 2004 in Danbury, Connecticut) was an American author and historian. He is best known for his biography of Adolf Hitler.[1]
Toland tried to write history as a straightforward narrative, with minimal analysis or judgment. This method may have stemmed from his original goal of becoming a playwright. In the summers between his college years, he travelled with hobos and wrote several plays with hobos as central characters, none of which achieved the stage.[2] At one point he managed to publish an article on dirigibles in Look magazine; it proved extremely popular and led to his career as a historian.
One exception to his general approach is his Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath about the Pearl Harbor attack and the investigations of it, in which he wrote about evidence that President Franklin Roosevelt knew in advance of plans to attack the naval base but remained silent. The book was widely criticized at the time. Since the original publication, Toland added new evidence and rebutted early critics. Also, an anonymous source, known as "Seaman Z" (Robert D. Ogg) has since come forth to publicly tell his story.
Perhaps his most important work, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1971, is The Rising Sun. Based on original and extensive interviews with high Japanese officials who survived the war, the book chronicles Imperial Japan from the military rebellion of February 1936 to the end of World War II. The book won the Pulitzer because it was the first book in English to tell the history of the war in the Pacific from the Japanese point of view, rather than from an American perspective.
The stories of the battles for the stepping stones to Japan, the islands in the Pacific which had come under Japanese domination, are told from the perspective of the commander sitting in his cave rather than from that of the heroic forces engaged in the assault. Most of these commanders committed suicide at the conclusion of the battle, but Toland was able to reconstruct their viewpoint from letters to their wives and from reports they sent to Tokyo. Toland died in 2004 of pneumonia.
While predominantly a non-fiction author, Toland also wrote two historical novels, Gods of War and Occupation. He says in his autobiography that he earned little money from his Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Rising Sun, but was set for life from the earnings of his biography of Hitler, for which he also did original research.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tol...
John^Toland - 17th century theologian, Philosopher & Satirist
John^^Toland - American writer and historian (WWII & Dillinger)
John^^^Toland - Article: "The Man who Reads Minds"
John Willard Toland (June 29, 1912 in La Crosse, Wisconsin - January 4, 2004 in Danbury, Connecticut) was an American author and historian. He is best known for his biography of Adolf Hitler.[1]
Toland tried to write history as a straightforward narrative, with minimal analysis or judgment. This method may have stemmed from his original goal of becoming a playwright. In the summers between his college years, he travelled with hobos and wrote several plays with hobos as central characters, none of which achieved the stage.[2] At one point he managed to publish an article on dirigibles in Look magazine; it proved extremely popular and led to his career as a historian.
One exception to his general approach is his Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath about the Pearl Harbor attack and the investigations of it, in which he wrote about evidence that President Franklin Roosevelt knew in advance of plans to attack the naval base but remained silent. The book was widely criticized at the time. Since the original publication, Toland added new evidence and rebutted early critics. Also, an anonymous source, known as "Seaman Z" (Robert D. Ogg) has since come forth to publicly tell his story.
Perhaps his most important work, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1971, is The Rising Sun. Based on original and extensive interviews with high Japanese officials who survived the war, the book chronicles Imperial Japan from the military rebellion of February 1936 to the end of World War II. The book won the Pulitzer because it was the first book in English to tell the history of the war in the Pacific from the Japanese point of view, rather than from an American perspective.
The stories of the battles for the stepping stones to Japan, the islands in the Pacific which had come under Japanese domination, are told from the perspective of the commander sitting in his cave rather than from that of the heroic forces engaged in the assault. Most of these commanders committed suicide at the conclusion of the battle, but Toland was able to reconstruct their viewpoint from letters to their wives and from reports they sent to Tokyo. Toland died in 2004 of pneumonia.
While predominantly a non-fiction author, Toland also wrote two historical novels, Gods of War and Occupation. He says in his autobiography that he earned little money from his Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Rising Sun, but was set for life from the earnings of his biography of Hitler, for which he also did original research.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tol...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
June 22, 2020
WWI was expected by the participants to last approximately a year and was seen as a "great adventure". The Allies and the Central Powers were each convinced of their military superiority. They couldn't have been more wrong as the war dragged on for four years in the blood soaked battle of the trenches where millions were killed for the attainment of a few miles (or even yards) of territory which was promptly lost the next day. It was a slaughter that boggles the imagination. The author begins this book with the last year (1918) of WWI, when the Allies may have been near defeat.
It appeared that the only hope was persuading the United States to physically join the war against the Central Powers (the US had declared war in April, 1917) and bring the resources of men and matérial to the battle. Toland follows the negotiations, plans, and self-serving actions of President Woodrow Wilson, as well as the battles that continued to rage. (Maps are included....hooray!) Wilson believed that his Fourteen Points would secure him a place as one of the greatest leaders in history. I don't feel that the author was particularly biased against Wilson since his facts are based on diaries and letters that clearly define Wilson's position. He wanted to be in charge even though the Allies (Britain, France, Italy, et al) had lost a generation of young men in the first years of the war.
Toland follows each month of 1918 with clarity and his writing style is smooth and consistent. He also gives a few pages explaining the "stab in the back" theory that eventually led to the rise of Hitler and WWII.
Highly recommended.
It appeared that the only hope was persuading the United States to physically join the war against the Central Powers (the US had declared war in April, 1917) and bring the resources of men and matérial to the battle. Toland follows the negotiations, plans, and self-serving actions of President Woodrow Wilson, as well as the battles that continued to rage. (Maps are included....hooray!) Wilson believed that his Fourteen Points would secure him a place as one of the greatest leaders in history. I don't feel that the author was particularly biased against Wilson since his facts are based on diaries and letters that clearly define Wilson's position. He wanted to be in charge even though the Allies (Britain, France, Italy, et al) had lost a generation of young men in the first years of the war.
Toland follows each month of 1918 with clarity and his writing style is smooth and consistent. He also gives a few pages explaining the "stab in the back" theory that eventually led to the rise of Hitler and WWII.
Highly recommended.
August 20, 2021
Toland, a world-class historian, recounts the last year of the Great War. Every move by every key general and politician in four countries (they kept a lot of diaries and notes) and sprinkled with the experiences of front-line soldiers and diplomats. The book is too long, the detail too much (particularly in its retelling of every meeting between the top people--dozens, maybe hundreds of meetings that end in no decision or in a decision that will be changed the next day, or end with the promise of the principals to meet with other top people, find out what they think, and then have another meeting.)
But what part should be cut? This is the step-by-step process that ended the deadlock in the French and Belgian trenches. Lenin and his Bolsheviks had overthrown the Czar and pulled Russia out of the war. Germany brought troops from the east for a decisive offensive in the west; at the same time, American soldiers were arriving in large numbers, tipping the balance for the western powers. After three years of static slaughter, things happened rapidly. The Germans almost won, but they ran out of steam a little short. The French almost rebelled, but they held out. The British almost quit, but they persuaded the French to help just enough.
In the end, Corporal Hitler and many of his fellow soldiers felt betrayed, unaware that their generals had thrown up their hands and declared the war lost. Because civilians in Germany were starving, because Austria and Turkey had given up, and perhaps most importantly, soldiers, sailors, and workers were revolting against the Kaiser and moving to create a Bolshevik revolution in Germany.
But what part should be cut? This is the step-by-step process that ended the deadlock in the French and Belgian trenches. Lenin and his Bolsheviks had overthrown the Czar and pulled Russia out of the war. Germany brought troops from the east for a decisive offensive in the west; at the same time, American soldiers were arriving in large numbers, tipping the balance for the western powers. After three years of static slaughter, things happened rapidly. The Germans almost won, but they ran out of steam a little short. The French almost rebelled, but they held out. The British almost quit, but they persuaded the French to help just enough.
In the end, Corporal Hitler and many of his fellow soldiers felt betrayed, unaware that their generals had thrown up their hands and declared the war lost. Because civilians in Germany were starving, because Austria and Turkey had given up, and perhaps most importantly, soldiers, sailors, and workers were revolting against the Kaiser and moving to create a Bolshevik revolution in Germany.
July 9, 2019
I recently re-read this book (2026) and have upgraded my rating to 4 stars.
While I have enjoyed Tolan’s other history books more, this one is unique in its view of the leadership of all the participants fighting along the Hindenburg line.
I also believe it is the best book (though there are only two long chapters dedicated to it) to report the state of affairs in Germany in the days leading up to the armistice, abdication of the various kings of Germany, and the beginning of a near civil war as the government collapsed.
While I didn’t love the first half of the book (the early part of 1918) or the uneven reporting on Woodrow Wilson’s administration, the coverage of the latter few months of the war (and the book) up to the armistice was excellent.
While I have enjoyed Tolan’s other history books more, this one is unique in its view of the leadership of all the participants fighting along the Hindenburg line.
I also believe it is the best book (though there are only two long chapters dedicated to it) to report the state of affairs in Germany in the days leading up to the armistice, abdication of the various kings of Germany, and the beginning of a near civil war as the government collapsed.
While I didn’t love the first half of the book (the early part of 1918) or the uneven reporting on Woodrow Wilson’s administration, the coverage of the latter few months of the war (and the book) up to the armistice was excellent.
September 20, 2018
Barbara Tuchman's Guns of August is indespensible for understanding the elements that culminated in the outset of The Great War. I read No Man's Land to understand how the war ended with that oft-misunderstood term, an armistice.
I had thought that WWI was simply a four-year stalemate over the same ground. It was suprising to learn how close the Germans came to capturing Paris at the end of May, and how desperate the French and British were until the Americans arrived. It's a good book that can make a known outcome dramatic. The closer it got to November 11th, the harder it was to put the book down.
There were long swathes of grimness. Trench warfare and tank warfare are two of the highest species of misery.
As a afficianado of Anthony Trollope I relished this side note by Lt. Patrick Campbell
The book, the writing, the choice of stories and narratives all held my interest. The descriptions of the end were poignant: an "orgy of rejoicing" in London, the silence on the battlefield, the bitterness in Berlin.
In France they celebrated by singing. Opera singers sang the three anthems of America, Britain, and France. Choruses and folk songs followed. It was a community song festival the like of which no city has ever seen and the like of which may never come again...the singing brought the great and exultant day to a close.
I had thought that WWI was simply a four-year stalemate over the same ground. It was suprising to learn how close the Germans came to capturing Paris at the end of May, and how desperate the French and British were until the Americans arrived. It's a good book that can make a known outcome dramatic. The closer it got to November 11th, the harder it was to put the book down.
There were long swathes of grimness. Trench warfare and tank warfare are two of the highest species of misery.
As a afficianado of Anthony Trollope I relished this side note by Lt. Patrick Campbell
The bombardment had turned him into "another person, one out of whom all courage had been poured away." His fear haunted him and he thought if he had something to do he might forget it. Afterward he had read Trollope's Framley Parsonage. "It was delightful. Nothing happens in the book. And one day, I thought, we may return to a life in which nothing ever happens."1918 saw the end of three dynastic rulers in Russia, Germany and Austria. It also brought the influenza pandemic to which more people succombed than deaths from all the battles of the Great War.
The book, the writing, the choice of stories and narratives all held my interest. The descriptions of the end were poignant: an "orgy of rejoicing" in London, the silence on the battlefield, the bitterness in Berlin.
In France they celebrated by singing. Opera singers sang the three anthems of America, Britain, and France. Choruses and folk songs followed. It was a community song festival the like of which no city has ever seen and the like of which may never come again...the singing brought the great and exultant day to a close.
August 20, 2025
A clear and well-written work.
The narrative is well-organized and very readable. The narrative transitions smoothly between statesmen, generals, and soldiers, and ably covers both the political, diplomatic, and military dimensions of the war’s last year (though he seems more in his element covering strategy)
Toland’s style is a little anecdotal, and jumps back and forth quite a bit. Some readers may find the picture of the battles and the soldiers’ war at the front to be a little hazy. Toland also has certain criticisms that some readers may wish he had expanded on, rather than simply stating them (Woodrow Wilson’s idealism, the necessity of a “hard war,” etc.) The book is focused almost entirely on the Western Front, and some readers may wish for more coverage of the Middle East, Italy, or the Balkans.
There's a few errors as well. At one point Clemenceau is called a “onetime socialist mayor.” In the prologue Toland writes that America “entered the war with enthusiasm,” although it was very divided. Showing the book’s age, one photo caption states that the Tsar and his family were killed in 1917, and “with the possible exception of Anastasia.” He writes that the Cheka was formed after the attempted assassination of Lenin, although it was formed before this. Toland also assumes the reader can understand French.
A vivid and well-researched work, if a bit clumsy at times.
The narrative is well-organized and very readable. The narrative transitions smoothly between statesmen, generals, and soldiers, and ably covers both the political, diplomatic, and military dimensions of the war’s last year (though he seems more in his element covering strategy)
Toland’s style is a little anecdotal, and jumps back and forth quite a bit. Some readers may find the picture of the battles and the soldiers’ war at the front to be a little hazy. Toland also has certain criticisms that some readers may wish he had expanded on, rather than simply stating them (Woodrow Wilson’s idealism, the necessity of a “hard war,” etc.) The book is focused almost entirely on the Western Front, and some readers may wish for more coverage of the Middle East, Italy, or the Balkans.
There's a few errors as well. At one point Clemenceau is called a “onetime socialist mayor.” In the prologue Toland writes that America “entered the war with enthusiasm,” although it was very divided. Showing the book’s age, one photo caption states that the Tsar and his family were killed in 1917, and “with the possible exception of Anastasia.” He writes that the Cheka was formed after the attempted assassination of Lenin, although it was formed before this. Toland also assumes the reader can understand French.
A vivid and well-researched work, if a bit clumsy at times.
April 9, 2022
What i like about this book - it soldified the case against the premise that the German military wasnt defeated in ww1, fighting back against the longstanding claim that it was only a political defeat. It makes a compelling case that the German navy was already in a state of mutiny, workers were already leaving factories and on the verse of civil war, large segments of the army refusing to fight, or surrendering when promoted to do so, civilians malnourished, etc. It was this collapse occuring along all segements that made further fighting futile regardless of whether the front lines were inside of Germany or not.
Unfortunately much of the book before that was a slog to get through for me. Overall it was okay.
Unfortunately much of the book before that was a slog to get through for me. Overall it was okay.
May 15, 2022
I got this on Audible with the initial intent of simply having something to listen to outside; because Grover Gardner, my favorite audiobook narrator, reads it; and because WWI and WWII literature makes up a sizeable portion of my reading diet. My expectations weren't high, but I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would, so much so that I picked up the hardback from my library so I could pick up where I left off when I came in from outside. Toland has his biases (e.g., very pro-Haig), but that's not so unusual and I can live with it. The quality of the writing is very good and Toland, like the best history writers, knows how to weave big-picture events with personal interactions and engagements, with the former setting the stage for the latter and the latter giving color to the former. Warmly recommended, and I hope to read more of Toland soon.
November 30, 2009
This book was one of the first books that I read covering the First World War and I found it to be a great account and very easy to read.
December 29, 2021
I've been a student of the Great War for over 30 years and have read many dozens of books on World War 1, and I can say even though this book was published more than 40 years ago, in 1980, it is still one of the best I have ever read. Toland focuses on the last year of the war and from page one to the end this book is nonstop action and insight. Toland not only wrote well, but he mixed well together front line action; military strategy; politics and the experience of front-line soldiers. Few writers master all of these areas of writing about the Great War let alone skillfully blend them. Toland also has the rather unique ability of presenting the British, French, German and American points of view whereas most writers favor one view or another.
When Toland wrote this book unlike today there were still Great War veterans alive and first person accounts readily available and I think that helped bring this book to such life. After reading so much on the Great War, I remain convinced of my interpretation-- that the war was totally the fault of Germany and Austria-Hungary, but the British and French were so inept and so unable to adapt to the modern technological changes of war and society they neeedlessly sacrificed millions of their young men and almost deserved to lose the war. The insane class-based society of Britain and its continuously deleterious impact on the average soldier was surmounted only by the incompetence and arrogance of the French military and political leadership. When you read of the poor and arrogant decisions of Haig and Foch you almost want to cheer on the Germans it gets that bad.
It is also very clear that absent American intervention in 1917 to 1918 which brought millions of fresh troops to the Allied side, it is very possible the Germans would have won. Yes the British blockade was starving Germany, but the reality is the French army was in mutiny and near collapse and the British had simply run out of young men. It's also clear given the incredibly poor leadership of the French Foch and British Haig that the decision of President Wilson and General John Pershing to not just allow American troops to fill in the depleted ranks of the French and British Armies was the right call. Keeping the American army under American control despite their inexperience was the single deciding factor that pushed the Germans to collapse. Toland does well to present the unrealistic British contempt expeically of General Wilson for Pershing and President Wilson while the evidence is clear that American resources and the American president ended up controlling the end of the war. But the ominous predictions of President Wilson's chief counsellor, Colonol House, proved sadly true--that Wilson's involvement in the peace conference would result in the allies having the ability to impose too harsh peace terms on Germany proved sadly true.
There are only a few shortcomings in this book. First, even given its 1980 publication date, the quality of the many pictures in the book is very poor. Second, even with the current hype of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toland errs in only devoting literally a few paragraphs to the impact of the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu pandemic on the war and society. Spanish flu killed more people than the war and also impacted the last year of the war but you would not know it from Tolland's almost happenstance mentioning. And I think while Toland does well to show the arrogance of the British and French towards Pershing and the Americans Toland might have more forcefully presented the American feelings from such sources as Pershing's 1931 memoir, My Experiences in the World War and other sources.
Overall though this is simply an excellent book on almost every aspect of the last year of the Great War and is a must read for any student of the war.
When Toland wrote this book unlike today there were still Great War veterans alive and first person accounts readily available and I think that helped bring this book to such life. After reading so much on the Great War, I remain convinced of my interpretation-- that the war was totally the fault of Germany and Austria-Hungary, but the British and French were so inept and so unable to adapt to the modern technological changes of war and society they neeedlessly sacrificed millions of their young men and almost deserved to lose the war. The insane class-based society of Britain and its continuously deleterious impact on the average soldier was surmounted only by the incompetence and arrogance of the French military and political leadership. When you read of the poor and arrogant decisions of Haig and Foch you almost want to cheer on the Germans it gets that bad.
It is also very clear that absent American intervention in 1917 to 1918 which brought millions of fresh troops to the Allied side, it is very possible the Germans would have won. Yes the British blockade was starving Germany, but the reality is the French army was in mutiny and near collapse and the British had simply run out of young men. It's also clear given the incredibly poor leadership of the French Foch and British Haig that the decision of President Wilson and General John Pershing to not just allow American troops to fill in the depleted ranks of the French and British Armies was the right call. Keeping the American army under American control despite their inexperience was the single deciding factor that pushed the Germans to collapse. Toland does well to present the unrealistic British contempt expeically of General Wilson for Pershing and President Wilson while the evidence is clear that American resources and the American president ended up controlling the end of the war. But the ominous predictions of President Wilson's chief counsellor, Colonol House, proved sadly true--that Wilson's involvement in the peace conference would result in the allies having the ability to impose too harsh peace terms on Germany proved sadly true.
There are only a few shortcomings in this book. First, even given its 1980 publication date, the quality of the many pictures in the book is very poor. Second, even with the current hype of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toland errs in only devoting literally a few paragraphs to the impact of the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu pandemic on the war and society. Spanish flu killed more people than the war and also impacted the last year of the war but you would not know it from Tolland's almost happenstance mentioning. And I think while Toland does well to show the arrogance of the British and French towards Pershing and the Americans Toland might have more forcefully presented the American feelings from such sources as Pershing's 1931 memoir, My Experiences in the World War and other sources.
Overall though this is simply an excellent book on almost every aspect of the last year of the Great War and is a must read for any student of the war.
March 18, 2012
John Toland's books are a safe bet for engaging histories. This one covers the last year of the first world war from the perspectives of the major states--Germany, France, Russia, the UK and the USA--involved and from individuals both in the trenches and in the halls of power. I've read a number of histories dealing with this conflict before, but, at over six hundred pages devoted to a single year, this history has substantially informed, even revised, my understanding of the war and its consequences.
Insofar as there are weaknesses it is as regards the other players: Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Belgium, Holland, Japan etc. They are barely mentioned and then only tangentially. This is neither a perfectly objective nor an exhaustive history. If, however, the goal is seen as setting the stage for the interwar years and the conflict to follow, then the job may be said to have been well done.
What particularly interested me was, first, the attention Toland played to events in the Soviet Union, both in the west and in the far east and, second, his treatment of the social revolution in Germany which actually ended the war, albeit on less favorable terms than might have been if the revolt had not occurred.
My opinions of Foch had been negative before reading this book. Now they are more positive. And while Woodrow Wilson had descended from being, in my imagination, a hero, while I was in high school, to a villain, since college, Toland's treatment of him has given me a greater appreciation of his breadth and complexity.
Insofar as there are weaknesses it is as regards the other players: Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Belgium, Holland, Japan etc. They are barely mentioned and then only tangentially. This is neither a perfectly objective nor an exhaustive history. If, however, the goal is seen as setting the stage for the interwar years and the conflict to follow, then the job may be said to have been well done.
What particularly interested me was, first, the attention Toland played to events in the Soviet Union, both in the west and in the far east and, second, his treatment of the social revolution in Germany which actually ended the war, albeit on less favorable terms than might have been if the revolt had not occurred.
My opinions of Foch had been negative before reading this book. Now they are more positive. And while Woodrow Wilson had descended from being, in my imagination, a hero, while I was in high school, to a villain, since college, Toland's treatment of him has given me a greater appreciation of his breadth and complexity.
June 23, 2026
Great book. Toland’s level of detail is incredible for an event that occurred over a hundred years ago. He spends more time covering the experience of individual soldiers and small units than do other authors covering WW1. That being said, he often pans out to describe the broader conflict and the decisions of the military and political leaders as well.
The parts on Russia and the Bolshevik revolution, while undoubtedly important to the conflict in 1918, were less interesting to me than were the chapters discussing the western front. I can’t necessarily hold this as a critique of Toland though, as I’ve been similarly disinterested in revolutionary Russia when I’ve read other authors.
Overall it’s a great book. It’s written very well and the subject matter is inherently interesting. Would highly recommend.
The parts on Russia and the Bolshevik revolution, while undoubtedly important to the conflict in 1918, were less interesting to me than were the chapters discussing the western front. I can’t necessarily hold this as a critique of Toland though, as I’ve been similarly disinterested in revolutionary Russia when I’ve read other authors.
Overall it’s a great book. It’s written very well and the subject matter is inherently interesting. Would highly recommend.
May 21, 2025
A very interesting look at the last year of the First World War. It includes the perspectives of all the major players, Britain, France, Russia, Germany and the United States. Toland does a great job at presenting a lot of information in a orderly, un-confusing way which made this an interesting and informative book for me. I really enjoyed it.
October 17, 2018
I enjoy reading about military history, so I read this in commemoration of the centenary of the end of WWI. I hadn't known much at all about the last year of that war. Although the US entered the war in 1917, they really had no impact until the spring of 1918. Even though the US forces were pretty small compared to the large numbers of other forces on the Western Front, they tipped the balance toward the allies. Their enthusiasm, and the promise of many more US troops and supplies to come, made the difference in the stalemate between the much larger but exhausted forces in place. My great uncle Ben fought in the war--but he died before I was born, and I never knew much about him. I did, however, inherit his WWI era sleeping bag, which I used for innumerable sleepouts and camping vacations growing up--to the point that I worn it out. It was an odd sleeping bag--it was an insulated sleeve which was wrapped in a removable canvas cover that tied around it.
In 1918 a fairly small allied force invaded Russia from the north. I had never heard about that. The book did not make the motive for this very clear--because I think the allies themselves had various motives and were not clear themselves. There was a mixture of opposing the communists, fearing the Germans might gain too much influence, and the Japanese wanting to control some land. Anyway, it seemed not to amount to anything much.
The book ended with the armistice but before the Treaty of Versailles.
The book had a combination of views from the trenches, from the commanders and from the politicians. It focussed mostly on the British, with less on the French, less on the Germans, less on the US, and very little on Russia. So it was not really a balanced account, but it tried to offer fairly broad coverage.
In 1918 a fairly small allied force invaded Russia from the north. I had never heard about that. The book did not make the motive for this very clear--because I think the allies themselves had various motives and were not clear themselves. There was a mixture of opposing the communists, fearing the Germans might gain too much influence, and the Japanese wanting to control some land. Anyway, it seemed not to amount to anything much.
The book ended with the armistice but before the Treaty of Versailles.
The book had a combination of views from the trenches, from the commanders and from the politicians. It focussed mostly on the British, with less on the French, less on the Germans, less on the US, and very little on Russia. So it was not really a balanced account, but it tried to offer fairly broad coverage.
November 30, 2024
The story of the last year of the war is told by Toland in thorough and well-rounded fashion. While the writing was not as engaging as some (not a page-turner), its effect upon me was profound.
As NT Wright's Resurrection of the Son of God book hammered home the point that resurrection means a body coming back to life, not some spiritual event, so this book through its testimonies and narrative indirectly convinced me of just how horrible armed conflict is. What happened to these men was brutally destructive. The scale of physical or even just emotional trauma was truly great on a scale difficult yet painful even to imagine. And in disgusting manner, the men in power, such as the Kaiser, along with the politicians and generals on both sides of the conflict were seemingly ignorant of the suffering at the front lines. The dysfunctional split between upper management and service workers / employees that often occurs in businesses was on full display in the Great War, though certainly it was not true of all its leaders.
It's a lesson to face reality, to live in truth and to not ignore my doubts or questions. Revolutions to varying degrees were sparked by the often-careless sacrifice of lives in a fruitless war. God grant that we learn from this episode in history and avoid armed conflict until absolutely necessary. God grant that we face our fears and accept when things aren't as we wish with grace and that we would seek His will and building His kingdom instead of our own.
As NT Wright's Resurrection of the Son of God book hammered home the point that resurrection means a body coming back to life, not some spiritual event, so this book through its testimonies and narrative indirectly convinced me of just how horrible armed conflict is. What happened to these men was brutally destructive. The scale of physical or even just emotional trauma was truly great on a scale difficult yet painful even to imagine. And in disgusting manner, the men in power, such as the Kaiser, along with the politicians and generals on both sides of the conflict were seemingly ignorant of the suffering at the front lines. The dysfunctional split between upper management and service workers / employees that often occurs in businesses was on full display in the Great War, though certainly it was not true of all its leaders.
It's a lesson to face reality, to live in truth and to not ignore my doubts or questions. Revolutions to varying degrees were sparked by the often-careless sacrifice of lives in a fruitless war. God grant that we learn from this episode in history and avoid armed conflict until absolutely necessary. God grant that we face our fears and accept when things aren't as we wish with grace and that we would seek His will and building His kingdom instead of our own.
January 5, 2019
This book cover the last year of World War I, starting with the German 1918 spring offensives. It begins with good combat coverage, including first hand accounts from participants. It is over-ambitions in also trying to cover events in Russia, and detailed diplomacy there and on the western front. Coverage of action on western front becomes much less detailed, and then almost non-existent as author focuses on diplomacy leading to armistice. The book does not cover other events in Palestine, Greece, and Italy in any detail. Book has good accounts from participants at all levels, but has too broad a focus.
September 2, 2020
The book focuses almost entirely on the Western Front; the other fronts are barely mentioned at all. The exception was Russia; a couple chapters covered the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the start of the civil war, and Allied intervention.
Much of the book tends to cover either the Allied high command (mostly the British) or first person accounts of the military operations (again mostly British personnel). Coverage of the German army was confined to decisions made by Ludendorff and the Supreme Command. The book ignores activities of Allied units below army command and of German units at any level (such as how individual corps commanders handled defensive/offensive actions).
Much of the book tends to cover either the Allied high command (mostly the British) or first person accounts of the military operations (again mostly British personnel). Coverage of the German army was confined to decisions made by Ludendorff and the Supreme Command. The book ignores activities of Allied units below army command and of German units at any level (such as how individual corps commanders handled defensive/offensive actions).
August 7, 2013
A classic that is showing his age. A global account of the final year of the Great War shoudn't diminute Italy (plural) to a few italic paragraphs. Much like "Battle" (of the Bulge) it survives as a source of eyewitness accounts.
June 30, 2011
Toland dissects the final year of World War I and concludes that many lives were unnecessarily wasted on both sides. He lays open trench warfare.
June 21, 2023
John Toland is one of the premier historians of the twentieth century, This book is an example of why! In 1918 the world was growing war weary. The fighting forces of each country were exhausted and worn thin by four years of conflict. Russia was withdrawing from the war and succumbing to the Bolshevik Revolution. This freed German forces to concentrate on the Western Front.The German military leadership of Hindenburg and Ludendorff planned to use these forces to attack and drive a wedge between the British and French forces hoping to destroy the British Army. As for the Allies, only the American forces were fresh but they were untested and because of direction from President Wilson and General Pershing could not be used as replacements for British or French losses. Wilson and Pershing insisted that US forces be employed under their own leadership. Field Marshall Haig, the British commander and General Petain, the French commander thought otherwise. They sought the US soldiers as replacements for their losses. Pershing refused. Meanwhile in the other theaters of the war, Austria was being pushed back by Italian forces. Turkey was suffering defeat at the hands of the British. Bulgaria too was collapsing. Japan sent troops into Siberia at Vladivostok to support Czech forces retreating after Russia collapsed. Eventually that intervention resulted in the deployment of British and US forces to protect military supplies remaining sent to support the Russian effort against Germany and to support efforts to stop the Bolshevik forces from taking them. It was also an effort to support non-communist forces in establishing a democratic government. As interesting as the description of the fighting is in this book, what I found more informative was the machinations of the political leaders. Prime Minister Lloyd George of the UK, Premier Georges Clemenceau of France, V.I. Lenin of Russia, Prince Max of Baden and the German military leaders Hindenburg and Ludendorff and the US President Wilson and his advisor Edward House schemed and conspired against and with each other and internally their own military leaders. It makes for an interesting and intriguing read. I knew about the problems in Russia between the communist and non-communist populace but I was unaware of how much internal unrest there was within Germany and how close it came to falling under the communist banner. Author Toland does a yeoman job at describing both the military and political situation in each country in 1918. I strongly recommend this book for all those interested in World War I.
April 4, 2018
There are surprisingly few books available about the last year of WWI, and of those Toland's is often touted as the best. While it's certainly a valuable account of that critical year ,purely for the fact that it exists, it's far from perfect.
Toland is not the most objective writer, and is biased in some strange ways. Chief among those is the extremely high regard he has for Douglas Haig, who is portrayed throughout as some sort of misunderstood genius whose true potential is held back only by the meddlesome politicians back in London.
I can think of few British figures as universally maligned as Haig, and you'd probably have to travel back to the days of King John to find person as widely reviled. Yet Toland is constantly going out of his way to portray Haig as eternally patient, infinitely wise and tactically brilliant.
Since no mention is made of Haig's disastrous conduct in the war preceding 1918, readers unfamiliar with the subject will no doubt take Toland's at his word. They will walk away from the book thinking Haig a hero, Lloyd George an idiot and Marshall Petain a coward. This would be most unfortunate, since all of those things are untrue.
All of that being said, there are plenty of fascinating anecdotes here about the war's final year, and the broad strokes of the events as they unfolded are for the most part accurate.
Certainly worth a read, but only with a healthy dose of skepticism regarding his portrayal of the main players.
Toland is not the most objective writer, and is biased in some strange ways. Chief among those is the extremely high regard he has for Douglas Haig, who is portrayed throughout as some sort of misunderstood genius whose true potential is held back only by the meddlesome politicians back in London.
I can think of few British figures as universally maligned as Haig, and you'd probably have to travel back to the days of King John to find person as widely reviled. Yet Toland is constantly going out of his way to portray Haig as eternally patient, infinitely wise and tactically brilliant.
Since no mention is made of Haig's disastrous conduct in the war preceding 1918, readers unfamiliar with the subject will no doubt take Toland's at his word. They will walk away from the book thinking Haig a hero, Lloyd George an idiot and Marshall Petain a coward. This would be most unfortunate, since all of those things are untrue.
All of that being said, there are plenty of fascinating anecdotes here about the war's final year, and the broad strokes of the events as they unfolded are for the most part accurate.
Certainly worth a read, but only with a healthy dose of skepticism regarding his portrayal of the main players.
December 30, 2024
A much more thorough understanding of the politicians and higher-ranking military personnel who guided and conducted the events surrounding the first world war. It has helped me to better comprehend the reasons for World War Two as well as the distrust The Soviet Union has harbored against the western world since its inception. Most of the written history as it pertains to The United States has glossed over our role in this and overstated our accomplishments. We got into the struggle as a large portion of the adversaries were wanting out. This explains why so many German soldiers were easily captured by so few of the allied soldiers. As stated in previous works, the extreme harshness of the peace settlement and the failure to have the German population to accept defeat made the future war inevitable.
August 22, 2018
A very readable account of the last year of the Great War; it almost reads like a novel. It goes almost day by day, giving stories about what trench warfare was like, based on experiences told about by survivors. Also gives accounts of what the top brass and the politicians were doing and bickering about. Toland covers both the Allies (the UK, France, the USA) and Germany. The book is at its best covering the Western Front and events in Russia. If you want to know in depth about what was happening elsewhere, e.g. in Italy or the Middle East, you will need to read other accounts. Likewise, to fully understand what happened in 1918, it helps a lot to know what all had happened since the outbreak of the war in 1914.
December 1, 2023
Rounded up from 4.5 stars. Toland writes his books like teleplays, and this is no exception. Captures the gripping emotional drama of a period which even college-level classes relegate to virtually a meme. Is also particularly insightful and detailed on some contentious and important events with far-reaching consequences, particularly related to the Second World War (consequently, is a fantastic prequel to his famous biography). -0.5 because of personal preference that his anecdotes of combat can be fairly repetitive and a slog to get through, although certainly provides vivid flavor to life on the front lines.
December 31, 2023
Strong narrative style and story structure, as is usually true for Toland. Oddly nationalistic in stretches (why use the French pejorative "le Boche" for Germans, when just telling the tale?). And yet, there is good attention to the German side: the flow of the 1918 German offensives is treated fully and shows how close everyone came to the snapping point. The rebound for the Allies is not so crystal clear, perhaps.
The amount of political back-biting and infighting (on both sides) was fairly amazing, and most instructive to anyone today who presumes allies are supposed to just get along, or toe the line of the major partner.
The amount of political back-biting and infighting (on both sides) was fairly amazing, and most instructive to anyone today who presumes allies are supposed to just get along, or toe the line of the major partner.
September 8, 2026
A solid, balanced account of events (battles, personal conflicts, negotiations, etc.) in the final year of WWI. The author covers not only the war in France, but what was happening in Russia. He also spends some time analyzing leaders such as Woodrow Wilson, Douglas Haig, Clemenceau, and Lloyd George. The book concludes at the point of the armistice (November 11, 1918), so other works will have to be consulted to gain insight into the Treaty of Versailles and the Balfour Declaration.
June 11, 2017
Through vivid and well-documented vignettes from the trenches to cabinet rooms, Toland describes the last year of World War I extremely well. The military side is interesting but the political side[s a shocker. For example, Col. House intimated that the US would withdraw from the war if the other Allies didn’t accept the Fourteen Points. The maps are great.
June 25, 2018
While this book provides detailed accounts of the German Spring Offensive, the Russian Revolution and the politics of Woodrow Wilson, it is far too lacking in information on the Middle East theatre, actions on the Italian Front and the military details of the 100 Day Offensive to be an encompassing recounting of the final year of WWI.
October 9, 2020
Even though he concentrated on only one year of the war and the book was almost 600 pages long, the author still tried to cover too much. He did a pretty good job highlighting the political aspects but shortchanged the conduct of the war and what was happening in other parts of the world outside the Western Front.
January 21, 2021
I'm a little shocked that this was considered peak pop history in the 70s/80s. This thing is a mess, a mish mash of stream of thought snippets that does has no organization. It's well and good to focus on the 'everyman' experience in war, but it becomes meaningless if that makes it impossible to understand the broader narrative.
March 26, 2023
Good account of the last year of the First World War. Quite a bit of politics surrounding the armistice and peace which I mostly skipped as it's too confusing to keep track of all the different role players and intrigues, but that's no fault of the writer, just my own lack of interest in such matters. The frontline accounts are what tickles my fancy, and those were very good.
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