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Title details for Verdun by John Mosier - Available

Verdun

The Lost History of the Most Important Battle of World War I

by John Mosier
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Alongside Waterloo and Gettysburg, the Battle of Verdun during the First World War stands as one of history’s greatest clashes. Perfect for military history buffs, this compelling account of one of World War I’s most important battles explains why it is also the most complex and misunderstood.
Although British historians have always seen Verdun as a one-year battle designed by the German chief of staff to bleed France white, historian John Mosier’s careful analysis of the German plans reveals a much more abstract and theoretical approach. From the very beginning of the war until the armistice in 1918, no fewer than eight distinct battles were waged there. These conflicts are largely unknown, even in France, owing to the obsessive secrecy of the French high command.
Our understanding of Verdun has long been mired in myths, false assumptions, propaganda, and distortions. Now, using numerous accounts of military analysts, serving officers, and eyewitnesses, including French sources that have never been translated, Mosier offers a compelling reassessment of the Great War’s most important battle.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 1, 2013

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781101621387

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781101621387
      • File size: 6206 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      October 15, 2013

      For most students of military history, the Battle of Verdun is remembered as a single conflict that began and ended in 1916 in which the French--at great cost--won back land lost in 1914 to the invading German army. Historical revisionist Mosier (English, Loyola Univ.; The Myth of the Great War: A New Military History of World War I) contests this conventional view of one of the bloodiest battles of World War I with a new interpretation of established stories, data, motivations, and results. In Mosier's view, Verdun was a series of at least eight separate and distinct battles that lasted from 1916 until the 1918 armistice. Further, he argues that based on his archaeological and archival research, commonly accepted facts surrounding casualty figures, battlefield and military command strategies, and combat history are all, and at their core, flawed. Early in the book, Mosier suggests not splitting hairs over finer details but then proceeds to do just that. While reexamining and reinterpreting are important aspects of historical scholarship, the evidence presented here is neither compelling nor convincing. VERDICT Of supplemental interest to nonacademic World War I military history buffs.--Linda Frederiksen, Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver

      Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Library Journal

      November 1, 2013

      Considering the charnel pit of Verdun, Mosier judges the blunders of French and British commanders, reexamining duration, casualty figures, strategy, intentions, and politics. Revisionist. Complementary to Jankowski, above. (LJ 10/15/13)

      Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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