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Product Description
This book will be the first complete account of the operations of the German army in the battles north of Lille in the late autumn of 1914. The main emphasis will be placed on the battles around Ypres against the Old Contemptibles of the BEF, but the fighting against the French and Belgian armies will also be featured, thus providing fresh, broader, insights into a campaign. There are those who consider that the BEF was all that saved world civilisation as the first year of the Great War drew to its end. The book uses the comprehensive histories of the participating German regiments found in the Kriegsarchiv in Munich and the Hauptstaatsarchiv in Stuttgart. Their use adds authority and authenticity to the book. The narrative adopts a chronological approach. The book focuses on some of the most bitterly disputed battles of the first three months of the war, when the Germans strained to achieve a breakthrough and the BEF resisted heroically, at the price of its own destruction. The book employs a similar format to the author s previous works; that is to say the greater part of the text uses the words of the German participants themselves and the primary focus of the book covers the experiences of the fighting troops at regimental level and below. Linking paragraphs provide historical context and commentary and evidence from senior commanders will be introduced as necessary.
About the Author
Jack Sheldon is now firmly established as the leading authority on the German Army in the First World War. A retired soldier he lives in France and is fully engaged researching and writing. His German Army on the Somme was a run-away success and he has built on his reputation with The German Army At Passchendael, the German Army at Cambrai and The German Army on Vimy Ridge, all with Pen & Sword Books. He lives in France.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
No-one understands the day-to-day trials and tribulations of the German soldier on the Western Front in the Great War better than Jack Sheldon.
The German Army at Ypres 1914 adds to an already-impressive body of work and, for the first time in English, brings this key battle in the Race to the Sea to life 'from the other side of the hill'.
It's packed with extremely vivid first-hand accounts throughout (I doubt if any have seen the light of day in English before), plus useful maps which help you to follow the progress of the men cited.
What really got me, however, was the poem cited on the very last page; the sentiments within are not a million miles away from those expressed by British soldier-poets.
Should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in either the opening moves of the Great War or the German Army in WW1.
The German Army at Ypres 1914 adds to an already-impressive body of work and, for the first time in English, brings this key battle in the Race to the Sea to life 'from the other side of the hill'.
It's packed with extremely vivid first-hand accounts throughout (I doubt if any have seen the light of day in English before), plus useful maps which help you to follow the progress of the men cited.
What really got me, however, was the poem cited on the very last page; the sentiments within are not a million miles away from those expressed by British soldier-poets.
Should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in either the opening moves of the Great War or the German Army in WW1.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The best thing about books on the first war is that the majority of them are free of slanted post war politics and unpolluted by politicaly correct over writing and this is no exception .I have a dozen or more excellant volumes written from the British side of the barricade but only 1 prior to my purchasing this one from the German prospective and boy did I strike gold ! Having already read some of the British accounts of the opening moves around Y`Pres reading this was like fitting two pieces of jig-saw together to give an even fuller account of the battle . I`ve already ordered the rest in the series .The book documents the opening skirmish`s around YPres in the early stages of the war which at the time was very much mobile warfare featuring a great deal of cavalry actions as each side attempted to outflank the other and the beginning of trench warfare .It also sheds light on the role the royal navy played in finishing off the Schlieffen plan already diluted by being obliged to draw off resources to fend off the russian invasion of prussia . I bought this in order to improve my knowledge of the conflict which is more or less basic . I suspect the book is aimed at the more serious students of WW1 and I confess I found myself at times out of my depth forever having to scroll back through its pages to refer to maps and even drag out some contained within other books but don`t be put off by this if like me you`re not an expert on the subject . The great thing achieved by the author is that the regimental diary entries are regulary punctuated with a plethora of eye witness accounts taken from letters written at the time of the actions which gives you a real feel of what was happening .It so happens that my best friend is an expert on the first world war having completed his doctorate on the subject and travelled throughout Europe in the course of his studies and has nothing but praise for this book and its author . So if you`re a first world war brainiac like him or just an amateur like me hoping to learn a little more this one caters for us all and is a must have .
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the latest in a sequence of books by Jack Sheldon, examining the German army and its operations on the Western Front. As a body of work they have established Jack as a reliable authority and have justifiably developed a reputation as absorbing and insightful works, bringing balance and perhaps some surprises to British readers.
"The German Army at Ypres 1914" is in some ways a slightly misleading title, for the scope of this volume covers a good deal more than the intensive conflict between the BEF and the Germans in front of Ypres from 20 October to 22 November 1914. The "advance to contact" and early skirmishes as both sides sought to move around and outflank the other in the series of events that made up the so-called "Race to the Sea" take us from the area of Ploegsteert and the Messines ridge all the way up to the Yser line and Disksmuide. As such, this is as much about the Belgian and French engagement with the enemy as it is about the BEF, presenting us with the single most coherent view of the developing battle in Flanders that I have ever read.
The author draws heavily upon published regimental histories, with a leavening of some first-hand accounts and primary documents. As such there is a danger that the source material is a little varnished and likely to have been presented in an optimistic light, but Jack is wise enough to cut through the regimental bull and bravado, to pull out the key facts and ensure that what we have is a reliable telling of the tale.
First Ypres became the subject of mythology on both sides: of British pride in the expertise of their regular soldiers and of defence against overwhelming odds and a highly trained and professional enemy; for Germany, the abiding memory was of patriotic but untrained students advancing arm in arm to their deaths. All these and more come under scrutiny and the truths begin to emerge. The key fact is that the German assault proved in the end to be a complete failure, for all manner of reasons of training, command deficiencies, tactics and morale. The near-breakthrough and defeat of the BEF was not, perhaps, as close a run thing as the British official historian would have us believe. In the end , the battle fizzled out, both sides exhausted. This view from the other side of the wire makes for a fascinating comparison with British reports and I recommend this work highly to anyone interested in Ypres or this early phase of the war.
I understand it was for reasons of space (and at 364 pages this is already a pretty hefty volume) that there is relatively little coverage of the actions south of the Menin Road after the initial skirmishing (a pity in some ways as the actions of 6-7 November in the Zillebeke area were as critical as any in this battle).
Sorry to say but one aspect of production does, for me at any rate, detract - and that is Pen & Sword's continued use of a very upright and narrow typeface. I can only guess that it is some weird attempt to make this book look and feel more German. Well, it hurts my eyes and is not necessary. But let me not overstate this and end by saying that the "The German Army at Ypres 1914" is a terrific piece of military history.
"The German Army at Ypres 1914" is in some ways a slightly misleading title, for the scope of this volume covers a good deal more than the intensive conflict between the BEF and the Germans in front of Ypres from 20 October to 22 November 1914. The "advance to contact" and early skirmishes as both sides sought to move around and outflank the other in the series of events that made up the so-called "Race to the Sea" take us from the area of Ploegsteert and the Messines ridge all the way up to the Yser line and Disksmuide. As such, this is as much about the Belgian and French engagement with the enemy as it is about the BEF, presenting us with the single most coherent view of the developing battle in Flanders that I have ever read.
The author draws heavily upon published regimental histories, with a leavening of some first-hand accounts and primary documents. As such there is a danger that the source material is a little varnished and likely to have been presented in an optimistic light, but Jack is wise enough to cut through the regimental bull and bravado, to pull out the key facts and ensure that what we have is a reliable telling of the tale.
First Ypres became the subject of mythology on both sides: of British pride in the expertise of their regular soldiers and of defence against overwhelming odds and a highly trained and professional enemy; for Germany, the abiding memory was of patriotic but untrained students advancing arm in arm to their deaths. All these and more come under scrutiny and the truths begin to emerge. The key fact is that the German assault proved in the end to be a complete failure, for all manner of reasons of training, command deficiencies, tactics and morale. The near-breakthrough and defeat of the BEF was not, perhaps, as close a run thing as the British official historian would have us believe. In the end , the battle fizzled out, both sides exhausted. This view from the other side of the wire makes for a fascinating comparison with British reports and I recommend this work highly to anyone interested in Ypres or this early phase of the war.
I understand it was for reasons of space (and at 364 pages this is already a pretty hefty volume) that there is relatively little coverage of the actions south of the Menin Road after the initial skirmishing (a pity in some ways as the actions of 6-7 November in the Zillebeke area were as critical as any in this battle).
Sorry to say but one aspect of production does, for me at any rate, detract - and that is Pen & Sword's continued use of a very upright and narrow typeface. I can only guess that it is some weird attempt to make this book look and feel more German. Well, it hurts my eyes and is not necessary. But let me not overstate this and end by saying that the "The German Army at Ypres 1914" is a terrific piece of military history.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very detailed and readable account of the first months of the War
This book is the fifth I have by Jack Sheldon and my expectations were met fully. A very detailed and revealing account of the German Army in the first months of the war, which... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Wills
Jack Sheldon - The German Army at Ypres 1914
I believe this fifth volume of Jack Sheldon's German Army series is quite the best so far. His style has matured and is now well established and easily recognized. Read more
Published 13 months ago by S. Lawes
A triumph
This is another "must have" book for anyone interested in learning about the Great War.
This is not only because it completes a quintet by Jack Sheldon, who has truly... Read more
This is not only because it completes a quintet by Jack Sheldon, who has truly... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Pj Andrade
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