Books on the battle of Le Cateau and the retreat from Mons

[CoyoteJ]

Dear GWF members,

I would like to read a well written account of the battle of Le Cateau and the BEF retreat from Mons

Can anyone recommend a book that covers these topics?

I am a professional archaeologist (classical) with only rudimentary knowledge of WWI so please forgive if this is a novice question.

Thank you.

[Chris_Baker]

For a good, well researched and accessible starter, try Jerry Murland's "Retreat and Rearguard 1914: The BEF's Actions From Mons to the Marne". It is in print (and via Kindle) and readily available.

[trajan]

Can't help with suggesting a book, but nice to have a fellow classical archaeologist on GWF CoyoteJ!

[centurion]

• The British Army in 1914 - Major R Money Barnes - a golden if dated oldie

1914 Glory Departing - Edward Owen

The Mons Myth - Terrence Zuber - a revisionist account

The Advance from Mons - Captain Walter Bloem - the German viewpoint written from his own experience leading a German company (he considered Mons was a British victory)

Douglas Haig and the First World War - L P Harris - a nice clear account with good maps (and you get the rest of the war too)

[Dust Jacket Collector]

The Retreat from Mons by Major A. Corbett-Smith. Cassell 1916. A still useful contemporary account & quite easy to find as it was reprinted numerous times.

[fellop]

My offerings are:

Mons The Retreat to Victory by John Terraine.

Mons 1914 – 1918 The Beginning and the End by Don Farr.

Also the ever faithful

The Mons Star by David Ascoli.

I certainly found, that for me anyway, each of these books individually and all three collectively has given me a better and clearer understanding of this important period.

Regards

Peter

[Mark Hone]

'Riding the Retreat' by the late Richard Holmes.

[Guest]

Becke's History of the Royal Artillery at Le Cateau - available free online - is interesting as it was based on first-hand accounts and quotes many of the key RA participants. The first half of the battle was an asymmetric artillery duel so it is quite pertinent. Becke was a member of the Historical Section and wrote parts of the OH. If one can see past the pointless comparisons with Waterloo it has some valuable information although slightly forgiving of the CRA 5th Div in my view.

For an aggressively challenging view of events I would suggest Trial by Fire : Command and the British Expeditionary Force in 1914 by Nikolas Gardner. The sometimes dysfunctional relationship between key members of the British command structure and similar friction between members of their General Staffs are key to understanding the BEF in 1914. Arguably it is this dysfunctional behaviour that left Smith-Dorrien stranded at Le Cateau with I Corps only a few miles away. The command structure was wholly unprepared for the trials of a European War (a subject that could run and run on a thread I would suspect) and the fall-out from Le Cateau lasted for years with bitter arguments between some of the key decision makers spilling into post-war recriminations, particularly between French and Smith-Dorrien. If the C in C and the GOC II Corps could not agree on Le Cateau it was always going to be difficult for any author to make sense of the battle.

Le Cateau is an extremely complex battle that some historians before the late 1960s have over-simplified as they simply did not have access to the raw material. Many are stuck in the hero-romantic school. The later books tended to lean very heavily on the version of the truth propagated by the Official History (OH) France and Belgium 1914 Vol I which pieced together the mosaic of individual battalion experiences for the first time. The experience at Le Cateau was fragmented into battalion level actions with few cohesive brigade and Divisional moves. A general breakdown in command and control is a common theme. The OH is essential reading but is slightly biased in the view of a few historians. The author Edmonds had a ringside seat and had the ear of all the participants. It is a key reference work for most of the books mentioned above and one of the few OH volumes that focused on operations at battalion level rather than Divisional or Corps level.

Reading German versions of events would provide a healthy balance. MG

[SilverFox100]

Would recommend 'The Old Contemptibles, The British Expeditionary Force 1914' by Robin Neillands and 1914 by Lyn Macdonald. Both good reads with sections on the Battle of Le Cateu

Regards. Mike

[centurion]

Becke's History of the Royal Artillery at Le Cateau - available free online - is interesting as it was based on first-hand accounts and quotes many of the key RA participants. The first half of the battle was an asymmetric artillery duel so it is quite pertinent. Becke was a member of the Historical Section and wrote parts of the OH. If one can see past the pointless comparisons with Waterloo it has some valuable information although slightly forgiving of the CRA 5th Div in my view.

For an aggressively challenging view of events I would suggest Trial by Fire : Command and the British Expeditionary Force in 1914 by Nikolas Gardner. The sometimes dysfunctional relationship between key members of the British command structure and similar friction between members of their General Staffs are key to understanding the BEF in 1914. Arguably it is this dysfunctional behaviour that left Smith-Dorrien stranded at Le Cateau with I Corps only a few miles away. The command structure was wholly unprepared for the trials of a European War (a subject that could run and run on a thread I would suspect) and the fall-out from Le Cateau lasted for years with bitter arguments between some of the key decision makers spilling into post-war recriminations, particularly between French and Smith-Dorrien. If the C in C and the GOC II Corps could not agree on Le Cateau it was always going to be difficult for any author to make sense of the battle.

Le Cateau is an extremely complex battle that some historians before the late 1960s have over-simplified as they simply did not have access to the raw material. Many are stuck in the hero-romantic school. The later books tended to lean very heavily on the version of the truth propagated by the Official History (OH) France and Belgium 1914 Vol I which pieced together the mosaic of individual battalion experiences for the first time. The experience at Le Cateau was fragmented into battalion level actions with few cohesive brigade and Divisional moves. A general breakdown in command and control is a common theme. The OH is essential reading but is slightly biased in the view of a few historians. The author Edmonds had a ringside seat and had the ear of all the participants. It is a key reference work for most of the books mentioned above and one of the few OH volumes that focused on operations at battalion level rather than Divisional or Corps level.

Reading German versions of events would provide a healthy balance. MG

I get the impression that he's looking for a book not a study course

[Guest]

I get the impression that he's looking for a book not a study course

How utterly tiresome. A choice of three books including the OH is hardly a study course. You appear to have recommended five. MG

[nigelcave]

At the risk of self publicising, but the Battleground Europe Le Cateau includes a lot on the German side of the story by Jack Sheldon, which has generally not been well covered, at least at unit/individual account level.

[Crunchy]

At the risk of self publicising, but the Battleground Europe Le Cateau includes a lot on the German side of the story by Jack Sheldon, which has generally not been well covered, at least at unit/individual account level.

And an excellent book it is!

[nigelcave]

What a fine man you are; the brown envelope is in the post - or will be, when I get your address!

[edwin astill]

This post prompted me to dig out Sewell Tyng's "The Campaign of the Marne" and re-read after a lapse of several years. I reckon that could be safely recommended.

I expect by now the original poster will wish he'd stuck to the Punic Wars!

Edwin

[nigelcave]

This post prompted me to dig out Sewell Tyng's "The Campaign of the Marne" and re-read after a lapse of several years. I reckon that could be safely recommended.

I expect by now the original poster will wish he'd stuck to the Punic Wars!

Edwin

I quite agree. Despite the fact that it was published many years ago it is still both good in quality and extremely well written, making it a pleasure to read.

[Crunchy]

This post prompted me to dig out Sewell Tyng's "The Campaign of the Marne" and re-read after a lapse of several years. I reckon that could be safely recommended.

I expect by now the original poster will wish he'd stuck to the Punic Wars!

Edwin

indeed. It is an excellent book as well. Not a great deal on the BEF though, as it covers the whole of the opening campaign of the war. IMO it is the best book at that level, and better than Herwig's recent The Marne. 1914

What a fine man you are; the brown envelope is in the post - or will be, when I get your address!

PM on the way - or you can use Paypal.

[stevem49]

The Retreat from Mons by Major A. Corbett-Smith. Cassell 1916. A still useful contemporary account & quite easy to find as it was reprinted numerous times.

My copy is dated 1917, so like me getting on a bit. I enjoy re-reading it from time to time.

[CoyoteJ]

This post prompted me to dig out Sewell Tyng's "The Campaign of the Marne" and re-read after a lapse of several years. I reckon that could be safely recommended.

I expect by now the original poster will wish he'd stuck to the Punic Wars!

Edwin

amazing - I have been away from the site for a few weeks - incredible response and yes, also amazing but the Punic Wars did feature in my Doctoral studies on the Roman Army!

[edwin astill]

amazing - I have been away from the site for a few weeks - incredible response and yes, also amazing but the Punic Wars did feature in my Doctoral studies on the Roman Army!

Don't know why I picked on that war. Could just have easily chosen the Wars of the Roses!

By the way, I hope to give a talk next year to your local WFA group on St. Luke's College (Exeter) and the Great War.

Edwin

[CoyoteJ]

Don't know why I picked on that war. Could just have easily chosen the Wars of the Roses!

By the way, I hope to give a talk next year to your local WFA group on St. Luke's College (Exeter) and the Great War.

Edwin

Please do provide dates and times in due course. I know St Lukes well although it has modernised greatly in recent years