The Killing Ground

[Gunga Din]

"The Killing Ground: The British Army, the Western Front and the Emergence of Modern War 1900-1918"  by Tim Travers

 

Does anyone please have an opinion on this book? First published over 20 years ago and republished in 2009 addressing some of its critics. One of the Reviewers on Amazon describes it as 'absolute drivel...probably the worst military history book I have ever attempted to read" before launching into a list of errors....which is slightly putting off. Other reviewers were more positive. Any thoughts please? 

 

GD

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-Ground-Tim-Travers-ebook/product-reviews/B00KIXWKJ8/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&reviewerType=all_reviews#reviews-filter-bar

 

The publishers intro:

"This books explains why the British Army fought the way it did in the First World War. It integrates social and military history and the impact of ideas to tell the story of how the army, especially the senior officers, adapted to the new technological warfare and asks: Was the style of warfare on the Western Front inevitable?

Using an extensive range of unpublished diaries, letters, memoirs and Cabinet and War Office files, Professor Travers explains how and why the ideas, tactics and strategies emerged. He emphasises the influence of pre-war social and military attitudes, and examines the early life and career of Sir Douglas Haig. The author's analysis of the preparations for the Battles of the Somme and Passchendaele provide new interpretations of the role of Haig and his GHQ, and he explains the reasons for the unexpected British withdrawal in March 1918. An appendix supplies short biographies of senior British officers. In general, historians of the First World War are in two hostile camps: those who see the futility of lions led by donkeys on the one hand and on the other the apologists for Haig and the conduct of the war. Professor Travers' immensely readable book provides a bridge between the two.

Edited 3 September , 2018 by Gunga Din

[Martin Bennitt]

I have a copy of the paperback edition published in 1990, but it is a long time since I read it. I vaguely remember it as okay, but perhaps I should read it again. Extracts from reviews given on the back of the book, including from Hew Strachan, are of course positive.

 

Cheers Martin B

[Crunchy]

GD,

Its worth a read, but is outdated. Personally, I think some of his comments and arguments are  shallow and unbalanced in a number of areas. I gain the impression he leans towards the Donkey's school of thought despite the publisher's blurb. I thought it was another effort, albeit more sophisticated than some, to show up the shortcomings of British generalship, rather than a sound, fair and balanced analysis. Indeed, the whole issue was a great deal more complex than Travers would have us believe. Nonetheless, read it and form your own opinion

 

 A good deal more research has been undertaken since Travers wrote the book in the 1980's.  There are better and more recent books around, and although some don't necessarily address the same theme as Travers, some you may wish to consider are : 

 

Gary Sheffield and Dan Todman (Eds) Command and Control on the Western Front: The British Army's Experience 1914 -18;

Mathew Hughes and Matthew Seligmann (Eds) Leadership in Conflict 1914-18

Aimee Fox Learning to Fight: Military Innovation and Change in the British Army, 1914-1918;

Spencer Jones (Ed) Courage with Glory: The British Army on the Western Front 1915 and his more recent At All Costs: The British Army on the Western Front 1916;

Jonathan Boff Winning and Losing on the Western Front: The British Third Army and the Defeat of Germany in 1918;

Gary Sheffield Forgotten Victory: The First World War Myths and Realities;

Simon Robbins British Generalship during the Great War: The Military Career of Sir Henry Horne (1861-1929);

 

 

and these two I have recently reviewed:

 

 

Regards

Chris
 

 

 

Edited 5 September , 2018 by Crunchy

[Marilyne]

I've read this a good ten years ago and this is what I wrote about it in my bibliography / reading list:

"This book is about the style of warfare of the British Army during WWI. Analysing the army, its organization and the way the officers corps worked, how they planned the operations... The aim is to show how the army evolved with the war, how it dealt with completely new situations, a new world of fighting (illustrated by the Somme and Passchendaele) and finally manages to bring the reader to an understanding of command and battle that lies between the "donkeys" theory and the revisionists' one. "

I found it at the time quite fascinating but have to agree with Crunchy that is is a bit outdated by now. On the other hand, I found it very clear and understandable. Travers sometimes tends to take the long way, to repeat himself, and to ask intermediary questions to which he does not always give the answer immediately... the repeating is annoying at the start, but one rapidly notices that it helps to keep focus or get back to the message of the chapter.

 

It is not a masterpiece, but branding it "the worst military book" ... well I do absolutely not agree with this review. It just shows the author's utter ignorance about the war, the topic at hand and the objective set by the hypothesis defended in the book.

 

For those interested, I can send you my notes on the book per PM.

 

Marilyne

[Gunga Din]

Crunchy, Matilyne. Many thanks for your comments. 

 

I purchased the book and it is now in the local charity shop. I think the author struggles to be objective. 

 

GD

[Gunga Din]

 

 

On 9/5/2018 at 7:02 AM, Crunchy said:

 

 

Regards

Chris

 

Crunchy, thank you for the recommendation on Simkins... his Kitchener's Army was a tour de force. Somme to Victory is $1.53 on Amazon today. A bargain.

 

GD

[Marilyne]

3 hours ago, Gunga Din said:

 

 

 

Crunchy, thank you for the recommendation on Simkins... his Kitchener's Army was a tour de force. Somme to Victory is $1.53 on Amazon today. A bargain.

 

GD

 

Thanks for the tip ... less than a euro on amazon.de !!! 

 

Crunchy, I read Sheffield's "Leadership in the trenches" and thought that a lot of officers could still learn from it today!

 

M.

[Crunchy]

14 hours ago, Marilyne said:

 

Crunchy, I read Sheffield's "Leadership in the trenches" and thought that a lot of officers could still learn from it today!

 

M.

 

I wholeheartedly agree. 

[Crunchy]

On 11/09/2018 at 23:45, Gunga Din said:

 

 

 

Crunchy, thank you for the recommendation on Simkins... his Kitchener's Army was a tour de force. Somme to Victory is $1.53 on Amazon today. A bargain.

 

GD

 

GD.

I am sure you will enjoy Simkins.

 

I agree with your view on Professor Travers's The Killing Ground - lacking objectivity, and I suspect he had preconceived ideas and set out to 'prove' them.  Having read The Killing Ground and his Gallipoli, 1915 I treat his works with circumspection.

 

Regards

Chris