An essential reading list

[PBI]

I have to agree with Dave on this One,All of The Official Historys are mainly Facts,Figure,Statistics..etc,etc,they are however a valuable Aid in combatting insomnia...ZZZZZZZZZ

[Martin Bennitt]

most are an expression of self-congratulatory praise.

Cheers,

Dave

A contemporary of Churchill, whose name I forget, remarked "Winston has written an enormous book about himself and called it 'The World Crisis.'" Such works (French, Lloyd George etc.) must be the most unreliable sources available.

A good book for dipping into is the collection of analysis and other writings covering the whole of the war experience, compiled by Peter Liddle and Hugh Cecil, called "Facing Armagedon" (Pen and Sword Books, 1996).

cheers Martin B

[Guest mruk]

Thanks Martin,

I've had some postive feedback about this, but I'm afraid 'Facing Armageddon' is a bit out of my price range. I also like most of the work offered by Jay Winter and Antoine Prost in the 'Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare' series, and at something between 5 and 15 quid a chuck, I don't mind spending thirty pound on two or three books.

Capital Cities at War

European Culture in the Great War

War and Remembrance in the 20th C.

Cheers,

Dave

[Michael Molkentin]

For WW1 stuff?

Probably Gary Sheffield's "Forgotten Victory"-a highly readable overivew of the subject and, for those who read footnotes, the literature.

For more knowledgable readers, I think Al Palazzo's gas book ("Seeking Victory on the Western Front") is unmissable, as are Prior and Wilson's Somme and Ypres books.

[armourersergeant]

This is still a work in motion and I know it will change as time and memory help but fundemently it reflects obviously what I have read, or where I have not, what others have suggested to me but also my own style of reading/learning. Comments welcome!

Arm's Essential Reading List.

1...Western Front

‘1914’ by Lyn Macdonald

‘1914 Liaison’ by Edward Spears

‘Most Unfavourable Ground: The Battle of Loos, 1915’ by Niall Cherry

(Poss add/replace with new book by Nick Lloyd, once read and dependent on quality)

‘First day of the Somme’ by Martin Middlebrook

‘The Somme’ by Peter Hart

‘The German Army on the Somme 1914-1916’ by Jack Sheldon

‘Cheerful Sacrifice’ by Jonathan Nicholls

‘Passchendaele: The Untold Story’ by Prior and Wilson

The Kaiser's Battle: 21st March, 1918 - The First Day of the German Spring Offensive by Middlebrook

‘The Last Four Months’ by Sir Frederick Maurice

2...Other theatres (notice I did not say side shows)

‘Through the Devils Eye’ by Wakefield and Moody

‘Defeat at Gallipoli’ by Hart and Steel

‘Memories of Four fronts’ By Sir William Marshall

(Still need to add here, Africa, Italy and Palestine)

3...Memoirs, those that were there

'Sagittarius Rising' by Cecil Lewis

The Haig Diaries: The Diaries of Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig: War Diaries and Letters - 1914-1918 by Sheffield and Bourne

‘From Private to Field Marshall’ by Sir William Robertson

‘Ebb and Flow’ by P J Campbell

‘The War the Infantry Knew: A Chronicle of Service in France and Belgium’ by J C Dunn

This area is endless and reader preference bound!

4...Command and Control

‘Command on the Western Front: The Military Career of Sir Henry Rawlinson 1914-1918 by Prior and Wilson

‘Firepower’ by Bidwell and Graham

‘Battle Tactics of the Western Front: British Army's Art of Attack, 1916-18’ by Paddy Griffith

5...Sea and Air

Bow to others expertise in this area. But perhaps

‘Bloody April: Slaughter in the Skies Over Arras, 1917’ by Peter Hart

‘Jutland, 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes’ by Hart and Steel

6...Miscellaneous (including background to war)

‘Call to Arms’ by Charles Messenger

‘The Twelve Days’ by George Malcolm Thomson

‘Curragh Incident’ by Sir James Fergusson

‘Maurice Case: The Diaries of General Sir Frederick Maurice’ by Nancy Maurice

‘The Donkeys’ by Alan Clark

‘Goughie: The Life of General Sir Hubert Gough’ by Farrar Hockley

[armourersergeant]

There is one genre which I can't abide at all, and that is the semibiographical account, and that of the type offered by top-ranking officers and politicians, and though I don't mind the diary-type, most works don't offer anything other than strategy and stats, and most leave me cold. I feel there is a lack of empathy with the ordinary soldier, and aside from the odd insight into a particular action, most are an expression of self-congratulatory praise. A friend of mine suggested that they should be compulsory reading in universities, but I would have to say that it's difficult keeping students awake at the best of times. I know-'I Was There'.

Cheers,

Dave

Try Marshalls, 'Memories of Four fronts' does not seem to make himself seem brilliant and seems honest enough, though obviously, keep an eye over your shoulder, as I like to say, for the self presevation comment sneaking up on ya. when ever I read first hand accounts I try to factor in the bias that may exist, be if soldier or officer, unintentional or meant.

regards

Arm

[Jonathan Saunders]

Lonny,

Essential first hand accounts:

I personally favour McCudden's "Flying Fury: Five Years in the RFC" over Lewis. Richard's OSND is a must (preferably the Grumpy version). Two officer accounts: my favourite is "A Life Apart" by Alan Thomas (from abebooks) and also the recently republished "Twelve Days on the Somme" by Rogerson.

Some of the best material however, are the unpublished manuscripts held at various places such as the IWM.

Jon

[Martin Bennitt]

Arm's Essential Reading List]

4...Command and Control[

For the other side of the lines, would suggest 'The German High Command at War' by Robert G. Asprey

6...Miscellaneous (including background to war)

‘The Proud Tower' by Barbara Tuchman

cheers Martin B

[Jerrymurland]

Thoroughly agree with 'Flying Fury' great text and would add 'A brief Historyof The RFC in WW1' by Ralph Barker, again a very good read. My other suggestion is Attrition by Neillands.

Jerry

[armourersergeant]

Not read any of th above accounts so could not get them in to my essentail list! (Sea and Air not brill on)

That said have included some in my list on recommendation from this thread, so willing to accept advice. Some included are essentail to me, in that they taught me, or made me think about the war in a particular way. They are of course not necesserilly the best material around

Also I was trying to keep it down to a thirty limit, I could very easily have made it fifty.

Perhaps if 'we' wanted to we could nominate certain books to a category and then vote individually on those to include. Probably a labourious exercise but it may help to get a concencious.

regards

Arm

[Theo]

I'd agree with Ian, but two books I would have (and which sort of fall into his categorisation) are "The Middle Parts of Fortune" by Frederic Manning; and "Some Desperate Glory" by Edward Campion Vaughan.

Oh, and "English Journey" by J B Preistley: not Great War, but a good idea of what post-War England looked and felt like.

Steven, wholeheartedly agree. I've read and rate these three books very highly.

[Theo]

Rather than add a specific list I thought I might add some general comments. I am also assuming we are assembling a shortlist we could use to reflect the war as a whole. For these reasons I would not focus on a list of "favourites" but a set of volumes that would give the reader a good overall perspective of the war.

I think the list is over "heavy" with Macdonald, an author I find not to be as "complete" as I would like, but against the background of removing some Macdonald I would add "Roses of no Man's Land" for its medical insight.

I'd probably replace Moorhead with Hart & Steel's "Defeat at Gallipoli" though there are other options.

Some single volume personal memoirs would be a good addition to paint the picture of the individual experience, Cecil Lewis, as already mentioned paints a good picture of a young man going to war in the RFC.There are many that could be mentioned and others will have their favourites, so picked at random one might suggest "There's a Devil in the Drum" (Lucy) there are others but something of that ilk should be in a core collection.

Something should be there on the French & German experiences (Verdun apart - that is already covered) as well as the 1914 war of movement. Perhaps Paul Lintier's "My 75" would cover the experience of the French in 1914 and Walter Bloem's "Advance from Mons" the early German experience. That does limit it to 1914 for the French & Germans, however.

Cambrai is a notable omission for the turning point it almost was and the home front should receive some attention for it's social impact.

The last 100 days should be covered to represent the brilliant successes of that period as well, perhaps, as reflecting that the Yanks had arrived.

Turning to the war as a world war I think a general history such as Cruttwell (or Strachan, perhaps) is essential.

Althought the list is almost all Western Front we should also include some coverage of the "sideshows". Gallipoli is there but what about Salonika (the recent Moody & Wakefield Under the Devil's Eye, perhaps) and Egypt & Palestine together with Mesopotamia should not be ignored either. The Italian front also sdeserves an outing - perhaps with Gladden's memoir "Across the Piave" which is a brilliant read.

The Naval side will spark much debate, but if I had to add a single volume here it would be to cover Jutland. Again Hart & Steel offer a volume which also puts it in perspective or to go with an excellent and fairly comprehensive set of personal accounts following through the action there is Fawcett & Hooper "The Fighting at Jutland" which is one of the most effective accounts I have read, made more immediate for the contributions having been gathered in the 5 years following the action.

I would be careful in selecting personal memoirs throughout because in such a list they would need to reflect the individual experience as well as the context of the events.

Finally I wonder if we should add something covering the causes and the aftermath of the Armistice and peace treaty to set the whole in context. AND what about something outlining the "revisionist" approach - not necessarily to be agreed with, but to ensure the current debates are understood.

Whilst I haven't always identified volumes I hope this gives food for thought and further debate.

For the German medical services, can I recommend a novel by Alexander Moritz Frey called 'Die Pflasterkästen' (The First Aid Box [my translation!]} One of the most successful anti war books of the Weimar Republic (burned and banned by Goebbels in '33) and rated by some alongside Remarque's novels. Frey served as a stretcher bearer for three years on the western front. He's also been called 'the German Barbusse' and his book was serialised in the Daily Herald in the 30's.

Whilst other writers such as Remarque and Arnold Zweig were celebrated for their great War books in the Federal Republic, Frey was virtually forgotten. The son of an art historian, Frey was born in Munich in 1891, was exiled first in Austria, thenSwitzerland during the Nazi period. He died in Zürich in 1957.

[David Seymour]

Perhaps we should think about some of the books that got us interested all those years ago. Two books about the war at sea which I really enjoyed, easy to read and will get you started on the naval war in a way that will make you want to continue:

R Hough, The Pursuit of Admiral von Spee

Edwin P Hoyt, The Last Cruise of the Emden

Best wishes,

David

[peter__m]

Well I've been researching the Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War.

So I've been reading Lucy's 'There's a Devil in the Drum'

A soldier's account.

Brilliant.

[Jerrymurland]

I've been researching the Royal Irish Rifles in the Great War.

So I've been reading Lucy's 'There's a Devil in the Drum'

A soldier's account.

Which Battalions and actions are covered in the book?

Jerry

[montbrehain]

My desert Island book is "Jacka,s Mob" By Edgar John Rule. A book that pulls no punches . Also i have an observation ! and before you start i know its down to the publisher ? But of the meagre couple of hundred books I have related to the "Great War" ONLY 1 has the authors name bigger than the title ???? LYN MACDONALD Roses of no mans land.

[Jerrymurland]

Jacka's Mob is a brilliant commentary from the Australian infantry man's point of view. A first class read.

Jerry

[Gibbo]

I'd say that the best book on the war at sea, if you want to know about all theatres including the Black Sea, Adriatic & Baltic & not just those involving the British, is A Naval History of World War I by Paul G. Halpern. If you're principally interested in the British & the Germans & also the impact of their naval strategies on the US, then there's Castles of Steel by Robert K. Massie. It's based mainly on published accounts & The Great War at Sea 1914-1918 by Richard Hough make more use of primary research but is really about the Royal Navy. I've not read the recent book by Julian Thompson published by the Imperial War Museum.

[David Seymour]

Thanks for the tip about the Julian Thompson book.

Best wishes,

David

[Steve Bramley]

I'd agree with Ian, but two books I would have (and which sort of fall into his categorisation) are "The Middle Parts of Fortune" by Frederic Manning; and "Some Desperate Glory" by Edward Campion Vaughan.

Oh, and "English Journey" by J B Preistley: not Great War, but a good idea of what post-War England looked and felt like.

Steve,

I've read 'Her Privates We' and have recently acquired TMPoF. I'd probably now class it as my favourite read. Is 'Some Desperate Glory' a similar book? and is it still available anywhere? (Holiday acquisitions!)

Regards,

Steve.

[spike10764]

Steve- I would recommend Some Desperate Glory . Still available on Amazon

Review-

Edwin Campion Vaughan, a 19 year old novice joins the war 'trained' for the often deadly position of Oficer. At first he is naively excited, in blissful ignorance of the horrors to come. On his arrival in France, Vaughan is almost dissappointed not to be met with wire entanglements, shell bursts and trenches. His sense of army discipline receives a severe shock as he watches men lounge around smoking cigarettes. In his youth, Vaughan in incredulous - the battalion was supposed to be 'the last word in fighting effciency' and does not seem to live up to his expectations. At first, he wonders why others do not share his enthusiasm for the war, not realising that many of the men had been fighting for months and some even years. However, within a few days his attitude changes and he longs for the war to be over before his turn in the trenches.

Vaughan likes and respects the men placed under his charge, although at first he cannot relate to them well. The desolation felt by soldiers contrasts sharply with Vaughan's boyish nature. His youthful exuberance was unleashed onto physically and mentally drained men, so it is understandable that he was not always thought of kindly. It is through numerous 'ticking offs' that he receieves from other ranking officers (often infront of his troops) that builds the rapport that Vaughan later had with his men. Perhaps because of his youth, the troops saw a vulnerable and human warmth to an officer's personality that was often concealed from them by higher ranks.

I was struck by the banality of life of an army in action. Vaughan describes frustrating and monotonous tasks, such as moving troops to a destination only to be sent back again and many futile errands performed in intense cold, rain and endless swamps of mud. In the trenches men lived like animals and waited for the next round of slaughter. The sense of intimacy is striking. The men eat, sleep wash and fight together under a blanket of fear and hope. Vaughan is reduced to tears after a drunken quarrel showing the intense nature of friendships. The quarrel leaves Vaughan heartbroken, poignantly showing how the only real comfor men had came from each other. their lives depended on each other, not just in the chaos of battle but during the endless cold nights, months of bad food and the loneliness caused by being far from home. The men needed each other for both their immediate and ongoing, physical and mental survival.

Any associations between war and glory are torn apart in Vaughan's diary. He describes ridiculous falsities such as his desperately tired troops having to march 'in fine style' past a General, only to collapse with exhaustion around the corner. The sleeping quarters are shared with rats and lice, days spent in threnched knee deep in water and explosions that sent him 'grovelling in the mud'. He can hardly bear to look at the twisted corpses, suspended where they fell in ludicrous, animated poses over barbed wire.

It is surprising how casually Vaughan sometimes describes the horror he witnesses and he rarely mentions being afraid. As an officer he must have had a heavy repsonsibility to stay outwardly brave for the sake of the troops under his command. Fear spreads like infection. I was struck by the importance of humour in such a terrible situation. there is much laughter in the diary, whether through fear, relief or simple prankishness.

Vaughan drinks more whiskey as the war continues. he describes other officers as being 'very tight' on most occasions. The tone of the diary changes and disallusionment sets in after he experiences the massacre of Passchendale. Listen to men dying, their cries fading as the water level rises in the shell holes, Vaughan can see nothing but a 'black future'.

With war comes carnage. reading a first hand account such as Vaughan's diary can only provide a sense of the reality, of the horror. It gives the reader a taste of hell that can only be hinted at, a world where human pain, suffering and violent death become a way of life. How can Vaughan possibly convey what it feels like to stand on rotting corpses, reel from the stench bloated animals or to have your friend killed next to you whilst you were having a conversation? It is Vaughan's personality that keeps the hope alive in his diary. He has warmth for others including the enemy. His recognition of the mutual respect between opposing forces and the small mercies given by both sides as they try to destroy each other, along with the support of friends and the comfort of the whiskey bottle are the only things that get him through the horror and keep his faith in humanity.

I'd also like to suggest Brothers In Arms By Michael Walsh and The Unknown Soldier By Neil Hanson

Geoff Dyer's Missing of the Somme also brought me to tears, but not in the same way as mruk, I suspect.....

[Steve Bramley]

Hi Spike,

Many thanks for that, I'll have to get it ordered, and thanks for the other recommendations.

Enjoyed the website by the way,

Go Well....Steve

[General Melchett]

For WW1 stuff?

Probably Gary Sheffield's "Forgotten Victory"-a highly readable overivew of the subject and, for those who read footnotes, the literature.

My apolgies for coming to this thread late. This is my first ever post, I have a huge interest in WW1 and WW2.

My essential reading for WW1 would certainly include "Forgotten Victory"

I would also suggest

"Mud, Blood and Poppycock" by Gordon Corrigan

AJP Taylors - The First World War

Richard Holmes "Tommy"

Robert Graves "Goodbye to all that"

I also have hopefully of interest to you all three books by Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle written at the time the war still ongoing. They are entitled "The British Campaign in France and Flanders" I have three volumes 1914, 1915 and 1916.

They make hugely interesting reading as they are of course written in the midst of the war and certainly offer a different perspective to later revisionist or other works. They are of course censored as well.

[bruce]

I have got to say that top of my list would be

"Ainsdale War memorial"!

Bruce