For those of you who are interested in the WW1 French Army I have 4 books to suggest for reading. I found them all to be excellent. 1- "The Price of Glory" by Alistair Horne (my personel favorite military book, ever), about the Battle of Verdun in 1916. 2- "Dare Call It Treason" by Richard Watt, about the French Army mutinies of 1917. 3- "Pyrrhic Victory" by Robert Doughty, about French strategy. 4- "Paths Of Glory" by Anthony Clayton, a relatively brief but well done book about the French Army during the whole war. I think it would be hard to study the WW1 French Army without including ALL of these books but they are just the tip of the iceberg. -- lancer
France WW1 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter lancer
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In the 10 years since I posted this the WW1 Centenary has come and gone and the situation in regards to books in English about French participation in WW1 has improved dramatically. This is not to say that it in any way approaches, or even is in the same ballpark, as books in English about US, German, or British and Dominion participation but at least we now have more than we did. My library now contains some 2 dozen books on the Battle of Verdun alone and overall contains 70 or so volumes covering the whole war. Certain areas are much more heavily covered, such as the Marne and Verdun, while the campaigns of 1915, 1917, and 1918 are still lightly covered, at best. I know of 3 books in English covering the 1917 battles (in particular the mutinies), and I have 2 of them. The massive and futile campaigns of 1915 are almost entirely forgotten/skipped over in English except for mention in general works, with the exception of one work on Second Artois. 1918 is covered mostly in relation to American involvement with the French, with little specifically French. The greatest gains have come in relation to the French Army itself, specifically in books by Elizabeth Greenhalgh and a brand new publication titled 'Flesh and Steel During the Great War; The Transformation of the French Army and the Invention of Modern Warfare' by Michel Goya (Pen & Sword, 2018). This is a very important work and is actually a long overdue translation of a 2004 French publication. It is not a specific battle history but rather follows to French Army from an archaic 'offensive at all costs' army in 1914 through its over hall and learning process to become the most modern army in existence by 1918. Anyway, I am thrilled that France is finally starting to come out of the shadows and it's crucial part in the war finally is becoming appreciated. -- Al
I haven't ever used Amazon UK, so I guess it might be possible. I have spent many hours perusing bibliographies and such, and most all sources regarding French campaigns are, unsurprisingly, in French. There simply hasn't been much translated. French scholarship on WW1 is vast, almost endless, but very little has been accessed by English speaking/reading historians. French sources are a largely untapped resource and will probably remain so given the Anglo-centric viewpoint of British and American historians. -- Al