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World War I bookshelf

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The First World War
by Hew Strachan

An excellent history of the First World War
Reviewer: John Henninger from Littleton, CO United States

   Hew Strachan has written an excellent history of the war that deals with how Germany and its allies lost the war politically and militarily. According to Strachan, Germany lost the war politically because it did not have any civilian agencies for wartime concerns such as rations and the making of munitions. Due to this weak civic structure, the military took over areas of the government that should have been dealt with by civilian ministries and as a result Germany became economically impaired during the First World War. Germany also failed to use the forces of nationalism to its advantage in Africa and its plan to exploit Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East faltered because it was in direct opposition to Turkish secular nationalism.
Germany struggled in the war due to the fact that it did not have a common strategy with Turkey and Austria. The Turks and Austrians launched military operations that did not directly benefit Germany's war aims because of this lack of strategic planning. The British, French, and the Americans, however, in 1918 were able to put aside their national differences and launch coordinated attacks on the Germans. The three above mentioned nations were also able to out produce the Germans in the latest technological equipment such as tanks. The only weakness of the book is that Strachan appears to skim over the Eastern Front but for anyone who wants a concise history of the war I would highly recommend this book.

Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea
by Robert K. Massie

Thoroughly Magnificent
Reviewer: John D. Cofield from Woodstock, Georgia USA

  Robert K. Massie has produced another masterpiece of narrative history, comprehensive without being dry and fascinating in every detail. In Castles of Steel he takes up the story he started with his 1991 bestseller Dreadnought: the struggle between Britain and Germany for sea mastery during the Great War.

The book begins with the final days of peace in July 1914, when Europe realized that the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand was about to trigger a major war. Massie describes the calculations of the British and German leadership as they moved toward conflict. One of Massie's greatest skills as a writer is his ability to create short but thorough biographical sketches, seen here most vividly in his treatments of Jellicoe and Beatty, the men who were to lead the British Grand Fleet. Massie also has an eye for odd humorous moments, as in his amusing description of the trick a German ship played on an unsuspecting French colony soon after war was declared.

After the war actually begins Massie focuses on the maneuvers of the British and German fleets as they prepare for action. Another narrative track traces the steps of the politicians like Winston Churchill and Prince Louis of Battenberg who are setting war policy. Massie's main focus is on the British, and he thoroughly analyzes successes like the Battle of Dogger Bank and disasters like the Gallipoli landings. The climax of the book is the Battle of Jutland in 1916, which was the only major clash between the two navies. Massie also documents the submarine war and details how it eventually brought the United States into the conflict. The last few pages of the book describes the scuttling of the surrendered German fleet at Scapa Flow, symbolic of the enormous waste caused by the whole conflict.

Castles of Steel is a fitting companion to Dreadnought and will certainly be considered one of the most comprehensive, yet accessible, histories of the Great War.

An Illustrated History of the First World War
by John Keegan

This Book Rules
Reviewer: A reader from Hazard, KY United States

   This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to know the details of The Great War. It has a nonstop plethora of pictures which take you through the entire war from the assassination of the Archduke to final day of fighting. The book can be very detailed, describing or showing troop movements, horrific battle conditions, and casualty reports. None of the major battles are overlooked. Mention is also made to the fact that most countries were unprepared for 20th century warfare. Major personalities are profiled in special pages of the book including the famous Red Baron. Not limited to just Europe, Keegan describes the war elsewhere in the world including Africa and in the Pacific theatre. War in the air is discussed including a special section on dirigibles and airplanes. A must read for the serious student of WW I.

To the Last Man: Spring 1918
by Lyn MacDonald

To The Last Man is good to the last page
Reviewer: Michael Mills from Knoxville, Tennessee

   Springtime in a Europe ravaged by war. On the Western Front the German army launches a massive offensive in the Amiens region of Northern France against the British Army. Lynn MacDonald continues in this tome her oral history of the Great War.
The eyewitness accounts of German, French and German participants in the horrific hell of Spring 1918 make this book a valuable addition to the history of the war. MacDonald has done a beautiful job of reporting on the hellacious sights, smells and utter Dantesque horror of trench warfare. This book would be an excellent addition to anyone's library who is interested in World War I from the perspective of both the common soldier and the generals at GHQ.
   This is my first exposure to Macdonald and she has whetted my interest to read more of her work.
Americans are not as familiar with the great battles of World War I as they should be. Macdonald is a good start to begin. After reading the last paragraph I concur with William Sherman who opined that "War is Hell."
As the tragedy of war is unfolded on the pages of this book the reader is drawn into the vortex of the horror that is modern warfare.
   Lynn Macdonald is a superb researcher, writer and historian. I recommend this book very highly.
PS- The maps are well drawn and helpful!

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