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Summary: A Classic of War Writing
Review: Alistair Horne's Classic "The Price of Glory: Verdun, 1916" wears well for a book written in the middle of the last century.This book tells the story of Verdun during World War I. Over one million became casualties there over a period of ten months -- all in an area one could easily stoll through in an afternoon. Horne tells the story not only from the vantage point of the grand strategists (although calling those who fought the battle strategists is a stretch), but also through the words of soldiers on both sides who wallowed in the mud and death of a patch of France for the better part of a year. This story is well told. It serves not only as a first class history of one of the world's most ferocious battles, but also as a testament to the banality and waste of war. Highly recommended
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Summary: Verdun: Falkenhayn's Soul-Crushing Machine
Review: By all accounts, this book is a classic and is widely quoted in most contemporary books on World War I. The author, Alistair Horne, does a suberb job analyzing and reporting the entire terrifying, brutal battle. Horne starts off by first by explaining the French army's proclivity for reckless offensive action, despite its abysmal record since the war's beginning. Then Horne examines Falkenhayn and his reason for choosing the attrition strategy, i.e. the impossibility of decisive breakthrough on the Western Front. (Incidentally, Falkenhayn's breakthrough assessment -not strategy - was probably correct. A war-winning breakthrough on the Western Front was a mirage for the entire war.)
The book outlines the German's extensive and rapid build up of human and material resources and their careful security measures. But most importantly, each of the leaders (Falkenhayn, Joffre, Crown Prince, Knobelsdorf, de Castelnau, Petain, Neville, Mangin) involved is thoughtfully evaluated and their actions involved in the battle scrutinized. With these critical elements in place, Horne then goes on to give a blow-by-blow account of all the important actions ( during the siege-like battle. The most fascinating account involves the capture of Fort Vaux; Raynal and his French defenders fanatically defied the Germans' in a week's worth of unbelievably desperate underground fighting.
Horne's outstanding book is probably the best battle account of World War I, well-researched and engagingly written. The book has a few maps and several photos which show the battleground and the principal military leaders. Horne gives Petain credit for his vital logistical groundwork in initially organizing woefully inadequate French defenses. He also shows us that Knobelsdorf, the Crown Prince's chief-of-staff, was the real villain who refused to call off the German attacks despite massive casualties and lack of progress. The book ends by giving a brief history of each of the leaders after the battle, which I found very satisfying. I heartily recommend this excellent book!
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Summary: THE DEFINITIVE ACCOUNT
Review: I read this book first when I was about 15. I remembered it still when I was 40. It is without a doubt the best book in English on the Verdun battle and perhaps a more accurate account with more detail will be written in the future, but it will still not eclipse this book for what it is -- quite simply a very accurate and moving account of a battle that had no sole purpose than to kill men.
Unlike other battles where there is a specific political purpose achieved at the price of bodies, in this battle, the bodies themselves were seen as a way to beggar the enemy and force them into surrendering. In the logic of the German High Command it was reckoned that in major battle with Germany the French would loose around 2 soldiers for every 1 German that died. Since Germany had a larger population base than France the calculus was simple: bleed the French white so that they would have to sue to peace and abandon the war effort.
The French, in good fin de siecle spirit rose to the occasion and decided to defend the vital fortress town, come what may... This was making of a colossal battle, lasting many months and with over 1,000,000 dead on both sides. It could be cited as the largest battle ever fought!
With both side bying into the calculus of bodies, the count rose higher and higher and the fearful hell-like outcome was predictable. Despite the losses (the Germans were more or less correct) the Germans eventually broke off battle and left most of the offensive work in the war to the allies.
The book describes well the actions of the French High Command, the political events and is very good on the mud-and-blood-in-your-face details of the common French polieu.
If it is read with Leon Wolfe's in Flander's feild and Martin Gilbert's "The First Day on the Somme" one can really get a flavour of the hell of the Western Front.
Hands down one of the best books written on World War I. Stays with you.
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Summary: Should be read by all persons concerned about war
Review: I read this by happenstance, not realizing that it was something of a classic. But I thought it must be after reading it, and after reading the author's The Fall of Paris, advertised on the backjacket, about the end of Napoleon III's regime, and the Commune. One could recommend the two books together, as the legacy of the first Franco-Prussian war is too obviously echoed in the First World War, and the tenacity of the French, particularly as seen at Verdun. It is hard to grasp the logic of these First World War generals, now, and the tale here shows the inability of them all to ever really achieve insight into the stalemated circumstances they found themselves in. Perhaps, in the light of later technology, that is too easy a judgement. Fortunately someone offstage was about to invent the tank. The account is effective for zooming in on one battle series, a better first snapshot of this war than the high level accounts, which don't quite touch the poignancy behind the statistics.
For the "Great" War, it is hard to do better.
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Summary: possibly best book on WWI
Review: I'm just starting to get interested in World War I history and I found this book to be an excellent introduction to the Battle of Verdun. Horne does a good job showing the political intrigues by the generals at the top and how they were utterly out of touch with the experiences of the soldiers in the field, and of the reduction to meaninglessness of the courage of the individual, when faced with an artillery barrage. Reading it one comes away with a sense of the appalling waste and uselessness of it all. Others have complained that he focuses too much on the French side of things to the detriment of the Germans, and this may be true, but still, this is a good place to start.
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Summary: possibly best book on WWI
Review: If you read just one book about World War I you should make it this one. Many WWI books are disappointments, but Horne does a magnificent job describing the tragedy of Verdun in a way you will never forget it -- the heroism, the foolishness, the waste.
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Summary: A glorious book about a tragic battle
Review: If you want to understand World War I, this book about the battle of Verdun is a must-read.
A history professor once told me that World War I, the French Revolution, and the U.S. Constitution had inspired more history than any other events or episodes. World War I exhausted Europe; at the outset, its armies, navies and colonies held dominion over much of the globe, but at the end it was a pauper continent, with both victors and vanquished shattered by deaths and debts, reparations and revolutions. And Verdun marked a pivotal moment in this transformation, for here the generals revealed that they had too few ideas about how to win--but too many men still to feed into the meatgrinder.
Because of battles like Verdun, many associate World War I with images and episodes straight from "All Quiet on the Western Front" or "Paths of Glory"--futile attacks and counterattacks, weary and shell-shocked men running across pulverized land only to be killed or maimed by mass-produced bullets and explosives, victims of Europe's collective skill at the industries of war. In this meta-narrative, the perpetrators of this mass slaughter remain hidden, distant, aloof, living in idyllic chateaux miles away from the mud and the blood, their actions either inscrutable or idiotic.
Horne pulls back the curtain to reveal the character and personality of those generals, showing their unique stregths and weaknesses and how those character traits played themselves out in one of the greatest battles in human history. By writing so well about the decision-makers, he makes the churned earth and spilled blood more tragic--and more understandable. Verdun, a battle Horne describes "the battlefield with the highest density of dead per square yard that has probably ever been known" was by all accounts a supreme test of wills for both France and Germany. In Horne's hands, though, it becomes something more tangible and real, a clash not just of armies, but of people.
In addition to the excellent human descriptions, though, Horne writes wonderfully and vividly about the scenes of the battle. Some authors and books wring the life out of historical events, turning them into stale words on dead paper. But Horne brings this monstrous battle to life, vividly describing the claustrophobic underground tunnels of shell-battered Fort Douamont and the clutching terror of phosgene gas. Horne takes a catastrophic battle of mind-boggling proportions and makes it all too real.
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Summary: Excellent History, the Staple of the World War I Library
Review: Since you're a history buff (I assume by your reading this review), you are already aware of the importance of the Battle of Verdun in the big picture of world history. You're most likely looking at this book to see if you want to read it and learn about the battle. Good idea, you go right ahead and get this book, and be proud you did. I have to agree with the other reviewers, this has to be the best english language study about the never-ending battle fought at Verdun. Now you're wondering why it's so good. Well.... Mr. Horne has done the work needed to "know" this battle. He has the details down to a fine art, and his story telling is pretty good (thus the 4 star rating). The author gives the reader a good sense of the importance of this battle, and even some of the historical background of other Verduns. His treatment of the pre-20th Century political events is worth the time reading this book. It is a very impressive book in the amount of knowledge and information it contains, especially the shell counts for both sides. Amazing. I'll not relate comments about the history contained in this book, that will be your joy to read, but the format, writing style and story telling, well that's fair game. I found the writing a bit dated (original from 1962) and a tad stuffy. Although the author relates the remarkable pain and suffering, especially the sacrifice of the combatants, the story seems to move slowly and without a lot of impact. The material is important and good to experience, but it's kind of academic in it's presentation. The book also feels to have contained a lot more materials that would have helped it flow more easily without feeling bumpy and jumping from one chapter to another. By all means, please do not think I didn't like the book, I did. The description of the fighting a Ft. Douamont alone is very engrossing, but the overall impact of the story leaves the reader a bit unfulfilled. Please read it anyway, as I'm sure that you'll enjoy it. I'd be curious to know what you thought. Thanks Mr. Horne!!
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Summary: one of the great battle narratives
Review: This is one of the standout narratives of an individual battle from WWI and will remain so. Though it lacks some the the technical depth other that I've found in other writings on the war its battle discriptions are first rate and moving. He is very effective at placing Verdun in the larger context of the War and in explaing how such a horrendous battle could come to be. Part of a series Horne wrote on the last three French-German conflicts that begin with "Paris 1971:the Seige and the Commune" and is finnished with "To Lose a Battle" the other two of which are well worth reading if they can be found. This volume is the highlight though and justifibly made Horne's reputation.
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Summary: Excellent Review of Verdun
Review: This is the second book I've read by Horne, and I am consistently impressed by his level detail. Horne de-romanticizes this battle, and the war itself by concisely relating the generally miserable day-to-day conditions of the front line soldiers and lower echelon officers. The book is a relatively short read, but nothing is sacrificed. An excellent work!
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