Blog Archives

The Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World War I

  By | |
Comments Off on The Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World War I
The Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World War IThe Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World War I by Larry Zuckerman
ISBN: 0814797040
Published by New York University Press on February 1st 2004
Genres: Belgium, France, Germany, Military
Pages: 339

Len's Summary: A candidate for the 2004 WFA Annual Book Award in which the author finds the seeds of WWII Nazi occupation policies in Belgium of 1914-1918. Covers the same ground as the award-winning A History of Denial (Yale University Press), but is less scholarly in approach and is more readable narrative. Lacks maps.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

The Living Unknown Soldier: A Story of Grief and the Great War

  By | |
Comments Off on The Living Unknown Soldier: A Story of Grief and the Great War
The Living Unknown Soldier: A Story of Grief and the Great WarThe Living Unknown Soldier: A Story of Grief and the Great War by Jean-Yves Le Naour, Penny Allen
ISBN: 0805075224
Published by Metropolitan Books on September 1st 2004
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, France
Pages: 240

Len's Summary: The true story of a French soldier who survives the war with permanent loss of memory and who is never identified. Recommended by WFA Director-emeritus Norman B. Tomlinson., Jr. Reminiscent of Japrisco's novel A Very Long Engagement.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Petain: How the Hero of France Became a Convicted Traitor and Changed the Course of History

  By | |
Comments Off on Petain: How the Hero of France Became a Convicted Traitor and Changed the Course of History
Petain: How the Hero of France Became a Convicted Traitor and Changed the Course of HistoryPetain: How the Hero of France Became a Convicted Traitor and Changed the Course of History by Charles Williams
ISBN: 1403970114
Published by Palgrave Macmillan on October 1st 2005
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, France, Military
Pages: 298

Len's Summary: A sympathetic view of the hero of Verdun and leader of Vichy France from 1940 to 1944. Il ne passeron pas.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

The Moral Disarmament of France: Education, Pacifism, and Patriotism, 1914-1940

  By | |
Comments Off on The Moral Disarmament of France: Education, Pacifism, and Patriotism, 1914-1940
The Moral Disarmament of France: Education, Pacifism, and Patriotism, 1914-1940The Moral Disarmament of France: Education, Pacifism, and Patriotism, 1914-1940 by Mona L. Siegel
ISBN: 0521187788
Published by Cambridge University Press on March 3rd 2011
Genres: France, Social Science
Pages: 317

Len's Summary: Examines the complexity of French teachers' views of war in the inter-war period and how these influenced French popular reactions to threatened German aggression in the 1930s.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

The Somme

  By | |
Comments Off on The Somme
The SommeThe Somme by Robin Prior, Trevor Wilson
ISBN: 0300106947
Published by Yale University Press on May 11th 2005
Genres: France, Military
Pages: 368

Len's Summary: From two established Australian historians, authors of the well-received 1996 work Passchendaele: The Untold Story (Yale 1996) about the Third Battle of Ypres and Command on the Western Front: the Military Career of Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1914-1918 (Pen & Sword, 2004) based on the diaries of one of the BEF's best army commanders.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

My Seventy-Five: The Journal of a French Gunner August-September 1914

  By | |
Comments Off on My Seventy-Five: The Journal of a French Gunner August-September 1914
My Seventy-Five: The Journal of a French Gunner August-September 1914My Seventy-Five: The Journal of a French Gunner August-September 1914 by Paul Lintier
ISBN: 9781907677304
Published by Helion on February 1st 2011
Genres: France, Personal Memoirs
Pages: 128

Len's Summary: A rare translation of a French WWI memoir.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

1914-1918, Regard D’Un Medecin Militaire

  By | |
Comments Off on 1914-1918, Regard D’Un Medecin Militaire
1914-1918, Regard D’Un Medecin Militaire1914-1918, Regard D'Un Medecin Militaire by Leon Lecerf
ISBN: 291441725X
Published by Indo Editions on May 1st 2005
Genres: France, French Language, Personal Memoirs
Pages: 125

Len's Summary: Memories of a French military doctor along with his photographs. In French.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Victory through Coalition: Britain and France during the First World War

  By | |
Comments Off on Victory through Coalition: Britain and France during the First World War
Victory through Coalition: Britain and France during the First World WarVictory through Coalition: Britain and France during the First World War by Elizabeth Greenhalgh
ISBN: 0521096294
Published by Cambridge University Press on January 11th 2009
Genres: France, Great Britain, Military
Pages: 324

Len's Summary: A broad look at coalition warfare with wide use of private correspondence and diaries. // The development of a winning civil-military relationship central to victory in 1918.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

German Strategy and the Path to Verdun

  By | |
Comments Off on German Strategy and the Path to Verdun
German Strategy and the Path to VerdunGerman Strategy and the Path to Verdun by Robert T. Foley
ISBN: 0521044367
Published by Cambridge University Press on November 19th 2007
Genres: France, Germany, Military, Strategy
Pages: 316

Len's Summary: Did Falkenhayn actually plan to wage a battle of attrition at Verdun? Draws on previously unavailable German documents held in Russian archives since WWII. Look for a full review in Camaraderie.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

French Strategic and Tactical Bombardment Forces of World War I

  By | |
Comments Off on French Strategic and Tactical Bombardment Forces of World War I
French Strategic and Tactical Bombardment Forces of World War IFrench Strategic and Tactical Bombardment Forces of World War I by René Martel
ISBN: 081085662X
Published by Scarecrow Press on November 14th 2006
Genres: France, Military, Aviation
Pages: 461

Len's Summary: Edited and translated by WFA and League of WWI Aviation Historians member Steve Suddaby and his father. Martell served as a French bombardier/observer during WWI. Reviewed in Camaraderie, July 2006.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

France and the French: A Modern History

  By | |
Comments Off on France and the French: A Modern History
France and the French: A Modern HistoryFrance and the French: A Modern History by Rod Kedward
ISBN: 9781585678815
Published by Overlook Press Genres: France
Pages: 740

Len's Summary: A History Book Club selection. Published in the UK under the subtitle La Vie en Bleu. The entire first section of the book is devoted to French politics and society from 1900 to 1931 including French participation in the Great War and postwar diplomatic struggles. Sections on political movements, the French army, the mutinies and the use of colonial troops on the Western Front are of particular interest as are chapters on the impact of the war on domestic politics and the postwar peace process. In all a subtle and engrossing analysis of the French Third, Vichy, Forth and Fifth Republics.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Marshal Joffre: The Triumphs, Failures and Controversies of France’s Commander-in-Chief in the Great War

  By | |
Comments Off on Marshal Joffre: The Triumphs, Failures and Controversies of France’s Commander-in-Chief in the Great War
Marshal Joffre: The Triumphs, Failures and Controversies of France’s Commander-in-Chief in the Great WarMarshal Joffre: The Triumphs, Failures and Controversies of France's Commander-in-Chief in the Great War by André Bourachot
ISBN: 1783461659
Published by Pen & Sword Books on August 19th 2014
Genres: France, Military
Pages: 240

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

The Blood Tub: General Gough and the Battle of Bullecourt 1917

  By | |
Comments Off on The Blood Tub: General Gough and the Battle of Bullecourt 1917
The Blood Tub: General Gough and the Battle of Bullecourt 1917The Blood Tub by Jonathan Walker
ISBN: 9781473827547
Published by Pen & Sword Books on March 4th 2015
Genres: France, Military
Pages: 240

Len's Summary: A disastrous engagement which drove a wedge between British and Australian soldiers.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Liaison 1914: A Narrative of the Great Retreat

  By | |
Comments Off on Liaison 1914: A Narrative of the Great Retreat
Liaison 1914: A Narrative of the Great RetreatLiaison 1914: A Narrative of the Great Retreat by Edward Spears
ISBN: 9781473827462
Published by Pen & Sword Books on February 19th 2015
Genres: Biographies and Memoirs, France, Military
Pages: 588

Len's Summary: Sir Edward Spears was a key player in Anglo-French coordination throughout WWI. At the outset of WWII, he was Churchill’s personal representative to French Premier Paul Reynaud and is credited with arranging DeGaulle’s escape to England in June 1940.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

The Long Silence: The Tragedy of Occupied France in World War I

  By | |
Comments Off on The Long Silence: The Tragedy of Occupied France in World War I
The Long Silence: The Tragedy of Occupied France in World War IThe Long Silence: The Tragedy of Occupied France in World War I by Helen McPhail
ISBN: 9781784530532
Published by I.B.Tauris on August 30th 2014
Genres: France, Great Britain, World War I
Pages: 256

Len's Summary: Based on primary sources, this is the story of the often brutal German regime in occupied France. First published by I. B. Tauris in 2011.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Paris at the End of the World: The City of Light During the Great War, 1914-1918

  By | |
Comments Off on Paris at the End of the World: The City of Light During the Great War, 1914-1918
Paris at the End of the World: The City of Light During the Great War, 1914-1918Paris at the End of the World: The City of Light During the Great War, 1914-1918 by John Baxter
ISBN: 9780062221407
Published by Harper Perennial on April 15th 2014
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Europe, France, Travel
Pages: 416

Len's Summary: Paris and Parisians survive and even thrive during WWI as the City of Lights blazes brightly.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Fields of War: A Visitor’s Guide to Fifty Key Battlefields in France & Belgium

  By | |
Comments Off on Fields of War: A Visitor’s Guide to Fifty Key Battlefields in France & Belgium
Fields of War: A Visitor’s Guide to Fifty Key Battlefields in France & BelgiumFields of War: A Visitor’s Guide to Fifty Key Battlefields in France & Belgium by Robert J. Mueller
ISBN: 9780982367704
Published by French Battlefields on January 1st 2009
Genres: History, Military, World War I, World War II, Travel, Europe, France
Pages: 407

Len's Summary: A guide to 600 years of warfare in northwestern France and Flanders; from Crecy to Bastogne. Order from sales@frenchbattlefields.com or fax (224) 735-4378.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Soldier and Warrior: French Attitudes toward the Army and War on the Eve of the First World War

  By | |
Comments Off on Soldier and Warrior: French Attitudes toward the Army and War on the Eve of the First World War
Soldier and Warrior: French Attitudes toward the Army and War on the Eve of the First World WarSoldier and Warrior: French Attitudes toward the Army and War on the Eve of the First World War by H. L. Wesseling
ISBN: 9780313307218
Published by Greenwood Press on January 1st 2000
Genres: History, Europe, France, Military, General, World War I
Pages: 248

Len's Summary: How French publicists glorified the Army and idealized war in the decade before 1914.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

A Youth in the Meuse-Argonne: A Memoir, 1917-1918

  By | |
Comments Off on A Youth in the Meuse-Argonne: A Memoir, 1917-1918
A Youth in the Meuse-Argonne: A Memoir, 1917-1918A Youth in the Meuse-Argonne: A Memoir, 1917-1918 by William S. Triplet, Robert H. Ferrell
ISBN: 0826212905
Published by University of Missouri Press on August 1st 2000
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Military, History, Europe, France, World War I
Pages: 344

Len's Summary: Another interesting Great War memoir produced by an important American regional publisher.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

French Women and the First World War: War Stories of the Home Front

  By | |
Comments Off on French Women and the First World War: War Stories of the Home Front
French Women and the First World War: War Stories of the Home FrontFrench Women and the First World War: War Stories of the Home Front by Margaret H. Darrow
ISBN: 9781859733660
Published by Bloomsbury Academic on August 1st 2000
Genres: History, Europe, France, Military, World War I, Social Science, Women's Studies
Pages: 341

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Capital Cities at War: Paris, London, Berlin 1914-1919, Volume 2: A Cultural History

  By | |
Comments Off on Capital Cities at War: Paris, London, Berlin 1914-1919, Volume 2: A Cultural History
Capital Cities at War: Paris, London, Berlin 1914-1919, Volume 2: A Cultural HistoryCapital Cities at War: Paris, London, Berlin 1914-1919, Volume 2: A Cultural History by Jay Winter
ISBN: 0521870437
Published by Cambridge University Press on September 6th 2007
Genres: History, Europe, General, France, Great Britain, Military, World War I, Social History, Social Science, Anthropology, Cultural
Pages: 545

Len's Summary: The first volume in this useful and finely-crafted comparative study covered social and economic effects of the war; this volume concentrates on the cultural impact of the conflict on the home front. Contributors include Tomlinson Prize- winner Annette Becker.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Flanders: A Cultural History

  By | |
Comments Off on Flanders: A Cultural History
Flanders: A Cultural HistoryFlanders: A Cultural History by Andre de Vries
ISBN: 9780195314939
Published by Oxford University Press on June 11th 2007
Genres: History, Europe, Western, Travel, France, Historical Geography, Social Science, Customs & Traditions, General
Pages: 296

Len's Summary: A Flanders native looks at a region – the cockpit of WWI — that has been a battle ground since the Middle Ages.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

The Embattled Self: French Soldiers’ Testimony of the Great War

  By | |
Comments Off on The Embattled Self: French Soldiers’ Testimony of the Great War
The Embattled Self: French Soldiers’ Testimony of the Great WarThe Embattled Self: French Soldiers' Testimony of the Great War by Leonard V. Smith
ISBN: 9780801445231
Published by Cornell University Press on June 7th 2007
Genres: France, Military, Personal Accounts
Pages: 214

Len's Summary: An examination of fiction and non-fiction writings by French war veterans reveals how they viewed their service and suffering. The author is Professor of History at Oberlin and the author or co-author of several prize-winning works on French society during WWI.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Britain, France and the Entente Cordiale since 1904

  By | |
Comments Off on Britain, France and the Entente Cordiale since 1904
Britain, France and the Entente Cordiale since 1904Britain, France and the Entente Cordiale since 1904 by Antoine Capet
ISBN: 9780230009028
Published by Palgrave Macmillan on January 9th 2007
Genres: Europe, France, Great Britain
Pages: 240

Len's Summary: A scholarly study tracing the Anglo-French alliance from the signing of the Entente Cordiale in 1904 through World War One, Lloyd George and Clemenceau, the inter-war years and disarmament, World War Two, Churchill and DeGaulle, the Cold War and beyond.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Maxime Weygand: A Biography of the French General in Two World Wars

  By | |
Comments Off on Maxime Weygand: A Biography of the French General in Two World Wars
Maxime Weygand: A Biography of the French General in Two World WarsMaxime Weygand: A Biography of the French General in Two World Wars by Barnett Singer
ISBN: 9780786435715
Published by McFarland on May 19th 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War II, World War I, Biography & Autobiography, General, France
Pages: 261

Len's Summary: Biography of General Foch’s chief of Staff in WWI who inherited command of a defeated French army in 1940. See also: Maxime Weygand and Civil-Military Relations in Modern France, Philip Charles et al, Harvard, 1997, 445 pages, ISBN 978 0674 4557 017, $33.50 from Barnes & Nobel; less from used booksellers.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

French Army, Volumes One & Two, 1914 August – December and 1915 to Victory

  By | |
Comments Off on French Army, Volumes One & Two, 1914 August – December and 1915 to Victory
French Army, Volumes One & Two, 1914 August – December and 1915 to VictoryFrench Army, Volumes One & Two, 1914 August – December and 1915 to Victory by Andre' Jouineau
ISBN: 2352501040
Published by Histoire & Collections on March 1st 2009
Genres: France, Military, World War I
Pages: 68

Len's Summary: France mobilized 2.9 million men in 21 infantry corps during the summer of 1914. By 1918, 40% of all troops on the Western Front were artillerists. Written in French.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

Petain: Verdun to Vichy

  By | |
Comments Off on Petain: Verdun to Vichy
Petain: Verdun to VichyPetain: Verdun to Vichy by Robert Bowman Bruce
ISBN: 1574885987
Published by Potomac Books on September 1st 2008
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Military, History, Europe, France, World War I, World War II
Pages: 150

Len's Summary: A short biography by the winner of the WFA 2004 Norman B. Tomlinson, Jr. Book Prize.

Buy this book on Amazon
View the book's Goodreads page

14-18. Les Refus de la Guerre: Une histoire des mutins

  By | |
Comments Off on 14-18. Les Refus de la Guerre: Une histoire des mutins
14-18. Les Refus de la Guerre: Une histoire des mutins14-18. Les Refus de la Guerre: Une histoire des mutins by André Loez
ISBN: 9782070355235
Published by Gallimard on January 28th 1010
Genres: History, Europe, France
Pages: 690

Len's Summary: An entry into the continuing French political dispute over the nature of the 1917 French Army mutinies that helps make WWI a perennial flash point between the French anti-war left and right-wing conservatives.
View the book's Goodreads page