The Western Front, Nick Lloyd
The Western Front, Nick Lloyd
2 Rating(s)
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The Western Front
A History of the Great War, 1914-1918

Author: Nick Lloyd

Narrator: Mark Elstob

Unabridged: 20 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/11/2021

Synopsis

The Western Front evokes images of mud-spattered men in waterlogged trenches, shielded from artillery blasts and machine-gun fire by a few feet of dirt. This iconic setting was the most critical arena of the Great War, a 400-mile combat zone stretching from Belgium to Switzerland where more than three million Allied and German soldiers struggled during four years of almost continuous combat. It has persisted in our collective memory as a tragic waste of human life and a symbol of the horrors of industrialized warfare.

In this epic narrative history, the first volume in a groundbreaking trilogy on the Great War, Nick Lloyd captures the horrific fighting on the Western Front beginning with the surprise German invasion of Belgium in August 1914 and taking us to the Armistice of November 1918. Drawing on French, British, German, and American sources, Lloyd weaves a kaleidoscopic chronicle of the Marne, Passchendaele, the Meuse-Argonne, and other critical battles. From the trenches where men as young as seventeen suffered and died, to the headquarters behind the lines where Generals Haig, Joffre, Hindenburg, and Pershing developed their plans for battle, Lloyd gives us a view of the war both intimate and strategic, putting us amid the mud and smoke while at the same time depicting the larger stakes of every encounter.

About Nick Lloyd

Nick Lloyd is a professor of modern warfare at King's College London and the author of four books on World War I, including Passchendaele and The Western Front. He lives in Cheltenham, England.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Anthony on February 19, 2023

Where the War was Won and Lost. The Western Front is the archetype of the First World War. Trenches, mud, stalemate and slaughter. It was where the war was won and lost and so it is only natural that Nick Lloyd starts his trilogy on WWI here. It is a great book. Pitched perfectly as a political and m......more

Goodreads review by Creighton on November 12, 2021

As I write this review, I find it ironic that it is November 12th, because yesterday was the 103rd anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War. This year, I spent most of my time reading books on the Second World War; last month I read John Keegan’s book on the First World War, and n......more

Goodreads review by Roger on March 29, 2021

A well-written, concise history of the war in the west. The author is apparently planning two further volumes, on the Eastern Front and wider international war respectively; I'm looking forward to those very much. I particularly liked the coverage of the French campaigns, as I think (Verdun aside) th......more

Goodreads review by Max on October 09, 2022

Highly accurate and detailed description of World War 1's military strategy. Excells in the historical context, but lacks in readablility. Sentences of 4-5 lines, with a high degree of komma-useage, are on almost every page. However, I loved learning more about this topic. If you are looking for a u......more

Goodreads review by Artie on April 29, 2021

For me, this book offered a superb overview of the long series of campaigns that were waged on the Western Front. I had heard/read/seen coverage of individual campaigns and battles: but this volume has put them in context and (whisper it quietly) in time sequence (we non-experts get confused). For t......more

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