Invasion 1914: The Schelieffen Plan to the Battle of the Marne: Before the trenches - the first battles of World War I (General Military)

The result of years of research in British, French and German archives, this is a new critical history of how close Germany came to winning the First World War in 1914.For a century, accounts of the German invasion of France and the opening year of the First World War have been dominated by histories of British troops and their experience in battle, despite the fact that the British Expeditionary Force comprised just four divisions, while the French and Germans fielded 60 each.Published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War, Invasion 1914 examines how the German invasion of France and Belgium came agonizingly close to defeating the French armies, capturing Paris and ending the First World War before the end of the year.Ian Senior reveals how the initial German strategy revolved around, and in part depended on, rapid victory over the French, and how the failure to achieve this resulted in the surprisingly fluid battles of the early days of the war deteriorating into the trench-based warfare which was to see the war drag on for another four years of unprecedented slaughter.Weaving together strategic analysis, diary entries, eyewitness accounts and interview transcripts from soldiers on the ground with consummate skill, this narrative is a timely investigation into the dramatic early months of the war, as the fate of Europe hung in the balance. For a century, accounts of the German invasion of France and the opening year of the First World War have been dominated by histories of British troops and their experience in battle, despite the fact that the British Expeditionary Force comprised just four divisions, while the French and Germans fielded 60 each. Published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War, Invasion 1914 examines how the German invasion of France and Belgium came agonizingly close to defeating the French armies, capturing Paris and ending the First World War before the end of the year. Ian Senior reveals how the initial German strategy revolved around, and in part depended on, rapid victory over the French, and how the failure to achieve this resulted in the surprisingly fluid battles of the early days of the war deteriorating into the trench-based warfare which was to see the war drag on for another four years of unprecedented slaughter. Weaving together strategic analysis, diary entries, eyewitness accounts and interview transcripts from soldiers on the ground with consummate skill, this narrative is a timely investigation into the dramatic early months of the war, as the fate of Europe hung in the balance. The German invasion of France and Belgium in August 1914 came agonizingly close to defeating the French armies, capturing Paris and ending the First World War before the autumn leaves had fallen. The initial German strategy revolved around, and in part depended on, rapid victory over the French, but they were unable to deliver the knock-out blow they had planned - and the surprisingly fluid battles of the early days of the war deteriorated into the defensive, trench-based warfare which was to see the war drag on for another four years of unprecedented slaughter. Ian Senior has woven together strategic analysis, diary entries, dramatic eyewitness accounts and interview transcripts from soldiers on the ground with consummate skill. He has produced a remarkable new narrative history that for the first time focuses on the experiences of French and German troops in the long hot summer of 1914 as the outcome of the war hung in the balance, revealing how the defiant French opposition and failings in the German invasion plans ultimately foiled the German war machine and changed the course of the war. Chapter 1. The Schlieffen-Moltke Plan; Chapter 2. Plan XVII; Chapter 3. Opening Moves; Chapter 4. The Battle of Charleroi; Chapter 5. The Retreat Begins; Chapter 6. The Battle of Guise; Chapter 7. The Retreat Continues; Chapter 8. The Eve of Battle; Chapter 9. Taken by Surprise; Chapter 10. Bloody Days at Trocy; Chapter 11. The Barrier of the Marshes; Chapter 12. Struggle for the High Ground; Chapter 13. Night Attack; Chapter 14. Stalemate on the Ourcq; Chapter 15. The Beginning of the End; Chapter 16. The Last Retreat. Appendices: 1 "Composition and Order of Battle of the French 5th, 6th and 9th Armies", 2 "Table of equivalent ranks", 3 "Directive of 27 August", 4 "Joffre's Order for the Batlle of the Marne." In Invasion 1914, Ian Senior has woven together strategic analysis, diary entries, dramatic eyewitness accounts and interview transcripts from soldiers on the ground with consummate skill. For close to a century, accounts of the German invasion of France and the opening year of the First World War have been dominated by histories of British troops and their experience in battle, despite the fact that the British Expeditionary Force comprised just four divisions, while the French and Germans fielded 60 each. This title is a remarkable new narrative history that for the first time focuses on Published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War, this book examines how the German invasion of France and Belgium came agonizingly close to defeating the French armies, capturing Paris and ending the First World War before the end of the year.