The German Army at Ypres 1914 and the battle for Flanders

This book will be the first complete account of the operations of the German army in the battles north of Lille in the late autumn of 1914. The main emphasis will be placed on the battles around Ypres against the Old Contemptibles of the BEF, but the fighting against the French and Belgian armies will also be featured, thus providing fresh and broader insights into a campaign. There are those who believe the BEF was all that saved world civilization as the first year of the Great War drew to its end. The book uses the comprehensive histories of the participating German regiments found in the Kriegsarchiv in Munich and the Hauptstaatsarchiv in Stuttgart. Their use adds authority and authenticity to the book. The narrative adopts a chronological approach. The book focuses on some of the most bitterly disputed battles of the first three months of the war, when the Germans strained to achieve a breakthrough and the BEF resisted heroically, at the price of its own destruction. The book employs a similar format to the author’s previous works; the greater part of the text uses the words of the German participants themselves and the primary focus of the book covers the experiences of the fighting troops at regimental level and below. Linking paragraphs provide historical context and commentary and evidence from senior commanders will be introduced as necessary. This book will be the first complete account of the operations of the German army in the battles north of Lille in the late autumn of 1914. The main emphasis will be placed on the battles around Ypres against the Old Contemptibles of the BEF, but the fighting against the French and Belgian armies will also be featured, thus providing fresh and broader insights into a campaign. There are those who believe the BEF was all that saved world civilization as the first year of the Great War drew to its end.The book uses the comprehensive histories of the participating German regiments found in the Kriegsarchiv in Munich and the Hauptstaatsarchiv in Stuttgart. Their use adds authority and authenticity to the book.The narrative adopts a chronological approach. The book focuses on some of the most bitterly disputed battles of the first three months of the war, when the Germans strained to achieve a breakthrough and the BEF resisted heroically, at the price of its own destruction.The book employs a similar format to the author s previous works; the greater part of the text uses the words of the German participants themselves and the primary focus of the book covers the experiences of the fighting troops at regimental level and below. Linking paragraphs provide historical context and commentary and evidence from senior commanders will be introduced as necessary.REVIEWS high quality research offers so much helpful (and deep) textual and footnoted documentation a thoroughly excellent account of a key battle in World War I highly recommended. Over the Front" Armed Services,Battles,Campaigns,World War I The WWI military expert presents his authoritative study of the German Army's operations during the First Battle of Ypres. Soon after the First World War broke out in 1914, Allied and German forces attempted to outflank each other in a series of battles along the Western Front. Some of the most intense fighting came in Flanders, Belgium, at the First Battle of Ypres. It was during this battle that generals on both sides confronted the end of maneuvering as they became locked into positional warfare. Historian Jack Sheldon is a renowned expert on the German Army during WWI. In this groundbreaking study of the First Battle of Ypres, he presents a tactical narrative of German operation at the regimental and battalion level. Focusing on the battles around Ypres against the British Expeditionary Force, Sheldon also analyses the fighting against the French and Belgian armies. This book also features the first complete account of German army operations in the battles north of Lille in the late autumn of 1914. Drawing on extensive research into German sources, Sheldon presents the testimony of German participants, shedding light on the experiences of the fighting troops at regimental level and below. He supports this material with historical context and commentary, as well as evidence from senior commanders. "[This book] is the first complete account of the operations of the German Army in the battle for Flanders during the first autumn of The Great War. Due emphasis is placed on the fighting east of Ypres against the Old Contemptibles of the BEF, but the vital contribution of the French and Belgian armies is fully recognised. Although many believe that the BEF alone was all that saved world civilisation as 1914 drew to a close, the crushing defeat suffered by the German Army was in truth an Allied triumph, which laid to rest the Kaiser's ambition of a swift victory in the west"--Jacket