In Flanders fields: The 1917 campaign (Time reading program special edition) [Paperback]

Leon Wolff (Author)

Book Description

Series: Time reading program special edition | Publication Date: 1980

Of all the grim, gallant and inglorious battles of the Western Front, Passchendaele is the name evocative of the "mud and bl ood" that pervaded World War I. The total gain - a few thousand yards of indefensible slough - cost about a million Allied lives. In this account of the Flanders campaign, Leon Wolff describes the whole nightmare business: Haig's initial plan; his determination to carry it out despite constant opposition from the Cabinet and the muddle of doubts and disagreement among the military staff; the early stages of the "great offensive"; and the scene of battle itself - the Flanders fields which "will forever haunt Western civilization".

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An outstanding book.” -- General J.F.C. Fuller --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Of all the grim, gallant, and inglorious battles of the Western Front, Passchendaele is the name uniquely evocative of the “mud and blood” that pervaded the First World War. The total gain—a few thousand yards of indefensible slough—cost many tens of thousands of Allied lives. In this now–classic account of the Flanders campaign, first published in 1959, Leon Wolff graphically describes the whole terrible business: from Haig’s initial plan; his determination to carry it out despite constant opposition from the Cabinet and the muddle of doubts and disagreement among the military staff; through the early stages of the “great offensive”; and to the scene of the battle itself—the Flanders fields that will “forever haunt Western civilization.” --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 455 pages
• Publisher: Time-Life Books (1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080943590X
• ISBN-13: 978-0809435906
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,689,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take you back to a war now almost forgotton, January 5, 2004

By 

Robert Wynkoop (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Flanders Fields: Passchendaele 1917 (Paperback)

I've read this book twice the last time being over ten years ago and its haunting images of slaughter on the battle are still vivid in my mind. Although I had read All Is Quiet On The Western Front previously, I was not prepared for what I read here- the senselessness of the killing was unimaginable. How in the world could General Haig (the British commander) and Field Marshall Foch (the French commander) send hundreds of thousands of men to their death? If my memory serves me correctly, up to 20,000 allied soldiers died in one month alone.

This is a highly readable history of the battle, one that will captivate your interest and keep you reading until the end. Simply put, this book is hard to put down. Time after time, you ask yourself, how could they keep up this senseless slaughter, asking yourself what compelled these men to obey orders that meant certain death for no gain whatsoever? Certainly the First World War was one of the most senseless and unless wars ever fought, laying the groundwork for even the more destructive Second World War.

When the United States entered the war, it was to General Pershing's credit that he refused to dole out American troops under the command of Haig and Foch. Pershing knew that they too would be used for cannon fodder under European command. Since the Civil War, Americans have been reluctant to give their sons over to such slaughter.

This is a gripping book. Well written and hard to put down, it will take you back to a time and a war now almost forgotten.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truly a modern read, June 23, 2002

By 

Lawrence212 "lorenzo46" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Flanders Fields (Penguin History) (Paperback)

If you enjoy the style of Stephen Ambrose, you will like In Flanders Fields. As a story about a war little understood now, the book illuminates and chills the reader. I picked up this book in a tiny used bookstore on a whim, but immediately started turning the pages. I read it cover to cover immediately. I also recommend Lyn Macdonald also for coverage of WW1.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb WW1 book., July 6, 2004

By 

Mons "Mons" (Norrpan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Flanders Fields: Passchendaele 1917 (Paperback)

In Flanders Fields is the most readable World War One book I have yet come across; infinitely more so than Ian Ousby's Road to Verdun which, although starting promisingly soon gets bogged down in academic pontificating. The Road to Flanders, as the title suggests deals with the conflagration that took place there in the autumn of 1917 - also known as he Third Battle of Ypres - when the British Army tried once again to break the stalemate on the western front and push the Germans out of Belgium and away from strategic ports.
In Flanders Fields focuses on three key players - British Army Commander-in-Chief, Douglas Haig; his nemesis British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and mud.
The October offensive against the German lines was an unmitigated disaster and many historians have attempted to put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Field Marshal Haig. This is understandable - Haig pressed ahead with his scheme despite the warnings from generals both French and British and the disapproval of the British government. Bur as you read this book you will see that there were other factors that played their part: internal bickering, vanity, bad weather, indecision, false promises, lax security (the British plans were published in advance the newspapers), and No Man's Land where the mud was so deep soldiers and mules drowned by the dozens.
In Flanders Fields is really well written - as well as depicting the whole event clearly, Wolff actually manages to bring the whole event to life and takes us into the meeting rooms and the pages of secret diaries. Entertaining but not for the easily depressed. I recommend this as a first-class introduction to anyone interested in finding out more about World War 1