Liaison 1914 [Paperback]

Edward Spears (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cassell Military Paperbacks | Publication Date: June 30, 2001

Most World War I experts agree the "Great War" was decided in the first 20 days of fighting. Yet uncontrollable events sucked in gigantic forces that swiftly brought long, horrible mass slaughter because the stakes were so high. The early fateful days are described in fascinating, horrific detail by a British officer who, as a liaison between the British and French armies, possessed a unique vantage point for observing military strategy and politics.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward Spears was a career soldier, who thanks to his fluent French, was seconded to France and Belgium with the British Expeditionary Force in 1914. He made friendships with senior soldiers and politicians which lasted the rest of his life. His record in WWII included rescuing de Gaulle when France fell to the Germans in 1940 and being Palestine Viceroy, 1942-44.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Cassell; New ed of 2 Revised ed edition (June 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304356824
• ISBN-13: 978-0304356829
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,585,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read on Opening of the War, October 6, 2005

By 

R. F. Mojica (Staten Island, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Liaison 1914 (Paperback)

An easy, short review to write. Simply the best personal account of the opening campaign of the war. The author, who also had a key liaison position in the French-British fiasco in May-June 1940, pulls no punches in this account of the near fiasco of August-September 1914.

I have read that Spears is considered one of only two men (the other being Churchill) to have written essential, classic first person accounts of both World Wars, this book being one of them and the other being his book on the French-British reaction (or lack thereof) to the German blitzkrieg of 1940.

Besides the descriptions of the military actions, this book also presents exceptional profiles of many of the key figures in both the French and British forces. Spears was, as a liaison between the two armies, in a unique position to oberve the men on both sides. He writes, naturally, from the British viepoint and is not always kind to his French allies. He is particularly scathing on General Lanrezac, who he considered to have been an honorable man driven to venality and deceit through panic and loss of nerve.

I have the original British edition of this book. It was published with a set of elaborate fold-out maps. I haven't seen this reprint, so I don't know what maps are provided here. The maps are very useful, since much of the book contains the author's observations of small actions, and the maps are specifically keyed to these descriptions. But with or without the maps, this book is esential reading on the opening campaign of the war and I am glad to see it is available in a recent edition.