Passchendaele: The Untold Story [Paperback]

Prof. Robin Prior (Author), Professor Trevor Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 21, 1998

No conflict of the Great War excites stronger emotions than the war in Flanders in the autumn of 1917, and no name better encapsulates the horror and apparent futility of the Western Front than "Passchendaele". By its end there had been 275,000 Allied and 200,000 German casualties. Yet the territorial gains made in four desperate months were won back by Germany in only three days the following March. The devastation at Passchendaele, the authors argue, was neither inevitable not inescapable; nor perhaps was it necessary at all. Using a substantial archive of official and private records, Trevor Wilson and Robin Prior provide a full account of the campaign. The book examines the political dimension at a level which has hitherto been absent from accounts of "Third Ypres". It establishes what did occur, the options for alternative action, and the fundamental responsibility for the carnage. Prior and Wilson consider the shifting ambitions and stratagems of the high command, examine the logistics of war, and assess what the available manpower, weaponry, technology and intelligence could realistically have hoped to achieve. And they explore the experience of the men on the ground in the light - whether they knew it or not - of what was never going to be accomplished.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The clearest and most balanced picture yet of a battle whose very name evokes the horror and supposed futility of World War I." John Grigg, The Spectator "This book will appeal to both the scholar and the general public and belongs in every World War I collection." Agnes F. Peterson, History "An excellent, carefully researched, and dispassionate history of the Passchendaele campaign... It must now become the standard scholarly work on the grim battle of Passchendaele, integrating as it does both politics and war." Tim Travers, Journal of Military History "The most wide-ranging and perceptive account of Passchendaele yet written" Robert Cowley, Military History Quarterly "The authors excell in their thorough use of original sources to provide a masterly account... clearly related and supported by admirable maps." Brian Bond, Times Literary Supplement "Lucid and persuasive." E.S. Turner, London Review of Books "An extraordinary investigation of Sir Douglas Haig's ruinous Third Ypres campaign of 1917... This is the most wide-ranging and perceptive account of Passchendaele yet written. This book not only captures the agony of the soldiers' war but, in the measured, understated tone of the best prosecutors, leads us to inevitable conclusions." Robert Cowley, Military History Quarterly "A monument to scholarship, economical and often eloquent writing, and a solid grasp of the real issues involved in World War I.... This is a great book... It is a book that every marine who aspires to higher command should add to his or her library - one that will undoubtedly reward its owner by rereading and rereading." Williamson Murray, Marine Corps Gazette "Without a doubt the best book on the campaign yet published... It is well-researched, well-written, and will keep historians arguing for years to come." Stand To "Prior and Wilson, both distinguished historians, have conducted extensive primary research to provide an account at once both provocative and authoritative" Choice "The authors should be commended for writing a balanced, convincing work that reveals the devastation of the First World War and the failure of military and political leaders to recognise this horror." Virginia Quarterly Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

Reviews of the earlier edition: "The clearest and most balanced picture yet of a battle whose very name evokes the horror and supposed futility of [World War I]."—John Grigg, The Spectator "This book will appeal to both the scholar and the general public and belongs in every World War I collection."—Agnes F. Peterson, History "The most wide-ranging and perceptive account of Passchendaele yet written."—Robert Cowley, Military History Quarterly "The authors excel in their thorough use of original sources to provide a masterly account . . . clearly related and supported by admirable maps."—Brian Bond, Times Literary Supplement "Lucid and persuasive."—E. S. Turner, London Review of Books "[An] extraordinary investigation of Sir Douglas Haig's ruinous Ypres campaign of 1917. . . . This is the most wide-ranging and perceptive account of Passchendaele yet written. [This] book not only captures the agony of the soldiers' war but, in the measured, understated tone of the best prosecutors, leads us to inevitable conclusions."—Robert Cowley, Military History Quarterly "A monument to scholarship, economical and often eloquent writing, and a solid grasp of the real issues involved in World War I. . . . This is a great book. . . . It is a book that every marine who aspires to higher command should add to his or her library—one that will undoubtedly reward its owner by rereading and rereading."—Williamson Murray, Marine Corps Gazette "Without a doubt the best book on the campaign yet published. . . . It is well-researches, well-written, and will keep historians arguing for years to come."—Stand To "Prior and Wilson, both distinguished historians, have conducted extensive primary research to provide an account at once both provocative and authoritative."—Choice "The authors should be commended for writing a balanced, convincing work that reveals the devastation of the First World War and the failure of military and political leaders to recognize this horror."—Virginia Quarterly Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (January 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300072279
• ISBN-13: 978-0300072273
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,271,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive account., August 18, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Passchendaele: The Untold Story (Hardcover)

Passchendaele, or Third Ypres, a four-month battle with nearly a half-million casualties, is an enduring symbol of the futility of war, and specifically the old style with masses of infantry hurled at solid defensive positions.
Just one more crack at them. just one great push and surely the great breakthrough will occur. Never mind the appalling rain and mud which made movement nearly impossible, never mind the impossibility of even massed artillery destroying the enemy positions, and especially never mind the butchers bill.
Prior and Wilson's new research sheds new light on this hard-to-understand battle, especially on the dithering which allowed the slaughter to continue, even when it was becoming apparent that it was for naught. If the reputations of generals and politicians went down into the mud with the blood of the troops, it is only just.
(The numerical rating is a default setting within Amazon's format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opener, Highly readable and top notch scholarship, January 25, 2000

By 

Lachlan Cranswick (Daresbury, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Passchendaele: The Untold Story (Paperback)

Unlike the usual dross (though still readable) that many WWI history books are like, this is an amazingly good book.

The authors have obviously done their background work using the primary sources to an extent that to the reader, they convincingly break several WWI myths as routinely stated in many WWI history books.

The first being about Battles of Attrition; making it clear the aims of the Generals in the various battles had solid strategic objectives that they were trying to gain. The Attrition excuse being made after the event to try and make a failed battle sound like a victory of sorts.

Tanks were not a war winning weapon in WWI, but of importance for supporting the infantry (tanks being highly vunerable to artillary. The argument by the authors is that artillary was the WWI winning weapon on the Western Front.

The main eye opener (for me at least) was the primary importance of artillary and evolving role and technology of the artilliary which had developed (high accuracy continuous correction shelling, counter battery, creeping barrage) to the point by 1917 that potentially, the British could break the German lines on the Western Front to a limited extend, and with limited casualties. However the hankering by Haig for a Breakthrough (and continous belief that one more push would demolish the morale of the German Army) helped lead "inadvertantly" to another attrition style battle.

Overall, well worth buying and hopefully setting the standard that future WWI histories will be written to.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding, February 27, 2000

By 

Robert W Rees - See all my reviews

This review is from: Passchendaele: The Untold Story (Paperback)

There"s not to much to add from the other reviews I think. This is a highly readable book. Much can be said of a operation that lasted 3 months at such a terrible cost and then give up what you gained in only 3 days! The book also points the finger of blame not just on Plummer, Haig, and Gough but also the war cabinat overseen by Loyd George and Robertson. A must read for those who never understood the campaigne.