Verdun 1916: 'They Shall Not Pass' (Campaign) [Paperback]

Ian Drury (Author), Howard Gerrard (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2001 | Series: Campaign (Book 93)

Osprey's examination of the destructive events of a pivotal battle of World War I (1914-1918). On 21 February 1916 German General Erich von Falkenhayn unleashed his hammer-blow offensive against the French fortress city of Verdun. His aim was nothing short of the destruction of the French army. Falkenhayn was sure that the symbolic value of Verdun was such that the French would be ‘compelled to throw in every man they have.’ He was equally sure that ‘if they do so the forces of France will bleed to death’. The massed batteries of German guns would smash the French troops in their trenches and bunkers. But the French hung on with immense courage and determination and the battle became a bloody war of attrition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Highly visual guides to history's greatest conflicts, detailing the command strategies, tactics, and experiences of the opposing forces throughout each campaign, and concluding with a guide to the battlefields today.

About the Author

William Martin served in Naval Intelligence for many years and now living in Charente, France, where he devotes his time to military history and cognac. A regular contributor to a number of military and current affairs journals, he is now writing a new biography of Marshal Petain. This is his first book for Osprey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing; First Printing edition (August 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185532993X
• ISBN-13: 978-1855329935
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,263,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good overview of slaughter, September 23, 2008

By 

Graves (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Verdun 1916: 'They Shall Not Pass' (Campaign) (Paperback)

The name Verdun has become synonymous with the bloodiest fighting in human history and along with "Somme" evokes the sense of the massive slaughter of the First World War.

That is the commonly held knowledge of the battle and apart from a few names of forts known to scholars not much else comes out. Martin, within the limits set by Osprey has managed to flesh out the battle significantly. He focuses on the key drives by each side while going into very fine detail over a handful of actions that proceeds to give the reader an view of the fighting that is more than just men getting out of trenches, being machine gunned and falling down. Without becoming bogged down in each probe and feint he paints a picture of what the battle was like for the men on the ground without losing site of the overall picture of what it was for.

The book has many pictures. Some period and some by the author of the little changed forts today. If there is a fault with the book it is the lack of maps. There is one strategic map and several close details of some of the forts but I would have found it very helpful to have fewer pictures of fortress tunnels, that all look the same, and one of more helpful maps.

In the 21st century it is common and possibly deserved to have a low opinion of the fighting qualities of the French Army. But Martin harkens back to that time when the French knew how to fight and did it in a manner that no one could question their skill or determination. The German army spent 10 months trying to win a battle of attrition and bleed France white. In the end loses were almost on a par with one another and the front lines had barely moved. Having gone onto the fields of battle in 1914 with uniforms and tactics that were antiquated, the pilou of 1916 showed they could adapt to the new ways of war, and Martin within the severe limits created by Osprey has helped remember their courage their sacrifice and when elan failed, cran.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars rather one-sided, June 24, 2008

By 

Christopher Bauermeister (Purdue University) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Verdun 1916: 'They Shall Not Pass' (Campaign) (Paperback)

While, as other reviewers have mentioned, this book provides the usual detail seen in most Osprey "campaign" series books, in the narrative such detail is reserved solely for the French, ultimately leaving us with little insight into the Germans' experience of the battle; while we hear of the exploits of individual French platoons, commanders, and even "poilus", the Germans appear almost exclusively as massed units who are acted upon by the brave frenchmen. Moreover, I wonder why the author felt it necessary to comment upon the later Nazi involvement of those Germens he deigns to mention, except perhaps to continue his apparent bias against them. Finally, in an unrelated matter, the connection between the excellent maps and OB's and the narrative isn't always clear.
A fine introduction and overview, but decidedly one-sided in its analysis.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average, June 22, 2002

By 

Fred M. Blum - See all my reviews

This review is from: Verdun 1916: 'They Shall Not Pass' (Campaign) (Paperback)

Verdun 1916: They Shall Not Pass is written in the standard Osprey manner and is an example of the linmitations of the series. The book is so full of information and troop movements that it is next to imppossible to follow without a map in front of you. The maps provided by the author are not a substitue. As a result the death and slaughter that was caused by the battle is completly lost on the reader.

When not caught up in the details the book is very good. The chapters on the background, leaders and the armies are good examples of why Osprey is so sucessful. That made the discussion of the battle all the more disappointing.