To Lose a Battle: France 1940 (Paperback)

by Sir Alistair Horne (Author), Jr., Arthur M. Schlesinger (Foreword) "Victory was to be bought so dear as to be almost indistinguishable from defeat..." (more)
Key Phrases: armoured group, cavalry corps, general menu, French Army, Maginot Line, General Georges (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
During six weeks in 1940, Hitler’s blitzkrieg shattered the redoubtable Maginot Line and, shortly thereafter, the French army. No historian has written a more definitive chronicle of that disaster than Alistair Horne, or one so emotionally gripping. Moving with cinematic swiftness from the battlefield to the Reichstag and the Palais de l’...lysée, To Lose a Battle overspills the confines of traditional military history to become a portrait of the French national soul in its darkest night. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author
Sir Alistair Horne, one of Britain’s greatest historians and commander of the British Empire, is the author of several works on French history, including Seven Ages of Paris and A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954–1962. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140134301
• ISBN-13: 978-0140134308
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #158,450 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book, October 29, 2003

By	K Greenwood (Victoria B.C, Canada.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Lose a Battle: France 1940 (Paperback)

This is a fascinating review of France between its victory in 1918, and its fall in the summer of 1940. The first half of the book deals with the social and political upheaval in France during the interwar years, and the demise of French military power. The second half covers the debacle from the onset of the 2nd World War through France's fall. Very well written, fascinating and informative. The first book I read by Alistair Horne, and it got me hooked.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bring it back into print!, April 26, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

It's a shame this book is out of print. Horne's book is the best treatment of the Battle of France I've come across so far.

Horne prelude's the battle very well with his analysis of French culture and politics during the inter-war years. His detailed descriptions of the major engagements are well written and obviously researched. His conclusions are not forced but seem to flow naturally.

The only aspect of the book that I would have altered is to tone down some of Horne's politically conservative prejudices. However, a dozen or so passages does not invalidate this excellent book. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unquestionably the best book on the subject., December 18, 1997

By	[e-mail] (Laurel, Maryland (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To lose a battle: France 1940

Alistair Horne does a masterful job in distilling the political, military and social aspects of the Third Republic's collapse in his third book on the Franco-German wars. Starting with the "Grandeur and Misery of Victory" following the Allies' victory in WW1, Horne traces the path that led to the shattering defeat of the French at the hands of the nation that they had humbled less than 25 years previously. Horne examines the men and women whose influence on events was so important, and avoids the dry recitation of times, places and names as he brings the Battle of France to life not only on the battlefields but in the streets, bedrooms, and ministerial offices where fateful decisions were made and battles lost...or won.