THE MENACE - THE WAY TO VICTORY BY PHILIP GIBBS
This book is extraordinary, mesmerizing and compelling, written in beautiful, descriptive prose. This is the sixth book I’ve read by this author which reflects Philip Gibbs reporting from the Western Front as war nears its final stages during 1917 and 1918. His writing reflects the beauty of the landscape beyond the battle fields set against the complete and utter devastation of beautiful towns and villages, mixed with all the horror and futility. Philip Gibbs reported from the Front for the entire war. He was obviously a courageous and caring man who saw it as his duty to report what he saw—to write about the war to end all wars. Perhaps such things might never be repeated.
The Germans, having been pushed back for the last year or two, are now back and coming on strong, determined to drive a wedge between the French and British and push the British into the sea and win the war decisively. The Americans are about to enter the war and this could tip the scale if the Germans do not end it quickly. For them, it’s now or never. Things are coming to a head at home. The German population is weary and sick of deprivation and mass death of its sons.
Their forces are at the moment stronger, (two or three times stronger) than the British, since they have brought their Eastern Front troops to the Western Front after the capitulation of Russia. However, the British forces, comprising, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, New Zealanders, Australians, Canadians, South Africans and Indians, do not yield easily and continually pound away with devastating artillery, rifles, machine guns, and bombs, bayonets, and even fists. The British are now superior in the air, constantly bombing, strafing, and sending back information of the location of massing German troops. This information is used by the field batteries to wipe out whole divisions of the enemy. But still Germany attacks, continuing to send in its young men for slaughter on a daily basis. The death toll mounts to inhuman levels.
The Germans keep coming in overwhelming force and Gibbs watches the horrific events unfolding. The British spirits are high, despite gradual retreat as they continually fight heroic rear guard actions. German moral is sinking as their dead pile up around them. The soldiers see it as not worth the cost and pointless—but to the German High Command they are nothing more than expendable war material. For the British, it is absolutely necessary to hold the line. If the enemy is successful, Britain will be next.
Gibbs speaks of German losses: "Out of all this intense fighting one thing is clear, the enemy is now making slow progress and that every attack is costing him an immense price. God knows how long he will fling his men into this massacre. ... As an onlooker I have been caught up in these tides for hundreds of kilometres from south to north, and the spirit of these armies on the move seems almost visible, as though all emotion in these men's hearts were vibrant about one. Men who have just moved up to hold the lines are hoping for an attack, so that they can smash more enemy divisions. Anger moves in them because the enemy threw us back in places by overwhelming odds. Now they swear he will be stopped and broken. Their own losses do not make them mournful. They wipe out of their minds for the time the horrors and tragedy they have seen. Fierce exultation at the destruction of the enemy, grim pride in repulsing his bloodiest attacks, resolution to pay back and take back have changed the gentlest fellow into a man who handles his rifle or machine-gun with a secret promise to himself, ready to stop with his own body another German advance. Passion has taken possession of our men, because they know that if the enemy broke through them, all they have fought for would be jeopardized, and this four years of war would have been in vain for us. That seems to me the only explanation of things that have been done by masses of our men, or by small bodies isolated in rear-guard actions—astounding things in endurance and sacrifice."
For his heroic work for the entire war, Philip Gibbs was knighted by the King. I hope the second part of this book is published on Kindle soon as it will be interesting to get his account on the ending of the war and its final battles.
The Germans, having been pushed back for the last year or two, are now back and coming on strong, determined to drive a wedge between the French and British and push the British into the sea and win the war decisively. The Americans are about to enter the war and this could tip the scale if the Germans do not end it quickly. For them, it’s now or never. Things are coming to a head at home. The German population is weary and sick of deprivation and mass death of its sons.
Their forces are at the moment stronger, (two or three times stronger) than the British, since they have brought their Eastern Front troops to the Western Front after the capitulation of Russia. However, the British forces, comprising, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, New Zealanders, Australians, Canadians, South Africans and Indians, do not yield easily and continually pound away with devastating artillery, rifles, machine guns, and bombs, bayonets, and even fists. The British are now superior in the air, constantly bombing, strafing, and sending back information of the location of massing German troops. This information is used by the field batteries to wipe out whole divisions of the enemy. But still Germany attacks, continuing to send in its young men for slaughter on a daily basis. The death toll mounts to inhuman levels.
The Germans keep coming in overwhelming force and Gibbs watches the horrific events unfolding. The British spirits are high, despite gradual retreat as they continually fight heroic rear guard actions. German moral is sinking as their dead pile up around them. The soldiers see it as not worth the cost and pointless—but to the German High Command they are nothing more than expendable war material. For the British, it is absolutely necessary to hold the line. If the enemy is successful, Britain will be next.
Gibbs speaks of German losses: "Out of all this intense fighting one thing is clear, the enemy is now making slow progress and that every attack is costing him an immense price. God knows how long he will fling his men into this massacre. ... As an onlooker I have been caught up in these tides for hundreds of kilometres from south to north, and the spirit of these armies on the move seems almost visible, as though all emotion in these men's hearts were vibrant about one. Men who have just moved up to hold the lines are hoping for an attack, so that they can smash more enemy divisions. Anger moves in them because the enemy threw us back in places by overwhelming odds. Now they swear he will be stopped and broken. Their own losses do not make them mournful. They wipe out of their minds for the time the horrors and tragedy they have seen. Fierce exultation at the destruction of the enemy, grim pride in repulsing his bloodiest attacks, resolution to pay back and take back have changed the gentlest fellow into a man who handles his rifle or machine-gun with a secret promise to himself, ready to stop with his own body another German advance. Passion has taken possession of our men, because they know that if the enemy broke through them, all they have fought for would be jeopardized, and this four years of war would have been in vain for us. That seems to me the only explanation of things that have been done by masses of our men, or by small bodies isolated in rear-guard actions—astounding things in endurance and sacrifice."
For his heroic work for the entire war, Philip Gibbs was knighted by the King. I hope the second part of this book is published on Kindle soon as it will be interesting to get his account on the ending of the war and its final battles.
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