The Second Battle of the Marne

Twentieth-Century Battles

by Michael S. Neiberg

The First Battle of the Marne produced the so-called Miracle of the Marne, when French and British forces stopped the initial German drive on Paris in 1914. Hundreds of thousands of casualties later, with opposing forces still dug into trench lines, the Germans tried again to push their way to Paris and to victory. The Second Battle of the Marne (July 15 to August 9, 1918) marks the point at which the Allied armies stopped the massive German Ludendorff Offensives and turned to offensive operations themselves. The Germans never again came as close to Paris nor resumed the offensive. The battle was one of the first large multinational battles fought by the Allies since the assumption of supreme command by French general Ferdinand Foch. It marks the only time the French, American, and British forces fought together in one battle. A superb account of the bloody events of those fateful days, this book sheds new light on a critically important 20th-century battle.

Genres: History, Military History, World War I

217 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2008

About the author

Michael S. Neiberg is the Stimson Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the US Army War College. He has also taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The test of a good book is when the reader wishes the book were longer. I enjoyed this book and was only sorry that it did not go into more depth.

Neiberg provides a very readable account of a key battle in World War I that is often overlooked. I enjoyed his perspective on the French Army's performance in the battle, particularly as Anglo-Saxon readers and writers tend to denigrate the military achievements of 20th century France. Neiberg puts paid to the popular image of French soldiers as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys", a reappraisal that is long overdue. I will definitely look for more from this author.

[Dimitri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neiberg rivals Dennis Svhowalter in his ability to give dues and reconstruct historical events as they unfolded, without the benefit of hindsight.

[Eric Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Michael Neiberg’s The Second Battle of the Marne is a masterful history of a battle that gets little notice when studying the First World War. The author deftly integrates the source material that paints a telling narrative about the battle, why it matters, and what it meant to those who fought in it. This work helps to portray the development of the American Expeditionary Force into a fighting force. Most U.S. histories tend to highlight the early U.S. engagements (Cantigny and Belleau Wood) and then jump right to St. Michel and Meuse-Argonne. The Second Battle of the Marne was a significant crucible in the U.S. evolution in this war. Dr. Neiberg does a superb job highlighting the interplay of coalition warfare and the efforts by Foche to maintain the coalition during this critical period. I highly recommend this work.

[Tom Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book lays out WW1's Second Battle of the Marne clearly and concisely. As a bonus, this is the first WW1 battle book I've read that provides clear maps that tie directly to narrative. I recommend.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a diffuclt read for me. I found it incredibly informational and Neiberg does a great job explaining this battle in great detail. A good read but not my favorite history book I have ever read.