They Shall Not Pass: The French Army on the Western Front, 1914–1918

by Ian Sumner

“Sumner’s brilliant window onto the French army is a book I cannot recommend highly enough . . . Full of detail and mixed with vivid personal accounts.”—War History Online   This graphic collection of first-hand accounts sheds new light on the experiences of the French army during the Great War. It reveals in authentic detail the perceptions and emotions of soldiers and civilians who were caught up in the most destructive conflict the world had ever seen.   Their testimony gives a striking insight into the mentality of the troops and their experience of combat, their emotional ties to their relatives at home, their opinions about their commanders and their fellow soldiers, the appalling conditions and dangers they endured, and their attitude to their German enemy. In their own words, in diaries, letters, reports and memoirs—most of which have never been published in English before—they offer a fascinating inside view of the massive life-and-death struggle that took place on the Western Front.   The author’s pioneering work will appeal to readers who may know something about the British and German armies on the Western Front, but little about the French army which bore the brunt of the fighting on the allied side. His book represents a milestone in publishing on the Great War.   “An interesting, well-written and informative book which goes a long way to explaining why the French army mounted the staunch defense of its homeland that it did.”—Burton Mail   “The text is skillfully put together and moves seamlessly from one voice to another while illuminating the flow of events that affected Frenchmen and women during the Great War.”—Stand To! The Western Front Association

Genres: History, World War I, 20th Century, Nonfiction, Military History

376 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2012

Reviews

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, which is one of the few I've read to concentrate solely on the French Army, is divided into 5 parts, one for each year of the Great War. It discusses the changes in attitudes of the poilus from the heady days of 'On to Berlin' in 1914, through the horrors of the 1915 battles where men were lost in appalling numbers to the abyss that was Verdun in 1916.

I found the discussion picked up in intensity in 1916 as men were shuffled in and out of Verdun as the government of France tried to find some way to hold on no matter what. This callous disregard for what the soldier had to endure led to the rise of General Petain, who tried to establish new guidelines for treatment of the poilus. Unfortunately, his cautious attitude did not please all of his superiors so a new general with a new plan took over.

1917 saw the rise of Robert Nivelle, who assured the government that he had the answer and this would mean victory. Once again, the hopes of the nation and her soldiers were destroyed when the battles of the Chemin des Dames area became a graveyard, but this time the losses produced a new tragedy--mutiny. For a period of time, the French Army teetered on the edge, but once again Petain was called in to provide stability and to deal with the mutineers. Only a small percentage of those found guilty paid the supreme price, much to the chagrin of those who wanted harsher punishments.

1918 brought the final victory that the poilus had so longed for, but not without heavy fighting and casualties right up to the last moment of the Armistice. This book gives a clear picture of the tragedy of war for France, especially for the men at the front and their families who lost so much. It is no wonder that twenty years later the French tried to avoid another war. The debacles of Verdun and other such battles haunted the memories of the French nation.

I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it if you are more interested in knowing about what the common soldier fought for rather than the politics or battles of war.

[Dropbear123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 rounding down for goodreads.

Overall very good, definitely worth a read if you are interested in WWI. Focuses a lot more on the personal accounts of soldiers, mainly accounts from the time (diaries, letters) not sources from after the war. There is a decent amount on combat but also on the day to day life in the trenches. There is some stuff about the thinking of the generals, to explain the logic behind the attacks, but this is secondary to the soldier's experiences. Because of the more personal, on the ground focus I thought it was accessible and that you don't need to know much about WWI to read this. It also isn't particularly long at 220 pages and 5 chapters - a chapter for each year which covers the main battles as well as a related broader topic like morale or discipline.

[Richard George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed with useful information and a great bibliography and list of websites though many are in French. Good place to start finding out about the French Army in the Great War. Would have liked more on things like pay etc. Seems hard to find information on the web about that for some reason. Also there are not many books about the French Army and its operations in the First World War in English for some reason. I suppose most serious students can just read the French. I'll have to up the part of my game!

[Victor Alan Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty interested in military history and this book came as a refreshing change, showing the French side of things in the Great War as opposed to that of the British (or even German). It's heavily laden with excerpts from letters and newspaper pieces that are, in the main, produced by the French troops themselves and provide an excellent insight into the life and thoughts of the soldiers engaged in this conflict.

[Brendan Hodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief history of the French experience in the European theater of World War One told primarily through excepts of primary source material: letters, journals, contemporary journalism, memoirs.

Although as a history this is fairly short and limited in scope, Sumner has done a very, very good job of putting together a huge array of sources to make this an illuminating read.