Battle of the Meuse-Argonne from the German Perspective

by Hermann Von Giehrl

Written by a German Army Staff Officer, in this military analysis the Americans and French are the enemy. But it is surprisingly free of nationalistic fervor; an objective view of the 42 days leading up to the German surrender, written by a soldier, not a politician or apologist. In this English version, originally published in 1921, Major von Giehrl divides the 42-day battle into three distinct phases (September 26 to 29, October 4 to October 16, and November 1 to November 11); detailing his rationale in terms of a day-by-day tally of gains and losses of territory, equipment, men, and morale. He is candid in his assessment of the effectiveness of the French and Germans, after four long years traumatized by the weapons of modern war–tanks, aeroplanes, machine guns and gas. By contrast, his description of the naïve but strapping young Americans as they arrived on a war-ravaged continent not yet having learned to fear the horrors that awaited them, is truly poignant.

64 pages, Paperback

Published April 22, 2017

Reviews

[Irene ✨️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provided a lot of information about what was happening on the “other side of the line” that would be difficult to get in any other way.