A Wargamers Needful Things

 Verdun 1914

The Opening Moves

by

Christina Holstein

 The first major battle on the Western Front in 1914 was called the Battle of the Frontiers. The French threw their troops with abandon to reconquer Alsace and Lorraine. Unfortunately, they fell right into a German trap. The German High Command had believed for years that this is what the French would do. This book shows those early battles on the southern and middle of the Western Front in 1914. It also shows how close Verdun and all its forts almost fell at the beginning of the war. While this would not have been a mortal blow to France, it would still be a large propaganda victory for Germany and a blow to French morale.

 The first part of the book (pages 1 - 64) are a history of those first battles. The author takes you through the Battle of the Frontiers and the Battle of the Marne. The book then goes into the actual fighting for the forts and Verdun in 1914. As an overview of the early war battles it is an excellent primer. The amount of maps that you can peruse, and actually read, is an excellent change from many military history books. It is also full of pictures of the various points and of the soldiers that the pages discuss. You will be shown the Verdun salient and the reasons behind the German attack in 1916. 

 This is the first Battleground book from Pen & Sword that I have reviewed. From page 65 onward, the book becomes a tour guide for all of the areas of the fighting in 1914 along with all of the numerous memorials, gravestones, and other points of interest. However, in those pages there is still a ton of history that you will be taught. The tour portion of the book also has maps and the stories behind all of the things you will be seeing.

 I must admit that I was a little hesitant when I received the book. I had hoped to visit the Verdun area at some time for its early history and for the 1916 campaign. However, when I saw that more than two thirds of the book was about the different tours that you should take, I was a bit nonplussed. I was interested in reading a military history of the area during the early battles of WWI and not a sightseeing tour. I am not ashamed to admit that I was totally wrong in my snap judgement. This book is as good a military history book that I have read. Yes, it does focus on touring the area but every page has a lot of history for the reader. You get maps of not only what tours you should take, but it has even more maps about the fighting in the areas that you would visit. If you do plan to visit the Verdun area, this book is a must have for your trip. If you are just interested in the history behind the 1914 battles you cannot go wrong with getting this book, even if you never plan on visiting. The incredible amount of maps and pictures of the area alone will help you to understand the fighting that raged here. Thank you, Casemate Publishers, for allowing me to broaden my horizons with this Battleground book.

Robert Peterson

Book: Verdun 1914: The Opening Moves

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Distributor: Casemate Publishers