Verdun: The Lost History of the Most Important Battle of World War I - Softcover

Mosier, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451414632 ISBN 13: 9780451414632

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2014

Synopsis

Alongside Waterloo and Gettysburg, the Battle of Verdun during the First World War stands as one of history’s greatest clashes. Perfect for military history buffs, this compelling account of one of World War I’s most important battles explains why it is also the most complex and misunderstood.

Although British historians have always seen Verdun as a one-year battle designed by the German chief of staff to bleed France white, historian John Mosier’s careful analysis of the German plans reveals a much more abstract and theoretical approach. From the very beginning of the war until the armistice in 1918, no fewer than eight distinct battles were waged there. These conflicts are largely unknown, even in France, owing to the obsessive secrecy of the French high command.

Our understanding of Verdun has long been mired in myths, false assumptions, propaganda, and distortions. Now, using numerous accounts of military analysts, serving officers, and eyewitnesses, including French sources that have never been translated, Mosier offers a compelling reassessment of the Great War’s most important battle.

About this title

About the Author

John Mosier, who earned his Ph.D. at Tulane University, is a professor at Loyola University in New Orleans, where he teaches courses in film, modern European literature, and the 18th-century novel. His books on the World Wars, including Verdun, The Myth of the Great War, and Hitler vs. Stalin, have given him a reputation as a leading revisionist historian.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0451414632
• ISBN 13: 9780451414632
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416