Over the Top: Alternate Histories of the First World War - Hardcover

Jones, Spencer; Tsouras, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1848327536 ISBN 13: 9781848327535

Publisher: Frontline Books, 2014

Synopsis

Although separated from the modern reader by a full century, the First World War continues to generate controversy and interest as the great event upon which modern history pivoted. Not only did the war cull the European peoples of some of their best and brightest, it also led to the destruction of the Austro-Hungarian, German, Ottoman and Russian empires, and paved the way for the Second World War.

This thought-provoking book explores ten alternate scenarios in which the course of the war is changed forever. How would the war have changed had the Germans not attacked France but turned their main thrust against Russia; had the Greeks joined the allies at Gallipoli; or had the British severed the communications of the Ottoman Empire at Alexandretta? What if there was a more decisive outcome at Jutland; if the alternative plans for the Battle of the Somme in 1916 had been put into effect; or if the Americans intervened in 1915, rather 1917?

Expertly written by leading military historians, this is a compelling and credible look at what might have been.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Spencer Jones lectures at the Centre for First World War Studies at the University of Birmingham and at the History, Politics & War Studies department at the University of Wolverhampton. His previous publications include From Boer War to World War: Tactical Reform of the British Army 1902 - 1914, as well as numerous scholarly articles.

Peter Tsouras is an author and historian

Review

" Another fine addition to the Tsouras production of imaginative 'what if' literature focused on military scenarios. In this one he has collaborated with British authors for some essays on British topics. Tsouras is especially strong on the Russian episodes as he is a scholar on Russian military affairs... The maps are excellent. I especially enjoy the deft use of the typical vocabulary one reads in accounts of actual military history. In each case the authors do not simply launch into a revisionist account, but rather create an altered 'historical' background of sufficient depth to make the subsequent account of the events plausible. And they follow through with some theoretical results. Then they bring the readers back to earth with a short summary of what really happened." (John Sloan xenophon-mil.org)

“One of the intellectual challenges and delights of reading history is imagining how past events could have followed different paths... The deviations from history are thought provoking, giving readers a good sense of just how many different ways the Great War could have gone, and shedding insight into strategic decision-making.” (World War One Illustrated, Summer 2018)

About this edition

• Publisher: Frontline Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1848327536
• ISBN 13: 9781848327535
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240