Ypres, 1914: An Official Account Published by Order of the German General Staff

The small Belgian town of Ypres stood directly in the path of the German Army’s march to Paris at the beginning of World War I. Unfortunately, in no time at all, the town was obliterated and the surrounding fields soon played host to several of the war’s bloodiest battles. Originally written by order of the German General Staff, Ypres, 1914 offers a German perspective of this early stage of the war, before the savagery of modern warfare eventually overtook everyone. It provides a unique opportunity to look inside the mind of the Germany Army at the beginning of the conflict, as well as a potential alternative to the existing narrative about those early months on Flanders fields.

The War Office, also known as the German General Staff, was a full-time body at the head of the German Army, responsible for the continuous study of all aspects of war, and for drawing up and reviewing plans for mobilization or campaign.