Books > Sport & Leisure > Travel & holiday > Travel writing
|
Buy Now
Walking the Retreat - The March to the Marne: 1914 Revisited (Paperback)
Loot Price: R398
Discovery Miles 3 980
|
|
Walking the Retreat - The March to the Marne: 1914 Revisited (Paperback)
(sign in to rate)
Loot Price R398
Discovery Miles 3 980
Expected to ship within 12 - 17 working days
|
The opening month of the Great War ending in the Battle of the
Marne (6-9 September 1914) was a turning point in modern history.
The French and British armies were forced into a long retreat from
Belgium but subsequently regrouped to mount a successful
counter-attack. However, the miracle of the Marne, as it was later
called, ended in the stalemate of the trenches. The failure of the
Imperial German Army to achieve a decisive victory led to thirty
years of hostility, warfare and destruction, which cost millions of
lives. During the retreat to the Marne over a million soldiers
marched 20 miles a day carrying 60-lb packs in temperatures above
30 degrees. They were often short of food and only managed short
snatches of rest. They fought a series of engagements over two
weeks which ended in a battle from the plains of Lorraine to the
gates of Paris. This march tested them to the limits of endurance
and beyond. In this book Terry Cudbird recreates the experience of
the infantry during their gruelling journey. He describes his own
August walk from southern Belgium to the battlefield, which
followed the exact route taken by a French Lieutenant in the Fifth
Army. He draws on a wide range of personal reminiscences, not only
French but also British and German. He takes us back to the
landscapes of Northern France in 1914 and explains how they have
changed since that August one hundred years ago. He also reflects
on the soldiers' origins and training, and their morale as they set
out. This is not another military history but a unique evocation of
the powers of endurance of ordinary soldiers. It will appeal to
those interested in the history of the Great War, including readers
who want to explore the route of the retreat for themselves.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
|
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.