A Storm in Flanders: The Ypres Salient, 1914-1918: Tragedy and Triumph on the Western Front by Winston Groom Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Storm in Flanders: The Ypres Salient, 1914-1918: Tragedy and Triumph on the Western Front
Book Review: Groom Gets It Right
Summary: 5 Stars
Well written and entertainingly fast paced. The detail provided by Mr Groom lets the reader share the miserable existence of the Tommies in the mud of Flanders' fields.
The author does not gloss over the singlemindedness of the BEF leaders, Haig, Gough and Plummer, in their doggedness to achieve a major breakthrough on the Western Front in WW I. That they did not is due, not to the bravery of the units involved, but to the rigid attachment of the tactics of the day by the senior BEF leaders. Groom tells the reader that only much later in the war did Gough and Plumer finally realize the futility of what the BEF was trying to do, but Haig never did. Gough was fired, and Haig stuck with Plumer to the end.
A fast read with excellent maps and diagrams of the three major campaigns in Flanders. The photographs in the book are poignant and not only depict the major characters, but also the men who lived this shatteringly frightening life for over four years.
Book Review: Superb
Summary: 5 Stars
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. An excellent read for anyone interested in WW1. No point in saying more. Read it.Book Review: The Great War I never knew
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading A Storm in Flanders, I understand--for the first time--why it was called The Great War and The War to End All Wars. Though the book focuses almost exclusively on the Ypres Salient (other pertinent events are mentioned, from the impetus for the war to Verdun and the Somme), here was where the horrors of modern warfare were first unleashed: flamethrowers, machine guns, poison gas, the godawful trench. The carnage is almost unbelievable. But the book is such an important read--one must simply slog through the death and horror to try to begin to understand this conflict.
Winston Groom does a great job in writing for the layman like me; I don't read military history, as a rule. My only criticism is that all of the maps should have been grouped together for ease of reference. Instead, both endpapers are maps and there are also maps in the middle of the book. Confusing. Otherwise, a highly recommended resource to try to understand what on earth happened in Flanders fields.