The Road to Verdun: World War I's Most Momentous Battle and the Folly of Nationalism
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ISBN: 0385721730 / Publisher: Anchor, June 2003
In a radical, iconoclastic reexamination of one of the bloodiest battles of World War I, the author of Occupation: The Ordeal of France 1940-1944 sheds new light on the devastating engagement, its impact on the soldiers who fought, and its long-term implications for the history of the twentieth century and Franco-German relations. Reprint. 17,500 first printing.
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On February 21, 1916, the Germans launched a surprise offensive at Verdun, an important fortress in northeastern France, sparking a brutal and protracted conflict that would claim more than 700,000 victims. The carnage had little impact on the course of the war, and Verdun ultimately came to symbolize the absurdity and horror of trench warfare.Ian Ousby offers a radical reevaluation of this cataclysmic battle, arguing that the French bear tremendous responsibility for the senseless slaughter. He shows how the battle’s roots lay in the Franco-Prussian war and how its legacy helped lay the groundwork for World War II. Merging intellectual substance with superb battle writing, The Road to Verdun is a moving and incisive account of one of the most important battles of the twentieth century.
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