Five Days From Defeat: How Britain Nearly Lost the First World War
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Основная информация:
Название: Five Days From Defeat: How Britain Nearly Lost the First World War
Жанр: Нет
Автор: Walter Reid
Год выпуска: 2018
Формат: PDF, EPUB
Размер: 10.06 MB
ISBN: 504386367741
Язык: Английский
СКАЧАТЬ Five Days From Defeat: How Britain Nearly Lost the First World War БЕСПЛАТНО EPUB - DOC - DJVU - RTF - PDFОписание: On 21 March 1918 Germany initiated one of the most ferocious and offensives of the First World War. During the so-called Kaiserschlacht, German troops advanced on allied positions in a series of ferocious attacks which caused massive casualties, separated British and French forces and drove the British back towards the Channel ports. Five days later, as the German advance continued, one of the most dramatic summits of the war took place in Doullens.The outcome was to have extraordinary consequences. For the first time an allied supreme commander – the French General Foch – was appointed to command all the allied armies, while the statesmen realized that unity of purpose rather than national interest was ultimately the key to success. Within a few months a policy of defense became one of offense, and paved the way for British success at Amiens and the series of unbroken British victories that led Germany to plea for armistice. Victory in November 1918 was a matter for celebration; what was excised from history was how close Britain was to ignominious defeat just eight months earlier.
The perilous state of Britain’s affairs in these five days was known only to senior politicians and military men. These privileged observers wobbled or even panicked. They talked of withdrawing the British armies from mainland Europe. But their fears were not communicated to the public at large at the time and subsequent history took pains to conceal just how precarious the situation had been. This book tells the story of what happened in these five days when the Allies – and particularly Britain – nearly gave way. In the process, the extent to which the historical record was manipulated will be seen and how much, in that process, that which did not redound to Britain’s credit was concealed.
The important thing about wars, of course, is who wins them; but that does not mean that it isn’t important to investigate how close the Allies came to losing the war in March 1918. These pivotal events occurred not when, as in the early fluid months, France effectively stood alone between the Germans and victory, but after Britain was wholly engaged in the war and playing as large a part as she ever would – when, indeed, American troops were reaching the Western Front. The events of 21–26 March represent a hinge in world history.