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1918: The German Offensives (Images of War) Kindle Edition

by John Sheen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
“Serves to illustrate the carnage of battle throughout the three critical months of 1918: March, April and May . . . An amazing archive.”—The Great War Magazine
 
In March 1918 the German Army launched a series of offensives that brought them very close to winning the war. Military photographers followed their advance and took many photographs of the operations as they progressed. This is the war seen from the German perspective, British and French soldiers lie dead on the battlefield, and Allied prisoners are escorted to the rear, as the German Artillery pound away covering the advance of the “Feldgrau.”
 
These photographs are seldom seen in books dealing with the allied point of view. Many scarce and rare photographs show the carnage of battle throughout March, April and May 1918. The author has also included group photographs of some of the units involved, as well as memorial cards of individuals who fell or died of wounds. This book will be a useful reference to anyone with an interest in the German Army during the First World War.
 
“Provides a good close up look at soldiers, guns, shells, small arms and other points of interest.”—Over the Front 

“It is like watching a well-made documentary unfold before your eyes . . . The whole book is a superb piece of work, highly recommended.”—Destructive Music
 
“Particularly atmospheric . . . This is an unusual and welcome selection of illustrations.”—Military Illustrated
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  1. Part of series
    Campaign Chronicles
  2. Print length
    298 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Military
  5. Publication date
    March 21, 2008
  6. File size
    305.3 MB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pictures very often speak louder than words, and the ‘Images of War’ series of books is a fine idea. It is like watching a well made documentary unfold before your eyes. The photographs and their reproduction is superb, moreover John Sheen’s text is just right, giving you the context of the photographs, but never swamping them with too many words... The whole book is a superb piece of work, highly recommended."
Destructive Music

“provides a good close up look at soldiers, guns, shells, small arms and other points of interest.”
Over the Front

About the Author

John Sheen is an author and historian.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DN5U306
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Military (March 21, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 21, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 305.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 298 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

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  1. John Sheen

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4 out of 5 stars
30 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • JGA357
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of those books...
    Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    ...where the pictures do all the talking. Raw, uncensored, and many unique views (including aerial photography) of the Great War's last great offensive..it is worth every penny of the very reasonable price. I have only seen one of these photos published elsewhere, so I take the author and publisher at their words that these are rare photos.

    Overall, the photo captions are fine although in some cases they are a little vague and leave you wondering about exactly when and where the photos were taken or wanting for a little more context on what you are seeing. In that vein, the one photo I had seen published elsewhere was identfied only as a "railway gun" in this book whereas it is more precisely the famous German "Paris Gun", photos of which are rare indeed. A minor point, I concede, but it left me wondering about the accuracy and completeness of the other captions. As this is a photo book, it should come as no surprise that there is very little text on the 1918 offensive, so look elsewhere if you are interested in more depth and analysis.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Michael L. Shakespeare
    4.0 out of 5 stars Rare German Photos of Battle Carnage
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2009
    Spring 1918 -- with overwhelming reinforcements from the United States on the way, the Kaiser committed his remaining poker chips into the game. Fifty German divisions freed up by the Russian surrender suddenly appeared on the western front. His hand picked Stormtroopers -- the fittest and best infantry in the German Army -- would spearhead the attack.

    Behind the biggest artillery barrage of the war, they raced through the fog around the British positions. By the end of the offensive the Allies lost nearly 255,000 men, 1,300 artillery pieces and 200 tanks; Germany's best units were spent.

    Author John Sheen, author of DURHAM PALS: 18th, 19th, 20th and 22nd Battalions of the Durham Light Infantry in the Great War, brings the right tone to this arresting photographic record of Germany's 1918 offensive operations: Michael 1,2 and 3. Mr. Sheen shows us rare German photographs of French and British soldiers lying dead or marching to the rear as prisoners.

    As we advance across no-man's land with the Bosch, behind their overwhelming bombardment, we see collapsed trenches, dead Tommie's and their belongings scattered about, devastated French villages, wrecked artillery batteries with teams of dead horses sprawled in the road.

    With lots of photos and not too many words, Mr. Sheen provides an educational mix of history, soldiers in action, propaganda shots, solemn memoriam cards, unit portraits, and guided by detailed operational maps.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • historyguy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Photos!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    The photos in this book are great with many that I had never seen before. I own many books on the great war, and this is a unique addition to them. The book really gives a good insight into the hardships, equipment, and uniforms of the best the German Army had to offer in 1918. Great photos of the offensive which brought fluidity back to the western front, and the infantry "blitzkrieg" which ended the tyranny of the trenches once and for all. As a prior reviewer had said, don't expect to see a lot of text in this book since the focus is on the pictures.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • GERARD LA TOURNERIE
    5.0 out of 5 stars 96 YEARS LATER KEY INSIGHT INTO WW I AND THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE OF 1918
    Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    IT IS NOW 96 YEARS LATER KEY INSIGHT INTO WW I AND THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE DURING THE FALL OF 1918
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  • TheRightisRight
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well done
    Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Nice information from the German side
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  • Robbo
    3.0 out of 5 stars A primer
    Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2019
    Pitched at the lay reader and the popular market of military history, and with only 142 pages of narrative, Ian Passingham's The German Offensives of 1918: The Last Desperate Gamble offers an overview of the offensives undertaken by the Germans on the Western Front during the spring and summer of 1918. Following the format of Pen & Sword's Campaign Chronicles series, it has no chapters but is presented in two parts: the background to the campaign, and, by far the longer portion, a chronicle of the events as they unfolded. Written in a pacy, easy style that glides along to provide sufficient information without delving into too much detail, the narrative is punctuated by the extensive use of first hand accounts to give a flavour of the fighting at ground level, together with analyses along the way highlighting the key issues to be considered in judging the impact of the campaigns and the command decisions taken.

    While narrating each of the offensives Passingham seeks to highlight several themes: the stubborn, courageous defence and fighting withdrawal of the British; that while the Germans achieved remarkable tactical success in some areas, overall the offensives were operational and strategic failures that tore the heart of the German Army; and that failure rested largely on General Eric Ludendorff's shoulders and the stout Allied resistance. That many British units fought courageously in attempting to stem the German juggernaut is amply demonstrated by the examples and first hand accounts given. In doing so Passingham has shown that although the Germans made great gains, the offensives were not as one-sided as is often portrayed, and they suffered enormous casualties.

    While there has been a tendency in the popular history to focus on the spectacular success of Operation Michael against the British Fifth Army, Passingham relates that not all the German attacks were successful. Where they did succeed spectacularly was against weak points in the Allied defence, or in the case of Operation Blucher-Yorck against a defensive posture whereby the French packed the forward positions with troops, only to have them smashed by an overwhelming artillery bombardment. In contrast, Operation Mars failed to breakthrough the strong defences of the British Third Army and the Germans suffered staggering losses, while Operation Marneschutz foundered from the start. Overall Passingham argues the German offensives of 1918 were a case of operational and strategic failure and, that as Ludendorff lost focus on his aim, they showed ever diminishing returns, and paved the way for Allied success.

    Clearly, this book is intended as a once over lightly, however, it is unbalanced in its coverage. Operation Michael receives by far the most attention, with over thirty pages, while Operation Georgette receives a scant seven and is incomplete in its description; rather the narrative peters out before the offensive concludes. Similarly, it is Anglo-German centric in its approach. While the later offensives were against the French we read little of their fighting efforts. Operation Blucher-York was launched against an Anglo-French force, yet the narrative revolves largely around a few British units that fought gallantly, and one is left to ponder what occurred elsewhere during its course. Hence one gains the impression that Passingham's central purpose is to rehabilitate the undeserved reputation the British have received in the popular genre. While his use of first hand accounts vividly brings to life the desperate fighting and individual courage of participants, these again are unbalanced and overdone to the extent the reader tends to lose the overall picture of each offensive.

    As an overview of these climactic events, The German Offensives of 1918: The Last Desperate Gamble achieves a reasonable if unbalanced result, and offers an easily read and engaging primer for those new to the subject. For those wishing to delve deeper and gain a better understanding they will need look elsewhere, such as Martin Middlebrook's The Kaiser's Battle for Operation Michael, and more recently David T. Zabecki's The German 1918 Offensives: A case study in the operational level of war for a detailed study of the background and execution of them.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Antal Gaspar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    good
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Amazon4ever!
    1.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a first year term paper
    Reviewed in Canada on May 1, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Reads like a first year term paper, written 3 hours before the deadline. A lot of filler, repetition and page-long quotes. Ugh.
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  • めけめけ
    4.0 out of 5 stars わりと珍しい第一次世界大戦の写真集
    Reviewed in Japan on October 30, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    1918年ドイツのカイザー攻勢時の写真集です（ドイツ視点）

    攻勢開始から終了までを７つの章に分け、関連した写真を配してます

    アクションシーンはやらせくさいんですが（当時はカメラの性能からいってムリ）
    戦闘後の光景は当時の様相がよくわかります。
    撃破された英軍マーク４戦車に１章が割かれているのはやっぱり被写体として興味を引かれたからでしょう
    （２４枚）

    ほぼ、全部写真とそのキャプションです
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  • カンプグルッペ
    3.0 out of 5 stars 写真が小さい
    Reviewed in Japan on October 11, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Kindleで購入しましたが、写真が小さい。
    画面いっぱいとは言わないまでも半分ほどの大きさでは見たかった。
    実際には画面上で３センチ×５センチくらいの大きさです。
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  • Mr. Mikey B
    4.0 out of 5 stars ... was bought for someone else who said he was happy with
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Unable to review as this was bought for someone else who said he was happy with it
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