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Three German Invasions of France : The Summers Campaigns of 1870, 1914, 1940: The Summers Campaigns of 1830, 1914, 1940 Kindle Edition

by Douglas Fermer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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Tension and rivalry between France and Germany shaped the history of Western Europe in the century from 1860. Three times that hostility led to war and the invasion of France - in 1870, 1914 and 1940. The outcomes of the battles that followed reset the balance of power across the continent. Yet the German invasions tend to be viewed as separate events, in isolation, rather than as connected episodes in the confrontation between the two nations. Douglas Fermer's fresh account of the military campaigns and the preparations for them treats them as part of a cycle of fear, suspicion, animosity and conflicting ambitions extending across several generations. In a clear, concise account of the decisive opening phase of each campaign, he describes the critical decision-making, the manoeuvres and clashes of arms in eastern France as German forces advanced westwards. As the 100th anniversary of the start of the Great War approaches, this is a fitting moment to reconsider these momentous events and how they fit into the broad sweep of European history.
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  1. Print length
    420 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Military
  5. Publication date
    November 20, 2013
  6. File size
    13341 KB
  7. Page Flip
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Three German Invasions of France is excellent book for anyone who knows little about these campaigns, this can also be read with profit by the seasoned of the subject."
StrategyPage

About the Author

Douglas Fermer is an author and historian.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ME3JKWA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Military (November 20, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 20, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 13341 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 420 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the author

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Douglas Fermer

Douglas Fermer

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Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars very readable
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2022
Verified Purchase
Not much original research, but very well written. Told mostly from a French perspective, it has an admirably clear description of the intricate (and, by present day standards, often completely harebrained) politics and strategies of the times.
Unlike many similar works, it doesn't claim to have found the reason for why things ended the way they did. Reality turns out to be much too complicated for that.
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A. A. Nofi
5.0 out of 5 stars A Comparative Treatment of three German Invasions of France
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2014
A summary of the review on StrategyPage,Com:

'Fermer, who has written extensively on the 1870-1871 Franco-German War, gives us a comparative treatment of the opening phases of that war and the subsequent German invasions of 1914 and 1940. He opens with a short look at what he calls the “Era of French Ascendancy,” the period of French military dominance on the Continent. The balance of the book then looks at each campaign, two of which ended disastrously for France while that of 1914 led to the endless agony of the Western Front. The treatment is rather uniform, a chapter on the causes of the war, a look at the armies, primarily concentrated on the French, then three or four chapters on the events as they unfolded. Fermer moves with considerable ease back and forth from cabinet rooms to the man in the street to general headquarters to the front lines, which at times reveals surprising similarities and notable differences in the course of events. Despite the fact thatmuch of this ground has been gone over before, Fermer frequently manages to throw fresh light on how or why things took place as they did, such as how the harvest influenced the timing of the outbreak of war in 1914. An excellent book for anyone who knows little about these campaigns, this can also be read with profit by the seasoned of the subject.'

For the full review, see StrategyPage.Com
10 people found this helpful
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Craig Lawson
4.0 out of 5 stars Missed the 1st invasion (Napoleons) that started the cycle in 1806
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2018
I think it's a good book for what it is. What in my opinion would have made it better is if instead of beating the old drum of militarism and Germans, it was acknowledged that France had worked for centuries to keep Germany fragmented and weak to keep France the major military power in Europe. When the Prussians started to work towards uniting Germany France reacted with threats and gobbled up the Rhineland area. Soon Napoleon 1 invaded kicked their butts and drove them into an alliance with Russia. The Tsar, Britan (who always opposed the strongest European army to keep themselves the number 1 Empire) and Austria finally United and defeated Napoleon. That memory in Germany of the French occupation left a strong feeling of hatred towards the french. So as Prussia United northern Germin 1866 Napoleon 3 threatened them and then He, the French and the second Empire declared the war of 1870. So this little part of history is always left out of Western European and American history which concentrates on the bad old Germans and their war. The only way Prussia/ Germany could hope to win they had learned from the original Napoleon was to strike first.
Aside from that pet peeve I enjoyed the read. Although unless you read things from the other side you just keep hearing the same recycled "accepted" history, the Victor's history. I never understood why these wars kept repeating as the idea of every person in an entire country wanting war was not believable to me. Now that I have read deeper and not just our homogenized western versions written to justify our (American)involvement. I understand the great power rivalrys and all the many wars to be number 1 in Europe.
If half stars were allowed 3 1/2 would be my rating
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

AGHH
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2015
Verified Purchase
My husband is enjoying this book
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