A Storm in Flanders: The Ypres Salient, 1914-1918: Tragedy and Triumph on the Western Front

This book is rare in not trying to spare the reader the true horrors of trench warfare during World War I, including some of the costliest slaughters of that time. The author's writing is vivid, graphic, even horrific, yet always remains readable and compelling. Were it not for a few historical, and unnecessary, errors made by Mr. Groom, I would have given this book the full five-star rating. His work seems excellent as long as he does not stray from the immediate topic, though he contradicts himself seriously ("The Chateaux Generals") and makes outright mistakes concerning the naval war (Lord Kitchener was not being transported to Russia aboard a battle cruiser when the ship hit a mine and sank; Rheinhard Scheer never planned to confront the entire Grand Fleet at Jutland in 1916). For the reader willing to forgive and overlook such matters, the rest of the book is a gruesomely fascinating account of a particularly violent and nasty period of warfare.

I can't believe I am the first reviewer for this book. I just closed the final page -- having plowed through it in 48 hours -- and it was great. Not only was the horror and mud of WWI conveyed in vivid detail, but I found the "bounce" between direct reports (from diaries/letters) and conventional political history exactly right. More important, the first 20 pages of the book illuminated the origins of WWI so plainly -- for the first time I understood how this could happen. At the back end of the book, the same service is performed, so the reader can see WWII coming a mile away. Will start buying Groom's other/future historical non-fic work immediately.

This is a wonderful overview of a critical sector of the western front. Across the region known as Flanders, three particularly brutal battles were fought during the First World War with a horrendous loss of life suffered for minimal territorial gains. This book provides enough information about these battles to be informative yet unlike many military histories it avoids becoming boring because it is not overly detailed. It also discusses the battles from all perspectives including the high ranking politicians, the often inept generals but especially from the viewpoint of the poor infantrymen who suffered incredible hardships including shelling, bombing, machine gun fire, gas attacks and wretched weather conditions. In addition the author has a wonderful approach to writing making the book a very absorbing read that is difficult to put down. It is a shame so many historians, including such military writers as David Glantz, do not emulate Groom's style.

This is an excellent history of one of the most costly campaigns in a costly war. Groom writes this book for American audiences, who are generally ignorant of this battle. As such, English audiences may find much of the material familiar ground. But for us Yanks, this books captures the slaughter of this battle, slaughter on a scale we cannot imagine and that Americans have never seen (to give some perspective, imagine a Gettysburg that lasts over three years, instead of three days). Groom has the unique (alas) ability in historic writing to combine the strategic, tactical, and human aspects of war in a book. He clearly and simply explains the German plan for conquest, the Allied's plan (if you want to call it that) for defense, and how the stalemate of trench warfare emerged from the early optimism of 1914. This is aided by several EXCELLENT maps. However, the book also relates forcefully the human cost of war. Through the published recollections of veterans on both sides, a ghastly picture emerges of the Hell that was WWI. Some of the stories are heartbreaking: of young soliders crying for their mothers before recollecting their strength and charging to their death, of poets writing beautiful verse in the trenches, then dying horribly, of thousands of men who died anonymous deaths in tunnels and trenches in and under no man's land. Above all, the constant stink of battle, death, and decay permeates the book as it permeated the battlefield. And yet what finally emerges is the heroism of the common British soldier, who was sacrificed by the thousands, yet still withstood the final German offensive of 1918. But this victory comes at a terrible cost: the destruction of the old British Army, and the sacrifice of an entire generation. Even if you are not interested in WW1 history (which I was not before I read this book) read it! It is one of those rare books that rise above common military history into something much grander.

In response to one of the reviewer's comments that this book "dumbs down" the information, that is what I love about this book. I enjoy history, especially historical fiction, and this book is light enough for me to read at the pool. It's emphasis on how the war affected people makes it more interesting reading for us stereotypical females than many war books(I hated reading Red Badge of Courage in high school). As to the comment that the dumbing down was done to attract American readers, I think that's necessary. Most of us relate to the Revolution, Civil War and WW II, but see WW I as a footnote in history. One of my husband's scientific colleagues in Great Britain assures him that is not the case there! I had absolutely no interest in WW I, even though my grandfather fought in it, until our family went to Yper to see the Cat Parade in 2000. There our daughter(then 4) and I became much more interested in this particular part of WW I. This book is an enjoyable light summer read which will educate many of us about a topic of which we are woefully ignorant.