A great read about the Battle of Verdun

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Verdun1916
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Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2022 8:42 am
Location: Hässleholm, Sweden

A great read about the Battle of Verdun

Post by Verdun1916 »

Hi guys!

Most of us who share the passion of these games usually has some sort of interest in the history of warfare. Otherwise games like John Tiller's and WDS games wouldn't be made nor played to the extent they are. And because of that most off us also knows how important historical sources is.

Hence I thought I might give you guys with the interest off it a reading tip. Today I finished a great read about the First World War battle of Verdun:
"Verdun - Die Schlacht und der Mythos" written by the late German Werth. This roughly 530 pages long book was first published in 1982 and I've been hunting for a copy off it for years. As luck would have it a friend of mind gave me a bag full of German First World War litterature a while back and this gem was amongst them.

The book narrates the history of the battle, mainly from the German perspective, from the first plans in late 1915 until the end of it in December 1916. Both from the perspective of the commanding generals but also from the perspective of the enlisted men, NCO:s and officers who actually lived through it in the shell craters and trenches. And because of this it gives a very well rounded perspective on how the battle was fought aswell as why it was fought the way it was. It highlights the frictions of war and how these impacted the tide of battle. And it gives you a good idea of what an hellish experience it was for those who fought it!
It also deals with the the fighting in the Verdun sector after the battle of Verdun but to a far lesser extent.
One of the books strongsuites is also that it deals with (and busts) many of the myths surrounding the battle. and also deals with how the battle was seen by the generation who lived through it aswell as how the facts and myths of it was preserved and used after the war. And how the latter also came to impact Germany from the Armistice to the outbreak of the next World War.
When first published Werths work contained many previously unpublished eyewitness accounts which in itself makes for a very interresting read.
It is sadly a bit lacking when it comes to to detailed maps. However that might have been rectified in later editions (my copy is a 2nd edition from 1984).

Sadly I'm not sure if this book has ever been translated into English. But for any off you who reads German or don't mind using a translating app I highly recommend you give it a read if you get the chance. It's definatly one of the best books on the battle of Verdun I have read, and I have read my fair share on the subject over the past 30+ years.

My next reading project will be 700+ pages long "Die Feldgrauen - Leben, Kämpfe und Sterben an der Westfront 1914 - 1918" written by Albrecht Rothacher, ISBN: 978-3-938176-43-6.

Cheers!
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