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Cassell Military Classics: The Swordbearers: Supreme Command In The First World War

In his highly readable and perceptive study of the younger von Moltke, Admiral Jellicoe, General Petain, and General Ludendorff, Barnett takes the reader inside the decision-making cycles of the World War I commanders.

 

Undertones of War

A classic chronicle of World War I trench life by a British infantry lieutenant who became a famous poet and author, this is the best personal memoir of World War I-a masterpiece.

 

The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I

In this excellent text and reference, Professor Coffman, a distinguished military historian, provides a thorough evaluation of all aspects of U.S. military participation in World War I.

 

 The General

Both an entertaining work of fiction by a literary master and a criticism of British World War I generalship, this novel has gained worldwide attention.

 

The Great War and Modern Memory

Fussell's study of the history and literature of World War I shows how the modern form of literary understanding originated in World War I. This is a book to read and reread - a great achievement!

 

The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916

This moving study explains Verdun where 700,000 men fell in a ten-month battle.

 

Storm of Steel

In this gripping book, Junger, a German infantry lieutenant in World War I, describes the experience of combat and provides interesting vignettes on life at the front, the heat of battle, and small-unit leadership.

 

Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph

A unique account of the revolt in Arabia against the Turks during World War I by its most famous participant, Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935), this book reminds one that maneuver warfare in the desert was far different from the stagnant trench warfare on the Western Front.

 

Real War 1914-1918

Liddell Hart, the great military writer and veteran of the trenches, wrote this comprehensive study of World War I, which many still consider the classic one-volume history of the war. The book discusses the origins of the war, the opposing forces, and war plans, and covers chronologically all major campaigns in all theaters of the war.

Somme.

A look at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 as seen by British soldiers and officers, this somewhat disjointed, but still informative, book is critical-and deservedly so-of the British commander Sir Douglas Haig.

 

The First Day on the Somme

On 1 July 1916, the British Army suffered over 57,000 casualties, making it the most terrible day in its history. In this classic account, the author tells what happened and why by using ten soldiers who fought on the Somme as representatives of the British Army.

 

Military Strategy and the Origins of the First World War: An International Security Reader.

First published in International Security, this collection of six scholarly articles evaluates the offensive doctrines of the major European armies in 1914. In the most important article written for officers today, the distinguished British military historian Michael Howard describes what European armies believed about the nature of warfare prior to World War I.

 

Gallipoli

In a powerful study of the sea-land effort in 1915 to defeat Turkey in World War I, Moorehead examines all aspects of the campaign. This book should be required reading for all commanders.

 

All Quiet on the Western Front

Considered to be the classic novel of World War I, this book has been read by millions of people. Remarque records the experiences of young German soldiers confronting the horrors of war.

 

Attacks: Rommel

Originally published as Infantry Attacks, Field Marshal Rommel's work about World War I was of extreme interest to officers of other armies. General George S. Patton, for one, read and admired this book.

 

Memoirs of an Infantry Officer

Eloquent and witty, Sassoon's great English memoirs of World War I combine fiction and his own experiences to produce a work of great literary merit that shows the contrasts and horrors of World War I. While Sassoon was in reserve during the Battle of Arras, he wrote about "listening to the noise (of Military History being manufactured regardless of expense) and waiting for the latest rumors." This is the middle volume of a trilogy.

 

The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

To better understand trench warfare, consider reading this fine collection of the best World War I poetry.

Pershing: General of the Armies

In Father Smythe's scholarly account of Pershing's activities in World War I, he provides much information about the American Expeditionary Forces.

 

A Short History of World War I

Stokesbury, in a lively and ironic writing style, offers the best brief account of the Great War.

 

The Eastern Front, 1914-1917

Stone, a professor at Cambridge University, presents a thorough history of the lesser-known World War I eastern campaigns of Russia, Germany, and Austro-Hungary, and examines army organization, tactics, conscription, logistics, and strategy. For information on the Eastern Front in World War I, this is the book to consult.

 

The Killing Ground: The British Army, the Western Front and the Emergence of Modern Warfare

Travers' first-rate new study of World War I analyzes the evolution of a style of warfare that resulted in massive losses. Using recently available personal papers, the author brilliantly evaluates British command, with emphasis on Douglas Haig, and sees a connection between Haig's command style and his staff college training. In this work, Travers specifically criticizes the British official history of the war.

 

The Guns of August

Excellent writing and splendid research combine in this great narrative of the causes and opening days of World War I, but Tuchman's thesis is debatable.

 

Death's Men: Soldiers of the Great War

In this clearly written book, Winter, a British history teacher, describes life in the trenches and the horror of World War I combat. He also provides information on routine army life on the Western Front, including diet, health, and fatigue duty.

 

If Germany Attacks : The Battle in Depth in the West (West Point Military Library).

This book describes the evolution of German tactical doctrine on the Western Front from 1915 to 1917 and should be of interest to soldiers concerned about how war changes tactical doctrine.