Research Catalog

Title

Challenge of battle : the real story of the British Army in 1914 / Adrian Gilbert.

Author

Gilbert, Adrian

Publication

Oxford : Osprey Publishing, 2014.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

304 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps; 24 cm

Summary

Within an authoritative and well-paced campaign narrative, Challenge of Battle re-evaluates the Army's leadership, organization and tactics. It describes the problems faced by commanders, grappling with the brutal realities of 20th-century warfare, and explains how the British infantry's famed marksmanship has to be set against the inexperience and tactical shortcomings of the BEF as a whole. But it also demonstrates the progress made by the British during 1914, concluding with the successful defense of Ypres against superior enemy forces.

Subject

• Great Britain. British Expeditionary Force > History > World War, 1914-1918
• World War, 1914-1918 > Campaigns > Western Front

Genre/Form

History

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 290-296) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Introduction -- Prologue: First blood -- Part one: Advance to battle (1. Opening the war book ; 2. Across the Channel ; 3. The march to Mons ; 4. The Kaiser's army ; 5. Encounter at Mons) -- Part two: The great retreat (6. Disengagement ; 7. Le Cateau: the decision to fight ; 8. Le Cateau: the defeat ; 9. Failures of command ; 10. The retreat continues) -- Part three: From the Marne to the Aisne (11. Turn of the tide ; 12. Battle on the Aisne: assault ; 13. Battle on the Aisne: entrenchment) -- Part four: Decision at Ypres (14. The opening moves ; 15. Storm over Ypres ; 16. Battle in the south ; 17. Ypres: the test) -- Epilogue: Death of the old army -- Appendix A: BEF order of battle 1914 -- Appendix B: British Army organization.

ISBN

• 9781849088596 (hardback)
• 1849088594 (hardback)
• 9781472808141 (e-book) (canceled/invalid)
• 9781472808134 (PDF) (canceled/invalid)

LCCN

^^2014412357

OCLC

864790196

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library