Passchendaele: The Lost Victory of World War I (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780465094776)

The definitive account of Passchendaele, the months-long battle that epitomizes the immense tragedy of the First World War

Passchendaele. The name of a small, seemingly insignificant Flemish village echoes across the twentieth century as the ultimate expression of meaningless, industrialized slaughter. In the summer of 1917, upwards of 500,000 men were killed or wounded, maimed, gassed, drowned, or buried in this small corner of Belgium.

On the centennial of the battle, military historian Nick Lloyd brings to vivid life this epic encounter along the Western Front. Drawing on both British and German sources, he is the first historian to reveal the astonishing fact that, for the British, Passchendaele was an eminently winnable battle. Yet the advance of British troops was undermined by their own high command, which, blinded by hubris, clung to failed tactics. The result was a familiar one: stalemate. Lloyd forces us to consider that trench warfare was not necessarily a futile endeavor, and that had the British won at Passchendaele, they might have ended the war early, saving hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives. A captivating narrative of heroism and folly, Passchendaele is an essential addition to the literature on the Great War.

Author: Nick Lloyd
ISBN-10: 0465094775
ISBN-13: 9780465094776
Publisher: Basic Books
Language: English
Published: 05/23/2017
Pages: 464
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.55lbs
Size: 9.56h x 6.38w x 2.50d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2017 pg. 80
Publishers Weekly 03/27/2017
Library Journal 04/15/2017 pg. 95