The Western Front
A History of the First World War
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The Western Front
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Narrated by:
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Mark Elstob
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By:
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Nick Lloyd
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
In the annals of military history, the Western Front stands as an enduring symbol of the folly and futility of war.
However, The Western Front, by best-selling military Historian Nick Lloyd, reveals that the story is not, as so many assume, one of pointlessness and stupidity. Rather, it is an epic triumph against the odds. With a cast of hundreds and a huge canvas of places and events, Lloyd tells the whole tale, revealing what happened in France and Belgium between August 1914 and November 1918 from the perspective of all the main combatants - including French, British, Belgian, US and, most importantly, German forces.
Drawing upon the latest scholarship on the war, wrongly overlooked first-person accounts and archival material from every angle, Lloyd examines the most decisive campaigns of the Great War and explains the achievements that have been too long obscured by legends of mud, blood and futility. Far from being an arena of static, stale attrition - and despite mistakes and wrong turns along the way - the Western Front was a 'cauldron of war' that saw unprecedented innovation, adaptation and tactical development.
Lloyd conveys the visceral assault of the battlefield and skillfully moves the focus in and out, giving both the bigger picture and telling detail. He recreates the decision-making and experiences of the war as it was at the time as well as with hindsight, and in doing so, redefines our understanding of this crucial theatre in this monumental tragedy.
©2021 Nick Lloyd (P)2021 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Western Front
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Martin J. Hunter
- 04-09-24
Narrator
Excellent. Narration is perfect - nicely done with no showy emphasis etc etc 15 word minimum
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- JCS Talbot
- 13-04-24
Possibly a bit over-long?
Especially for those with a general, ie, non-academic, interest. Could add either one initial or a final brief (30 minute) chapter summarising the overall sequence of events. The list & summary of characters was a good idea, but why not in alphabetical order by surname & make it easier to refer back to check on a player. Finally for those readers who stop and start this 20hour tome, much more frequent stating of the year when quoting dates would ease following the story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Agnes
- 11-06-22
Excellent Overview
I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the future books about the war in other parts of the world. The narration was clear and easy to follow and I never felt like I was getting bogged down by boring facts and figures.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julian
- 04-05-24
Clear-sighted and detailed narrative history of the war on the Western Front
This is an admirable introduction to the military history of the western front. A good addition to the historiography of the period.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jeffrey
- 29-07-21
Readable account of a tragic part of a tragic war
A comprehensive explanation of leadership with unbiased criticism of both sides. Despite the top level approach it still conveyed the horror of what happened, especially the horrific use of gas. It was fascinating to discover why the generals made decisions which condemned thousands to death, on both sides. They applied considerable intellect but seemed rooted in tradition and inflexible and slow to respond to modern techniques and weapons including tanks. Some of the geographic references were difficult to follow, even with Wikipedia, as were some of the names.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kevin emery
- 04-12-21
excellent resource recommended
This resource takes both sides, both political thinking and military thinking, highly recommended book ...
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stanley Backster
- 16-03-23
Excellent
Moves through WW1 on the western front without too much preamble about the causes of the war. Contextualise other campaign such as the Dardanelles and the East. This to show primarily how they influenced the Western Front. Excellent description of the key military leadership figures and the relationships between countries in both the Entente and Central Powers Alliances.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Daniel
- 11-07-23
good for military buffs
very top down history and therefore very military focussed. I struggled to grasp what was happening at times and without visual cues, it made little sense. however, I'm also not a big military history fan so perhaps this book was not written for me. if you like milhist then go for it!
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