Interest in World War I seems to be on the increase among historians
and authors. Labeled as “the War to End All Wars,” it
brought about the concept of total war. It saw the rise of modern
warfare in the form of new and deadly weapons that included poison
gas, flame throwers, machine guns, tanks, aircraft, zeppelins and
submarines.
World War I was the first of the major 20th Century catastrophes.
Never had so many nations taken up arms at the same time and in
such a violent manner. It was fought in so many divergent places—from
the trenches of Europe, across the seas of the world, into the far
reaches of the deserts—that it reshaped the political landscape
of the planet. The following books shed some light on the Great
War.
“World War I: Turning Points In World History,” by
Donald J. Murphy (Ed.), Greenhaven Press: San Diego, Calif. $19.95
(paperback). This book describes:
“Mother of Eagles: The War Diary of Baroness Kunigunde von
Richthofen,” by Suzanne Hayes Fischer, Schiffer Military Books:
Atglen, Penn. $29.95. First published as “My War Diaries”
in 1937, this book details the exploits of her sons, Manfred—the
Red Baron—and Lothar.
Letters from both sons describe their love of the hunt in the air.
Manfred was known to celebrate each of his kills with a silver goblet
engraved with the date of the victory.
“Breaking the Heart of the World: Woodrow Wilson and the
Fight for the League of Nations,” by John Milton Cooper Jr.
Cambridge University Press: New York. $34.95. The league was to
become one of the great political debates of the 20th Century. Wilson
was a key architect of the league, and he had assured the world
that the United States would lead it.
Wilson failed to understand the forcefulness of his opponents,
France and England. He struggled throughout 1919 to drum up support
in a crusade across America, suffering a debilitating stroke in
the effort. The Senate ultimately rejected the league, and without
the United States as a member, the league failed to realize its
potential. The author is chief historian of a biography of Wilson
for the Public Broadcasting Service series, “The American
Experience,” scheduled to air later in 2002.
“Yanks: The Epic Story of the American Army in World War
I,” by John S.D. Eisenhower, Free Press; New York. $35. This
volume—by the son of World War II General and later President
Dwight D. Eisenhower —is a history of the building of a U.S.
Army to fight in France against one of the most professional armies
in the world.
Gen. John J. “Black Jack” Pershing and his staff created
a formidable force from scratch, entered the war at a crucial stage
and tipped the balance towards victory. The effort marked the origin
of today’s U.S. Army. In 19 months, an organization of approximately
200,000 National Guardsmen and regulars—trained to fight Mexicans
and Indians—had mobilized, trained and equipped an army of
4 million men and shipped 2 million of them to France ready to fight.
It is also the story of future military leaders that included Eisenhower,
MacArthur, Patton and Marshall. The doughboys of World War I and
their experiences on the battlefield provided the foundation for
an army that would lead to another victory two decades later in
World War II.
“The Great War: and the Shaping of the 20th Century,”
by Jay Winter and Blaine Baggett. Penguin Studio: New York. $40.
This book is a companion to the PBS presentation, “The Great
War.”
World War I was a conflict on a scale never before seen, one that
had multiple dimensions—in the trenches, at sea, and in the
air. It affected not only the lives of those directly in the battlefields,
but people far removed from the battlefields. Even to this day,
the shock waves that began in this war are still rippling through
parts of the world.
The book has excellent coverage on the war’s aftermath, including
the emergence of new nations, the lingering effect on victims and
survivors and the legacy of brutality passed along to later generations.
“World War I: Day-By-Day,” by Ian Westwell. MBI Publishing:
Osceola, Wis. $17.95. In August 1914, the Great Powers had hoped
for a short war, but by Christmas of that same year, those hopes
had evaporated, especially on the western Front.
The casualties would become enormous and continue to grow for the
next four years. Estimates would reach eight million dead and 21
million wounded. The armistice in 1918 signaled the descent of the
old Europe, with the demise of three empires and the birth of a
new violent world of confrontation leading to World War II. This
is an excellent chronology and reference book.
Dr. David LL. Silbergeld is a member of the Special Operations
and Low-Intensity Conflict Division of the National Defense Industrial
Association. His e-mail address is: dlsilber@epix.net.