Pyrrhic Victory

French Strategy and Operations in the Great War

Häftad, Engelska, 2008

409 kr

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As the driving force behind the Allied effort in World War I, France willingly shouldered the heaviest burden. In this masterful book, Robert Doughty explains how and why France assumed this role and offers new insights into French strategy and operational methods.French leaders, favoring a multi-front strategy, believed the Allies could maintain pressure on several fronts around the periphery of the German, Austrian, and Ottoman empires and eventually break the enemy's defenses. But France did not have sufficient resources to push the Germans back from the Western Front and attack elsewhere. The offensives they launched proved costly, and their tactical and operational methods ranged from remarkably effective to disastrously ineffective. Using extensive archival research, Doughty explains why France pursued a multi-front strategy and why it launched numerous operations as part of that strategy. He also casts new light on France's efforts to develop successful weapons and methods and the attempts to use them in operations.An unparalleled work in French or English literature on the war, Pyrrhic Victory is destined to become the standard account of the French army in the Great War.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2008-03-31
Mått156 x 235 x 29 mm
Vikt910 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor592
FörlagHarvard University Press
ISBN9780674027268
UtmärkelserNominated for Paul Birdsall Prize 2006

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Contents List of Maps Preface Introduction 1. The Transformation of the French Army 2. The War of Movement, 1914 3. Siege Warfare, 1914-1915 4. An Offensive Strategy, May-October 1915 5. The Search for Strategic Alternatives, 1915-1916 6. A Strategy of Attrition, 1916 7. A Strategy of Decisive Battle, Early 1917 8. A Strategy of "Healing" and Defense, Late 1917 9. Responding to a German Offensive, Spring 1918 10. A Strategy of Opportunism Conclusion: The "Misery" of Victory Abbreviations Notes Essay on Sources Index

Pyrrhic Victory is the first work to address comprehensively the strategic planning and the operational execution that shaped World War I. Doughty makes an eloquent case for the strength and flexibility of the French Third Republic as it confronted a mortal challenge. He brings an intellectual force and clarity of expression, as well as a gifted professional soldier's understanding of French aims and intentions. This long-awaited work will stand as the definitive account of French strategy in the Great War.