The First Battle of the Marne 1914: The French 'miracle' halts the Germans

Description

In 1914 the Germans launched an offensive that swept through Belgium and into France, threatening to crush French resistance in one fell swoop. However, through careful maneuvering and stubborn resistance, the French Army, aided by the BEF, blunted the assault, winning an important strategic victory that kept France in the war. This victory ensured that Germany would have to fight a two-front war, and the Western Front descended into the stalemate of trench warfare. One of the most important battles in the First World War, the First Battle of the Marne would be the last battle of maneuver to be seen on the Western Front for several years to come.

Ian Sumner was born in 1953 in Eccles, near Manchester, UK. He originally trained as a librarian in Newcastle-upon-Tyne but now devotes himself to full-time writing. He has written numerous titles for Osprey, and also several books on the history of the East Riding of Yorkshire, where he now lives with his wife. Graham Turner is a leading historical artist, specializing in the medieval period. He has illustrated numerous titles for Osprey, covering a wide variety of subjects from the dress of the 10th-century armies of the Caliphates, through the action of bloody medieval battles, to the daily life of the British Redcoat of the late 18th century. The son of the illustrator Michael Turner, Graham lives and works in Buckinghamshire.

"This 96-page book documents the origins of the campaign, followed by a brief chronology. Then the opposing commanders and the forces at their disposal are detailed ... Hobbyists will discover diorama ideas in this good book's great mixture of period photographs and full-color illustrations. Especially notable is one of the plates by Graham Turner depicting one of the battle's iconic moments when French reinforcements rushed to the front embarked from a column of 6,000 Parisian taxi cabs." --Toy Soldier & Model Figure (August 2011) "Essential to a better understanding of Western Front history." --The Midwest Book Review