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Zusatztext [Jankowski] has written what certainly must stand as the most definitive history of the World War I Battle of Verdun ... In this majestically crafted book, the author exposes many of the myths about the battle that have developed over a century of narrative. He demonstrates an exceptional mastery of sources and method, as he mined the German as well as the French primary sources, and is equally adept at both traditional military history and the new social history that, until recently, dominated the enterprise ... By exploring all the connections between what happened on the battlefield and its impact and legacy, Jankowski compellingly illuminates the complex interaction of myth and reality built up over time concerning the Battle of Verdun. Informationen zum Autor Paul Jankowski is Raymond Ginger Professor of History at Brandeis University. His many books include Stavinksy: A Confidence Man in the Republic of Virtue and Shades of Indignation: Political Scandals in France, Past and Present. Klappentext At seven o'clock in the morning on February 21, 1916, the ground in northern France began to shake. For the next ten hours, twelve hundred German guns showered shells on a salient in French lines. The massive weight of explosives collapsed dugouts, obliterated trenches, severed communicationwires, and drove men mad. As the barrage lifted, German troops moved forward, darting from shell crater to shell crater. The battle of Verdun had begun. In Verdun, historian Paul Jankowski provides the definitive account of the iconic battle of World War I. A leading expert on the French past, Jankowski combines the best of traditional military history-its emphasis on leaders, plans, technology, and the contingency of combat-with the newer socialand cultural approach, stressing the soldier's experience, the institutional structures of the military, and the impact of war on national memory. Unusually, this book draws on deep research in French and German archives; this mastery of sources in both languages gives Verdun unprecedented authorityand scope. In many ways, Jankowski writes, the battle represents a conundrum. It has an almost unique status among the battles of the Great War; and yet, he argues, it was not decisive, sparked no political changes, and was not even the bloodiest episode of the conflict. It is said that Verdun madeFrance, he writes; but the question should be, What did France make of Verdun? Over time, it proved to be the last great victory of French arms, standing on their own. And, for France and Germany, the battle would symbolize the terror of industrialized warfare, a technocratic Moloch devouring itschildren, where no advance or retreat was possible, yet national resources poured in ceaselessly, perpetuating slaughter indefinitely. Zusammenfassung Paul Jankowski offers a fresh look at Verdun, one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the First World War, in a book that will surely become the standard work on the topic. Inhaltsverzeichnis Introduction I. The Three Hundred Days of Verdun II. Verdun under German Eyes III. Verdun under French Eyes IV. The Offensive Trap V. The Prestige Trap VI. The Attritional Trap VII. The Nightmare VIII. Rancor IX. Warning Signals X. Enemies XI. Circles of Loyalty Epilogue Appendix Acknowledgments Bibliography ...
