What do you think?
Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare looks at that most static form of war, the trenches of World War I. The Introduction examines the precedents and precursors to the European charnel house that saw nearly eight million dead on both sides, and the technology of mass slaughter -the machine guns and artillery pieces that would cause such casualties. The first chapter looks carefully at the trench itself - how they were built and the way this changed over four years of warfare. It looks at the siting of weapons, at mining and counter-mining, concealment and deception, so necessary after the advent of airborne reconnaissance.
There is detailed coverage of wire and defensive emplacements such as bunkers and pillboxes, and a discussion on patrolling, raiding, and observation missions into No Man's Land. Next the key specialists of trench warfare are examined - the snipers, bombers, machine gunners, and the stormtroopers who actually did the fighting: how their missions changed over the years of war and what they felt about their job.
There is detailed coverage of wire and defensive emplacements such as bunkers and pillboxes, and a discussion on patrolling, raiding, and observation missions into No Man's Land. Next the key specialists of trench warfare are examined - the snipers, bombers, machine gunners, and the stormtroopers who actually did the fighting: how their missions changed over the years of war and what they felt about their job.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2002
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 18, 2013
An excellent primer on the subject of trench warfare during World War I. Bull does an adequate analysis of the precursors to the use of trench warfare in the Great War, as well as noting the influence of the tactics developed at that time as they affected wars all the way through the First Gulf War. Full of primary source material and liberally illustrated with photographs, maps, posters, and battle diagrams, most of them from the time period, Trench Warfare gives not only a glimpse into the lives of those who fought in the trenches and the equipment and methods they used to do so, but also some intriguing analysis of the effectiveness of trench warfare vis-a-vis the "open ground" fighting on the last three months of the war. Though the emphasis of the book is on the hardware and tactics, Bull is careful to acknowledge the human cost of the war and its effect on those who fought it and those "at home". A critical read for the student of World War I.
October 11, 2015
Good introduction to static warfare in World War I. Bull analyzes trench warfare from a number of different angles and comes up with excellent conclusions contrary to some long accepted theses of combat in WWI. He extends his analysis to First Gulf War. Entertaining and informative; packed with period photographs and testimony.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews