Winning and Losing on the Western Front
The British Third Army and the Defeat of Germany in 1918

An innovative study revealing how both sides adapted to the changing realities of the final months on the Western Front.

Jonathan Boff (Author)

9781107449022, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 20 November 2014

310 pages, 50 b/w illus. 4 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.42 kg

'Boff's research is solid, relying on archives located in Britain, Germany, and the Commonwealth countries.' Robert M. Citino, German Studies Review

The 'Hundred Days' campaign of 1918 remains a neglected aspect of the First World War. Why was the German army defeated on the Western Front? Did its morale collapse or was it beaten by the improved military effectiveness of a British army which had climbed a painful 'learning curve' towards modern combined arms warfare? This revealing insight into the crucial final months of the First World War uses state-of-the-art methodology to present a rounded case study of the ability of both armies to adapt to the changing realities they faced. Jonathan Boff draws on both British and German archival sources, some of them previously unseen, to examine how representative armies fought during the 'Hundred Days' campaign. Assessing how far the application of modern warfare underpinned the British army's part in the Allied victory, the book highlights the complexity of modern warfare and the role of organisational behaviour within it.

Introduction: 'An Unknown Story'
1. 'The Advance to Victory'
2. Manpower and training
3. Materialschlacht
4. Morale
5. British tactics: 'The True Elixir'
6. The German tactical response
7. British operations and command
8. The failure of German command
Conclusion: winning and losing on the Western Front.

Subject Areas: Military history [HBW], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], British & Irish history [HBJD1], European history [HBJD], History [HB]