This book will be the first complete account of the operations of the
German army in the battles north of Lille in the late autumn of 1914.
The main emphasis will be placed on the battles around Ypres against the
Old Contemptibles of the BEF, but the fighting against the French and
Belgian armies will also be featured, thus providing fresh insights into
a campaign. There are those who consider that the BEF was all that saved
world civilization as the first year of the Great War drew to its end.
The book uses the comprehensive histories of the participating German
regiments found in the Kriegsarchiv in Munich and the Hauptstaatsarchiv
in Stuttgart. Their use adds authority and authenticity to the book.
The narrative adopts a chronological approach. The book focuses on some
of the most bitterly disputed battles of the first three months of the
war, when the Germans strained to achieve a breakthrough and the BEF
resisted heroically, at the price of its own destruction.
The book employs a similar format to the authors previous works; that is
to say the greater part of the text uses the words of the German
participants themselves and the primary focus of the book covers the
experiences of the fighting troops at regimental level and below.
Linking paragraphs provide historical context and commentary and
evidence from senior commanders will be introduced as necessary.
