Holding Out
The German Army and Operational Command in 1917
Part of Cambridge Military Histories
- Author: Tony Cowan
- Date Published: March 2023
- availability: This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
- format: Adobe eBook Reader
- isbn: 9781108902113
Find out more about Cambridge eBooks
Adobe eBook Reader
Other available formats:
Hardback
Looking for an inspection copy?
This title is not currently available on inspection
-
This is a ground-breaking study of German operational command during a critical phase of the First World War from November 1916 to the eve of the third battle of Ypres. The situation faced by the German army on the Western Front in 1917 was very different from the one anticipated in pre-war doctrine and Holding Out examines how German commanders and staff officers adapted. Tony Cowan analyses key command tasks to get under the skin of the army's command culture, internal politics and battle management systems from co-ordinating the troops, matériel and different levels of command needed to fight a modern battle to continuously learning and applying lessons from the ever-changing Western Front. His detailed analysis of the German defeat of the 1917 Entente spring offensive sheds new light on how the army and Germany were able to hold out so long during the war against increasing odds.
Read more- Makes new empirical material available to non-German speaking researchers on the First World War
- Sheds new light on the battle of Arras and Nivelle offensive
- For scholars of military history, the history of the First World War, imperial Germany and war studies
Reviews & endorsements
'Even the well-informed reader will learn much about how the German army functioned from Holding Out. The book's conclusions go far beyond 1917 and are important to sharpen our understanding of the German army during the entire war. Cowan fights against the idea of the German army being the 'benchmark' of military quality and offers a much more nuanced picture of a military organism with great strengths and great weaknesses.' Holger Afflerbach, author of On a Knife Edge
See more reviews'Tony Cowan's fascinating case study of the battles of early 1917 is a work of meticulous scholarship and deep insight which sets a new standard for our understanding of war on the Western Front, and of the strengths and weaknesses of the German army in the first half of the twentieth century.' Jonathan Boff, author of Haig's Enemy
'Holding Out demonstrates the power and resilience of the German war machine by treating it as an organisation run by real, often flawed, people working in situations of great stress and with finite resources. For that reason it offers a far more convincing appraisal of the German army in the First World War than the work of its many apologists.' Paul Skrebels, Sabretache
'There is no doubt that the German army in the Great War was highly professional and able to learn and adapt, that is why it was able to hold out for so long in the face of increasingly unfavourable odds. This dense, detailed and fascinating tour de force tells us how it was done.' John Spencer, The Western Front Association
'… detailed and fascinating …' John Spencer, The Western Front Association
Customer reviews
Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review
Review was not posted due to profanity
×Product details
- Date Published: March 2023
- format: Adobe eBook Reader
- isbn: 9781108902113
- availability: This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
Comparative ranks
Chronology
Abbreviations
Maps
Introduction
1. Context
2. Principles
3. Organisation
4. Personality
5. Intelligence
6. Communication
7. Learning
8. Performance
Conclusion.
Sorry, this resource is locked
Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email [email protected]
Register Sign in» Proceed
You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.
Continue ×Are you sure you want to delete your account?
This cannot be undone.
Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.
If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.
×