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A Storm in Flanders: The Ypres Salient, 1914-1918: Tragedy and Triumph on the Western Front
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9780802139986
ISBN: 0802139981
Label: Grove Press
Manufacturer: Grove Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: 2003-04
Publisher: Grove Press
Studio: Grove Press
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Editorial Review:
Novelist Winston Groom (Forrest Gump) brings his considerable skills as a storyteller and researcher to this gory tour of "the most notorious and dreaded place in all of the First World War, probably of any war in history." The Ypres salient, a small, hilly section of Belgium, witnessed the wholesale destruction of the old British professional army, "the Old Contemptibles"; it was the place where the great armies of England, France, and Germany were locked in a dance of death for four years, where "more than a million soldiers were shot, bayoneted, bludgeoned, bombed, grenaded, gassed, incinerated by flamethrowers, drowned in shell craters, smothered by caved-in trenches, obliterated by underground mines, or, more often than not, blown to pieces by artillery shells." Extraordinary moments occurred in that vast hell, including the renowned Christmas truce of 1914, when the armies set aside the killing for a few short hours, crossed the trenches, and celebrated together. But mostly the scenery was unbeautiful mud and blood, the makings of Groom's chilling canvas, one populated by the famed generals and ordinary soldiers who met in Flanders fields. The stuff of Groom's story will be familiar to readers of Liddell Hart, Keegan, and other scholars, and readers new to the history of the Great War will find it a memorable introduction. --Gregory McNamee
A Storm in Flanders is novelist and prizewinning historian Winston Groom's gripping history of the four-year battle for Ypres in Belgian Flanders, the pivotal engagement of World War I that would forever change the way the world fought -- and thought about -- war. This is Groom's account of what would become the most dreaded place on earth. In 1914, Germany launched an invasion of France through neutral Belgium -- and brought the wrath of the world upon itself. Ypres became a place of horror, heroism, and terrifying new tactics and technologies: poison gas, tanks, mines, air strikes, and the unspeakable misery of trench warfare. Drawing on the journals of the men and women who were there, Winston Groom has penned a breathtaking drama of politics, strategy, and the human heart. 16 pages of black-and-white historical photographs are featured.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Superb
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. An excellent read for anyone interested in WW1. No point in saying more. Read it.
Rating: - The Great War I never knew
After reading A Storm in Flanders, I understand--for the first time--why it was called The Great War and The War to End All Wars. Though the book focuses almost exclusively on the Ypres Salient (other pertinent events are mentioned, from the impetus for the war to Verdun and the Somme), here was where the horrors of modern warfare were first unleashed: flamethrowers, machine guns, poison gas, the godawful trench. The carnage is almost unbelievable. But the book is such an important read--one must ... Read More
Rating: - pronounced Wipers--like "wiped out"!
Too often,I, as an American have tended to overlook the importance of WW1 and its relevance to todays world.I had often heard that WW2 was a war to determine who actually won won WW1,and also that had Woodrow wilson's 14 points been adopted as the peace settlement there might not have been a WW2 at all.The war reparations that Germany had to pay to Europe and the "War Guilt Clause" in the Treaty of Versailles,were a primary cause of Hitler coming to power.Grooms" book backs up my interpretation of ... Read More
Rating:  - More like a Slaughter in Flanders
Technically, there were four major battles four in the four years of WWI in the area around Ypres...but in fact, except for short periods during the winter, the battle was almost continual from 1914 to 1918. Generals were constantly asking soldiers to fight for 'worthless' pieces of ground and to often fight in conditions that were remarkably like a cesspool. One of the soldiers quoted talks about the land having been 'destroyed' to such an extent that it had the consistency of quicksand and that ... Read More
Rating: - The Battle for Ypres.
I liked Groom's Civil War book, so I decided to read his book on Ypres. Groom writes well and the flow of his book is very good. This book progressed well and the four Ypres battles were covered in summary. This is more of a summary history of the battles in this region. However, this is not the authoritative book on the battle. As even Groom will admit, this book is for Americans, and not the British who fought this battle. It is a very readable, detailed book though.
Groom writes ... Read More
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