Epic Land Battles By Richard Holmes

Pre-owned. There are many myths in military history, often created out of the feeling, engendered in both the camps of the victor and the vanquished after a war, that the next conflict will be similar to the last. France expected that the élan which had brought them victory under Napoleon I would be sufficient under Napoleon III. Their belief in this myth was shattered at Sedan in 1870. The German breakthrough at Sedan led the French to believe, in 1914, that a German thrust would take place in the northeast of France, and French military strategists devised Plan XVII on this basis, to plunge into German-controlled Alsace before the breakthrough came. They were shocked when Germany invaded France via Belgium, forcing the armies of Pau and Castelnau to move thousands of men west to the Marne to defend Paris. In 1940 France’s eastern flank was defended by the Maginot Line, and she hoped to counter Hitler’s expected offensive in the west by moving her forces into Belgium at once, so rendering a revival of the Schlieffen Plan impossible. The result was a breakthrough at Sedan (similar in some ways to the Prussian invasion of 1870) which effectively trapped both British and French forces behind German lines when the Wehrmacht swept to the Channel. The escape from Dunkirk saved their lives, if not their equipment. In short, history may repeat itself, but it is wiser to look for parallels well into the past, for it is unlikely that any nation will attempt the same strategic plan twice in succession. In acceptable condition. No dust jacket. Spine cracked on both sides. There is an inscription in blue pen on the bottom left of the inside front page. Some tanning, particularly to the endpapers. Content is however in good condition. Hardcover. Published by Littlehampton Book Services Ltd 1975