Since newspaper men have abundant time at their disposal and are prone to boredom easily, it is not astonishing that in the 1920s, British journalists organized a competition to devise what would be the most astonishing headline of the century up to that point: ARCHDUKE FERDINAND FOUND ALIVE: WORLD WAR A MISTAKE!

Barbara Tuchman endeavored to demonstrate that the second part of that headline was all too accurate. The First World War, which claimed an estimated 20 million lives, was neither triggered by a single factor nor deliberately planned to occur. All the imperial powers in Europe had been arming themselves for conflict since at least 1880, and the scramble for Africa and China (a world war between France and Britain, as had happened during the Seven Years War, was a very real possibility even as late as 1900), yet no one desired or aimed for the conflagration that erupted in August 1914. By then, even the railroad schedules of the warring powers could not be annulled. Fortunately, Tuchman never assumed the position of an academic historian, and this Pulitzer-Prize winner's prose shines brightly. To assess its relevance, consider that President John Kennedy quoted Tuchman during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, and her work has emerged in discussions regarding the Russo-Ukraine war.

A historical book, which, like a skyscraper, requires a high level of courage and concentration, has described many details of World War I. It has talked about the conditions in Europe on the eve of World War I, the power-hungry and monopoly-hungry nature of the Germans and their intention to invade France and Russia, the internal entanglements, the external maps and policymakings. In general, it is a worldly book about domestic and foreign policies. The story of the beginning of World War I, the military, political mistakes, thoughts, and so on. It is an interesting story about the start of the war by the Germans and their entry into a two-sided war, both on the side of the Russians and on the side of the French.

This historical account provides a comprehensive and in-depth look at the complex web of events and factors that led to the outbreak of World War I. It allows readers to better understand the political, military, and social context of that era, and how these elements interacted to shape the course of history.

By studying such a book, we can gain valuable insights into the mistakes and lessons of the past, and use them to guide our actions and decisions in the present and future. It serves as a reminder of the importance of diplomacy, cooperation, and understanding in maintaining world peace and stability.

Barbara W. Tuchman's reputation in this field really doesn't need much elaboration from me. The author's most famous work, "The Guns of August," actually had a Chinese version published more than a decade ago. It was the Zhang Daiyun version published by Lianjing. I heard that there was quite a lot of controversy over the translation quality. I bought the simplified Chinese version at that time. It was a thin book with rough printing quality. So this time, when the Square retranslated and reissued this book, I decided to buy one. After all, it is "one of the few books I want to take with me to the underworld after I die."

Yes, "The Guns of August" holds such a position in my heart. It is the peak of Tuchman's writing skills. Her narrative technique is fascinating, and there are often witty remarks that make people smile. For example, when she mentioned that Moltke the Younger rejected the Kaiser's proposal to turn and attack Russia first because the railway transportation could not bear the load, and then the German railway minister criticized after the war, "We had rehearsed for this situation long ago. It's all nonsense." Because the Germans, who pursue perfection, are very happy to simulate all kinds of possible accidents to practice应变, even to the point of being nitpicky. Then, following Tuchman's pen, she turned and said, "The most elite talents in Germany all go to the Railway Ministry first and then to the insane asylum." I laughed like a neuropathy for three minutes because of this sentence. Moreover, I really like Tuchman's description of the various states of all countries before the war in the first chapter. I read this chapter four or five times repeatedly. The description of Wilhelm II's jealousy and envy of his uncle Edward VII is vivid. The Kaiser wanted to go to Paris all his life, but the French always ignored his hints. On the contrary, the British king, who also had a love-hate relationship with France, was booed when he first arrived in this land and passed through the Arc de Triomphe, but when he left, he heard the shouts of "Long live the king" from the subjects of the republic. How could this not make him grit his teeth? Through these descriptions, Tuchman really portrayed the relationships between various countries at that time incisively and vividly, allowing readers to clearly understand the complex love-hate relationships among the Western European powers at that time.

Then, since it is a retranslation, readers will naturally want to know the differences between the new and old versions. To be honest, my impression of the old version is not bad. At least in the first chapter that I remember the most, I didn't feel any particular problems with the Zhang version. At most, it gave people a more deliberate sense of "classicalization." Since the old version is not in my hand, I will give an example based on my impression. In the first chapter, when it was written that Wilhelm sent photos everywhere and wrote a sentence, the Zhang version was translated as "I abide by my time." while the new version is translated as "I await the opportunity." Which one is better? To be honest, I think it depends on personal preference.

As for the books about World War I, there are as many as the crucian carp crossing the river. What is the particularity of Tuchman's book? First of all, the writing style goes without saying, as mentioned above. Secondly, the author has her own observation angle on this war. She first briefly described the pre-war European background with a British king's funeral. After that, she directly cut into the preparations for the war of each country according to the country, as if this war was doomed. Tuchman's view has its origin. She later wrote another book, "The Proud Tower" (already has a simplified Chinese version, and the Taiwan Square is about to publish it) to supplement her view. Although the leaders of European countries were not unaware of the consequences once the great powers started a war, they seemed to have the same contradictory superstition: the war could end quickly.

The author gave an example. At that time, a writer主张 that the economic and trade links between various countries had been deepened. Once they went to war, they would inevitably suffer very great losses and could not support such a huge consumption financially, nor could they obtain benefits. The outbreak of the war was "harmful to others and not beneficial to oneself." This judgment was correct, but the leaders of various countries at that time did not seem to be aware of two things: First, the development of military technology, especially the machine gun, made the defense side always easy to gain the upper hand and was easy to fall into a stalemate. The lesson of the Russo-Japanese War did not seem to be enough to alert the military of various countries. Second, the alliance between the great powers made them restrain each other, making it difficult to sign a separate peace. Then the invention of total war made the way of fighting several decisive battles in the 19th century and then having peace talks between the two sides a thing of the past. They must fight until they surrender. In particular, the Germans' burning of the ancient Belgian city of Louvain was the first turning point in the war.

The Germans naively thought that the Belgians would "borrow the road" without resistance in the war. Then, when they invaded and were resisted by the military and civilians throughout the country, they were shocked and astonished. In their thinking, they were fighting with "chivalry," and the Belgians' "guerrilla warfare" was a despicable style. Therefore, the Germans' "severe punishment" of them was a "completely moral" act.可怕的是, the Germans at home actually overwhelmingly believed and supported this statement. The Kaiser himself sent a telegram to the US president denouncing the crimes of the Belgians, and the intellectual community also jointly wrote a book to promote the "legitimacy" of their motherland. (Doesn't this kind of statement seem very familiar, like the statements of a certain invading country at present?)

At that time, these German statements were completely无助于 their barbaric image in the eyes of neutral countries. When the library in Louvain, which housed many precious medieval manuscripts, was burned, people no longer believed German propaganda. The precious reports brought back by American journalists on the scene also allowed the world to see the truth clearly. This war became a "battle between justice and evil," and the hatred value was fully drawn. From then on, Russia, Britain, and France signed a guarantee not to sign a separate peace with Germany, and both sides were determined to defeat their opponents. So later, US President Wilson's "peace without victors" became just the wishful thinking of an idealist.

Although this is hindsight, the error in judgment at that time ultimately led to the leaders of various countries not actively preventing the war. Third, the internal atmosphere of various countries at that time also had the idea of "wanting to fight" (this is the main content of the book "The Proud Tower"). The French wanted to take back their lost land, the Germans advocated extreme militarism and imperialism and "Germany should obtain their great power status," various nationalist unrests in the Balkans, Russia could not withstand the impact of external failure due to high-pressure domestic politics... As a result, as British Foreign Secretary Grey said, "The lights of all of Europe are about to go out, and we will never see them light up again in our lifetime."

Tuchman's book ends with "The Miracle of the Marne." The reason for this is self-evident. The war has since turned from mobile warfare to static warfare, which has exceeded the scope of the author's main theme.

In fact, as far as the traditional Chinese book market is concerned, there are also quite sufficient and complete works on World War I. Tuchman's two books: this book "The Guns of August" and the upcoming "The Proud Tower" tell the pre-war period. Liddell Hart's "A History of the First World War" supplements the whole process. Niall Ferguson's "The Pity of War, 1914-1918" helps sort out the research results of various scholars. Robert Gerwarth's "The Great War: A Combat History, 1914-1918" tells a relatively neglected post-war story. I believe that after reading these books, the understanding of World War I will be quite sufficient. If you want some additional materials, there is a movie called "All Quiet on the Western Front" on Netflix. Friends who play games can try: Valiant Hearts: The Great War.

That's all.

This is a truly remarkable piece of narrative history that delves into the first months of the First World War, with a particular focus on the Russian Front and the invasion of France. It vividly demonstrates how, within those initial two months, the outcome seemed to teeter on the brink of both victory and defeat. Before long, however, the conflict transformed into two lines of trenches stretching from the coast to Switzerland, ushering in four years of brutal and entrenched slaughter. Personally, I have a great admiration for Barbara Tuchman's work. This book should be read in conjunction with The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890 - 1914. By doing so, readers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the events and circumstances that led up to and unfolded during this momentous period in history.

This is the one.

Not many times can a book be said to have changed history. But you could claim it with this one. President John F. Kennedy read this book prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis. In fact, he sent a copy to every US military base in the world and made his aides read it.

For some reason, I had never read it before now. But I am glad I corrected that oversight. It is well written and accessible. It not only shows how the great powers let themselves get trapped into a war they did not want, but also shows them at their most arrogant.

World War I was so sad in so many ways. It was the end of one era and the start of another. It also led to not only the deaths in that war, but also the deaths in World War II, the Balkan crisis, and the Middle East.

This book is truly a great one. It provides valuable insights into the events that shaped our world and serves as a reminder of the consequences of hubris and miscalculation. It is a must-read for anyone interested in history or international relations.

Picked up after reading The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 by Christopher Clark, a magistral book that delves into the complex diplomatic and political intricacies leading to the outbreak of WWI, I decided to read this 'classic bestseller', the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1963. My aim was to learn more about the crucial first month of the war and how it evolved into the defensive trench warfare we all know.

It's popular history, and at times, it can be overly simplistic. However, I wasn't disappointed. The author mainly focuses on the decisive first few battles. The military accounts and strategic explanations, with all the troop movements and commanding decisions parading confusingly like a difficult-to-follow war board game, were a bit daunting, if not boring. Yet, I was engrossed by the overall picture. Each of these battles, moves, and contradictory decisions, such as high officers disobeying each other and impacting the course of events in drastic and unexpected ways, brilliantly serve to provide a straightforward understanding of how all belligerents would end up bogged down in a muddy defensive conflict.

The Germans had the Schlieffen Plan, and the French had Plan 17, but both failed miserably due to miscalculations, stubbornness, clashes of personalities, and insubordinations, which paint a sad portrait of human nature.

That being said, I had a few issues. I understand that Barbara Tuchman wanted to write an accessible account, and I also acknowledge that this was first published in 1962, when the historiography was quite different. However, I still felt a bit uncomfortable with the clichés. The British are portrayed as phlegmatic or worse, the French as arrogantly self-confident and stubborn, and the Germans as characteristically aggressive, militaristic, and convinced of their right to dominate Europe. These views are controversial and, in their simplistic form, don't hold much historical truth, as demonstrated by other historians.

Controversy aside, Tuchman's exposure of the weaknesses, likes, and dislikes, and other flaws of the protagonists brings them closer to the reader and makes them more human. They are, however, an appalling testimony to the folly and waste of human warfare. The fate of Belgium, for example, is deeply harrowing, and the emotional account of what happened at Louvain and elsewhere following the German policies regarding civilian resistance is shocking.

Tuchman also brilliantly takes seemingly insignificant details and reveals their crucial importance and major later impact. The journey of the battlecruiser 'Goeben' across the Mediterranean, for instance, reads like a wild goose chase but has a significant impact as it brings Turkey into the war.

It's a pity that 'The Guns of August' only focuses on the Russian and French fronts and doesn't deal with Austria and Serbia. However, this limited concentration makes the understanding of the war simpler and more accessible. Spilling into September 1914 and ending with the Battle of the Marne, it's an invaluable narrative to better understand how WWI turned into the trench war we are all familiar with.

All in all, it's a good book. Knowing that the shells of August 1914 would resonate across the whole 20th century, the question remains: have we learned anything from the miscalculations and blunders brought about by Jingoism?

Barbara Tuchman did not hold a PHD. “It’s what saved me, I think,” she said, firmly believing that academic life could stultify imagination, stifle enthusiasm, and deaden prose style. After all, Herodotus, Thucydides, Gibbon, Mac Cauley, and Parkman did not have PhD’s either.

Her interactions with the press and critics were cautious. In their reviews of her book, they described her as a fifty-year-old housewife, a mother of three daughters, and the spouse of a prominent New York physician. More pointedly, they questioned how she could have written this book. Well, she did, and along the way, she won the Pulitzer Prize, and the book was an instant and overwhelming success. Huh! That tells us something about the press, doesn’t it?

This is a magnificent Pulitzer Prize-winning classic (she has won two). In the first several chapters, it successfully portrays the fascinating diplomatic history leading to WW I. The remaining chapters offer a thorough and detailed account of troop movements, battles, and leaders, covering not the entire war but only the first month. Tuchman makes several references to previous national conflagrations and various earlier attempts to prevent German hegemony on the continent, which made me wonder: can we ever proceed differently and avoid these continuous wars? As it turned out, “The War to end all wars” or “The Great War” was shortly and dutifully followed by a bigger war, WW II. An interesting side note is that it took Mrs. Tuchman a full day, eight hours, to compose the first paragraph of this book. That surely gives comfort to other thoughtful and slow writers.

I was surprised and learned about the inaction and reserve of the British Army at this extremely critical time, which, by the way, continued well into the conflict. This was because I had witnessed “The Last Post” at the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres, Belgium, in 1993. The city of Ypres wanted to express their gratitude to the British Commonwealth soldiers who died for Belgium’s freedom, so they conduct “The Last Post” – a solemn bugle call similar to our “Taps” – every day at 8 pm at the Menin Gate. This observance has continued continuously since 1928, except during the Nazi occupation in WW II. Thankfully, this initial British reticence to engage, bordering on incompetence and cowardice when those around them were in full fight, was in strong contrast to how they later performed, as evidenced by the Menin Gate Memorial.

Admittedly, I did find some of the details of the troop movements etc. a little excessive, but it would be perfect for a student of such maneuvers. Overall, this was a wonderful book that had been sitting on the dusty shelf of my brain for too long. After all, it was first published when John Glenn was still trying to be the first American to orbit the globe, and accordingly, I had then marked it as one to read.

The Guns of August offers Barbara Tuchman's incisive perspective on the historical events in August 1914 that set the stage for World War I.

She delves into how meticulously these events were orchestrated to initiate an armed conflict and how shockingly obtuse the understanding was of what the world was about to undertake.

With over a century having passed since the war, it is both fascinating and deeply disheartening to recognize how easily it could have been averted and with what seeming frivolity it was begun.

The world has always been, and remains, at the mercy of a select few individuals who make decisions that draw the rest of us into events that unfold without our consent and sometimes claim our lives.

But never in history has a war been more a product of the bruised egos of a few men than this one.

Kaiser William's statements, railing against his relatives ruling Russia and England, and his comment about Queen Victoria stopping the war if she were alive, sound more like those of a petulant child than a leader on the verge of sending men to their deaths.

One can't help but wonder how much jealousy and family rivalry factored into the decision-making during the early planning stages of the war.

I was surprised to learn of Churchill's prominent role in WWI, as I had previously associated him solely with the Second World War.

His presence made me question how much this close observation influenced his thinking and prepared him for the challenges ahead in the 1940s.

Some of the other key figures were entirely new to me, highlighting the insufficiency of my knowledge regarding the planning and early days before the Battle of the Marne, thus making the reading of this book all the more necessary.

Ms. Tuchman does not attempt to present a comprehensive history of the war itself.

She confines her focus and writing to the month of August, including the build-up to the war, the search for the German battleship Goeben, Turkey's entry into the war on Germany's side, and the commencement of bloodshed up to the First Battle of the Marne.

At times, her writing is captivating, while at others, it can be as dry as dust.

It is evident that she conducted thorough research and knew her subject well, and the overall tone of the writing is remarkably even-handed and dispassionate, considering she lived through the war and its aftermath.

This was a slower read for me compared to most, and I'm not certain if I gleaned enough to justify the time spent.

However, it has broadened my understanding of the events that shaped this conflict, something I've often wondered about.

After all, we are taught in school that it was sparked by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, a member of the Austrian royal family, during their visit to Serbia.

Instinctively, one senses that there was far more at play, and as Tuchman reveals, this intuition is correct.

The Guns of August is a significant book for me as it was the first one I read about the Great War, or World War One as I knew it. It also provided me with the first substantial information about this war.

I was born in Germany in 1939. During that time, my family, consisting of my parents, my biological maternal grandmother, and my adoptive maternal grandmother (my biological grand-aunt), hardly talked about WWI. This was probably because WWII was raging, food and other supplies were scarce, and we were surrounded by Nazis, some of whom were murderous SS criminals. In other words, my family had enough present issues to worry about, and WWI seemed like ancient history.

When I went to school or college, history education stopped before 1900. Teachers avoided recent history as it was a touchy subject. I never even saw related books in bookstores or libraries. As a result, I was completely ignorant of European 20th-century history. However, once I joined Goodreads and discovered Amazon, I began to devour non-fiction books about the Third Reich, WWII, and the Holocaust, and I'm still not done reading about this era. But when August 2014 arrived, I thought it was appropriate to read at least one book about WWI, so I chose The Guns of August.

This book shocked me. My family members had disliked Kaiser Wilhelm II and had mentioned that he was rather stupid. But nothing could have prepared me for what I read in this book. I had no idea that he was a warmonger with no regard for human lives, nor did I know that his chancellor and generals were no better. I had known the prototypes of rigid, narrow-minded Germans, but to find that a German emperor and the politicians and generals around him were not only caricatures of dislikable Germans but also evil warmongers indifferent to human suffering was something I couldn't get over even six weeks after finishing the book.

Yes, most of the politicians and generals of the other countries involved in the war were not exactly saints either. And yes, the German armies were more functional than the rather dysfunctional French, British, and Russian armies. But what else can I say? I came away with great admiration for the King of Belgium, who seemed to be the only head of state of the participating countries who was completely innocent, cared about human lives, and made decisions based on wisdom and common sense. What really surprised me was the incompetence of the French leadership and its lack of organization. Any business owner would go bankrupt in no time if they were as dysfunctional as the French war machine, not to mention the Russians, whose incompetence would have been a joke if it hadn't cost so many lives. But no matter what I read, my thoughts always returned to Kaiser Wilhelm II and his generals, especially General Moltke. How could anyone plan and start a war with so little reason and total disregard for human lives? How could anyone send millions of young men to their deaths without a solid cause? I would say that Wilhelm II was the main culprit. And to think that he wasn't hanged as a war criminal (along with a bunch of his generals) but instead retired comfortably makes my blood boil.

I know I should say something about the superb writing style of Barbara Tuchman, her ironic wits, and the thoroughly researched contents of the book. So here goes. Yes, the book is superbly written, although I sometimes found it delved a bit too much into military details for readers without a military background, and I also had trouble understanding a number of long, convoluted sentences. (A few more commas would have helped.) This is why I rated the book only 4 stars. It just didn't quite make it to the full 5 stars on my scale. But if the system allowed for it, I would have given 4 1/2 stars.

Oh, I almost forgot: My adoptive grandfather (my biological grand-aunt's husband) was drafted as a reserve officer, a captain, into the Bavarian army. He fought in the Vosges and returned uninjured after the war. I still have two carved walking sticks he brought back from the Vosges as souvenirs. But that's all I know about my adoptive grandfather's involvement in WWI, other than that he and his wife (my grand-aunt) adopted my mother when the war broke out. This was for financial reasons. If my mother's uncle had been killed in the war, my mother, as his adopted daughter, would have received an orphan's pension. This would have enabled my mother's aunt, if she had been widowed, to maintain her lifestyle, which would have meant continuing to employ her sister, my biological grandmother, as her cook and what we would now call a "household manager". (My mother's biological father had died at age 42 before the war, while only engaged to my grandmother. He was an atheist, and my great-grandmother, a devoted Catholic, had forbidden the marriage.) I don't remember my adopted grandfather. He died in 1940 when I was a baby. I only know him from photographs and from the stories of my family members. I was told that he was a good man, kind and compassionate. So I'm sure he wasn't the prototype of a German officer like those described in The Guns of August.

I know this isn't much of a review, but this is all I could think about when reading this book that shook me to the core.

For more in-depth reviews of the book, please see the following links:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This is an absolutely superb read.

It is a tightly packed book that is truly full of fascinating details about the arcane goings on both in the corridors of power and on the battlefield.

In 1914, Europe was divided into two armed camps. There was a rising power in Germany, which was shackled to an Austro-Hungary that was on the verge of succumbing to the lure of nationhood among its subject peoples.

On the other side, there was an encircling status quo alliance of France, Russia, and probably perfidious Albion.

The murder of Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austrian empire, by uppity Serbs, provided the spark that ignited a European and colonial war.

Millions of people died, three empires were toppled, the first communist state was born, resentments were raised, and an Austrian corporal found his metier and his tribe.

"The Guns of August" details the first month of the war. Here, the failure by a close margin of the Schleiffen plan and the annihilation of the Russian thrust into Prussia meant that a war which was expected to be over by Christmas somehow became a four-year attritional slog.

It is a story that is both captivating and deeply disturbing, revealing the true nature of war and its far-reaching consequences.

Well, how d'you do, Private Willie McBride, First Class?

Do you mind if I sit down here by your graveside?

It's so nice to rest for a while in the warm summer sun.

I've been walking all day and I'm nearly done in.

Well, Willie - I see by your gravestone you were only nineteen when you joined the glorious fallen in 1916 - a long time ago now.

I hope you died quick and clean.

But it could have been slow and obscene.

Let's not think of that.

And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind?

In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined?

And, though you died back in 1916, to that loyal heart you'd be forever nineteen.

Or some such thing.

That's what they say, isn't it.

Sorry to have to tell you but you're probably just a stranger, without even a name, peering out from some forgotten glass pane in an old photograph, in a drawer, torn and tattered and stained, or fading to yellow in a brown leather frame.

Well, take a look around now.

It's a beautiful day.

The sun's shining down on these green fields of France.

Feel that, Willie?

No, I suppose you don't.

The warm wind blows gently, and look, the red poppies are dancing just as they should.

The trenches have all gone, all ploughed under.

It's a lovely place now.

There's no gas and no barbed wire, no guns firing now.

But I suppose here in this graveyard it's still No Man's Land - see how many white crosses there are - well, I couldn't count them all.

But at least you're not alone, Willie, eh?

There were thousands like you.

But you know I can't help but wonder now, Private Willie McBride, First Class - do all those who lie here know why they died?

I mean, did you really believe that your war would end wars?

Because that's what they said.

You'll remember that.

Because, you know, the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame, the killing, the dying, it was all in vain, Willie.

It all happened again.

And again, and again, and again, and again.

Anyway, that's enough from me.

I'll bid you good day.

I've got another five miles to go.

Thanks for your time.

(with many apologies to Eric Bogle and his great song The Green Fields of France)

This classic from 1962 clearly deserves its lasting reputation. The same goes for its Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Barbara Tuchman.

The Guns of August is an incredibly detailed and well-researched account of essentially a single month - August 1914, which marked the beginning of World War I. It is a deep study of the excesses and flaws of human nature. Tuchman's work, as many readers testify, indeed reads like a novel. It conveys such meticulous details of military decisions, plans, strategies, and daily (often hourly) troop movements that it can be challenging to keep the details straight. However, it is well worth the effort.

The positions, goals, strategies, and occasional hubris of four principal countries - France, Germany, Great Britain, and Russia - are presented at length. This stands in stark contrast to the small, beleaguered nation of Belgium. Geographically at ground zero, Belgium valiantly tried to remain neutral. The Belgians surprised Germany by shooting back.

Among the many highlights are: the escape of the battleships Goeben and Breslau into the Ottoman Empire; the eventual failure of the Schlieffen Plan and Plan 17; the Battles of Leige, Frontiers, Tannenberg, and the Marne; the chess-like strategic planning, advances, retreats, and responses of military leaders and troops, ranging from degrees of success to dismal failures; and the incredible array of personalities among the top military of each country - so many case studies in ego, doubt, fear, second guessing, callousness, courage, resolve, and leadership, both good and bad.

Tuchman's account of this single, pivotal month was at once exhausting and unforgettable. It is a grim reminder of the horrors of war and its devastating effect on individuals, families, and nations.

P. S. - It was even better reading it the second time through :-)