On May 3, 2008, at 7:37 AM, Chris Barker wrote:
> And thanks, Brian, for prompting me to look for more information on
> what sounds like a very daft bit of military tactics, a diversion for
> a diversion on poor ground (for the attacker) against a heavily dug-in
> defender.
>
> What heroic people.
Some years ago I picked up Martin Gilbert's excellent one-volume
history of World War I, and found it incredibly difficult to read--
not because it was poorly written or researched--it;s very well done--
but rather because of the stories it told. I can't recall how many
times it cause my eyes to leak, especially the material from Gallipoli.
It turned out to be one of the few books I had to leave for days at a
time to let myself recover before I picked it up again. Since then
I've read a number of WWI histories, and it feels like I'm reading
about events on a different planet. Frankly, I couldn't find much
sense to be made of the Great War at all, never mind its component
parts such as the Somme or Gallipoli, or Verdun.
It made my first visit to London all the more meaningful as Esteemed
Wife and I wandered the city, encountering Great War memorials
everywhere. She didn't understand why there were so many. I believe I
did.
--Bob
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