Verdun

The Lost History of the Most Important Battle of World War I, 1914-1918

By: John Mosier

Narrated by: Wes Talbot

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Alongside Waterloo and Gettysburg, the Battle of Verdun during World War I stands as one of history’s greatest clashes. Yet it is also one of the most complex and misunderstood. Conventional wisdom holds that the battle began in February 1916 and lasted until December, when the victorious French wrested all the territory they had lost back from the Germans. In fact, says historian John Mosier, from the very beginning of the war until the armistice in 1918, no fewer than eight distinct battles were waged for the possession of Verdun. These conflicts are largely unknown, even in France, owing to the obsessive secrecy of the French high command and its energetic propaganda campaign to fool the world into thinking that the war on the Western Front was a steady series of German checks and defeats.

Although British historians have always seen Verdun as a one-year battle designed by the German chief of staff to bleed France white, Mosier’s careful analysis of the German plans reveals a much more abstract and theoretical approach.Our understanding of Verdun has long been mired in myths, false assumptions, propaganda, and distortions. Now, using numerous accounts of military analysts, serving officers, and eyewitnesses, including French sources that have never been translated, Mosier offers a compelling reassessment of the Great War’s most important battle.

©2013 John Mosier (P)2013 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

“Mr. Mosier [is] one of the more entertainingly contrarian military historians writing today...An important and groundbreaking audiobook about the Eastern front.” ( The Washington Times on Hitler vs. Stalin)

“The author knows his military history, strategy, and tactics…packed with evidence, much of it ingeniously obtained and argued.” ( The Washington Post on The Myth of the Great War)

Hunt for the truth

This book might be a good preparatory reading for World War One. Dr. Mosier covers a number of topics, geography of France, German and French history prior to WWI, railroads and their usefulness and limitations as well as military preparedness. He explains in pain-staking detail why the French artillery was terribly inaccurate and inadequate. French politics are reviewed along with their divisive role in military preparedness.

The author claims the lost history is actually buried history. The French army controlled all information or disinformation of the war. The author delved into this mass of suppressed information finding that each layer of command lied to the one above it as to the results of the latest offensive effort. One of the main points the author makes is that Verdun was not one battle but a series of battles fought from late 1914 to 1918.

One need to carefully review the source of the information provided in the index and keep a skeptical viewpoint to decide for yourself, is the book a fresh viewpoint and a struggle with official “truth” or a powerful revisionist account. Mosier also points out that WWI had no hero General to catch the public attention. Whereas, WWII had many Hero Generals that has kept the public interested in WWII for years. For those interested in World War One history the book is well worth the read. The book was narrated by Wes Talbot.

Learned so much

Interesting to learn so much more of the war than was covered in high school. I'm glad I picked this.

New view of Verdun

I felt like the book had me unlearn what I knew about the battle in the start, then tought me it all over again, but from a very different and interesting view. I learned not just about the battle, but a helpful way to look at history. A must read for anyone interested in Verdun.

Good military history of Verdun thru the war

Narrator was not as bad as other reviewers were complaining about, although it was amusing to here "Joffre" pronounced like "Jeffery" the whole time.

This book describes Verdun the eye of a hurricane of violence all through the war years. It is very heavy with the military side of things and there isn't much accounts of soldiers experiences on the ground, but that doesnt make it totally unlistenable like Okinawa: the Last Battle.

Overall this is a good book that dispels many legends and myths about what happened at Verdun, and paints a clearer picture of a otherwise murky battle, but I might need to relisten a couple times to fully appreciate.

Need more soldiers accounts for sure

AUTHOR LEANS HEAVILY TO GERMAN POINT OF VIEW

Would you consider the audio edition of Verdun to be better than the print version?

ABSOLUTELY!

What did you like best about this story?

I FINALLY UNDERSTAND THE MANY, MANY BATTLES OF VERDUN. IT TRULY IS A LOST, VERY LOST HISTORY. THE BOOK COVERS EVERY BATTLE FROM 1914 TO 1918.I BOUGHT TO HARDCOVER EDITION FOR THE MAPS.BUT THE MAPS ARE AWFUL AND NOT ENOUGH OF THEM.

Which scene was your favorite?

PETAIN--ARROGANT-WOMANIZER-ASTUTE AND LOVING COMMANDER (AND I DO MEAN LOVING) STANDING BY THE SACRED WAY WATCHING HIS FRENCH SOLDIERS TRUDGE INTO THE BATTLE.:NO WONDER THAT THEY LOVED HIM BACK.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES, EXCEPT WHEN HE GOES OFF TOPIC OR TOO DEEP INTO NON BATTLE TOPICS EG THE TRUE NUMBER OF CASUALATIES ON BOTH SIDE ETC.

Any additional comments?

HIS OBVIOUS GERMAN SYMPATHIES STUCK IN MY CRAW---I.E. THEY ONLY WANTED PEACE THAT'S WHY THEY INFLICTED THE WORSE BARRAGE IN HISTORY, PHOSGENE (POISON GAS) AND FLAME THROWERS ON THE FRENCH.AT VERDUN. IF THEY WANTED PEACE SO MUCH WHAT IN SAM HILL ARE THEY DOING 30 MILES FROM PARIS? WE WOULD FIGHT TOO, IF THEY WERE 30 MILES FROM WASHINGTON.BUT FOR THAT--I DON'T THINK HE WRITES AS WELL AS ALISTER HORNE WHO WROTE THE CLASSIC VERDUN ACCOUNT, BUT AT LEAST I COULD UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING--DESCRIBING THE MANY FRENCH FORTS AS A BATTLE SHIP BURIED IN SAND AND THE FRENCH TOWN OF FLUERY AS A RUBBLE HEAP WITH A SIGN, OR THE VAUQUOIS (ANOTHER BITTERLY FOUGHT OVER FRENCH TOWN) AS LOOKING LIKE A CHILD'S SAND CASTLE STEPPED ON, I CAN'T GET OUT OF MIND. AND HE HAS THESE LITTLE GEMS, LIKE ON EVERY OTHER PAGE.WONDERFUL BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very interesting, but very opinionated

This book is extremely interesting. I strongly recommend it to anyone with an interest WW1 western front. The author clearly put in a vast amount of research and has an excellent understanding of both the French and German languages.

He unravels the deliberately obstructed history of this multi-year regional battle. He also ties in a great deal that lead to the battle all the way from post Franco-Prussian war thinking, to geography, and a host of intricate and sometimes obscure details of how the French and German armies operated. I certainly learned much.

The reason I say its opinionated to the point of taking 2 stars off the 'story' points is once he builds his case for how obtrusive the French high command was were and how 'relatively' progressive -some- German field commanders were he doesn't let it go. And by that I mean he's constantly on the GQG (French high command) being bad, which they were, and German being smart, which some of them were. The amount he harps on this seriously detracts from an otherwise well researched and insightful book.

great

awesome for long road trips and very informative and also great to listen to in parts

Very statistical but not riveting

The overall thesis of the book is that the French military altered their number of casualties and that of the Germans to help with their propaganda efforts to keep up moral, especially over the fight for Verdun. In several places he seems to deviate from this thesis, speaking in detail on artillery, and the fact that there were multiple battles for Verdun besides 1916. Not a very riveting read, but did learn some. I’d prefer a firsthand account on the battle.

Most Thought-provoking

Many of the Great War "battle" books provide excellent detail, first hand accounts, just like Mosier's Verdun. Some, like Peter Hart's books give better detail in that respect. However, Out of all the WW1 books I've listened to, Verdun is the one where I felt like I got the most perspective and context...More "why" less how.

The narration is abysmal. The pronunciation of French names is especially bad. But it is still worth listening to, if you can get over the countless "Joffreys".

Fantastic dive into symmetric propaganda

A well written account of not only the battle but foremostly the events surrounding it and the bumbling of many people responsible - as most such histories of the great War relate. However, the performance has cringe worthy pronunciation of both French and German words, and sometimes almost comedically bad. Coup with a hard p was a good one. In you can bear Argonne being pronounced wrong over and over again, you will love this book.

Other reviews seem to be critical of there not being a specific overview of the battle, but that was the entire point of the first few chapters- there was no true battle of Verdun. It was much more than that. Other reviews are ironic reflections of the exact propaganda talked of in those same chapters- if you go in expecting the central powers to be villains, you do not understand the Grear War or history itself.