World Crisis, The - 1911-1918

Churchill vividly recounts the major campaigns that shaped the war: the furious attacks of the Marne, the naval maneuvers off Jutland, Verdun's "soul-stirring frenzy," and the surprising victory of Chemin des Dames. Here, too, he re-creates the dawn of modern warfare: the buzz of airplanes overhead, trench combat, artillery thunder, and the threat of chemical warfare. In Churchill's inimitable voice, we hear how "the war to end all wars" instead gave birth to every war that would follow, including the war in Iraq. Written with unprecedented flair and knowledge of these events, The World Crisis remains the single greatest history of World War I, essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the twentieth century.