1918: Winning the War, Losing the War - Matthias Strohn

This review has been submitted to the British Army Review.

Title: 1918: Winning the War, Losing the War

Author: Matthias Strohn

ISBN: 978-1-4728-2933-7

Publisher: Osprey

Year: 2018

Hardcover

Pages: 304

Maps:  8

Photos: 19

Those who have studied the First World War in any way will agree that the key front between victory or defeat was the Western Front. They will also agree that for the duration of the war, the Western Front, unlike the East and Southern Fronts, was static except for two brief periods: 1914 leading up to the Battle of the Marne and 1918 with the final offensives of the Germans and the subsequent Last 100 Days of the Allies. 1918, as its title implies, focuses upon the final year of the war, but not as an analysis of the movements and activities of the different protagonists; but as a discussion of the relative capabilities, the strengths, weaknesses and the influencing factors that reflected the different armies as they faced each other after 4 years of warfare.

This book draws upon the knowledge of a number of respected military historians, each well published and hailing from a variety of teaching institutions in Austria, Germany, the UK, the United States and Ireland. Each of the 10 contributors has been given a nation or subject to discuss (ie the Air Campaign, Naval Warfare, the British Army, the German Army etc) covering off all of the major facets of the war as it was in 1918. Each is a stand-alone analysis and may be read independent of the others. Austro-Hungary, Russia, the Ottomans and Italy are not covered as chapters but are lumped together in the sections: The Forgotten Fronts of Europe and the War Outside of Europe. This is unfortunate as certainly the three nations of Italy, Austro-Hungary and Turkey were still very active participants in their own right.

The chapters are drafted in a format similar in nature to a university lecture; not surprising given the backgrounds of the contributors. This also ensures that the content flows logically, is lucid and engaging. This improves both the quality of the reading experience as well as facilitating the knowledge that wishes to be passed.

The narrative of the book is bookended by an initial introductory chapter that places the impact of the final year of the War into a modern day context as well as a final installment that captures a number of the lessons to be gleaned from the results of the year’s events on the Western Front. On the German side, the campaigns of 1918 revealed a completely revamped operational and tactical engagement methodology based upon the ‘Stormtrooper’ infiltration tactics and vastly improved artillery utilization. It proved to be extremely effective at breaking the deadlock of trench warfare but could not be sustained due primarily to logistical limitations. On the Allied side, it was the lesson of interdependence between Allies. Up to that point in the war, nations had worked together but retained their operational independence. The crisis of the German offensives set the conditions on the Allied side for the appointment of a senior commander for all Allied armies, something that was never achieved amongst the Central Powers; this in turn significantly improved the Entente’s operational effectiveness and focus.

Overall, 1918 is an excellent analysis of the final year of the war, drawing upon the expertise of a number of different subject matter experts. The analysis is clear, concise and in-depth; it is unfortunate that Austro-Hungary and Turkey do not have their own chapters but they are not ignored. The conclusion is comprehensive and draws attention to a series of lessons that still resonate a century later. It is clear, from the discussion, that the war was still very much undecided as the protagonists entered the summer of 1918 and could easily have had very different results given just a few changes. A book well worth reading and discussing.