The leaders in WWI thought they were still fighting a war of the last century. They assumed the tactics were good and if they failed to achieve their objectives, they needed to throw more men at it, doing the same things, the same way, and expecting different results. It was Einstein's definition of insanity.
The men in the trenches could have told them they were wrong. The understood only too well that the technology has advanced well beyond the strategic thinking. Of course the decision makers never saw the carnage. They were too comfortable behind the lines patting each other on the back. In spite of grievous losses, they never did figure it out. Battle after battle, back and forth, the ground was littered with the dead and wounded. One particularly nasty piece of ground was Vimy Ridge.
Every time it had been attempted, the slaughter was horrible and the ridge stayed firmly in German hands. Then the Canadian boys were asked to give it a try. They did something unusual. They coordinated their attacks and used intelligence. Even they were shocked with how quickly they were able to succeed where no one else could. Canada was a young country then, barely 50 years old. Until that day, it still stood in the shadow of it British parent. Many say this was the day the country came of age.
Of course, none of the leaders learned lessons from the.Canadian victory and the bloodbaths continued for more than two years but there is a sense of pride and accomplishment in the memories of the soldiers who were quoted in this book. They are all long gone now but when the books was published first, some were still alive and they remembered only too well.
This book should be the template for histories for the masses: enough military detail to satisfy those who like to know where every piece of the puzzle was but not so much to turn off those who want the story not the minutiae. It was a fascinating read.
I give it five purrs and two paws up.