The full title of this book is "The Battle of the Yser and of Ypres in the Autumn 1914" and it gives equal coverage to both. It was written by a Captain Otto Schwink, a General Staff Officer, in 1917 - too close in time to the operations it describes to have permitted proper research and so provide a more objective account. It was intended primarily for public consumption and was how the German General Staff wished the campaign to be seen. Nevertheless, it is interesting to read the other side's point of view and balance is to some extent restored by the series of footnotes provided throughout the narrative by our own Historical Section (Military Branch).*

The opening campaign of the Great War as seen by the German Army
History, it is said, is written by the victors and that is generally true. It is therefore often difficult for the military historian of later times to achieve a complete understanding of the position on both sides of an engagement. Sources from the losing side tend to be in shorter supply than those on the winning side. There is now much interest in the opening campaign of the First World War, not least because the outstanding defensive performance of the hugely outnumbered 'Contemptible Little Army' is particularly appealing to the sentiments of English speaking people and has entered the annals of great military achievements. Also all students of the period know that the war shortly became a stalemate, a war of attrition with barbed-wire, trenches, mud and blood that abided until the last phase of the war. This was the fluid stage of the war, when experienced county infantry regiments and cavalry fought in the way that colonial experiences had trained them to fight. So this book, written by a member of the German staff is especially interesting and vital for all students of the period. It is, as one would expect, partisan in its perspective, and reveals how the campaign of 1914 was perceived by the advancing German force. It provides much detail of how the Germans saw the actions of the B. E. F and this will be a revelation to many readers. The English editor has included very useful passages of explanation and verification which compare the German view with what history has shown were the actual facts. Numerous footnotes correct the German view of the size and disposition of enemy units, the numbers of troops engaged and the ordnance the British and their French allies had at their disposal. Verification of actual Allied positions held, resources in reserve etc. are also given to counterbalance the German view. A very welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in this campaign.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

The opening campaign of the Great War as seen by the German Army
History, it is said, is written by the victors and that is generally true. It is therefore often difficult for the military historian of later times to achieve a complete understanding of the position on both sides of an engagement. Sources from the losing side tend to be in shorter supply than those on the winning side. There is now much interest in the opening campaign of the First World War, not least because the outstanding defensive performance of the hugely outnumbered 'Contemptible Little Army' is particularly appealing to the sentiments of English speaking people and has entered the annals of great military achievements. Also all students of the period know that the war shortly became a stalemate, a war of attrition with barbed-wire, trenches, mud and blood that abided until the last phase of the war. This was the fluid stage of the war, when experienced county infantry regiments and cavalry fought in the way that colonial experiences had trained them to fight. So this book, written by a member of the German staff is especially interesting and vital for all students of the period. It is, as one would expect, partisan in its perspective, and reveals how the campaign of 1914 was perceived by the advancing German force. It provides much detail of how the Germans saw the actions of the B. E. F and this will be a revelation to many readers. The English editor has included very useful passages of explanation and verification which compare the German view with what history has shown were the actual facts. Numerous footnotes correct the German view of the size and disposition of enemy units, the numbers of troops engaged and the ordnance the British and their French allies had at their disposal. Verification of actual Allied positions held, resources in reserve etc. are also given to counterbalance the German view. A very welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in this campaign.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

This new volume in the long-running Images of War series features the actions of the Imperial German Army at Ypres from 1914-15. In the autumn of 1917 Captain Otto Schwink, a General Staff Officer, by order of the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army, produced a book entitled The Germans at Ypres 1914. Herr Schwink's text is reproduced accompanied by rare photographs illustrating the Imperial German Army as it was in the pre-war era and in the field during the campaign, which culminated in the four year struggle for the Ypres salient. Photographs depict the troops, officers, supporting artillery, High Command and the events of the 1914 Christmas truce. This volume also features a chapter on Adolf Hitler's service during the Great War, which both began and ended in the Ypres salient, and includes a selection of rare photographs illustrating Hitler's experience in the ranks of the Bavarian Army in Flanders.