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Loading... Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour: Armistice Day, 1918, World…by Joseph E. Persico
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. 4068 Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour Armistice Day 1918 World War I and Its Violent Climax, by Joseph E. Persico (read 5 Sep 2005) When I saw this on the library shelf there was no way I could keep from reading it, even though on Nov 25, 1985, I read Stanley Weintraub's A Stillness Heard Round the world--also about the ending of World War One. While this book concentrates on the events of Nov. 11, 1918, it tells the story of the whole war on the Western Front, usually from the viewpoint of the ordinary soldier. Persico is very critical of the fact that the Allies--and mainly the Americans--during the six hours between the signing of the armistice and 11 AM kept up aggressive attacks resulting in many unnecessary deaths. This book became more engrossing as I went along and when I was finished I concluded it was indeed a great book, possibly one of the best I've read this year. This is a great account about an unendingly dramatic and astounding war. (  ) Schmerguls | Oct 17, 2007 |  I listened to the audio version of this book by Joseph Persico about the armistice that ended World War I. It offers a sad commentary on a brutal war fought over murky causes. Armistice Day, 1918, was unusual in war conclusions in that it was a scheduled event. All the combatants knew many hours in advance that hostilities were to end at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11. And yet there were casualties right up until the last minutes. Persico portrays a war fought with modern weaponry using pathetically outdated strategies. There was a vast disconnect between generals moving markers around on maps and the soldiers being cut to ribbons by machine guns. Allied generals continued to order suicidal charges against the already beaten German lines right up until 11 a.m. on Armistice Day. Motivations ranged from resume-building to regimental pride. One officer claimed a wish to “tidy the map.” These officers had been woefully out of touch with the front lines for the duration of the war, one of history’s bloodiest and most appalling conflicts. Persico describes the exasperation those officers felt at the thought that the soldiers in the trenches didn’t share their enthusiasm for the cause: On Christmas, 1914, German, British and French troops crossed into no-man’s land to celebrate the holiday together peacefully, prompting harsh criticism from the officers. The overall picture is that of a vast failure of states to avert a catastrophic war that marked a turning point in military and social histories alike. TPLThing | Dec 19, 2006 | This was the first book I read concerning WWI. It was also one of the best books I have ever read. The author's focus is really on the senselessness of war, and he usually doesn't have many nice things to say about the generals who send their troops into battle from a safe distance. It was also neat to read about one of my distant relatives that is mentioned in this book, Joyce Kilmer, the poet. Kinda slow at the beginning, but it really picks up. ( ) RemlikReader | Nov 21, 2006 |  no reviews | add a review
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(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:04 -0400)
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