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Gordon Corrigan

Autor/a de Mud, Blood and Poppycock

17 obres 657 Membres 12 Ressenyes 1 preferits

Sobre l'autor

Gordon Corrigan is a member of the British Commission for Military History and a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. He is the author of A Great and Glorious Adventure and The Second World War. Gordon lives in England.

Obres de Gordon Corrigan

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Coneixement comú

Altres noms
Corrigan, J. G. H.
Data de naixement
1942-09-10
Gènere
male
Nacionalitat
UK

Membres

Ressenyes

A direct refutation of many myths about the trench war of the Western Front. In particular Clark's "Lions led by Donkeys" and also the idea that trench life was uniformly and constantly awful.

Corrigan instead presents a view where life in much of the trenches, much of the time, was pretty awful but just wasn't at the same peak as the most famous ongoing battles: materiel, logistics and morale simply couldn't have sustained that. Things that might disturb the damp, ratty status quo were unwelcome and those on a 'quiet' trench were thus no fans of a nearby trench mortar, or a gung ho raiding party from some new regiment. Such disturbances attracted reprisals and escalation, which neither side wanted.

An essential book, if only to confront the Donkey view. One might disagree, one might indeed see it as "revisionist nonsense", but the question is certainly a real one. It is also rather better supported than Clark's infamously subjective yet influential viewpoint.
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Andy_Dingley | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Mar 13, 2022 |
This is an excellent book. I have read a few other books on the role of the Indian soldiers in World War I, and they have been written by civilians.

Gordon Corrigan is an army man, and his treatment of the subject reflects his background. The book is precise, with no hyperbole.

Gordon Corrigan has done his research well, and has done a lot to separate myth from historical fact.

Where the Indian soldiers are to be praised, he does so, and where they have made errors, he has pointed them out. Through the book, I could make out his deep respect for the soldiers, and their contribution to the war effort.

What always needs to be borne in mind, is that the Indian soldiers had never been trained to fight in the trenches. The policy of building reserves also meant that some of the men who came into battle without adequate training. They fought in the cold, wet winter in uniforms meant for the tropics. They innovated by making bombs of local material, and through their time in Europe, they fought with gallantry.

This comes through, and for this, India owes Gordon Corrigan a debt of gratitude.
I like this book, and consider it essential reading for anyone interested in the role of the Indian soldiers in the European front of World War I.
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RajivC | Mar 30, 2020 |
This is a short account of a sea battle early on in the Anglo-French conflict later called the Hundred Years War. The battle is hardly known today whereas other battles during this protracted conflict, such as Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt are much better known, though arguably less decisive in a strategic sense. The author argues that Sluys in 1340 prevented a French invasion of England that would have altered the course of the next several centuries of French domination of England; instead of which the prospect of such an invasion was removed and the rest of the conflict took place on French soil rather than English, albeit with numerous twists and turns and, of course, eventual English defeat after losing all their possessions in France, except Calais. The course of the battle itself occupies only one chapter of this short work, but the reasons for English victory centre around more united and strategic leadership, better professionalisation of the armed forces and the superiority of English longbows against French crossbows.

The author's descriptions of the consequences of the battle and the counterfactual if it had gone the other way are vivid and worth quoting:

"the English victory at Sluys meant that the coming battles of the war would all be fought on French soil, with French towns and villages, and French peasants suffering the destruction, the burning, the pillage and the massacres, and not English ones. French lands would be laid waste, and not English ones. The threat of a French invasion of England was now no more, and would not re-emerge for another four hundred years."

"If the French fleet had put to sea and intercepted the English expeditionary force there can be little doubt that the English ships would have been scattered and the fleet defeated in detail. King Edward, had he not been killed, might have been captured and hauled off to Paris in chains. The French fleet could then have gone on to effect a landing in England where there was very little to oppose them. In conjunction with their reinvigorated and encouraged Scots allies they could well have taken London and declared Edward III deposed, and replaced him with one of the many claimants, or even by Isabella, ensuring a French client upon the English throne."
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john257hopper | Mar 14, 2020 |
An evidence based look at the British myths about the First World War. Corrigan follows in Keegan's footsteps by looking at all the current evidence and using it to reinterpret the historical narrative and challenge received opinion. Excellent analysis that needs to be read by all.
 
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jmkemp | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Jul 5, 2016 |

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Obres
17
Membres
657
Popularitat
#38,400
Valoració
½ 3.7
Ressenyes
12
ISBN
41
Llengües
1
Preferit
1

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