Battle on the Aisne 1914

The River Aisne featured prominently in August 1914 during the Retreat from Mons. A month later it was the scene of further desperate action when the British Expeditionary Force re-crossed it in their unsuccessful attempt to dislodge the German Army entrenched along the crest of the slopes on its northern bank.

Having already fought three major engagements and marched over 200 miles in a month, the battle proved hugely costly to the BEF. Indeed the three British Corps suffered losses of over 650 officers and some 12,000 men killed. These figures shocked the Nation which was faced for the first time with such grievous fatalities. Little wonder one officer wrote that he felt he was 'in the company of ghosts'.

The author, who specialises in the early pre-trench warfare campaigns of The Great War, places the Aisne battles in their rightful context, both from the BEF and German viewpoints. In this detailed analysis he identifies the early deficiencies and lack of preparedness of the British Army staff and logistics organisation as well as friction among those within the command structure, all of which hampered effective operations.

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