the last battle of 1918

Readers may be more familiar with the authors Twelve Days which dealt with his experiences during the Battle of the Somme and is rightly judged as one of the classics of the Great War . The Last of the Ebb I feel deserves to be placed in the same category. The, book deals this time with the second Battle of the Aisne 1918 in which the 1X Corps of the British Army was virtually destroyed. It is a little known battle which I have always felt needed wider recognition and this little book brings this chapter of the Great War brilliantly to life.
The 1X Corps now comprising of the 8th, 21st, 25th and 50th Divisions which had been badly mauled in the great German offensive of March 1918 and had been sent to the Aisne to rest, and train. It had been placed under French command, being transferred to the French 6th Army. The region came as a surprise to the weary British soldiers. Gone was the mud and battered region of the Somme. Instead they came upon lush meadowlands, great woods, streams and rivers in direct contrast to previous landscapes and it seemed the ideal place for them to recuperate. However they could not escape the aspects of war entirely as the area had been the place of a bloody and disastrous French offensive in 1917 and the ground was pitted with shell holes and old trench lines. Nature however was taking back the countryside and greenery was returning. The quietness however was an illusion and the French had made extensive counter preparations for an expected attack. They had however been lulled into a sense of security due to the quietness of the area and much more planning and preparation was needed if they were to resist any new German offensive. A great deal of their defences existed only on paper It was soon discovered that some of the French officers in the area had become complacent and had adopted a live and let live attitude with the Germans The French commander insisted on positioning the British Divisions in front of the German side of the Aisne in a narrow strip of ground, part of which was a salient which was to be held at all costs. This area was to form the battle zone and orders from the French Command stated that not a yard of ground was to be given up. The 1X Corps Commander, Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon protested strongly to no avail. The French 6th Army Commander, General Duchene over- ruled all protests. The British were to remain where they were sent. Captured German prisoners and deserters provided intelligence that a great German attack was imminent but was ignored by the French and on May 26th 1918 the last great German offensive of the war began. As with March offensive the British and French positions were very heavily bombarded by the German artillery and in spite of great acts of gallantry British and French positions were overrun. The resistance of the Devonshires at the strongpoint, the Bois des Buttes is one of the most gallant episodes of any British regiment of the war. The author does not attempt to cover every aspect of the offensive, only his observations at the time of the offensive on May 27th May 30th, describing the sufferings and great acts of gallantry carried out by handfuls of British soldiers during this period. As he writes they advanced and we fought, walked and ran twenty eight miles. Whole Divisions had virtually disappeared; such was the severity of the German onslaught.
The book contains concise maps and some superb photographs of the battle. There is also a short chapter from the German side by Major-General A D Von Unrah, Chief of the General Staff 4th Reserve Corps which makes very interesting reading. It ends with the paragraph Despite the great defeat of the English on the Aisne, we carried away the impression that they did their duty. They fought well and their sacrifices in blood and in the prisoners secured a place of honour in England�s history the Great War . The book remains a graphic testament to the courage of the officers and men of that gallant Corps It is however hard to find these days but dealers do come across it at times and it will be a worthy addition to your book case.